Welcome, World Travelers! Journey of Water Inspired by Moana is a Charming Trek (+Food & Wine Fest Mini-Review)
by James Coulter
Moana has quickly become one of the most popular Disney princesses within the past decade. Not only will she receive her own animated series on Disney Plus, but her movie will also receive a live-action remake.
For now, the Polynesian princess has finally received her own attraction at the Disney parks with Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana at Epcot Center. But does this new attraction do justice to show how far this princess will go? Or will it sink deep into the watery depths to be forgotten?
Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana is a unique attraction in that it isn’t a roller coaster, or a thrill ride, or even a ride at all. Rather, it’s an outdoor walk-through attraction. In other words, like the Swiss Family Treehouse at Magic Kingdom, it’sessentially an elaborate queue. (When do we get to the ride? This is the ride.)
But don’t let it’s simplicity fool you. While it may not offer high thrills like your run-of-the-mill coaster, this attraction still has enough elaborate Disney Imagineering flare to make it quite the experience for guests of all ages, but especially children.
Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana has guests walk through an elaborate path of rock and tropical verdure, where plaques inform them about the water cycle and interactive features allow them to learn more about water by playing with it.
Strum your fingers through strings of water, and music plays. Wave your hands, and water sprays out from rocks. Jump on a special pad, and a geyser erupts from a spring. You can even walk through a waterfall without even getting wet.
All through the ride, guests can hear the iconic musical score from Moana. They can even meet the great goddess Te Fiti in all her green floral glory. And, of course, what ride Inspired by Moana would be complete without a meet-and-greet with the princess herself?
The ride may not be as thrilling as Cosmic Rewind or Test Track, but Journey of Water is a quaint experience that proves both fun and educational. The attraction itself takes less than five or ten minutes to walk through, so it makes for a nice little diversion between rides.
If anything, its focus on teaching guests about the water cycle certainly has the attraction better fit the overall Spirit of Epcot than most of the other rides at the park. As much as I love Cosmic Rewind—and it has quickly become my favorite ride!—if I’m being perfectly honest, it has no business being at Epcot, and it certainly had no business replacing a ride that taught about energy and climate change.
Overall, if you’re looking for something to do while traveling between The Land and Living Seas pavilions or something to pre-occupy your time while waiting for your virtual queue at Cosmic Rewind, consider giving Journey of Water a visit.
Also, as a bonus, here’s a mini-review of two menu items I sampled at this year’s Food and Wine Festival:
– Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak Taco with Crushed Avocado, Grilled Corn Salsa, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Fresco, and Cilantro-Lime Cream (Flavors from Fire)
As far as tacos go, this is certainly worth taco-ing about. (Ha!) Though the meat in my taco was slightly tough, everything else in it, especially the sauce, made it quite the savory treat. Certainly worth taking a bite of–or rather, taco-ing a bite of!
– Ramen with Shaved Beef, Shiitake Mushrooms, Pickled Carrots and Dakion Radish, Shaved Peppers, and a Soy Egg in Citrus-Sesame Broth (The Noodle Exchange)
Eh, I’ve had better ramen, especially at the parks. The broth was essentially just soy sauce. On a more positive note, the noodles were still good (though you can hardly mess up noodles), and the peppers added a nice spicy kick to it. Overall, if you want ramen at Epcot, visit Kasturi Grill at the Japan pavilion and buy a proper bowl. (As for me, I think I’ll stick with The Joinery at Lakeland.)
