From Castles to Closures: What’s Coming & What’s Not at Walt Disney World
Now that the parks have opened, what’s next? And what’s not next? That’s the focus of this podcast. I’m your host, J. Jeff Kober. You can find our podcast here on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, MyTuner, and ListenNotes.
Key concepts and links are found below along with images, but my own thoughts and impressions are best laid out on the podcast. So please visit both.
Epcot
What Needs to Come
Before we talk about what’s coming and what’s not, let’s talk about what needs to come–more people. It’s great to have short lines, but you wonder how long the organization can sustain so few guests.
This is what 8:00 pm on World Showcase Promenade looks like:
World Showplace has four booths, plus around seating and standing tables–all socially distanced. Yet there were not more than about a dozen parties in the building. You might think that there would be room for a few more.
Festival Pavilion
The rumor is that perhaps the festival pavilion is going to be modified. We talk about some key aspects of this space in the podcast, but here are some images to help understand the nature of this space.
Note the small square object on the top. I described this and talk about its ramifications to why the facility is located here.
This design suggests that the bottom is open, the center is enclosed (though the model shows a porch that is open around the enclosed portion), and the top being a forested area.
Play Pavilion
Not mentioned in budget cuts, but still problematic is the Play Pavilion. Hopefully COVID-19 will be a thing of the past when it opens.
Ratatouille
Still soon to come is Ratatouille. Hopefully it won’t be too far away.
Much of the Food & Wine festival has ties to Ratatouille. Let’s hope this new attraction comes before the festival ends.
More to Come
Recently better images of these photos appeared. The first is a makeover of MouseGears.
The next two images are variation on a redo of Electric Umbrella.
Know that there are still so many more things still planned for Epcot. You can see the full list here.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Primeval Whirl
More official word has come out that Primeval Whirl would soon be extinct.
Rivers of Light: We Are One
More surprising is Rivers of Light ending. I think this show has so many positive elements, boats, fountains, animals, music. I think the big screen is a miss (or a mist), and I think it needs more arc. But I wouldn’t throw the tiger out with the bathwater.
You can see the full show below:
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge
For Father’s Day I got a copy of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. It is the first of what is currently a five part series.
As you enter Dok Ondar’s what looks like a strange rock is actually a memorial to his parents.
The baby Sarlacc inside Dok Ondar’s was actually retrieved by Hans Solo himself with the help of Chewie. The comic shows what a mess that was and how they ended up with only a small one in the end.
Those who love The Mandalorian have already spotted not only his helmet but his Amban phase-pulse blaster.
But did you notice that there’s what appears to be an IG-11, otherwise known as the most lethal droid in the galaxy? Dok refers to him as BK-86, who has acted for some time as Dok’s primary security droid. Both are part of what is referred to as an IG-series Assassin Droid. But it looks very similar to the one in the Mandalorian series.
Magic Kingdom
Stitch Farewell
Apparently Ohana means you’re gone. And this aloha took longer than most (2016 was the last time I rode). But Disney did clarify this last week in communications to Cast Members that it was no longer to be an attraction in the park.
Buzz Lightyear
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin did a fairly decent rehab over the winter, and I’m just now seeing it. Changed out was the approach to boarding the ride vehicles.
They also took on a major paint job which was way over needed. Note the images that follow:
Main Street Backstage Remodel
This was a project started before the parks closed. The idea was t provide a wider thoroughfare for guests exiting the park at the end of the day–particularly during the 50th anniversary. That no longer seems to be the case–especially for now.
Cinderella Castle
This is the center piece icon of the 50th anniversary. I took time to share my perspectives on the podcast, but there are photos below:
There’s More!
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