Why We're Worried About September 29th in EPCOT

A brand-new attraction is coming to EPCOT, and it’s drawing in the masses!

Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana

Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana is set to open in World Nature on October 16th, 2023, but before that, select guests can check it out thanks to some Annual Passholder previews. The previews are already underway, but we’ve noticed one big problem with them…a problem that we think may repeat itself.

The Annual Passholder previews for Journey of Water started on September 24th and run until the 29th. After that, there are a few extra days of previews next week from October 1st-4th. The first day of the previews was a Sunday, and boy, was it CHAOTIC.

Annual Passholder preview crowds

On September 24th, park passes for EPCOT were completely booked up and things got crowded. The standby line for the Journey of Water previews was SO long by 10AM that Disney was forced to swap over to a virtual queue. Many guests were upset by this sudden shift, but Disney has noted that the virtual queue will only be used “as needed.”

©Disney

In fact, the virtual queue wasn’t in use for most of the day on Monday, September 25th, as things had calmed down quite a bit. But when it comes to Friday, September 29th, we expect that things are going to get a little bit messy again — Disney Park Passes were full Annual Passholders at EPCOT on that day at one point — though it appears Disney has released more as availability is showing once again.

It’s possible that these passes will sell out again and potentially even become available again, so keep checking the calendar if they do sell out and you’re trying to snag a spot!

Journey of Water at Night

So if you’re planning on visiting on September 29th to do your Journey of Water preview, we have some advice! First of all, it might be beneficial to arrive early, before the park opens. This can ensure that you get in the queue for the attraction early and that you don’t miss out in case things get busy and the attraction gets to capacity.

Kakamora water feature

It’s also important to be flexible with your plans. There’s no way to tell currently whether there will be a virtual queue that day or not, so you’ll just need to keep an eye on the My Disney Experience app to see if it pops up. The crowds might make it hard to get around EPCOT as well, so prepare for a busy park day.

Journey of Water

If you’re hoping to preview Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana, we wish you the best of luck! Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on everything happening in Disney World in the coming days, weeks, and months.

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