Spaceship Earth

Attractions | Entertainment | Theme Parks
Relatively Close To: Entrance of Epcot Center.
Public Transportation: Yes, limited.
Valet Service: No.
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes.
Service Pet Allowed: Unsure.
Parking: Paid parking lots.
Popularity: It’s a iconic ride and everyone who goes to Epcot rides it at least once or twice.
Reason of Visit: World Showcase is my favorite area.
Cellular Reception: Yes.
Free Wifi: Yes, limited.
Outdoor Space: You may need to search for seating, benches are placed throughout the park.
Cleanliness: Very.
Lighting: Sufficient lighting.
Presentation: Colorful, bright and welcoming for all ages to enjoy.
Ownership: Walt Disney World Resort Co.
Items Ordered: none.
Check-​in Wait Time: 4 minutes.
Temperature: °77
Staffs knowledgement of business and or amenities: The line was very short.
Overall Service: Relatively fast.
Staffs response on compliments: I did not give one.
Staffs response about complaints: I did not give one.
Recommendations:
Two ** stars or less dont consider.
Three *** stars be cautious.
Four **** stars or more highly recommended.
Quick Notes: Never accept a «I don’t know» as a answer from a cast member, ask them to find someone who can assist you with anything you need to know or want to buy.
My reviews are structured and rated in many areas. I believe that my experiences will provide consumers satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity information.
I hope this particular review has helped you carefully decide whether or not to give this venue your business.
Enjoy, Jonathan

Most people recognize the big «golf ball» but what you may not realize is there is a ride inside, an awesome one at that. The ride usually has a shot line and is great way to get off your feet for 20 minutes. The slow moving attraction takes you through human history and how the development of technology led us to where we are today. Definitely recommend this ride for the whole family and is a must do every time I visit.

Spaceship Earth is one of my favorite rides to wind down on. It is a true Disney classic as far as rides go, and it is among the most iconic locations in Disney. The only faults I have with the ride have to do with waiting line. Unlike most rides, the line does not have many interesting features. Also, it is out in the sun, and on a hot Florida day, that could be the last thing you want to deal with.

I did not find Spaceship Earth worth my time at Epcot. I actually love animatronics, but these are not only old, but haven’t been updated. This ride does feel like you are stepping right into the 1980’s. Even though this ride is all about technology, according to Spaceship Earth, you would think technology ended at the 80’s era microcomputer. Couldn’t they repaint or redo the animatronics to make them a little fresher? Apparently Disney has limited itself to serving the nostalgia of adults who visited as children because rides like this don’t serve modern audiences.
The sphere exterior is actually more impressive than the ride itself.
The end of the ride is a hokey interactive computer display. This and the interactive ‘future’ section that you walk through as you leave the ride just seem like cheap add ons to make you forget how dated everything else was.
I’d rather go spend my time in the World Showcase.

This has always been a favorite of mine. Maybe it’s because the whole ride takes place inside of the huge, Epcot ball. This one you’ll enter the bottom of the ball. We had a Fastpass for it, so it wasn’t a long wait. The ride consists of a 4 person cart, 2 people per row. The ride is continuous, so you’ll walk onto the moving track when entering the cart. You will see the start of man and how he has adapted over time. From caveman that figure out a language to people that are creating computers and sending people onto the moon. This ride has a lot of dark spot on it, but it’s very peaceful and calming. The animatronics on the ride range from a random robot moving back and forth to a few that you’d mistake for actual people.
Since my last time here [2008] they’ve updated the screens on the rides that ask you where you’re from, and a few questions at the end. They take your picture at the beginning and at the end they create a little video that shows you and your passenger companion. You are even able to email the postcard to yourself or others at the exit of the ride. It’s a nice place to take a break off your feet and enjoy some AC.

Spaceship Earth is the very first ride you come to at Epcot. It’s thoroughly enjoyable for every age group. Hope in the cars and take a journey to the beginning of time. It’s very enjoyable.
There’s even some interaction as you have choices into what you make selections and those selections put you in your own little movie.

Where are we going? And what kind of future will we discover there? The iconic Spaceship Earth at Epcot! The entire ride takes place inside the giant ‘golf ball’ at the entrance of the park! It is a non-​stop ride so the line moves at a decent pace. The ride starts by taking your picture, to be used at a later point. It then takes you through our past with animatronics and a great script! Once you reach the top, your time capsule will turn and you can see the earth as it starts to turn you around. As you descend downwards you’re going backwards, in order to distract you from this point you now have to answer some questions on the screen to help build your future! It will show you the future you create with cartoon bodies and your picture on their head! It will always make you laugh!
I always have to go on this ride while at Epcot! I love it and find it very entertaining!
It is wheelchair accessible so the ride does stop at times to allow guests in wheelchairs to be able to get on and enjoy the ride.

This is one of my favorite rides in all of Disney. No, it’s not a fast thrill-​ride like Space Mountain, and no, it does not include a host of famous Disney characters. I like this ride because of the atmosphere that you are immersed in, the cool story-​telling, and the message that is conveyed.
The effects and smooth track ride are awesome. It’s a very relaxing ride to take in the evenings after a crazy day and endless eating at Epcot. The story it tells of the evolution of technology is super cool. It starts with basic inventions, through the invention of writing and finally of computers. This ride has an excellent message at the end about how we are necessary for taking the next step on the amazing groundwork that has been laid for us. Also, the end of the ride has a cool little interactive movie you can help plan out using your picture.
The activities after the ride are a little dated and cheesy, and I typically browse them to check for any possible updates and pass them by when I see they are the same as years prior.

The big golf ball — this is what I usually hear Spaceship Earth referred to as. It’s the most identifiable symbol associated with Epocot and it’s an amazing structure to behold. The ride is periodically updates to keep up with current trends, but it’s mostly the same. It’s a nice slow ride, so the whole family can join in and at the end, they use your face to create a futuristic «you» in a futuristic setting. After the ride, you are let out in a technology-​rich room in which you can email loved ones (or yourself) the aforementioned futuristic video, drive virtual cars and educational video games.

This wonderful and fun ride takes you through the dawn of time of humanity all the way to the future. It shows animated robotic people such as Michelangelo and other historical figures. On the car itself there is a screen in front of you where you place where you are from and it creates a future of what your life may be, depending on what your interests are.
This is housed inside the iconic «ball» of Epcot. It’s really a fun ride and it barely ever has any lines to it.

Pretty interesting ride. This is the ride located in the iconic golf ball at Future World in Epcot. The concept is pretty cool — you ride through different periods of history, from prehistoric times to modern times. I think it’s definitely a very rudimentary history lesson and they gloss over A TON. I know they have limited bandwidth as far as space and what they choose for the periods of time they display, but it definitely felt like they left pretty important things out. Nevertheless, you ride through these periods of time and then you ride through a spinning portal into the future. There, you can answer a ton of questions about what you like doing and the ride will actually take pictures of you and show you what you’ll be doing in the future and how you’ll be living your life. My fiancé and I were delighted by this! We loved the silly projections of our faces on little future astronauts zooming through space.
Unfortunately something caused our audio to be in French instead of English. I took 5 years of French in middle school and high school and have some knowledge of it and could understand it, but my fiancé did not. I had to be the translator: P
Overall, fun ride and a must-​do if you’re in Future World at Epcot. My recommendation is for you to not waste a fast pass on it on a day when the park isn’t really full. We visited Epcot on a Friday before a holiday weekend and it was surprisingly not super crowded. The Stand-​By line was just as short as the Fast Pass line, so we didn’t feel like our fast pass was well-​spent. But since it’s only one of 3 major attractions at Future World, there wasn’t much else we would have spent it on anyway, so it wasn’t a total waste. And we had no idea that the park would be so empty that day.

Epcot’s signature attraction, Spaceship Earth is a massive «geosphere» that stands above the entrance plaza to the park. Inside is a slow-​moving ride depicting the history of communication, from ancient cave paintings to Hewlett and Packard building computers in their San Jose, California-​area garage.
Crowds pack the ride early in the morning, as it’s the obvious first thing to do when you enter the park. Wait until later to ride, though, and you’ll walk on with little or no wait.

Space on Arrival
Overall: 3.75 Stars
Located in one of the most iconic structures at Disney, Spaceship Earth does not disappoint. A relaxing ride that steadily launches you into the stratosphere as you fill out a survey of who you are and what your preferences are. Do you want a space adventure or deep under the sea? The choices are limitless… err just those two. Watch a video of your survey answers and see your faces enjoying the journey. See a nice view of world technology and man’s goal to reach space. Whether you start or end your journey here at EPCOT here, it is a nice experience.
Hat Losing Scale: 0.5÷10
The odds are low even though you are sometimes at an angle. It is a slow steady moving ride.

So cool! History lesson while on a ride? Sign us up!
Granted, it is but a short ride and the history lessons provided were incredibly short. But this is enough to spark the curiosity in children and could be a great starting point to truly fascinating conversations with children. Or in our case, a reminder that we need to refresh our world history knowledge.
I must say this is more nostalgically appealing as opposed to modern (as the name would imply) — think how the people of the 50’s would have conceived the notion of ‘modern’ — but that in itself makes the ride interesting.
The wait can be really long as Spaceship Earth naturally draws visitor’s attention as the building is the focal point of the park. However, it is worth the wait for the reasons stated above.

The GOLF BALL.
This huge geodisic dome stands as the centerpiece to Epcot. It is the calling card for this park and it houses a dark ride that goes up, up, up through the centuries, explaining our progress, where we’ve been and perhaps where we hope to go.
It is old, it is in need of an update. Oh wait, it has had one, the ending has significantly changed, right to the point of taking your picture and adding you to the ride, however as kitsch as it is, the anamatronics are showing their age… an update is most sorely needed.
Still. it’s a cool ride on a hot day.

I was a comm major in college, how can I not LOVE Spaceship Earth?!
Climb aboard your time machine (ie: omnimover) and prepare for Dame Judi Dench to school you in all things communication. «Remember how easy it was for you to learn your ABC’s? Thank the Phoenicians, they invented them.» Dame Judi narrates us from the cold harsh conditions of hunting in the Ice Age up to Steve Jobs tinkering in his garage and into the future. This attraction employes multiple story telling techniques: from projectors and film to Disney classic animatronics. I can close my eyes and smell the «Fall of Rome» and if you’ve been on this attraction, chances are, you can too. I must point out my favorite moment in this ride comes in the form of the 70’s Lady Scientist and I am always left breathless with the site of Earth from outer-​space before your time machine turns backwards and transports you back to the present. During this time your on board computer allows you to create the future of your dreams which you can later share via email. «After 30,000 years of time travel, here we are, a truly global community, poised to shape the future of this, our Spaceship Earth.»
Once you have returned back to the present there are numerous games and technologies to play with. As I mentioned before, at this point you can email out your video of the future to friends, family, yourself etc. (tho I personally prefer to email random videos of other peoples futures to my unsuspecting friends not on vacation with me).
Suffice it to say we always fast pass this attraction. Not that we have to but we just adore it so much we want to get on it right away. That being said, it does utilize the omnimover system so loading does go rather quickly. We also prefer to ride this at night, not that it changes the ride itself, but there’s just something amazing about seeing the final scene at the top of the «golfball» and then walking out into the night air, looking up, and seeing the starts above. Magical.

Learn about the history of humankind via a moving chair and animatronic characters! No joke. You will learn a lot on this ride so if you’re in the mood for some education, then this is the place for you.
It’s like the Pirate ride, but without Pirates, water, and a boat. You see animatronic people living out their daily lives while a narrator tells you what’s going on. That’s pretty much it. The ride did stale in the space room due to some technical issues, but besides that it was a smooth experience.
If you love learning, bring the kids on this one. They might actually pick something up!

Well, this ride won’t knock your (literal) socks off, or make your stomach drop… but it should at least make your head open up to just how far we’ve come as a society and still how far we need (and can go)…
I certainly enjoyed this classic Epcot ride, and yes, while parts can be a little on the cheesy side, the message and point should be clear. And seeing the stars was super cool as well.
I probably enjoyed the last interactive part a bit too much… we made our silly faces for the camera and then answered the questions… and then when on a solar powered adventure into space! We giggle and laughed as our animated selves danced on the screen.
Classic, with a great message… don’t miss it.

Classic ride but extremely slow and boring. Spaceship Earth is the ride that takes place inside of that giant golf ball at the entrance of Epcot. This ride is long overdue for a makeover, perhaps a complete reboot. With all of that room inside of the golf ball, I am sure they can revamp this golf ball attraction into something more thrilling and exciting. This is the same old crappy ride when I first rode it when I was young lad, and it’s still the same old crappy ride when I’m an older lad.
Here are some ideas that floated around my mind while I was dying of boredom during this ride.
1. Ditch the entire timeline/​evolution theme
2. Modernize it by adding some Marvel or Pixar space themes since Disney distributes movies produced by Marvel Studios. Perhaps converting the inside of the golf ball to a high speed Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Wall-​E, or come up with a new original themed ride.
3.The ride should feel vibrant and youthful. Every time you step foot in Spaceship Earth, it’s like taking a step back into the 1980’s. By the time you exit the ride, you completely regret lining up for it. The flagship ride of Epcot should not let their guest feel this way.
For those die hard Disney Epcot fanatics, I get it. Spaceship Earth is a classic ride when they grew up and they want to keep it that way so the next generation can share the same experience. But, if you look at the fun factor of the ride today in 2014, the ride is very outdated and needs a major update. When you think Epcot, you think of the giant golf ball. But when you think about the giant golf ball ride, all you can remember is that it was a long and boring experience. The ride inside that golf ball should be a blast and should also be a memorable one considering it’s the global symbol of Epcot, plus it’s literally the first thing you approach when you enter through the gates! I absolutely enjoy Epcot’s World Showcase but the attraction rides at the Epcot needs to go! The list of bad attractions goes on in Epcot; Captain EO, Mission: Space, The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Test Track, and Ellen’s Energy Adventure. Reviews of those will be posted shortly.

This is a classic and I just have to give it 5 stars. How can you possibly come to Epcot and not go inside the giant «golf ball?!»
You get into «cars» which hold four people (two in the front and two in the back) and ride all the way to the top and then back down. On the way up you learn about how far we’ve come in technology since the beginning of time. The animatronics are classic Disney. Your «car» turns on the way at the top and you’ll be going backwards on the way back down.
At the very beginning of the ride, you’ll be asked to look at a screen above you on your right and your photo will be taken. On the ride back down, there’s an interactive touch screen in your «car» and you’ll be asked questions about what you’d like in the future. You’ll then be shown a short «movie» clip about your future based on how you answered the questions and the photo that was taken of you at the beginning of the ride will be inserted.
Once the ride is complete and you exit, you can go to more interactive touch screens and have the photo emailed to you as well as the «movie» clip. It’s the only FREE photo Disney will give you from any ride and I happen to think it’s pretty darn cool… even though it is a bit cheesy!
If you’ve done this before, you may not want to do it again. We usually do it several times a year. It’s nice to get out of the heat and into the A/​C and off our feet for a while. But if you haven’t done it before… again, how can you not go inside the giant «golf ball?!»
I think kids will really like this too. Also, once you exit the ride, there are interactive games you can play also. I’ve never messed around with any of them, so I can’t tell you what they do, but I see both kids and adults having loads of fun.