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Rumors and Speculation Projects
that are being considered (Note: some may never occur)
Magic Kingdom
NEW! Space Mountain to get new effects. Rumored changes to the
attraction during the 2008 rehab include a new loading zone and a new star
field effect.
NEW! Tomorrowland restaurant to replace dormant Skyway building.
One report calls for the Skyway building and the large quad area, sometimes
used for temporary stages, to be used for a futuristic eatery—think of the
Pan Galactic place in TDL.
Adventureland Veranda restaurant to reopen as Tortuga. The
long-dormant eatery will be re-opened with a pirate theme (hence the name
Tortuga). Timeline unknown.
Adventureland make over to Pirates. One idea being considered is to
transform all of Adventureland to Pirates, which could mean a new tiki room
show (that would be universally welcome!) and the replacing of the Swiss
Family Robinson Treehouse with a pirate ship play area. One report even
calls for a new outdoor roller coaster.
Jungle Cruise enhancements. An upcoming movie based on the Jungle
Cruise may be behind a rumored close in 2008 to add enhancements, though
other rumors call for the addition of Timon and Pumbaa to the ride.
Tinker Bell meet and greet. One report says the unused Fantasyland
skyway station is being considered for a meet and greet location with Tinker
Bell, to correspond with the company's "Fairies" push that is meant to
replace the "Princesses" initiative. This report claimed the walk up to the
station is meant to "shrink" visitors down to pixie size. A competing rumor
agrees about "shrinking" visitors but suggests the character tent in
Mickey's Toontown Fair as the likely location.
Epcot
Imagination Pavilion refurb again. Some rumors floating around
suggest that Figment may return to the Imagination pavilion in an even more
prominent way. Also, the upstairs ImageWorks play area, vacant but intact,
may also be re-opened.
Disney-MGM Studios
Disney-MGM Studios name change. Persistent rumors call for the park
to renamed Disney-Pixar Studios. Some speculate that Lucas is being courted
to expand the Star Wars presence in the studios park, prompting a need to
perhaps keep the park's name more generic, such as "Disney's Hollywood",
which would encapsulate all the themes of the park without pretending it's a
working studio.
Jack Skellington Halloween Party. Disney-MGM is being considered for
its own Halloween party to appeal to a more adult audience than Mickey's Not
So Scary party at the Magic Kingdom.
Crush's Coaster. A highly likely addition to Pixar Place once it
expands into the area now occupied by the Backlot Tour, this enclosed roller
coaster now operates at the Walt Disney Studios Paris and is well-received
for its theme from Finding Nemo.
Disney's Animal Kingdom
No items at this time
Hotels & Other
Virgin Megastore closing. Some rumors point to an Apple store
replacing the Virgin Megastore.
Implemented Enhancements or Developments
Updates and other developments that have recently been implemented at Walt
Disney World.
July, 2007
Soarin' Queue. The standby line at Soarin' just came out of a rehab.
The static images of landscapes on the side wall, gorgeous as they were,
didn't draw attention after the first few glances, so a new concept was
evolved. The images rotate around, and an interactive game comes on-screen
every so often, prompting those in line to take part. There are no buttons
to push; visitors are told to clap or jump in the air. Motion detectors and
heat sensors figure out what the patrons are doing. The games are said to be
a landscape builder, and paint ball game, and a bird racing game that uses
all of the screens. In addition to all of this, the wall separating the
FastPass line from the Standby line has been raised to a new height, so the
two groups never see each other. This is but further proof that FastPass
creates feelings of annoyance and resentment. Why else would it be necessary
to separate the lines?
Articulated character heads expanding. The Dream Along with Mickey
castle stage show has for some months featured character heads that have
animated faces (mouths and eyes move, for instance), and this is now being
expanded to the "Celebrate the Season" show for 2007's Mickey's Very Merry
Christmas Party, as well as DAK's Festival of the Lion King (specifically,
the Timon walkaround). Though you might be expecting something creepy (I
was), you may find them naturalistic and rather charming.
American Adventure ending. The photo montage during the "Golden
Dream" song has been updated and expanded. The addition of new photos brings
the attraction up to the present day, with images such as Bush and Clinton
in tsunami relief, the aftermath of the World Trade Center collapse, and
Muhammad Ali carrying the Olympic torch.
Self-service order kiosks at Pecos Bill. Several months ago, Captain
Cook's at the Polynesian became the first restaurant at WDW to introduce
self-service kiosks for ordering your food, and Pecos Bill now becomes the
first in-park restaurant at WDW to follow suit. The menu options are
slightly more limited, but it's fairly intuitive and loads—I mean
LOADS—faster than standing in one of the traditional lines, which are also
still around.
The Diamond Horseshoe has re-opened
for lunch service. Since it’s not
even on the WDW Today paper maps, it has no crowd. Nor does
it have fresh food—just packaged sandwiches.
June, 2007
Leave a Legacy sales counters removed. Though the marble slabs and
existing Leave a Legacy photos (a.k.a. the Epcot mausoleum) will remain,
sales have been discontinued and the sales location walled off. The plaques
explaining the process, formerly at the base of Spaceship Earth, have been
replaced with the original mirrored surfaces, returning a futuristic look to
the place.
Home of the Future at Innoventions updated. New technology gadgets
have been added to the brief guided walk-through of the Home of the future.
Info Sign at Future World West. A new digital LED sign went up last
year in Future World East, giving specifics about the rides there. This new
sign mirrors the other one and provides welcome specifics, enough to avoid
having to walk into the Land pavilion to find out information.
Downtown Disney road signs. Electronic signs on Buena Vista Blvd now
point to the least-busy parking lots, meaning that the mostly-hidden Lot-Q
behind House of Blues, a secret among locals, has been uncovered for the
masses. On balance, good for the tourists, bad for the locals.
Main Street Bakery. Formerly, the bakery shared its table space with
Arribas Brothers crystal shop, and nearby was a general store selling
merchandise such as Disney-branded kitchenware. The general store is now
gone, and Arribas Brothers has moved into that space at the end of the
block, freeing up room for the bakery to hold quite a few more tables than
before. This is a major improvement in customer service, with the loss only
of a shop on Main Street selling stuff that is also available in Downtown
Disney, so it's a win-win.
New computers (and Internet access) tested in rooms at Contemporary
Resort. Equipped with free Internet access but no ability to store data,
the in-room computers also allow personal laptops to plug in to a data port
and use the Internet free as well.
Cigar store opened at Downtown Disney. Fuego by Sosa Cigars, now open
in Pleasure Island (see the thematic link?), also sells alcohol and
specialty coffees. Premium cigars go for as much as $30 each.
May, 2007
Drink refills at Electric Umbrella. Disney hotels have long allowed
refills on drinks (or at least not cracked down on those helping
themselves), but drink cells in the parks have until now been "behind the
counter" or at least before the cashier, making refills problematic. The
Electric Umbrella is the first eatery in the parks to make refills easy on
customers.
Epcot's Character Spot remodeled. The area opposite Innoventions West
has been given more permanent painted backdrops for the character meet and
greets, and a longer and more formal queue now winds its way around the
area. There are five themed backdrops: Transportation (Mickey Mouse), Outer
Space (Goofy), Energy (Chip and Dale), Agriculture (Pluto), and
Communication (Minnie).
Future World West "Concourse". Remodeled to look like an airport
(probably a connection to the nearby Soarin' ride), this unused area behind
Epcot's Character Spot has no tables and chairs now, and also features a
one-way traffic direction (at least, the doors facing Innoventions no longer
open from the outside).
Monorail carpets. The monorails at WDW are larger than Disneyland's
model, and allow for patrons to stand in the larger central area between
benches. There are also often strollers in this central region. Until
recently, the floor was carpeted, which had the advantage that things
wouldn't get slippery. But as a result, the carpet would get wet, and that
led to mold and moldy odors. So monorails are being converted, one at a
time, to a slick floor that will resist mold (though it will be slippery
when wet). Also, the central divider bar is being replaced by just poles, so
there is even more room to stand or store strollers.
FastPass upgrades. FastPass machines throughout the park are being
replaced with technology to issue passes that are longer and thinner, and
resemble Disneyland's. The date issued is now more visible, and the
cardstock is heavier.
Cash only lines tested at Cosmic Ray's and Pinocchio Village Haus.
These "express" lines mimic supermarket queues by not only restricting to
cash-only transactions, but also offering just a limited menu.
Too Small to See closed. As a traveling museum exhibit, the nano-technology
display in Innoventions West has closed and the area has been boarded over.
I welcome your additions and corrections by emailing
kevin@miceage.com.
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