More construction ahead for Epcot as Disney files for Spaceship Earth permit.
Epcot in Orlando is already full of construction but more is on the horizon as Disney has filed a construction permit for Spaceship Earth.
If construction at Epcot wasn’t bad enough, there is more coming and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing unless you are planning to go now. According to the website Walt Disney World Today, the Disney Imagineering department has filed for a permit on Spaceship Earth or the big ball.
This isn’t entirely new, news actually. It was reported almost over a year ago that Spaceship Earth, the silver iconic ball that easily identified Epcot, would be getting an interior redesign that was long overdue. The slow-moving ride inside was actually supposed to have already started its reconstruction but COVID shuttered all of that.
Epcot is a massive construction site right now with the central hub and entry boarded up around the S. Earth with divider walls directing foot traffic to the other locations. While World Showcase is still open, everything that led to the “Port of Entry” is closed including the stores.
Spaceship Earth’s redesign now appears to be back on and while there is no start date for construction, we should see the ride close down sooner rather than later depending on how soon the permit is processed.
WDWNT does say in the announcement that it is not clear if the filing is for refurbishment or merely routine repairs but it is not out of the question that this will be the big change that has been expected. Even if it is maintenance, we can expect a closure of the ride while it is being done. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to close it up and reopen but if they are installing new mechanical structures and power systems as WDWNT suggests, this could be the prelude to the actual refurbishment. That is expected to take about two years.