Only Experts Know This Secret in EPCOT’s Germany Pavilion

EPCOT is full of tons of exciting restaurants, attractions, and everything in between.

EPCOT

Over in the World Showcase, you can feel like you’re traveling all around the world with authentic (for the most part) eats and drinks, experiences, and more. You can even chat with Cast Members from those countries! The Germany Pavilion is one of our favorites to visit, even though it doesn’t have an attraction — but wait, what if we told you there WAS going to be an attraction in the Germany Pavilion and part of it is STILL THERE?

That’s right! When EPCOT was being built, the Germany Pavilion put in their castle to not only look fantastic, but it was to hold two different attractions. The first was Biergarten, a restaurant you can still dine at to this day, but it was also supposed to house a ride too!

Germany Pavilion

This attraction was going to be the Rhine River Cruise! On this ride, guests would have traveled along the Rhine, the Tauber, the Ruhr, and the Isar and learn about Germany’s heritage and history, as well as their high-tech presence today (similar to how the Maelstrom ride was in Norway, which has now become Frozen Ever After). This would include seeing sights like the Black Forest, Oktoberfest, Heidelberg, Cologne Cathedral, and the industrial Ruhr Valley, plus many more.

©National Geographic

So what happened to this attraction? Well, during EPCOT construction, part of the attraction structure was built behind the pavilion, BUT budget cuts hit the project and stopped construction. While the rest of the Germany Pavilion moved to completion with the rest of the park and eventually opened in 1982, the attraction was never touched again. 

A relaxing river cruise along the Rhine River was planned for the Germany pavilion. [The Walt Disney Company]
The entrance to the ride was expected to be at the right part of the arch at the back of the pavilion. Currently, the space is being used for a storage area, workshop, and rehearsal space. You may be wondering why you’ve never seen this space before, but the truth is, it’s right in plain sight — that mural you see at the back of the pavilion? It’s HOLLOW! If you knock on the mural, you’ll hear the hollow sound — that’s right where the attraction was going to be.

Germany mural

This means that the only big attraction in the Germany Pavilion is Biergarten, which celebrates Oktoberfest 365 days a year. It’s a great buffet spot to see some great entertainment while you eat, but it is a table service restaurant you’ll need to get reservations for.

Biergarten Restaurant Restaurant

Rating: 8.06 / 10 Recommended By: 88%
Menus: Lunch/Dinner
Services: Buffet/All You Care to Eat

This is also a pretty heavy meal, so we recommend eating here during the cooler months or for dinner when the sun has gone down by the time you leave the restaurant.

Biergarten

We’re still holding out hope that SOMEDAY this attraction or another attraction will fill this spot (even though that’ll mean that lovely mural will go away) because we’re never opposed to more rides in EPCOT. It’s unlikely, but hey, never say never!

The entrance was likely going to be to the right!

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Would you love to see the Rhine River Cruise eventually open someday? Tell us in the comments!

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2 Replies to “Only Experts Know This Secret in EPCOT’s Germany Pavilion”

  1. I would love to see this, but I suspect there was reasoning beyond budget that prevented its completion. Maybe space constraints? Traffic flow concerns?

    And now…as someone who does construction management (not for Disney and not in FL, though), I can say that often rebuilding/renovating/modifying a project that already exists can be way more expensive than building from scratch.

    Disney just needs a German sponsor with deep pockets and plenty of national pride. Well, maybe not too much national pride.