Several major construction projects are underway around Walt Disney World. The Tropical Americas are replacing DinoLand USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, new Cars attractions are controversially replacing the Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom, and much more.
Are there more big changes to come? Disney World President Jeff Vahle hints that the company still has more planned that they haven’t announced.
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Vahle spoke about the current projects taking place around Disney World and how they compare to the rapid expansion the resort saw in the 1990s. Vahle’s answer suggests there’s more they haven’t revealed.
“This is bigger than that with what we’re doing, what we’re envisioning, what we’ve announced, and, by the way, what we haven’t announced. I’ve never been more positive on the future that we have.”
Jeff Vahle, Disney World President
We fully believe that Vahle and Disney have more plans for Disney World. The Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is begging for an overhaul. Other rumors have pointed to a major new attraction at Magic Kingdom and updates to EPCOT’s World Showcase. Unfortunately, we can’t put too much stock in Vahle’s comments given Disney’s history for hyping future plans only for them to fizzle out.
The ongoing economic uncertainty also forces us to take Vahle’s comments with a grain of salt. Vacation spending is one of the first to go during an economic downturn, and Disney may already be forecasting a tough summer as seen through their new discounts and added entertainment offerings. Oh, and there’s some new competition opening up the road in Universal’s Epic Universe. It could be rough waters ahead. We’d wager the term “budget cuts” has already been thrown around internally.
Disney has been known to pause or even cancel theme park projects when there’s financial woes. Remember the Magic Kingdom Theater? Or the Mary Poppins ride at EPCOT? It’s easy to envision a similar fate for unannounced and even announced projects.
Vahle is clearly trying to excite Disney fans about the future of Disney World. We don’t blame him. That said, we do have to point out that the current era is not even comparable to the rapid expansion of the 1990s. Yes, Disney World has opened several additions over the last several years and has more scheduled to come. But, the 1990s were insane.
Let’s name some of the many things that opened in the 1990s around Disney World:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- All 3 All-Star resorts
- Disney’s Port Orleans resort
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge resort
- Disney’s Old Key West resort
And so on, and so on. We’re not even touching on individual attractions or restaurants. Even crazier, this all happened while Disney was also expanding internationally and sailed its first two cruise ships (Magic and Wonder). Wild times.
We’re nervously excited for what’s in store around Disney World. We hope Disney knocks it out of the park, though it’s difficult to not be apprehensive when Disney seems intent on replacing rather than true expansions. At the very least, we know we’ll all have a lot to talk about with whatever Disney has planned – if it ever sees the light of day.
