EPCOT has been going through a lot of changes lately.
EPCOT
There’s a new Moana attraction in the works, a new nighttime show will soon celebrate the Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary, and new meet-and-greets will arrive later this summer. But one change has had guests counting down the days until its completion — the removal of the Harmonious barges.
When EPCOT’s Harmonious nighttime show debuted, guests largely agreed that the barges that were installed for the show were unsightly. While the show itself did have its fans, the unfortunate side effect was an obstructed view of the lagoon. So, after the show ended on April 2nd, 2023, many guests were excited for those barges to be removed. And Disney did start removing them quickly — at first.
BYE
For the past month, Disney has been taking down each segment, one by one. First, we saw a few of the “tacos” removed.
We won’t miss you
Then, the large ring in the center was removed. But two remaining tacos stayed for a LONG time. Well, now, they are officially gone!
THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME ? The EPCOT barges from Harmonious are officially GONE! pic.twitter.com/wq0eqf49hh
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) May 17, 2023
That’s right, the most controversial part of EPCOT has finally been removed from our lives and we certainly aren’t sad about it.
They’re GONE!!!
Now we can see across the World Showcase Lagoon properly once again, and that’s a wonderful sight! Make sure you take it all in on your next trip to EPCOT. Speaking of which, did you hear that a BRAND NEW table service restaurant is opening in EPCOT soon? Read more here!
As always, be sure to stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney World news and updates!
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Click HERE for All the News and Details about EPCOT’s Transformation!
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Are you excited the barges are gone? Tell us in the comments.
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THIS IS FANTATIC NEWS!!! Not only were they an eye sore, the show wasn’t much better! Good riddance!!
Don’t agree that the barges are the one thing that everyone hates at EPCOT. In my opinion, it is the forever-existing construction walls that everyone hates.
Really miss Harmonious. Yes the barges were ugly but the show was incredible. Best in WDW and I could easily put up with their day time look for their evening experience
Thank Goodness!
I have to wonder, was this a planned removal for a show that was only supposed to last for 2 years or is this an unplanned removal at the behest of the guest. hmmmmm.
As I recall, the barges had caught on fire a couple times and the maintenance was incredibly expensive.
We did not care for the show, bring illuminations back!!!!!
I actually liked the barges. So I disagree that they were unsightly. They represented to me a technological savvy Disney; they looked and were high tech and performed extremely well. The bad part about them was the actual animation work displayed on them. They must’ve spent all the budget on the hardware but didn’t do anything truly creative with the animation itself (cough cough silly boring jungle book marionettes). The barges and ring were a constant reminder that imagineers are cutting-edge innovators; similar situation with their (now gone) awesome laser-aligned projector array in the EPCOT experience, that was insanely well done. I will miss the barges and forever not understand the hate Harmonious received.
And with this news I suddenly find myself humming “Ding dong, the witch is dead!” Man did I hate those barges, this is a happy day indeed!! ?
I loved Harmonius. Hearing Mulan sung in Chinese, Hunchback in French, Coco in Spanish or the other dozen languages that contributed to the score, captured the world celebration that Epcot epitomizes. The cultural influences and rhythms that infused the music never failed to soar and convey the richness of our shared human experience. The barges were ugly? They were also engineering marvels with their massive LED screens and 50 foot rotating arms that launched water, lasers and fireworks into the night. When the shore cannons exploded with a final surprise, this jaw-dropping spectacle left you breathless. I was privileged to see it some 50+ times from a dozen different vantage points and it never failed to inspire joy, wonder and an awesome thrill. It will be truly missed and a very high bar to replace
Agree with wishing for the return of Iluminations, with or without the Earth Globe, though I know it will never happen. The music of I lluminations was far better than any before or after. I am very happy I have it on my computer and can play it when I wish.
They may have given a nice show at night, but there is no doubt the barges were an ugly to behold, floating in the beautiful lake during the day! If they could have parked them under cover or hidden them during the day, then rolled them out at night for the show that might have solved the eye sore issue. They were definitely not nice to look at, and I won’t miss them.