Iconic Disney Epcot Ride to Close for Two Years
Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot Theme Park is going through a major overhaul and closing down one of the park's most iconic rides.
According to the Walt Disney World News Today (WDWNT) blog, new details about the overhaul revealed that the Spaceship Earth ride inside Epcot's geodesic sphere will close for more than two years. Reports claim that the ride will be closed from early 2020 and reopen in time for the park's 40th anniversary in the second half of 2022.
As part of Epcot's overhaul, Disney is redoing the park entrance and the central area of Future World. WDWNT reports this "Project Gamma" will make much-needed changes to Spaceship Earth. The 15-minute ride is aging and Disney is using this park overhaul as a way to extend the length of the attraction with new loading and unloading areas. Spaceship Earth will reportedly receive a new structure that will replace the Project Tomorrow building.
Disney is also setting up projection mapping technologies that will cover the entire exterior of the ride with projections of Earth from space.
TPG reached out to Disney for a comment, but they did not have anything to share at the moment. Disney responded to TravelPulse saying that the park's multi-year transformation will bring new experiences, but keep the original vision of the park.
"As part of this exciting evolution, an all-new nighttime fireworks spectacular joins several previously announced experiences coming to Epcot, including the highly anticipated "Guardians of the Galaxy" roller coaster attraction in Future World, a "Ratatouille"-inspired attraction in World Showcase, a new table-service restaurant adjacent to Mission: SPACE in Future World and much more," Disney said in their statement to TravelPulse.
While some Epcot fans might be sad to hear their favorite ride will temporarily close, there are more than 40 other rides throughout Disney World to enjoy — if you're brave enough, you might even be able to hit them all in one day. For more tips on how to navigate all 40 square miles or ways to maximize your stay, our ultimate guide to Disney World has your answers.
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month