I spend a lot of my year walking Disney World’s theme parks and hotels, and I gotta admit, the way I’ve been going about it is about to change DRASTICALLY!
Visiting Disney World every day might seem like a dream, and most days, you’d be very right to assume so. There’s a lot that we get to see and do every day that most people only dream of getting the chance to do even once in their lifetime. However, since we visit so often we’ve seen the good, the bad, and the uglier side of Disney World. And the parks can get especially chaotic with construction.
If you’ve been keeping up with the latest announcements Disney has released over the last year, you’ll know there are TONS of changes on the horizon. Some we’ve already seen evidence of in the parks, and others were still learning about as Disney teases more updates about its upcoming projects and lands.
While growth is not necessarily a bad thing, the growing pains aren’t always pretty. Most recently we saw this in EPCOT over a multi-year revamp of Future World which we now know today as World Celebration. Change takes time, patience, and lots of weird mapping of construction walls in the parks. So with all this talk of major change coming to Magic Kingdom soon, it’s not hard to see why there’s going to be areas of this park I avoid at all costs.
We’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come in Frontierland with Disney World closing down the former Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade and revamping its space into McKim’s Mile House DVC Lounge. When construction on a small scale happens, it can be a nuisance, but not totally trip-ruining.
However, what’s planned for Frontierland and more specifically Tom Sawyer Island looks like it will need construction levels on a massive scale. Uprooting almost an entire land will be quite the undertaking construction-wise, and there’s likely to be LOTS more construction walls surrounding most of the area for a lengthier amount of time.
This construction will usher in the closing of Tom Sawyer Island to transform it into Cars Land where we’re expecting two new rides to fill the area. One of which we just learned will be modeled after an exploration trip Imagineers took in the dessert to mimic the movements and terrain they experienced off-roading in vehicles (of course with a Pixar touch of character)!
There’s also the construction that’s expected to be around for awhile at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We knew this construction and refurbishment was unavoidable but it’s expected to be closed for quite some time (in the upwards of around a year).
Additionally, Magic Kingdom also has plans to build out a Villains Land within the park which may lie just beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. So far, Disney has only teased some concept art of what they envision this new land to look like, but from what they’ve shared, it’s pretty ambitious!
Here’s where my concern lies. The way I visit Magic Kingdom once this bigger construction starts to take form, will only make me want to avoid this area and possibly Frontierland all together. Getting to the only few things that will still be left open on the back end of Frontierland could become more of a hassle than what it’s worth. Aside from Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride, a few shops and Pecos Bill, and a stop to board the Walt Disney World railroad at the Frontierland train station, there won’t be much to look at or venture out for. I could also see the potential to not want to disembark the railroad at the Frontierland train station since it can be boarded at several other points around the park.
In short, unless I’m really searching for some unique merchandise or taking a plunge down the mountainside on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, I’m not seeing much cause to make me want to visit an entire land inside Magic Kingdom for a while. Since this is a land that connects my usual walk around the park, I’ll be more apt to be taking the shortcuts from Adventureland into Liberty Square than the (what was formerly the scenic route) through Frontierland along the way.
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I think many people will stop going all together. This is the worst idea the new Disney company has had. The completely failed Tiana’s ride is no way bringing me into what is effectively destroying the Magic Kingdom – the destruction of Rivers of America. I have a very large extended family full of Disney pass holders and none of us are renewing this year. It’s not worth the price. Now, the parks will be worse than your local Six Flags. The resorts have been “renovated” to look like basic Holiday Inns. If I was All Ears, I would start covering Universal parks, Disney World will be flailing. They can’t even have two water parks open at once!!
Frontierland as it is will cease to exist. And other than using it as a cut through from Adventureland to and from Liberty Square there will be no reason to visit other than Country Bear Jamboree for several years.