Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana officially opens on October 16th, but as of right now, the walk-through attraction is in its soft opening phase. Part of the soft opening that is very exciting is that they have the Moana meet and greet up and running. Of course, with soft openings, they could close the area at any moment or turn off certain parts of the attraction, but it can also be a great time to experience the new addition to EPCOT.
Today, the goal is to meet Moana in her new meet-and-greet location next to the walk-through attraction. Moana is one of my favorite Disney characters, so I am so excited to see her in this new location. The last time we visited her was at her Animal Kingdom location, and we haven’t been told if that location will close once Journey of Water officially opens, but many are assuming that it will. Anyway, let’s go meet Moana!
Moana Meet & Greet – Location
To enter the meet and greet line, guests will have to go to the right side of Spaceship Earth. There is an A-frame sign and cast member that guides guests into the queue.
The actual line is in that small pathway that opened up a couple of months ago. Thankfully, Disney put a few umbrellas in the line to create some shade because that area can get really hot. I entered the line at 11:10 a.m., and Moana wasn’t out yet, but we were told she’d out be out soon. She ended up coming out at 11:30 a.m.
The actual meet-and-greet location isn’t anything out of this world. Her background has beautiful plants and rocks that match the ones that can be found inside Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana. I do appreciate that there is a covering above her area that provides Moana and the voyagers shade.
Moana Meet & Greet – Experience
Meeting Moana was absolutely amazing. I have such a strong connection to the film and the character because I lost my grandma when I was a teenager, and we believe her spirit transformed into a seagull, just like how Gramma Tala turned into a manta ray. So, every time I meet her, I get emotional, and it just feels like I’m with a best friend.
Moana was truly amazing. She made me feel like I was transported into the movie, and when a character can do that, it’s amazing. Now, bear with me. I have a sad story to tell, but it involves this day and this experience and really showcases how amazing these performers are.
So I have met Moana before at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and that’s when we had a very deep and beautiful conversation about our grandmothers. When it was my turn in line, she remembered me and asked about my family’s island, Cuba, and mentioned my grandma. I proceeded to let her know that last week, we lost my grandfather and that he will soon be reunited with my grandmother.
I proceeded to tell her that we were releasing his ashes in the ocean as we did with my grandma, and she said, “On my island, when we do that, we also pick a flower that represents them, and we send the flowers with them on their journey,” and I started to cry because we do the exact same thing. Anyway, she asked if she could hug me, and she gave me the tightest hug. After the hug, I apologized for crying, and she said, “Don’t apologize. We are here at Journey of Water, and tears are part of the journey.”
It was truly a wonderful experience. She took her time with each guest. There was one little girl who hugged her for a whole minute, and the parents were trying to get her to leave. Moana told the parents that it was okay; she had time to give hugs. It was just such a great experience. I highly recommend taking some time out of your day to meet Moana on your next trip to EPCOT.