Why There's a RANDOM TUNNEL in the Middle of EPCOT

EPCOT has gone through a LOT of changes over the past several years.

The entire front of the park looks SO much different, plus we’ve seen three new attractions open (Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana). The massive EPCOT transformation is finally complete. But there are still pieces of the “old” EPCOT you can see if you know where to look!

Okay, let’s take a trip back into the past to the time BEFORE 2001. If you managed to visit before that time, you might remember visiting The Living Seas Pavilion (what is now The Seas with Nemo and Friends) and visiting the aquarium there (which was once the world’s LARGEST aquarium). Now, think back to that visit. Do you remember that cool glass tunnel you would ride through that would take you underwater, with fish swimming all around you?

No, you didn’t imagine it. It really did exist. It had 8 inches of glass on all sides that could withstand the weight of the water. However, if you’ve visited The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion recently, you know that you can no longer see inside the aquarium when riding through that tunnel. It actually DOES still exist, but you can no longer see through that thick glass into the giant aquarium. And you have The Seas With Nemo and Friends ride to blame.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

When Disney added the ride to the Pavilion, the tunnel was covered from the inside, and when you ride, you see projections in the tunnel. Yep, it’s an expensive projection screen now. You can still see this tunnel from the aquarium.

The tunnels were part of the original attraction in this pavilion — Seacabs. The Seacabs took you on a tour of the aquarium and through this glass tunnel and some others. The Seacabs ride was closed in 2001, and when the Nemo ride was built on the same track, the tunnels remained covered — making this probably the most expensive projection screen in Disney World. We suppose that’s all part of progress.

Be sure to visit the aquarium, though, because it is pretty amazing. You can see a lot of species of fish plus real turtles and manatees up close and personal.

Check back with AllEars again soon for more.