October has been quite an eventful month for EPCOT!

Since EPCOT reopened, the park has been keeping busy with the Taste of EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival as well as construction and character updates. (It’s also been the center of some major project and firework drama!)

This month alone we’ve seen a ton of changes while the theme park adapts to the new safety protocols and moves forward on attraction construction. Let’s take a look at the 5 most important changes we’ve seen happen at EPCOT this month!

Morocco Pavilion is Acquired by Disney

The Morocco Pavilion in World Showcase was funded and designed by the Kingdom of Morocco. Since EPCOT opened, an independent vendor ran the restaurants, gift shops, and exhibits located inside of the pavilion. That is, until now.

Disney representatives and Operating Participants of the Morrocco Pavilion made a statement that by the end of the year, Disney will assume all operations and “under Disney’s operation, the pavilion will continue to honor the rich traditions and legacy it has since it opened.”

This means Disney now has complete control over the Pavilion’s restaurants and merchandise shops. It’s unclear what may or may not change under the operation of Disney. However, we did notice that Spice Road Table stopped taking reservations for dates starting mid-December. This could be a simple closure for refurbishment or linked to the acquisition. We’ll keep following up on this story!

Check out details regarding the Morocco Pavilion Acquisition here!

Annual Passholder Pop-Up Shop

Disney has been enticing Annual Passholders with HUGE discounts on merchandise. Just recently, a new pop-up shop was opened inside the Germany Pavilion that’s full of exclusive souvenirs and majorly discounted Disney gear. The gift shop is exclusive to Passholders and they can apply their hefty discounts to the marked down merch and new arrivals!

The pop-up shop is a central hub for Passholders to get all their exclusive merchandise in one place. It’s sure to lure in more Passholders to the theme park during the weekdays. It’s also been recently stocked with new holiday t-shirts, phone cases, magnets, and more! The current hours of operation are from Monday – Friday from 11:30AM to park close.

Check out photos of the pop-up shop and exclusive Annual Passholder merchandise!

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Entrance Sign

The new attraction based on the film, Ratatouille, is part of a big expansion to the France Pavilion in EPCOT. (The ride will be a short distance away from a fancy new crêpe shop, too!) We’ve been taking A LOT of rides on the Disney Skyliner to get a glimpse of the construction updates on the ride and surrounding area. Just recently we got a good look at the iconic entrance marquee that will welcome guests to the new ride!

The sign installation means guests are one HUGE step closer to getting to experience the attraction. An opening date has not been announced yet, but we are keeping a keen eye on this part of EPCOT.

Take a closer look at the attraction entrance sign here!

Character Meet and Greet Updates

Anna and Elsa have been making their way around World Showcase in Character Promenades since the parks reopened. Anna sat comfortably in a horse-drawn carriage while Elsa pulled on her walking shoes and lead the way. Disney is now letting Elsa rest from her walking and greeting duties and the two can now be visited for stationary photo ops! They appear individually at the Norway Pavilion and guests can take a physically distanced photo with either of them.

Alice and Mary are also greeting in new locations! You can take distant photos with them holding an adorable watering can in the UK Pavilion.

See more photos of Anna and Elsa’s meet and greets here!

Two Restaurants Reopened

Lastly, guests have now two more options for eats at EPCOT. The quick-service location, Lotus Blossom Cafe, reopened in the China Pavilion this month. The menu was reduced slightly, but EPCOT visitors can still get items like egg rolls, potstickers, and fried rice on-the-go! The other location to reopen is the table service restaurant, Chefs de France, in the France Pavilion. The menu was also altered with a new Prix Fixe option.

By the way, everything we had at the reopened Chefs de France was the bomb dot com! We had SO much good bread, charcuterie, wine, french onion soup, and creme brûlée. 10/10…would totally try again!

Check out our review of the newly reopened Chefs de France!

All Disney World theme parks and surrounding areas are constantly changing and updating throughout the year. We’ll continue to monitor the area for important updates and fill you in on what you need to know for your next visit to Disney World!

See the Biggest Changes in Magic Kingdom here! 

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What’s your absolute favorite thing about EPCOT? Let us know in the comments!

The post The 5 Most Important Changes We’ve Seen in EPCOT This Month first appeared on the disney food blog.