I’ve been to Epcot as a kid.
At the time, I can’t say I paid attention to the things around me. For
the most part, all I remember is that I wanted to go on rides, view the
countries’ exhibits, and see characters.
In 2014 my wife and I got to see Epcot for the first time in a very long
time. One of the places that we went to
on that visit was Club Cool. Standing in
front of Club Cool felt vaguely familiar.
I could have been there on a prior visit decades ago; but I just didn’t
remember.
Photo of the Club Cool sign taken on a 2016 visit.
The Club Cool storefront in 2021
The place opened in 1998 in what used to be CommuniCore
West; used to be called Ice Station Cool until 2005 when it essentially became the Club Cool that I went into that day[1]. We’ve made a point of going there each time
we went back to Walt Disney World. The
place was relocated to the former CommuniCore East side, redesigned, and
reopened in September of 2021. Of
course, we had to visit the new Club Cool.
A 2015 map of Epcot (flipped to match the 2021 map). Club Cool was located on the West Side.
2021 Epcot Map. Club Cool now located on East Side. Roughly where Mouse Gear used to be.
While the old Club Cool had a nostalgic factor, I did like
the new Club Cool. Perhaps it was due to
advances in lighting technology; perhaps time had not yet taken its toll on the
paint. But the new store was better lit
and the colors were more vibrant. Additionally, we were told that the floor of
the new Club Cool was made with old Coke bottles. I thought that was pretty neat.
A brighter lit Club Cool in 2021
With this refurbishment, they changed up the drink
flavors. The only one from the old Club
Cool that has remained was Beverly. I
suppose this was kept for those who still want to take participate in the “Beverly
Challenge.”
The Club Cool Flavor line up from a 2016 visit
The Club Cool Flavor line up from a 2021 visit. Only Beverly remains.
As with most things that get rotated out of the Disney World
parks, I’m going to miss the Old Club cool.
Even though it wasn’t a high tech attraction of the original Epcot
Center, I am going to miss it because it was a reminder of my wife’s first trip
to WDW and my first trip back to Epcot in decades.
Photo taken from the Monorail: On the left, remnants of CommuniCore West where Club Cool was located.
I do wish I took more photos and video of the classic Club Cool. We did take more video and pictures this time around and created a short video of the 2021 Club Cool.
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