Walking in, you see the celebration poster on the wall erected in front of the on-rehab Spaceship Earth.
Even though I got in at around 8:15 am, there were already fans right up to the rope-drop area in front of the fountain. There are already lines for the merchandise and the pins. The line for the pins went back all the way to Spaceship Earth.
As soon as the rope dropped, many of us (at least those who were not in line for the pins or merchandise) made it the other side of the Fountain of Nations and staked our place for the re-dedication ceremony.
The re-dedication ceremony was short and sweet. The cast members representing the various attractions in Future World came on stage.
Jim McPhee gave a short speech, and then Marty Sklar was introduced, escorted by Mickey and Minnie.
After Marty Sklar's speech, cast members representing the countries of World Showcase came on stage. They also brought with them water from their countries and reenacted the pouring of the water into the fountain, something that was done during the opening of Epcot in 1982. That resulted in huge fountain display and fireworks fanfare that concluded the re-dedication ceremony (see the video I made - it should give you some idea of it).
There was a picture taken, probably of the Epcot management.
Of course, what happened next was the Celebration 25 group photo. Both the Cast Member ambassadors and Jim McPhee joined in for our photo.
I managed to shake Jim McPhee's hand after the photo ceremony and thank him for all of his efforts to organize an observance of Epcot's anniversary.
We then rushed to The Land because we had tickets for the 11:30 am Marty Sklar's conversation. It's too bad that they don't let us take pictures or videos, but here's a snap shot of the screen before it started.
Our next group activity that day was a ride-together at Journey into Imagination with Figment. This ride that typically barely register 5 minute wait time, suddenly ballooned to 20 minutes wait time by the time all of our group started to enter the line. We did warn the cast member in charged and he directed us to a roped queue line.
We also went to the Epcot's historical exhibit. It was wonderful to see things long gone, or what things look like when they first opened.
This was one of the items at the exhibit that caught my eye. It's the Epcot's opening ceremony program.
While the exhibition was small, it certainly looked as if they really put their hearts into it. I'm sure those who had been there then, or had visited Epcot during the first few years of its life had quite a nostalgic feeling looking at all the items on display there. Don't miss it if you can. It should still be there for a few months, I think.
As the early evening approached, the rain started to fall. We had a "sit through" group activity at the American Experience at the US pavilion. Some of our group members came in drenched due to the rain.
The rain continued into the evening, and our planned desert reception at the front of the Italy pavilion had to be moved in to the Odyssey. It didn't matter. We still had a great time chatting with other members of the group. Again, it was fun to put faces to the various people that we had chatted online at WDWMagic.
10 minutes to 9 pm and we were escorted back to our reserved area by Italy to view Illuminations. Just as we're about to get there, the heavens opened up and rain poured as if someone opened a faucet. We scrambled to wear our ponchos and continued to make it to our designated area. Due to the rain, we didn't take any pictures or videos, which was something we definitely regretted because the anniversary tag that was added to the end of Illuminations was OUTSTANDING! They mostly used the music from Tapestry of Nations to accompany the fireworks, and by the end of it, the hairs on the back on my neck and on my arms were standing up. I'm hoping our official videographer for our Group took videos of it.
After the fireworks, we were given prior permission to stay behind as the park was emptied out to view the burn-off of the inferno barge. We again had another pleasant surprise. First we were sent a box of ice cream (Mickey Premium!!!!!!). And then Jim McPhee showed up to check up on us.
By then, I could swear that he had us eating out of his hands. The fact that he showed that much care for our group truly made it a spectacular event for us. I know that for me, he was a very big part of why this was such a memorable and magical event/trip. Epcot is in very good hands with him at the helm.
We waited and waited and waited for the burn-off. Due to the rain, Illuminations was about half-hour late, and it was 11:30 pm when the burn-off began. It was more of an appearance of someone having the bad case of the gas. Still, we had a terrific time while we waited. No one was complaining even though most of us were wet and the rain continued to fall on and off.
What happened next will stay with me for the rest of my life, and from reading other accounts of those who were there, also became one of the biggest highlights of the whole event. After the burn-off, we were escorted back to the main gate by a cast member, since Epcot was officially closed. As we walk from the Italy pavilion to the front gate, someone started to sing Disney theme park tunes. First it was tunes from the various Epcot attractions, and then it went on to other WDW attractions. Almost everyone was signing in unison. Cast members who were working as we walked past them were either waving or applauding at us. It was MAGICAL! Never before have I felt the comradarie with other Disney fans as strongly as I've felt that night walking out to the gate. I felt privileged to be a part of the group and sharing that moment.
That was the end of the Celebration 25 event and Epcot's anniversary. It was only fitting that as we walked through the turnstile, the time was 12:05 am Oct. 2nd. Epcot has been my most favorite Disney theme park. The events of Oct 1st, 2007 has done nothing but strengthened my affection towards it for daring to be different than any other theme parks.
Now let's see if I can make it to its 50th....
Zz.
1 comment:
Thanks for your posts on the 25th Celebration. I was not able to attend and appreciate all that I have been able to read.
Post a Comment