Some pretty significant changes are coming to EPCOT.
EPCOT
EPCOT is fresh off its transformation that resulted in CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, but it appears that the Disney World park isn’t done. Disney announced some big changes coming to EPCOT’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion and, unfortunately, the news might be disappointing to some.
Within the next few weeks, one manatee and three dolphins are about to be PERMANENTLY moved out of their The Seas with Nemo & Friends habitats in EPCOT.
Manatee feeding time
Lou the 1,800-pound manatee is scheduled to be permanently relocated to a manatee rehabilitation center in Florida starting Wednesday, September 11th, 2024.
Manatee Lil Joe, the other habitat’s resident, won’t be alone very long, though, as another manatee is set to replace Lou in the habitat soon after the relocation.
Manatee
However, the biggest change is coming to the dolphin habitat. Disney World announced that it is relocating three dolphins to the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach at some point in late October.
This move will effectively end the EPCOT Seas Adventures — Dolphins in Depth tour.
©Disney
Disney World addressed both decisions in a statement, writing, “While we will greatly miss Lou, we do look forward to aiding this other manatee in the next stage of rehabilitation as we continue to do our part in addressing the manatee crisis in Florida, which has seen declining manatee populations in the past few years.”
Per the statement, this change reflects other manatee moves being done around Florida that were recommended by the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.
Manatee
As for the decision to relocate the three male dolphins and close Dolphins in Depth, Disney wrote, “This decision came after a comprehensive evaluation as to what is best for these dolphins as infrastructure work progresses at The Seas.”
Dolphins in Depth is a two-hour backstage tour and dolphin encounter and will end on October 19th, 2024.
Additionally, EPCOT Seas Adventures — DiveQuest, a two-hour backstage tour and SCUBA experience in a 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium full of all kinds of aquatic life like sea turtles, reef fish, stingrays, and sharks, will also close on October 19th. However, unlike Dolphins in Depth, Disney says DiveQuest will reopen in 2025.
Reservations for both experiences will still be valid through October 19th.
©Disney
We have to admit, although we understand the changes, we’re a bit bummed. Let us know how you feel about these changes and continue to follow us here at DFB for all the latest Disney World news!
We May Have Found an Unfortunate Side Effect of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival…😬
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Which manatee rehabilitation center is Lou being sent to? And is it somewhere where she can still be visited? I’ve gone to disney every year since I was about 2 years old and I’ve visited her every year and grown to love her, I hope to go to where she is being moved if possible ☹️
No!! Lou has been there forever!! I’m so sad he’s going to another rehabilitation place, but hopefully it’ll be good for him.
Well, we never got to do this one, and now we never will, which is a little sad. But I am glad that it is not “Behind the Seeds” disappearing. I fear for Living with the Land closing down, and if that had been the news (meaning BTS was ending), I would have been REALLY sad. I guess it’s time for me to get on making sure we do that. Maybe on our next trip. Thanks for all the updates DFB!
We have always been interested in Little Joe—we happened to be at the Springs when he had left rehab the first time and was being introduced back into the wild by the team.
When we learned that he had to be rescued again and sent to Living Seas, we have made it a point to go and visit the little guy.
Honestly I can’t stand see fishes and other animals in water tanks anymore. To discover them in their wild habitat is so much better. Hope Disney will close the water tanks completely one day.
Hubby and I did the Dolphins in Depth a few years back and had an amazing time. Sad to see the experience go as it was one of those edu-tainment offerings that made EPCOT so special.
This is wonderful news, many Disney fans have been asking Disney to discontinue their dolphin captivity program.
I will be able to see the dolphins because we live by the Gulfarium and go there yearly:) BTW; the Gulfarium just built a brand new Dolphin water area called Dolphin Oasis
The article doesn’t say where the dolphins are going ? We just did the dolphin experience and it was fantastic. It was educational and so much fun to be in the actual tank looking down at Coral Reef restaurant and all of the beautiful marine life. Disney does an AMAZING job taking care of all of their animals and it should be celebrated and not shamed.
Very sad to see them go. They were beautiful and a really cool addition to the park. Please let us know where they are going.
Lou will be missed. I’ve been visiting the two of them for many years and always look forward to spending some time with them. So many guests are only interested in rides or festival food and miss out on what makes Epcot special.
Hopefully Lou and Lil’ Joe don’t struggle to adapt without the other considering the number of years that they have been together. We love you Lou!
My family witnessed two dolphins torturing a fish. Catching then letting it go, catching it again when it neared safety. After reporting this to an attendant, we were told that the dolphins are often very bored in captivity. And this is how they play. My hope is that they no longer subject such intelligent animals to captivity.
This is the Disney I love.
I loved seeing the dolphins at Epcot! The Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park Is a nice place but I believe Epcot’s tanks are much larger. Maybe the Gulfarium added on since I visited them 10 years ago?
This means I have to cut my Disney vacation short to go visit the dolphins in another part of Florida. Florida means sealife!
Knowing Disney, they don’t want to spend money on the care of their Dolphins anymore. Dolphins don’t represent any of their IP. Disney doesn’t seem to want to invest in educational wonders anymore. I think Disney will get rid of everything that is not their IP.
Pretty soon Living with the Seas pavilion will be reduced to a few aquarium fish seen in Finding Nemo in a small tank.
Disney used to represent excellence. Now it continues to cheapen the brand. I wish I could go to Japan because I’ve heard they run their theme parks the way Disney used to! (All the excellence!).
Time for us to experience the many other themeparks in the US. Ones that care about quality guest experiences, quality food, & treating their Employees with respect.
Before everybody comments, the dolphins are still going to be in captivity. I’m sorry their trainers will no longer be able to interact with the dolphins. The intelligent dolphins had relationships with their caretakers. They were comfortable where they were.
More crappy changes that suck!!!
I will miss Lou, and hope that he and L’il Joe don’t miss each other so that they get sad and depressed and ill because of this.
I applaud Disney for ending the dolphin experience. No dolphin should be held in captivity unless it is absolutely necessary. Same for the manatees.
Being the land of tomorrow, captivity of intelligent dolphins made no sense. I am glad they will be moved from this loud noise and light filled small tank but very sad and frustrated that they will be made to work again instead of going to a marine sanctuary. (Yes this is possible even after captivity) They were caught from the wild( some of their pod died in the process) and deserve some kind of freedom not another chlorine tank. Being a rescue center for manatees is a great educational opportunity and help save endangered manatees.
i know people were dissapointed but the dolphins were already dissapearing for the last few years. you rarely saw them come out and they had to keep them seperate from fish as the wrecked havoc among them. it’s about time that the dolphins came first. i think this is a great move for them. i applaud disney’s decision.
I suspect that this is just the opening act in a program to remove ALL the remaining sealife in the Big Tank….then demolish the entire pavilion! They’ll probably have a big sale at the Coral Reef, where diners could eat the remaining sealife!!!
We went to the Living Seas today before I read this article. I noticed we seemed to be a manatee down and sad that I didn’t get chance to see him one last time as he left 2 days ago on the day we arrived in Florida. As for the dolphins, they put on a surprise show for us today! All 3 were in the tank and were diving down and jumping up out of the water in unison! The precision was amazing! I’m sure Disney doesn’t train them to perform in Sea-world fashion. These clever creatures have trained themselves.
I just can’t see how relocating the dolphins to a marine show park is better for them. They will be in a smaller area.
Disney doesn’t care about anything but money. What’s the best for its customers or what’s best for the dolphins Probably never enters their mind.
Up to the time of Covid, our family went to WDW every year. We will probably never go again.
Everything’s getting so cheap and the lines are ridiculous and food barely tolerable and Disney don’t care. They think that lines makes an attraction more interesting. I don’t get that. I don’t mind paying more for an experience or product. But the quality can’t plummet while prices go up.
For many decades, DISNEY meant quality. Not anymore. We’re gonna go explore some other amusement parks in America. There are a lot of them. I wish I could go to the Disney Parks overseas. I’ve heard that Tokyo park still reflects the quality that WDW used to have.
Finally! The torture of dolphins at the hands of Disney is finally coming to an end.