Does This Bizarre Thing Happen to Anyone Else on Spaceship Earth in EPCOT? Just Me?

Look, I love lots of the rides in EPCOT, in fact, Cosmic Rewind is my favorite ride in the entire resort, but I’ll admit that EPCOT isn’t my favorite park (that award goes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios).

However, when I’m craving a chill ride, something that will give me a reprieve from a busy day while also wanting something that will inspire me and encourage me to find details I haven’t before, my go-to ride is Spaceship Earth. There’s just something about the atmosphere, about getting to see scenes from history that I truly can’t get enough of…and I’m constantly wondering what the front of the paper boy looks like (if you haven’t looked up those rumors, he used to face forward but it’s said his face is supposedly melted off from a fire, so they turned him around and now he yells at the wall). There’s one problem, though — Spaceship Earth doesn’t like me back, and it breaks my heart every time.

And no, I don’t mean that in the way that it makes me motion sick, or that the seats are uncomfortable (though that’s an argument I’ll hear; they COULD be more comfortable). I mean that when it comes time for you to make your own future at the end of the ride, it NEVER works out how I want it to.

In case you haven’t ridden, or it’s been a while since you have, after you’ve gone through the scenes and seen Earth at the very top of the ride, you get the chance to answer some questions and see what the future could look like for you as you go back down towards the bottom of the sphere. A photo of you is taken at the very start of the ride, you’ll hear the narration prompting you to look up at the screen to pose, so you don’t need to worry about remembering like on other attractions, and that’s what’s used at the end of the ride.

It’s pretty fun! You see a cartoon character with your face on it going through a new life based on the choices you made in the car. Even if you choose not to participate and not make any choices, it’ll still show you a future with the photo taken at the start of the ride (so if you’re napping and not paying attention, no worries). My problem, though? EVERY SINGLE TIME I ride, no matter what I’m wearing or how I pose, I DO NOT EXIST.

YOU SEE?! I have proof! This is just one of the admittedly MANY times this has happened, and I’m still at a loss. Is it my glasses? Perhaps, especially since they have blue-light blockers in them, but there’s only been ONE singular moment when it’s worked, and I did indeed still have them on, so I’m stumped. However, I was with my parents, who were in the car in front of me, and while my photo and my mom’s came out, my DAD was the one who didn’t exist. Does Spaceship Earth have something against my family? I think so.

Don’t worry, I’m not deterred — I will continue to fight this battle until I discover WHY a ride I love so much apparently wants to act like I never hop on board. It’ll be a hot second until I’m back in the parks, but I may have to ride it nearly all day (for science) to see if we can figure out the mystery.