3 Things Disney Is Not Telling Us About the New Moana Attraction in EPCOT

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana has been a long time coming!

We’ve been anticipating this new, walk-through attraction in EPCOT for four years now!

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana has been described by Disney as a “lush exploration trail” with interactive elements that will demonstrate the importance of the water cycle. Disney’s imagineers have said that in creating this attraciton, they were inspired by Moana’s bond with water, and her determination to protect the environment.

We’ve seen the concept art and the giant Te Fiti statue inside the attraction take shape,  and we’ve been able to see mist and the water elements working inside the construction zone — we’ve even heard music coming from inside!

But there are still some things that Disney is NOT telling us about this highly anticipated NEW attraction at Disney World. Let’s take a look at what we still want to know!

When Will It Open, Exactly?

The first (and arguably most important) thing we don’t know about Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is its opening date! This attraction was originally announced in 2019, and at that time, it was set to open in 2021. But, as we all know, COVID happened in 2020, and it delayed many projects.

At the D23 Expo in September 2022, Disney confirmed that the new attraction would open in “late 2023.” Then in March 2023, Disney got a bit more specific — telling us that Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana will open in the “fall” of 2023.

Now, the way Disney World describes the seasons doesn’t necessarily align with the calendar. EPCOT’s “fall” festival — the Food and Wine Festival — starts in July these days, and pumpkin decorations go up in the Magic Kingdom in early August. So, at this point in the year, we expect to find out about an opening date any day now!

And we’re keeping in mind that sometimes new attractions have a “soft opening” before the officially announced opening date. We saw this with TRON: Lightcycle / Run earlier this year. It officially opened on April 4th, but some lucky Magic Kingdom visitors got to ride as early as March 20th.

How Will Disney Control Crowds?

Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is described as a walk-through attraction and not a ride or show, but we expect it to attract masses of people — especially when it’s still a new part of the park. Everyone is going to want a photo with that massive Te Fiti statue.

We could be wrong, but from what we’re seeing, Disney is going for peaceful vibes with this attraction, and wall-to-wall people probably isn’t going to be compatible with that. So, will Disney implement a queue line? That doesn’t seem to be in the plans. Could there be a virtual queue? That remains to be seen.

Will We Get Wet?

Disney has promised that this new attraction will be immersive, and that you will be able to “play with magical, living water”.  But what exactly does that mean? Recently, Disney shared this image of some Imagineering staff inside the attraction.

And we’ve seen an area take shape with a lot of rocks and what could be sprinklers or misters — a water play area, perhaps?

We’re wondering just how much interactivity there will be with the water in the attraction. Guess we will have to wait and see!

That’s a look at the three things we still need to know before Journey of Water opens in EPCOT! We’ll keep you up to date here at AllEars!

Are you excited about the new Moana attraction? Tell us when you’re planning to visit in the comments!