The development of a quick service experience is often a thankless job. Many a time do individuals notice that little to no guests care about the common pick-up-and-pay service option. Every day guests don’t really care where they get a quick bite, and the serious idea of a quick service option as a meal is met with laughter by Disney fanatics. Cheap food, school lunch style seating, crowded areas, every possible description of a quick service area brings a negative connotation. Seriously, what can a theme park do to make their cheap food option more than a pit-stop in a family’s day? The feat of turning quick service into an unforgettable meal is roughly equivalent to turning a hot dog corner cart into Tavern on the Green. Surely it must be impossible.
Now, I finally have a chance to discuss the absolute wonder that is the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or Walt Disney’s EPCOT (Which we shall refer to as the proper noun “Epcot” rather than the abbreviation). For some reason, that I truly cannot place, the quick service options at the park have some glow that attracts a sci-fi, climate, and brain geeks such as myself. Every building holds a feeling that no other can replicate. Unlike the other Disney Parks, every area feels truly different. The Land and The Seas are nothing alike. Both create bubbles of theming that cannot be penetrated by surroundings. Each attraction holds both deep immersion and intense surroundings to the extent where reality bends. The outside world ceases to exists as guests develop a car in Test Track, or when children marvel at the manatee in the Marine Biology section of The Seas. All areas concentrate specifically on a simple goal, to impact an audience for the rest of their lives. Blending education and immersion, defining the detail in the attractions barely scratches the surface of the park.
To show that simplistic service in Epcot is benefitted by the intelligent minds of WDI, one can look directly at Sunshine Seasons, a quick service station that falls in the same vain as most hotel dining options on Walt Disney premises.
In fact, very little separates Sunshine Seasons from the common counter service at Disney Parks. The counters are divided up into multiple areas, those being Asian Noodles, Sandwiches, Grill, Soups & Salads, and the Bakery. Each of which hold food that is generally mediocre to quite good. Not necessarily anything to write home about.
The most important aspect of this experience is the pavilion itself. Guests are surrounded by colorful balloons, bright sunlight, bustling commotion, and an environmental conscience on their shoulders. The water from Living with the Land, a boat ride showing environmental advances made in the pavilion itself, creates ambient sound, while the music from Soarin’ Around the World (though, it’s impossible to tell the difference between that and the former) pulls guests toward the bottom of the building like the call of a siren. Oddly enough, the music loop is peppered with movie music as well. While a concrete listing may not exist, many have mentioned the presence of Field of Dreams music as well as music from Pearl Harbor. In recent years, the popularity of Soarin’ has led to an increased presence of the ride’s theme, but it does not overpower the immersion.
Simply watching the masses pass by, or “people-watching”, is an important aspect of Sunshine Seasons. Placed in the center of the pavilion, everybody is essentially forced to walk around it. The most popular attraction in the park, Soarin’ Around the World, shares the bottom level of the area, as does the refreshing and cool boat ride that is Living with the Land. Too many interactions with other guests have occurred in my time at the pavilion, each redefining comradery that guests each have, mostly through subconscious interactions.
A year back, around the opening of Soarin’ Around the World, I myself took time alone to peruse the park, trying anything new that caught my eye. This led me to Sunshine Seasons, specifically to find the Soarin’ Panna Cotta. Topped with an orange gelatin over a towering vanilla bean creme, all on a thin, baked piece of dough. Leaning on a trash can, watching families pass by on to board their flight around the world, I was asked about the quality of the dish. What continued was a small conversation about the food, amongst other Disney related topics.
Guests in this building are stuck in a constant circle where they are forced to come into contact with others. In Soarin’ they must sit with guests they may not know and share a trip around the world. Both Living with the Land and The Seeds tour are experienced in a group setting, where smaller parties are matched with complete strangers. The theater in the Circle of Life forces guests to stay in the same room as others.
Most likely inadvertently, symbiosis of both humans and nature, as well as humans with other humans is identified as a necessity for prolonged life on Earth. In fact, the film Symbiosis was shown in the Harvest Theater in The Land. Seating at Sunshine Seasons wraps around in an odd fashion, especially the fact that it is likely you will have to share a booth with an unknown person. It is possible that the entire pavilion tries to hammer down the fact that humans as a species cannot live alone.
Humans are social animals, requiring constant interaction to live, as well as a world to exist within. Treating the environment with respect, as well as those around us, is likely to secure a positive future for the entire planet. The Land begs audiences to stand in awe of the world we live in, while begging for help on every single environmental issue.
This discussion stems from the thoughts one can have sitting at Sunshine Seasons. Analyzing the colorful surroundings, yearning for that next trip Around the World, listening to families discuss their day, and hoping for a better tomorrow, immersion is working subconsciously. The placement of Sunshine Seasons falls exactly in the center of the immersion, exactly where design engineers want them to be. Exactly where The Land can make an impact.
Quick service is no longer quick service when it leaves a lasting impression on the guest. Once that impression has been instilled, it has become an experience.
Ryan Dorman is a Columnist for the Boardwalk Times
