A new Disney Vacation Club (DVC) lounge is coming to Walt Disney World. The lounge will be located in Magic Kingdom and will take over the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade. Construction is expected to begin this year.
This new lounge will be the third in Walt Disney World, adding to the existing lounges at the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT and the Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower. No concept art of the Magic Kingdom DVC lounge has been released, but Disney described it as “pioneer-inspired.”
The new lounge will be a "pioneer-inspired space" inspired by "the bygone era of exploration and adventure," per Disney.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) June 13, 2024
According to aerials, the lounge should be around 2500-2600 sq. ft.
The closure of the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade represents yet another change in the ongoing transformation of Frontierland. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is obviously the biggest shift, but there’s likely to be additional changes to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and maybe even more that Disney has teased.
We’re actually surprised the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade survived this long. Disney removed all toy guns from their stores several years back, but the arcade endured. We’re not opposed to it closing, though we have some thoughts about the planned replacement.
Disney has been going full throttle with DVC additions at Walt Disney World over the last few years. Disney is also finishing up the multi-story DVC tower at Polynesian Village Resort and DVC cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground.
With DVC being the priority, Disney seems to be putting those guests ahead of traditional guests. In the case of the Magic Kingdom lounge, a current attraction space is being turned into a paywall lounge. We’ve been disappointed to see more and more public spaces changing into spaces that reward the highest-paying guests.
The shift to focus so much on DVC is a big gamble by Disney. DVC aims to lock in Disney fans for a long-term commitment. But, the other side of the coin is Disney has to provide experiences that reward those expensive commitments. That’s an area where some feel Disney has been falling short of late. Removing an attraction, albeit a tiny one, for a spot with AC and soda isn’t a positive change for the majority of guests. We’ve even been told by some DVC members that they think a change like this is a bit tone-deaf.
Anyway, rant over. For now, we think even more change is coming to Frontierland. Let’s hope the finished product is for the best.
