Construction barriers go up in the central courtyard of the Morocco Pavilion at EPCOT

May 21, 2021 in "Morocco (Pavilion)"

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Morocco Pavilion central courtyard walled off - May 20 2021

Posted: Friday May 21, 2021 9:05pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The central courtyard of the Morocco pavilion at EPCOT is now behind rolling construction barriers.

The view from the front of the pavilion

The use of rolling bushes appears to suggest this will be a fairly quick job, possibly a repair to underground utilities. An area of the concrete has been dug up, and work lights are in position for overnight work.

The central courtyard and fountain are behind construction barriers

Plastic protective wrapping is covering the front of the Tangierine Cafe.

A line of bushes surrounds the central area in-front of the Tangierine Cafe

Guests are still able to reach the back of the pavilion, although the two restaurants in that area remain closed.

Since Disney took over control of the pavilion from the third party operator back in October 2020, numerous cosmetic changes have been made to retail and signage, along with removing the infamous photo spot. The area restrooms re also currently under refursbishment.

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Disstevefan11 day ago

LittleBuford1 day ago

Your last paragraph sums up it up perfectly. They already botched it once before with the backwards Arabic; you’d think they’d have been anxious to avoid such cultural insensitivity a second time.

Marc Davis Fan1 day ago

Aren't all substantive changes during refurbishments supposed to go through SQS (show quality standards)? What happened, did they skip that step or did SQS actually review and approve this? Honestly, this is just weird. That is not Moroccan tiling. This move is antithetical to the realism and immersion that Disney parks are all about. It's easy to say this is small, but that's how "chipping away" works... the next generation will not be able to experience the beauty and authenticity of World Showcase if this sort of thing is a trend. (Not to mention, for what it's worth... if they're so worried about people being upset by cultural insensitivity, you'd think replacing authentic Moroccan tiling with what looks like store-bought generic tiling in the Morocco pavilion would be considered pretty "insensitive." Especially while they're crowing about New Orleans artistry and such over at The Magic Kingdom.)

Sectorkeeper711 day ago

Definitely some hyperbole from me, but just very frustrating to see Disney not caring about the detail and care that went into the pavilion. I’m hoping the flack they’re getting pressures them to go back and fix it. If they need someone to take the subway tile, I’d love to redo my bathroom

LittleBuford2 days ago

That would be a shame and unnecessary. Yes, the planters are bad, but it would take a lot of chipping away indeed to deprive the pavilion of all the beautiful artistry it still possesses.

Sectorkeeper712 days ago

Morocco has in the past been my favorite pavilion for the level of detailing that went into it. I always enjoyed just taking in the vibe and the care that went into creating it. But if this is the level of effort, or lack thereof, they’re planning on putting in going forward, I’d rather they just bulldoze it then slowly chip away at that detailing

Nunu2 days ago

This, 100%. Went to see it in person, earlier today: The new tiles are generic, nothing special. The kind of thing you'd find at any Home Depot. They're also super glossy, so they clash with the rest of the pavillion. What a shame. :(

UNCgolf3 days ago

And East Asia, with Japan and China.

ChrisFL3 days ago

Is the (Front half) of the Casablanca plane from Great Movie Ride still on property?

Sir_Cliff3 days ago

Indeed. I know the pavilion has been very mistreated by Disney, but taking out Morocco would in many ways be worse for World Showcase than taking out a pavilion like Germany or Italy as it's one of the very few pavilions that suggests there is a world beyond Western Europe and North America.

hopemax3 days ago

So back in the day, on the DIS Rumors & News board, we used to talk a lot about theming vs decorating. Comparing Disney projects to your local restaurant matching decor with cuisine... This doesn't even measure up to restaurant decor. It's got strong mall tile vibes.

DCLcruiser3 days ago

Can't they just set a new movie in Morocco and create IP to rejuvenate the pavilion? I mean desert landscapes, a sandstorm, Casablanca, what could be easier?

Bocabear3 days ago

The Patina Group runs Via Napoli in the Italy Pavilion... perhaps they could take a swing at it? They do a good job with that restaurant... It is a shame that there is not a big restaurant corporation in Morocco that would be interested in taking it over...To actually have a Moroccan company running the place....

Disstevefan13 days ago

The problem with trying to bring back that great food is that they were tenants, an outside business, and I highly doubt Disney can do it as good as the business that was doing it.