EPCOT Center Monorail Preview

In a recent post, I talked about my 1982 trip to Walt Disney World, and how the resort was in the final weeks of its Tencennial Decade of Dreams celebration. Another highlight of that particular vacation was the EPCOT Center Monorail Preview. Advertised for Florida residents, the preview was in fact open to everyone.

An EPCOT preview area had been set up at City Hall on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. Brochures were given out detailing EPCOT Center and its many initial attractions, and EPCOT merchandise was available for purchase. A short film about the concept and construction of the park was shown in the theater that normally played host to the Walt Disney Story. But most importantly, it was where you picked up your tickets for the EPCOT Center Monorail Preview.

You presented your tickets at the Ticket and Transportation Center, and then boarded a monorail that took you to the EPCOT construction site. Much as it still does today, the monorail circled Future World and then allowed its passengers to disembark at the monorail station. There, guests were treated to a close-up view of Spaceship Earth and the entrance plaza, and a host or hostess was available to answer any questions.

It was a truly bittersweet experience. I stood there, in total awe of this amazing place, just six weeks prior to its opening. It would be five years before I could return and finally walk through it entrance gates.