Over the past few weeks I’ve been adding some #ThrowbackThursday and #FlashbackFriday pictures to the Disney Over 50 Facebook and Instagram accounts. I love looking back. Many of the pictures that I’ve added are from rides or attractions that no longer exist. Some aren’t missed, like The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Others, like The Great Movie Ride, people do truly seem to miss. There has been a lot of change at Walt Disney World in the 13 years that my family and I have lived here. Some changes have been hits, while others have missed the mark. I thought it might be fun to write a short series on these hits and misses.
My hits so far; Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, the Flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Epcot International Festival of the Arts, and Epcot’s new area World Celebration. My misses are Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Harmonious, and Disney Genie+. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is both a hit and a miss, depending on the way that you look at it.
I’m going to be a little bit controversial today. I’m placing Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana in the hit column, but I’m giving it an asterisk. It’s not must do like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, but it is a pretty place to cool off if you have the time.
The reason why I’ll say that Walt Disney World hit the mark with Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is because it is exactly as they described it. It’s not a ride, it’s a walk through attraction that takes you through the cycle of water. You can learn something, and it’s interactive. There are several fun moments along the way.
I also like the fact that there is a dry path, so you don’t have to get wet if you don’t want to. If you want to get soaked, you can! Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana can be a quick walkthrough, or you could spend a lot of time playing in all the features. It’s totally up to you.
One more thing that puts Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana in the hit column is the beauty of the area. It’s stunning during the day, but even more spectacular after dark.
Now time for the asterisk. A lot of people expected more from Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana. One of the biggest complaints that I’ve heard is that it would be the perfect queue for an actual ride, but instead you just exit. Walt Disney World stated all along that Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is not a ride, but that doesn’t mean that everyone paid attention.
The other part of the asterisk is because of the name itself. People think that it’s a Moana attraction, which it isn’t. There are subtle hints in the rocks throughout, but it doesn’t feel like it has anything to do with Moana until you see Te Fiti at the end. I’ve heard families at Epcot say that they were next going to go on “the Moana ride”. Those kids were about to be disappointed. Having Moana greet nearby helps to placate disappointed children, but Disney needs to refer to it more as Journey of Water and place less emphasis on the Inspired by Moana part.
Overall, though, Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is a nice addition to Epcot. The theme fits in perfectly with the World Nature idea. Since it’s interactive there is plenty to do. And as I said, you need to visit after dark. Could it be better? Probably. But this is one case where we were given exactly what Walt Disney World promised, which makes it a hit for me.