Cars area coming to Magic Kingdom

[Mad Dog]

They barely touched the park between 2000 and 2015. Any changes made, made it worse. Examples include ripping out Alien Encounter, adding the Aladdin spinner.

MK didn’t get an e-ticket between splash in 1992 and Tron in 2023. For the most visited park in the world, I think that’s neglectful.

It’s what Disney do and the danger of having 4 parks, investment decisions need to be prioritised. We’re approaching 10 years since Pandora opened, and by the time Encanto arrives, a decade has passed without a new ride at Animal Kingdom. Again it’s got worse since, with the removal of night hours, the riverside show, and Tough to be a bug. For its flaws, there’s an area and 2 flats down too. They fail to build on momentum.

But you're missing New Fantasyland with the D/E ticket 7 dwarfs that's extremely popular, and always busy. The Little Mermaid, that's at least a D ticket, and has very high capacity. B&B show/M&G, Dumbo doubled, Country Bears show redone twice....etc. Though that's not a ton of stuff, most of that's been put in place since 2010. Not as significant as what they've done at DHS the past decade, but it's a decent amount with Tron added....and Tiana is, for all intents and purposes, like a new E ticket attraction. ...Like you said, that's the danger of having 4 parks. But most of those new attraction issues were in the 2000 to 2010 decade. WDW has brought a lot new in, spurred on by the success of Universal. Of course, if Potter never happened, most of the WDW new stuff never happens, since WDW considered Orlando a mature market.

 

[AvoidTIMtation]

MK didn’t get an e-ticket between splash in 1992 and Tron in 2023. For the most visited park in the world, I think that’s neglectful.

You just stated the reason why it took that long to get a new E-ticket LOL. Disney could add absolutely nothing to MK for the rest of time and it will still be the most visited park in the world forever.

 

[UAN17]

You just stated the reason why it took that long to get a new E-ticket LOL. Disney could add absolutely nothing to MK for the rest of time and it will still be the most visited park in the world forever.

Whilst true, I’d hope Disney aim higher.

Tokyo Disney, which is in all likelihood the actual most visited park in the world, continues to invest and improve their product.

 

[UAN17]

But you're missing New Fantasyland with the D/E ticket 7 dwarfs that's extremely popular, and always busy. The Little Mermaid, that's at least a D ticket, and has very high capacity. B&B show/M&G, Dumbo doubled, Country Bears show redone twice....etc. Though that's not a ton of stuff, most of that's been put in place since 2010. Not as significant as what they've done at DHS the past decade, but it's a decent amount with Tron added....and Tiana is, for all intents and purposes, like a new E ticket attraction. ...Like you said, that's the danger of having 4 parks. But most of those new attraction issues were in the 2000 to 2010 decade. WDW has brought a lot new in, spurred on by the success of Universal. Of course, if Potter never happened, most of the WDW new stuff never happens, since WDW considered Orlando a mature market.

I feel they sleepwalked through the best part of a decade and a half.

Let’s not kid ourselves in that these parks are money making machines, and many smaller regional parks manage to invest, proportionally, part of their profits almost yearly in new experiences.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not a Disney hater. The opposite actually, I love it, but they’ve only woken up in the past 5 or so years and they’re playing catch up to where there Orlando parks should be, for how busy they are in this day and age. There’s been progress, but I want them to aim higher. I don’t think Epcot will see a new ride for maybe 5 or so years. They made progress with the last round of updates, I just wish they’d press on. Update the seas, add an additional pavilion in world showcase, the Mary Poppins ride or equivalent, update spaceship Earth. Figment. I just feel they settle.

These rides are paying for themselves (well, partially anyway!) with how Disney treat lightening lane for the first years of their operation. And the people, like me, are paying it.

 

[OrlLover]

Tokyo Disney, which is in all likelihood the actual most visited park in the world, continues to invest and improve their product.

Funny you mention Tokyo because they were literally in the same boat couple years ago.

No investment into the castle park for decades just general upkeep. TDS got a huge expansion because there was no space left to build.

Plus their attendance was stagnant I believe.

didn't say it was cheap, just a cheaper alternative.

No matter how you word it…what they’re doing now is not a cheaper alternative.

This is probably the of the more expensive options that they choose.

 

[GAcoaster]

Funny you mention Tokyo because they were literally in the same boat couple years ago.

No investment into the castle park for decades just general upkeep. TDS got a huge expansion because there was no space left to build.

Plus their attendance was stagnant I believe.

But stagnant attendance at the ~19 million MK is at is still much more than the other three that really NEED more investments. And yes, adding Cars and Villains will up attendance, but at a park that already feels too crowded most days. At least it will finally do something to enlarge the footprint of the actual guest area and create more physical space for guests in the park, but Main Street will only get more packed at parades and fireworks and the transportation network will continue to be strained to capacity getting people to and from MK. Even adding the fourth ferry boat won't fix all the issues that MK faces on busy days.

My feeling is still that MK didn't need either added now. Some day, yes, but currently MK still is outdrawing all the other parks. It wasn't broken and didn't need the fix.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

MK will need an improved guest flow project for later in the evening. Getting anywhere near Main Street is a nightmare. Would love for them to create arcades like Paris on both sides to help reduce the pain point MS can be.

MK definitely needed an expansion for walkway space, but really it’s just a few specific locations that cause severe bottlenecks. Underused areas like Storybook Circus and parts of Tomorrowland need to revitalized to spread crowds out.

 

[Mad Dog]

There's a reason MK gets so crowded. People love it. It's an enjoyable, entertaining, fun park with the best 'mix' of attractions in Orlando, and lots of them.
MK doesn't have the thrill rides that IOA has, but they have a different demographic to please. And there's enough to do that lines don't get very bad , except for a couple of the newer attractions.
According to Touring Plans, on most weeks the average MK actual stand by time is generally apx. 22 minutes. DHS & Epcot are around 30 and AK 40. They really didn't need new lands in MK, but it will keep the park vibrant for the future.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

There's a reason MK gets so crowded. People love it. It's an enjoyable, entertaining, fun park with the best 'mix' of attractions in Orlando, and lots of them.
MK doesn't have the thrill rides that IOA has, but they have a different demographic to please. And there's enough to do that lines don't get very bad , except for a couple of the newer attractions.
According to Touring Plans, on most weeks the average MK actual stand by time is generally apx. 22 minutes. DHS & Epcot are around 30 and AK 40. They really didn't need new lands in MK, but it will keep the park vibrant for the future.

Out of all the parks in Orlando, weird to say, MK was the one that needed expansion the least.

It's crowded, but like you said, it's wait-times overall are fine throughout the day. Outside of maybe 1-2 rides, nothing exceeds an hour plus wait. When it gets hot and crowded, you have several attractions to experience without having to wait.

Outside of replacing the Tomorrowland Speedway and improving Tomorrowland, I didn't really think MK would have been prioritized over DAK or DHS.

 

[UAN17]

Fundamentally disagree with that because it’s meant to be their flagship park, and it’s not their flagship experience. Expansion and enhancements are needed to drag this park up.

Cars & Villains are positive moves for Magic Kingdom.

Is the expansion needed more in other places? I’d argue it’s needed in all, and I refer back to the MASSIVE sums of money these parks bring in. They decided to build 6 parks in Orlando, they should make the effort to keep them all vibrant.

Magic Kingdom is not vibrant. It’s aged, and arguably the second worst castle park in the world.

How many years will they let Space mountain limber on in its current format? People have been talking for nearly 20 years about how the speedway feels out of place. Sub-par versions of classics. The fact that Disneyland received effects on Thunder Mountain TEN years ago and here we are waiting for them at MK. The hatbox ghost. The empty stitch space. The half-baked fantasyland expansion.

This park is unloved by management and thrives on nostalgia. I think these updates will help MK become its own park, and I can’t wait.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Fundamentally disagree with that because it’s meant to be their flagship park, and it’s not their flagship experience. Expansion and enhancements are needed to drag this park up.

Cars & Villains are positive moves for Magic Kingdom.

Is the expansion needed more in other places? I’d argue it’s needed in all, and I refer back to the MASSIVE sums of money these parks bring in. They decided to build 6 parks in Orlando, they should make the effort to keep them all vibrant.

Magic Kingdom is not vibrant. It’s aged, and arguably the second worst castle park in the world.

How many years will they let Space mountain limber on in its current format? People have been talking for nearly 20 years about how the speedway feels out of place. Sub-par versions of classics. The fact that Disneyland received effects on Thunder Mountain TEN years ago and here we are waiting for them at MK. The hatbox ghost. The empty stitch space. The half-baked fantasyland expansion.

This park is unloved by management and thrives on nostalgia. I think these updates will help MK become its own park, and I can’t wait.

I agree with all of your points, but I'm just surprised to see them prioritize MK over the other parks, mainly DAK and DHS.

Definitely 100% MK needs to be worked on, but I would have previously thought that just major refurbishments would be just fine until the other 2 parks are beefed up.

 

[Brian G.]

I agree with all of your points, but I'm just surprised to see them prioritize MK over the other parks, mainly DAK and DHS.

Definitely 100% MK needs to be worked on, but I would have previously thought that just major refurbishments would be just fine until the other 2 parks are beefed up.

Well, they did (and are). They can only do so much at a time.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Well, they did (and are). They can only do so much at a time.

They are, but I was surprised to see them decide on adding two full new lands at MK (with approx. 3 E-tickets) versus what they are doing at the other parks (DAK receiving a net addition of 1 E-Ticket, Indy will be more popular than Dinosaur, but the park is begging for more) and DHS seeing an addition (questionable) of 1 E-ticket.

 

[Brian G.]

They are, but I was surprised to see them decide on adding two full new lands at MK (with approx. 3 E-tickets) versus what they are doing at the other parks (DAK receiving a net addition of 1 E-Ticket, Indy will be more popular than Dinosaur, but the park is begging for more) and DHS seeing an addition (questionable) of 1 E-ticket.

Problem is MK is too damn popular, and they mostly replaced instead of adding capacity up until Tron. It's already been "too little, too late", but at least they are addressing it finally.

DHS has just spent the last decade expanding with two big E-ticket lands, and DAK unfortunately had the misfire of the night stuff, but did get Pandora.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

DHS has just spent the last decade expanding with two big E-ticket lands, and DAK unfortunately had the misfire of the night stuff, but did get Pandora.

Poor Epcot.

 

[GAcoaster]

Just saw a rumor of the riverboat potentially moving to the Grand Floridian’s marina as some sort of bar/restaurant/party space. I can’t see it fitting thematically, but that seems to matter less and less anymore…

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Problem is MK is too damn popular, and they mostly replaced instead of adding capacity up until Tron. It's already been "too little, too late", but at least they are addressing it finally.

DHS has just spent the last decade expanding with two big E-ticket lands, and DAK unfortunately had the misfire of the night stuff, but did get Pandora.

Well MK did get New Fantasyland in 2012, followed up with 7 Dwarfs in 2014 and new parade in 2014 + HEA in 2017. I just would have assumed a substantial investment into the two parks that need it the most.

Just saw a rumor of the riverboat potentially moving to the Grand Floridian’s marina as some sort of bar/restaurant/party space. I can’t see it fitting thematically, but that seems to matter less and less anymore…

Rumor has been floating (no pun intended) for a while now on several forums. Substantial work will be required, but certainly doable.

While it doesn't fit at GF, better than nothing I guess?

 

[Disneyhead]

Just saw a rumor of the riverboat potentially moving to the Grand Floridian’s marina as some sort of bar/restaurant/party space. I can’t see it fitting thematically, but that seems to matter less and less anymore…

It would work better at Port Orleans.

 

[DrStarlander]

Just saw a rumor of the riverboat potentially moving to the Grand Floridian’s marina as some sort of bar/restaurant/party space. I can’t see it fitting thematically, but that seems to matter less and less anymore…

Apparently paddlewheel steamboats were common in Florida in the late 1800s. A quote form one article:

"Before railroads and motor cars, paddle wheel steamboats were the primary means of transportation in Florida, particularly along the lakes and rivers found in the Panhandle near Tallahassee. Unlike the grand river steamers of legend that plied the Mississippi, the small paddle wheel steamer was the best means of transportation and moving goods to market in the winding rivers and shallow bays of late-1800s Florida,"

And: "The Florida Maritime Museum in the historic Cortez section of Bradenton has a whole collection of information about paddle wheel steamers in Florida’s history..."

So, it could be perfect addition to the Grand Floridian.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Just saw a rumor of the riverboat potentially moving to the Grand Floridian’s marina as some sort of bar/restaurant/party space. I can’t see it fitting thematically, but that seems to matter less and less anymore…

Maybe? But every time I see something about the boat navigating the open waters it needs a tugboat. If it's parked there, I dunno if that's a good idea as even the Empress Lilly is actually just a building in disguise. At what point is it more cost efficent just to build the party space new?