Review: New Canada pavilion is a wonderful expansion that didn't need a new restaurant or store
By Brian Miller
Fot the better part of the last 12 and a half months, the Canada Pavilion at EPCOT was under construction but the walls have now come down.
The new Canada Pavilion is open and waiting for guests to explore. What has changed? What is missing? What is new? I took a tour through the new open area and came away quite impressed.
If you are expecting a new restaurant, you will be disappointed. A new store that provides more Canadian offers, you will be sadly unimpressed. But if you want to experience an experience that you can enjoy on your own, this is the place you need to visit.
The pavilion expanded the small lake in front of the pavilion and now a winding river of cascading water runs behind it. Through the cliffs, you can walk along the water back towards the 360 degree theater to take in the new "Canada Far and Wide" film.
The pavilion is full of waterfalls and it brings a serenity and calm to the pavilion that is unlike any of the others in World Showcase. It is, relaxing, to say the least.
I do wonder what all the scaffolding was actually for. The big towering building isn't anything yet they spent a lot of time updating the facade. There is nothing open inside.
As you walk up the stairs, the only gift shop is to your left and it is undergoing some minor changes as well. On a recent trip, the first half of the gift shop was closed. Hopefully, there will be some sort of small expansion when it reopens, if it hasn't already. I will be back later this year to find out.
From the top of the stairs, you can walk to the back of the previously closed area where you will be greeted with a wonderful waterfall and the rolling "river" below the waterfalls. Take a walk down the pathway and enter a covered, almost cavernous sitting area where you will wait for the next 360 show of Far and Wide. It's actually a nice little place to just sit and watch the water.
Overall, the new pavilion is nice. While I'm still not sure what all the scaffolding was for it is clear that they put a lot of effort into making the area something worth walking through.