Wait… Disney Almost Built a Hotel INSIDE Magic Kingdom?!

We’ve been getting a lot of news about construction in the Magic Kingdom, but did you know the projects being worked on could’ve been even bigger?!

From Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin to Piston Peak to Villains Land, there has been a lot going on at Magic Kingdom. However, construction could’ve been so much more intense if Disney had decided to go through with a project they considered two years ago.

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

According to court records that Florida Politics obtained through a public records request, Disney was considering building hotels INSIDE the Magic Kingdom. They were considering building one or two hotels, a company executive said under oath in early 2024.

A hotel in Magic Kingdom would be the first hotel in a park at Disney World, and likely would have been extremely popular once it was complete. However, somewhere between February 2024 and today, Disney apparently dropped the hotel expansion idea.

“There are no plans for new hotels as part of the Magic Kingdom expansion. We’re focused on bringing to life all we’ve already announced, which you can find the details on at DisneyExperiences.com,” the company said in an email statement when asked to comment on the deposition for this story.

The Magic Kingdom hotel idea was revealed by a master-planning executive with Disney Imagineering, Todd Rimmer, during a February 2024 deposition. What’s interesting is that the deposition showed Disney looked to be trying to compete with Universal’s brand-new Epic Universe, which opened its own hotel inside the new theme park, Helios Grand Hotel.

In his 2024 deposition, Rimmer specifically described the Magic Kingdom expansion as “still under development” and said that it “included new attractions and redevelopment of existing attractions and potentially new hotels.”

It’s no secret that a hotel placed in the Magic Kingdom would most likely be the most popular choice of stay among Disney fans. However, it was said that there is a lot to consider when going through with a project of this magnitude, which might explain why Disney World has never built a hotel at the Magic Kingdom, and especially not during the biggest expansion the park has seen.

Location in the park and theming of the hotel would have to be considered when putting it together. There would be tons riding on a project like that, and Disney would essentially have to get it perfect. What views would the hotel give guests? Would it ruin the magic seeing attractions differently?

For now, the project will just be a massive “What if?” Who knows, maybe one day in the future, there really will be a hotel in Magic Kingdom. For now, we’ll just wonder what that could be like, and if it would even work. Make sure to stay tuned to AllEars so you can hear about some of Disney’s craziest stories, as well as all the news and updates that they drop.

Disney World Files 10 Permits For New Hotel, Hollywood Studios Changes, and MORE

What are your thoughts on this idea? Let us know in the comments!

Post a Comment