Some Haphazard Disney World Tips – Part 2

As we all know, there’s a lot happening and about to happen at Walt Disney World. The big ongoing projects are at Disney Springs and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, both of which feel like active construction sites. Magic Kingdom and Epcot both have ongoing projects, but nothing that significantly impacts the experience of either park. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is oddly the quietest of the bunch, but expect that all to change come early 2016 when construction for Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land starts.

We’ll start with Animal Kingdom. I’m obviously a failure as a Disney blogger: not only did I fail to take photos of the Pandora: World of Avatar construction that could be seen looming from the park entrance, but I didn’t take a single photo of a construction wall. Maybe this is because these construction walls are so fancy that they feel like normal theming, or maybe it’s because I’m totally incompetent.

Whatever the case, there’s a lot going on here beyond the out-of-sight Avatar stuff that doesn’t impact the guest experience at all. After experiencing the Pandora: World of Avatar D23 Expo booth this year, I once again reiterated my excitement for this project. (Just remember, bandwagoneers, I’ve been defending this expansion since the beginning, so expect a healthy dose of “I TOLD YOU SO” if it’s as good and popular as I expect. Side note: if it’s not that popular, it’s totally because people don’t “get it” and not because I’m wrong.)

That “a lot going on here” would be the construction for Rivers of Light seating, and also infrastructure changes to the park so it doesn’t become unbearable once a few million additional guests visit it each year. I have no clue how Rivers of Light will operate, logistically, but it seems as if Disney is going for as close to 360-degree viewing as possible. This is the approach taken with Fantasmic at Tokyo DisneySea, but the reality is that, like World of Color, there optimal angles from which to view the show.

I’d expect that to hold true with Rivers of Light, with viewing locations outside of maybe a 45-degree range missing elements of the show. The bad news is that this means a good chunk of the viewing locations being built are sub-optimal. The good news is that Rivers of Light utilizes floating lanterns and live music, which are not so location dependent. It’s unknown if lasers will also be in the show, but lasers are awesome from any angle, so I’d highly recommend it.

Magic Kingdom is wrapping up its hub expansion project (it might actually be totally done now), and it’s looking…I’d say it’s sufficiently executed. This is one of those projects about which I’m not too excited in terms of what it does to the park aesthetically, but the realist in me understands it’s an operational necessity. Given that necessity, I think they’ve done a pretty good job with it. There are some really nice touches, and overall, it looks pretty well done.

Not much to say about the Frozen project in Epcot, either, aside from the fact that it was interesting to hear about this at the D23 Expo in terms of the other developments in Norway. It seems like the team working on the project is trying to make lemonade out of lemons by including as many accurate, real-world Norwegian touches as possible to offset the addition of an attraction set in a fictional location to World Showcase.

Based on the details at the Expo, it seemed almost as if someone high up mandated a Frozen attraction at Walt Disney World, and it was also determined at a high level that Epcot was the most “logical” park for it from the perspective of attendance and allocation of other projects, with WDI then left to pick up the pieces and figure out how to fulfill that mandate. I’m not sure these details, no matter how well done, will be enough to numb the sting of Frozen in World Showcase for many EPCOT Center fans, myself included. It is at least somewhat reassuring to see that those in WDI working on the project “get” EPCOT, and are trying to make the most of a tough assignment.

Then there’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Sorcerer’s Hat and stage are both gone now, so the front of the park has improved via addition by subtraction. As for the rest of the park, it’s subtraction by subtraction. This park didn’t have a ton to do 2 years ago, and the situation is even worse now. It’s bolstered by a solid slate of headliners, but once you get past those 3-4 attractions, the lineup is paltry. Sure, you can spend the entire day here (maybe), but that means enjoying pretty much everything.

By that same token, Animal Kingdom is a 2-day park as opposed to a half day park.

I’ve complained about the cuts in advance of the huge Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land expansion projects ad nauseam, so what I find shocking at this point is that even more cuts are being announced. Some I totally get, and will not complain about at all. As much as I’ll miss them, the Osborne Lights fall into this category. It’s simply not feasible to run them during construction, as the only area of Walt Disney World that is unpopular enough to handle the added foot traffic for the lights is the Streets of America, and that will be a construction site in the very near future.

Well, there is one other unpopular spot, but I’m guessing the animals in Rafiki’s Planet Watch would not be too thrilled about the bright lights. Putting the Osborne Lights in Disney Springs or Future World at Epcot (as some fans have suggested) would be a logistical nightmare, and anyone who has been the the Osborne Lights on a moderately busy night knows this.

One such cut that doesn’t make sense is that of Mulch, Sweat, and Shears. If you asked me how Disney would buoy attendance at the Studios during Star Wars Land and Toy Story Land a few months ago, my response would have been “refreshed stage shows and added entertainment.” Cutting an entertainment act and announcing Club Villain (which many fans assumed was going to be a replacement for Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage when it was being cast) is a hard ticket event has made me rethink that strategy.

My answer is now “heavy marketing and disregard the guest experience.” I feel sorry for any once in a lifetime guest who visits the Studios before 2017.

I wrote back after our May trip that it felt like Disney Springs had turned a corner, and that remains the case, but I wouldn’t say it has turned any other corners (I mean, there are only so many corners to turn) since then, despite the name officially changing to Disney Springs. There are certainly fewer construction walls, and clear progress has been made, but it still feels like an in-between version of the shopping & entertainment district.

This shouldn’t be construed as a bad thing: I very much like what I’ve experienced thus far at Disney Springs, and that it stands as an in-between version means it can really only improve from here. Still, the jury is still out on Disney Springs. On the one hand, whatever the finished product, at this point it’ll definitely be better than Downtown Disney circa 2013. There was a reason this blog mocked Downtown Disney so much, and it wasn’t totally bitterness over the Adventurers Club closing. It was that, and also that Downtown Disney was a poorly laid-out, shadow of its former self. Disney Springs has already fixed a lot of that.

On the other hand, it feels very similar to a lot of high end outdoor malls, except with some Disney in the mix. Thematically, it doesn’t really aspire for much, and although there are specific concepts that are done really well (like Jock Lindsey’s), the overarching theme and design don’t strive for anything more than “nice shopping & entertainment center.” My feelings on this are mixed, and I’d be more okay with it if more venues akin to The Boathouse and Jock Lindsey’s were to open, with fewer generic stores.

I think that covers it in terms of ongoing construction and updates at Walt Disney World. Pretty much right as the Rivers of Light construction wraps up at Animal Kingdom and at Disney Springs next year, more construction starts at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I’m looking forward to all of the changes, and for regular (annual-ish) visitors to Walt Disney World, it will be well worth the hassle of navigating the sea of construction walls for the next few years when all is said and done.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. OurWhat to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!

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YOUR THOUGHTS…

Have any feedback on any of the restaurants at which we dined? Thoughts on Food & Wine Festival? What do you think of current (and upcoming) construction projects, and the state of the parks at Walt Disney World? Any other feedback? We love to hear from readers, so if you have any thoughts or questions, post them in the comments!