First Look Inside New Lounge Now Open in Magic Kingdom!
A new lounge had a surprise opening months ahead of schedule in Magic Kingdom and this one will not serve alcohol nor will it adults-only, so it shouldn’t be the least bit controversial…right?! This first look inside the venue in Frontierland shares photos and details, along with our commentary.
The new rest stop allows eligible Disney Vacation Club members (so much for it being uncontroversial) to enjoy McKim’s Mile House – A DVC Member Lounge in Magic Kingdom. This takes over the space previously occupied by the free-to-play Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, an opening day original that had been around since 1971 (also totally controversy-free that Disney replaced an attraction with exclusive lounge space).
Located in Frontierland, this brand new “home on the range” invites eligible members and their guests to relax, recharge and reconnect in a space steeped in storytelling. Disney previously announced it would open by Summer 2025, so it was somewhat of a surprise for it to debut instead in mid-March! Let’s take a closer look inside McKim’s Mile House, the second in-park DVC lounge at Walt Disney World!
Ready to rest those feet? Visitors can mosey into “The Frontier’s Best Kept Secret,” a special nod to a former Disney Vacation Club slogan, “Discover the best kept Disney secret,” and relax in style on a variety of comfortable sofas and chairs.
Disney Vacation Club retired that slogan several years ago, seemingly because it had become a punchline among fans given the ubiquity of Disney Vacation Club resorts around Walt Disney World. To each their own, but I liked the slogan. I also prefer the old school DVC logo. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for the bygone days, which would also explain why I love Frontierland.
From the wood floors to the hand-carved stone fireplace, every aspect of the McKim’s Mile House lounge tells a story, including its name.
The lounge’s namesake is Sam McKim, a Disney Legend and concept artist for the original Frontierland in Disneyland Park. To combine McKim’s everlasting contributions and the story of Frontierland, Imagineers were inspired by historic mile houses of the American West.
Mile houses were what we would now consider hotels. Spread across the frontier, travelers could check in to a mile house for a much-needed spell of rest and relaxation.
Now, after an adventure with Princess Tiana or concert with the Country Bears, members and their guests can enjoy that same bit of respite in this new member lounge said to be operated by a fictional McKim family of hospitality pioneers.
As visitors gaze around the McKim house, they may notice stairs that appear to lead up to boarding rooms said to be occupied by some famous folks from around Frontierland.
One room, for example, is designated as the host room of none other than the owner and founder of Big Thunder Mining Company, Barnabas T. Bullion. Just down the hall is the room occupied by M. Davis, a special recognition to Disney Legend Marc Davis.
Although members can’t access the lounge’s second floor, they can appreciate these Imagineering details from the comfort of the lounge’s seating area. And with a keen eye, they may even spot some original artwork and details from Sam McKim himself.
Inside, as travelers kick up their spurs and sip on complimentary soft drinks, the space’s visual details bring special attention to the backstory of the fictional McKim host family, including drawings said to be created by the McKim children.
Along with these amenities and storytelling details, the lounge also includes complimentary Wi-Fi and phone charging spaces.
Disney Vacation Club McKim’s Mile House – A Member Lounge is open daily from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. EST and for all eligible Disney Vacation Club Members with valid park tickets and reservations to Magic Kingdom.
As mentioned above, McKim’s Mile House is the second in-park lounge at Walt Disney World exclusively available to eligible DVC members. In Florida, eligible members also have access to Top of the World Lounge – A Villains Lair atop Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, as well as the ImaginAtrium – A Member Lounge atop the Imagination pavilion at EPCOT.
In California, members can recharge amongst the stars at Star View Station – a Member Lounge, located in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. This is probably the ‘most accessible’ lounge, as it occupies a massive amount of indoor (and outdoor!) space, and there are fewer DVC members at Disneyland.
All three of these lounges are excellent, although Top of the World can be a bit of a hassle with its various rules. I love the Imagination lounge because it occupies the former upstairs ImageWorks, offering views out the glass pyramid of the former Future World at EPCOT. (We’ll stick to that as opposed to GEO-82.)
I’m really looking forward to have a DVC lounge in Magic Kingdom. I don’t love that it took over attraction space that was previously available to everyone, but selfishly, we’ll use McKim’s Mile House Having a spot to stop for a quick break and “free” Coke Freestyle or coffee is huge.
I would hazard a guess that our #1 or #2 “attraction” at both EPCOT and Disneyland is the respective DVC lounges. But I also understand that I’m one of the lucky few who will have access, and what’s good for me–personally–isn’t always the same as what’s good for the park-going public as a whole.
It is somewhat surprising to see McKim’s Mile House only open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily.
I know that’s roughly how long the Imagination lounge is open (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.), but Magic Kingdom is a much more popular park, and not having McKim’s Mile House open at 10 a.m. seems like a recipe for long lines to “rope drop” the lounge. Moreover, Magic Kingdom crowds never really die down, whereas the front of EPCOT empties out in the evenings.
Not only that, but McKim’s Mile House is smaller than the Imagination lounge, with maybe a little more than half the capacity. I guess we shall see if that ends up being an issue. My hope is that DVC moves forward the opening time, extends hours, and maybe even switches out some furniture to increase the capacity. I’ll be doing some Very Important Research this weekend and next week to see what lines are like.
For anyone wondering about Disney’s motivation for building McKim’s Mile House and other DVC lounges, the company has good reason for it. The EPCOT lounge is incredibly popular, and often utilizes a waitlist during busier times of year.
Disney Vacation Club has also started selling “Membership Magic Beyond.” Although that hasn’t been marketed or explained all that much, it includes priority and extended lounge access as a paid perk. I could see that being very valuable at McKim’s Mile House, and I’d definitely purchase the paid perk if DVC loosened up the rules on using the extended lounge hours at EPCOT.
Disney Vacation Club’s other rationale for more lounges is to increase sales. While rational consumers might think that surely a lounge in Magic Kingdom will not move the needle on a $20,000+ purchase. That would be very irrational, to put it mildly. But buying DVC isn’t always a completely rational purchase–it’s an emotional one.
I would also hazard a guess that the totality of the Disney Vacation Club perks–the Moonlight Magic parties, lounges, discounts, etc–actually does move the needle on selling memberships. The existence of these perks and additions to them keeps member satisfaction high, which also helps sell more points. Disney Vacation Club is the closest thing that Walt Disney World and Disneyland have to loyalty programs that makes fans actually feel valued, and a lot of people really appreciate that. I know we do.
Equally important, the various Membership Extras do move the needle on the resale vs. direct dilemma. We’ve heard from many potential purchasers who are willing to pay a bit more because of FOMO associated with missing out on current and potential future Membership Extras. Sure, saving money is important and the paramount consideration for most–but the emotional side of buying DVC cannot be overlooked.
If you’re thinking about joining DVC, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Disney Vacation Club. This covers the pros & cons, resale v. direct, how much money you’ll save, and other important things to know before taking the plunge. If you still can’t decide whether membership is right for you, “try before you buy” with the recommendations in How to Save BIG on Deluxe Disney Accommodations Renting DVC Points.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the new McKim’s Mile House DVC member lounge in Magic Kingdom? Are you a Disney Vacation Club member who’s looking forward to using the space? Disappointed about the location given all of the unused spaces in the park, or do you not really care? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? IShare any questions, tips, or additional thoughts you have in the comments!
Don’t forget about the DVC member lounge in Disney Springs. It’s smaller that the one in Epcot but it’s much nicer.
It is a nice addition to a place where it should have been in the first place. The hours need to be at least 9 or 10pm to make sense. We are DVC resale owners prior to the restrictions. However, the perks over the years would not really warrant the bump in price for those trying to figure out direct sale or resale in 2025. The location within MK is an odd choice. Perhaps they should have carved out a spot over in Tomorrow Land when they were doing Tron.
Is there a bathroom in this lounge? I really like that about the DL lounge and wish the bathrooms in the Imagination Pavilion weren’t so far away from the lounge.
That’s what I want to know!
There are not bathrooms in the lounge.
While this new DVC perk of the Magic Kingdom Lounge is nice, it is about time Disney added something to the DVC proposition. Since I bought into DVC about 10 years age it has been nothing but subtraction from their value proposition – no more Magic Express, free fast passes (60 days in advance), 180 day in advance dining reservations, one hour early park entry PLUS exponential Annual pass price increases.
The shooting arcade certainly wasn’t large, so I can’t imagine this lounge being anywhere close to the size of the Imagination lounge. It doesn’t have the views of Epcot, but the theming looks great. It’s definitely a plus for DVC members, though as an outsider I do feel a little bit more of the “have” vs. “have not” that Disney has been fostering the past several years with the loss of a public space for a private club.
I am looking forward to it. We paid a lot for our DVC points, and we still pay a lot for our dues. And it means a lot to get a few perks.
Club 33 has been around a long time in Disneyland, and now at WDW. Members pay a lot, and they get a lot of extra perks. But it’s pretty well hidden, and I have never heard anyone complain about it.
There are plenty of other ‘extras’ for people who are interested and can afford it, like pricey dinners, special tours, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, cabanas at the water parks and hotels, spa visits, etc.
We live in a capitalist society, and the goal of businesses is to make money. I’m not saying that everything Disney does it right, but it also is not a charity.
I think the hours are a function of trying to get by with just one set of employees for the entire workday at the lounge. 11 am – 6 pm is 7 hours; add an hour on either end for opening/closing procedures while guests aren’t present and you are at a 9 hour shift, which minus a 1 hour lunch breaks comes to 8 hours worked from open to close of the lounge.
I’m not saying I *agree* with this logic – I think the lounge should probably open an hour after rope drop and close no earlier than an hour before park close. But even without insider info I am almost certain that is how Disney arrived at those hours.
As it is, there are limited places in the parks to sit and relax, especially for older guests who don’t want to hazard sitting on the ground. It seems that Disney is continuing to exclude the middle-income fans. Disability pass is now extremely limited. Specially lounges are now for the “in crowd.” Lightening Lane passes bring the daily costs up so high that a family often not afford it. As a former Cast Member and a lifelong Disney fan and guest, I am very disappointed in the elitist direction the company is taking.
I completely agree with you.
After indiscriminate, compounding price increases, I’m not sure I could think of a more wrongheaded strategy than for Disney to aggressively invest in endlessly fracturing the Disney World experience, as typified by, but certainly not limited to, low capacity, and access restricted lounges. (That is not to begrudge DVC members their perks! This is not the ideal post for my comment, but it’s still fitting.) Having said that, Disney is doing so much wrong these days that ranking their decisions in terms “worstness” is a real challenge.
It’s difficult to make a case for the value proposition of Disney World as more and more of the experience becomes cordoned off or otherwise out of reach. It’s easy to understand the value in building a sense of aspirational wonder around an imagined vacation to Disney World. But the effect is very different when visitors already planning, or currently on, a trip are left wanting. These small scale efforts aren’t likely to cause people to make plans, extend trips, or spend more… but they sure can be off-putting.
I understand that Disney is a sophisticated company with lots of data, and the resources to slice and dice it in nearly infinite ways, but parsing data doesn’t change the underlying realities. It’s possible for them to box their visitors into what feels like unwinnable choices and unattainable goals. On the one hand, they are pricing people out. On the other, they are excluding visitors even when price isn’t a primary factor. Can Disney preserve the integrity of the Disney World experience for all while creating carve-outs a parallel park for some? If they can, I haven’t seen it. (A variation on this theme might be alcohol in parks, which I think can be argued fairly easily has degraded the experience for people who don’t drink, or don’t want to drink in the environment of a family oriented theme park surrounded by children.)
Apple is another company that is increasingly losing its way. Shortly after Steve Jobs’ return he explained they would succeed with their turn around because “we can put the A-team on everything”. But that sentiment cuts both ways. That can’t be said about Apple today, and the results are on full display. Disney is facing the same sort of crisis.
I agree with your salient point, although I’d think a better example would be Lightning Lane Premier Pass. That’s much more “in your face” during the planning process, and it’s been picked up by mainstream media when discussing the cost of line-skipping. (LLPP was prominently mentioned by WSJ without context.)
It creates the impression that the “best” version of line-skipping is really expensive, even if the more accessible options are perfectly fine. THAT is the example I’d give. Or something like the failed Starcruiser.
Something like this, or even the new GEO-82, is unlikely to “break containment.” Hardcore fans know about it and might be annoyed by the exclusivity…but they’re hardcore fans. On the other hand, casual visitors and first-timers will likely remain blissfully ignorant as to the existence of this and other lounges.
Thrilled to death. Very happy we are getting our own Kool Kid’s Klub in the Magic Kingdom.
Is it just the way they shot the video… or does the lounge look a bit small?
This should be much more popular than the Epcot lounge, which is a bit hidden. Yet it looks like it can’t seat more than 30-40 people.
And while the front of Epcot gets pretty empty in the evening at Epcot… Magic Kingdom can stay packed park-wide till long past 9pm during busy seasons.
I fear the lounge is too small with hours too limited.
It looks small.
I’d fully expect the plush chairs to be replaced by something that takes up less space before the year is over. I’d also *hope* that hours are extended.
Guess this is one way to push people towards Membership Magic Beyond!
Couldn’t agree more Tom, regarding the value of these lounges and other perks. We purchased DVC a few years ago, and could have saved a boatload of money buying on the secondary market, but decided it was worth the additional cost to get all of the DVC perks by buying directly from Disney. For us it was absolutely the right decision. Can’t wait to visit Mc’Kim’s Mile House in September.
I’m really glad we bought before the resale restrictions took effect, because it would’ve been quite the dilemma otherwise.
If I did the math on all of the perks we’ve taken advantage of over the years, I wouldn’t be surprised if it bridged the gap on current resale vs. direct prices.
It looks really cool, although the modern freestyle machines are it bit jarring against the rest of the setting. But Imagineering did a great job! Can’t wait to never experience it. I am DVC resale (250pt at AK). I would seriously consider buying direct if the amount of buy-in points weren’t so high or if I had more money than I knew what to do with. Alas, there’s a mortgage and college tuition to pay.
With @Christine. I bought SSR (220). I would buy direct if the minimum points buy-in wasn’t so large now. Though having said that from a few Vlogs I’ve seen the EPCOT lounge is always rammed. This one is going to be worse. Soon we will be having to queue to queue! And then they will charge us to queue to queue and then we could by a LLSP to skip the queue to queue. Being from the UK the chances of lucking into a date that added the night perks would be slim. 20% off food would be good but that’s a lot to make up for all those points!