Journey of Water Inspired by Moana Soft Opens Today

EPCOT’s newest attraction, “Journey of Water, inspired by Moana,” is ready for you to splash by. Disney announced late last night that soft openings begin today and will be open select days until the official opening on October 16. I was able to take my son Johnny through this walk-through attraction during an Annual Passholder preview. Come along with us as we play our way through the Journey of Water. 

Journey of Water 

Journey of Water is a walk-through attraction that takes you through the water cycle, including rain, streams, wetlands, springs, lakes, rivers, oceans, sky, and how land is shaped by water. Signage leads you through the different areas.

Along the journey, you can learn about how water connects us and how water needs our protection. Each water cycle has an informational sign.

There are plenty of spots to play with water. While you can take the wet path, there is also a path to stay dry. 

Journey of Water Through Touch and Play 

Join Johnny and I as we enter the Journey of Water attraction. You cannot miss how beautiful the attraction is throughout. 

Journey of Water is very interactive through touch and movement. Our first stop is Rain. Johnny runs his hand through the streams of water, creating music. While the water streams are small, there are multiple, allowing you to enjoy it individually. 

Movement comes into play with our next interaction. At the Stream, Johnny waves and raises his arms to make the water follow along. Here you can see the water coming up out of the stream. The motion sensors are cleverly disguised, and while easy to spot, Johnny didn’t notice.

Continuing on we come to the Wetlands. We were experiencing our own Journey of Water with actual rain on and off… You have an option of which way to go. Wet or dry… Which way do you choose?

The dry path takes you over the wetlands, keeping your feet nice and dry, on a non-rainy day anyway.

The wet path takes us through the Wetlands, of course this is the best course to choose. Just ask Johnny! While you cannot really see it, there is a very thin stream of water going over the walkway to walk through.

We make it through the Wetlands and arrive at the Spring. In this interactive area you place your hand over the water and it rises to meet your hand. Moving your hand up and down changes the height of the water.

Entering the Land, we come upon waterfalls. Here again, we have the choice of avoiding the falls and staying dry.

Or for the adventurous, like Johny, you can walk through the waterfall slowly. Johnny checks out the full waterfall and moves closer. As he approaches, the water separates and he goes through without getting wet.

Finding Te Fiti

After the thrill of making it through a waterfall dry, we move into the Lake area. It is a very picturesque area, which Johnny zooms by to continue on to the next area. I did manage to get in a few shots before catching up.

Locating Johnny was easy as he stopped to admire Te Fiti. There are a few areas with opportunities to get photos from different angles. The attention to detail on Te Fiti is stunning.

Rivers Lead to the Ocean

You might think that seeing Te Fiti is the big finale of the Journey of Water Attraction. But there is still plenty to explore. Up next is the River. While the rivers are not interactive, it is once again a beautiful area.

To my surprise, Johnny really liked this area and enjoyed just watching the water. Of course, the movement of the water added to his enjoyment.

As the saying goes, all rivers lead to the ocean. And so now we explore the waters of the Ocean. Are you ready to get wet? Because this is the place to be! There are quite a few interactions here and Johnny’s first stop is little water fountains. But more water lies ahead.

Here’s your chance to get really wet, if you choose. Johnny chose not to go into this area as he felt he wasn’t dressed for it. While we saw a lot of bathing suits, it is not necessary. Johnny, however, has never liked to play with water in his clothes and opted to skip this interaction.

But where’s the ocean you ask? Here is your chance to control the waves. Johnny raises his arms and the waves will come crashing into the shore! This is a larger area, so you can even do it as a group to make a bigger splash.

As we leave the Ocean into our final area, the Sky, water flies overhead. While most of the water makes it safely across the path, you may find yourself getting wet. Or in Johnny’s case, you may cause some water to come to you.

We come to the end our Journey of Water with Sky. Because water comes from the sky and returns to the sky in a never-ending Journey of Water. This calm misty area leads back to the world of EPCOT.

Journey of Water Hidden Friends

While following us through our Journey of Water, you may have noticed a Moana friend among the rocks in the Ocean area. Did you miss it? Keep an eye out for all your favorite Moana characters throughout the attraction. Starting with Maui in the Stream with his hook. Be on the lookout for Hei Heis tracks to find him and Pua in the Spring.

As you enter the Ocean area, little Moana is greeting the Sea with her seashell.

Did you notice Krakatoa playing with the water? Or the Kakamora who like to splash?

And of course, Moana is standing fierce and strong ready to lead us across the Ocean.

And last, but not least, Moana leaves her mark with a seashell.

Moana Meet and Greet 

Moana will be ready to meet you at the Journey of Water when it officially opens on October 16. While she has been and will continue to be at Animal Kingdom, Johnny has been waiting to see her “at her home”.

Our Thoughts and Experiences with Journey of Water 

We spent a little over half an hour going through the attraction. The area is very tropical and lush, and as I mentioned (once or twice) I find it very beautiful. There is plenty of seating around if you just want to take a moment to enjoy the scenery or watch the interactions with the water.

For most of the water interactions, there are individual stations marked by water splashes on the ground. J There are areas marked for places to stand and placards with instructions.

And those with a thirst for knowledge can learn about the Journey of Water as you go through each section.

Final Thoughts

Journey of Water is a beautiful walk-through. Johnny wanted immediate reactions to the water and his movement and did get frustrated with this. Johnny did understand after some explanation as to how the system needs time to react to movement. Slower, deliberate movements seem to work better than Johnny’s s initial quick and random movements. As an adult, is it an attraction I need to continue to experience? While it probably wouldn’t be a one-and-done, it certainly wouldn’t be a must-do on return visits. But as a mom of a young child…?  I can see Johnny wanting to return again and again. 

Here’s a little YouTube Short of Jonny playing in the Journey of Water: 

If you have attended a Journey of Water preview, what are your thoughts? If not, are you looking forward to experiencing this new World Nature attraction at EPCOT?