A theoretical Blue Sky 10-15 year plan for the Magic Kingdom.
Let me be very clear, a lot of this is blue sky that will never materialize.
I first started by understanding the current & existing pain points of the Magic Kingdom.
MAIN STREET USA
I consider Main Street the lifeblood of the park, but it could be better... and Disney knew this. Ever since Disneyland opened, they knew that the stories and potential for this area of the park could be expanded into areas like Liberty Street & International Street. Walt knew there were more stories to tell on Main Street.
Main Street worked in 1971, but the park has doubled in attendance and has become a nightmare to walk around during parades and fireworks. The bypass walkway has become a constant for operations to use, and it's not the best guest experience. To alleviate this, arcades (similar to Disneyland Paris) and secondary streets are created to not only improve guest flow, but also provide covered shade structures as a relief from the hot Florida sun.
Current Main Street Configuration
As it stands, it's maxing out its current footprint. To alleviate this, Casey's Corner is relocated to the East Main Street Expansion (more details below), and the Emporium absorbs its space. The outdoor seating area is retained.
The Ice Cream parlor is expanded into the Plaza Restaurant's footprint to improve the space and add additional offerings like seating and an expanded menu. Outdoor seating area is retained.
You can see on the map I've "filled in" some greenery with additional fireworks viewing. On top of the new table service restaurant (Walt's - the replacement for the Tomorrowland Terrace) there is 2nd floor viewing for fireworks reserved for dessert parties and VIP. That way regular guests can get more viewing spots down below.
West Arcade
Similar in design to Disneyland Paris' arcades. This one is in a tighter area, so has less to do compared to the eastern MS expansion.
East Main Street Expansion
This is where Main Street will flourish. Casey's is relocated here to provide more space and additional indoor seating. This will allow it to share a kitchen with the adjacent table service - Walt's. Similar in style to Disneyland Paris, it'll be the park's fine-dining restaurant and also feature a "Marceline Lounge" on the 2nd floor that will serve drinks during the day, and then close off its outdoor patio for fireworks dessert parties and VIP at night.
This expansion will also include a new Mickey & Friends meet & greet location (replacing the Storybook Circus location - details below) along with another lounge dedicated to the history of the Disney parks - The E-Ticket Lounge. The Disney gallery is the relocated arts store from the Main Street Theater.
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ADVENTURELAND
This is the most ambitious portion of the plan. I'll start off with the two realistic options first.
Most of this land is perfectly fine as is. The pain points being the congestion caused by the Magic Carpets, and the "emptiness" of the Tortuga Tavern. I would remove the Magic Carpets and replace it with outdoor seating and improved guest flow. An outdoor "Enchanted Tiki Bar" can be added at the Agrabah Bazaar. Tortuga Tavern can be utilized as a small counter service snack stand prioritizing Spanish style tapas or Caribbean dishes inspired by Cuban/Puerto Rico/Jamaican/etc. dishes. The menu can rotate to feature "best of items" like a small Epcot booth.
The more ambitious side of this plan involves the questionable removal of the Jungle Cruise. I personally don't think the MK Jungle Cruise is as sacred as it is in DL. In it's place would be a mini-Aladdin inspired land with a relocated Magic Carpets and an inverted dark ride onboard a flying magic carpet. The land will connect to Main Street via an indoor arcade.
The other part of this mega expansion is a Moana E-ticket attraction and mini-land. This will utilize the Shanghai POTC ride system. A volcano acts as the weenie for ride and overall Adventureland.
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FRONTIERLAND
Not much change here as it's currently a work in progress. I've guessed based on the latest permits filed the approximate style/design of the land.
The two small changes I'd make - convert Pecos Bill to Tiana's Palace, a quick service. The other change is converting the Diamond Horseshoe to a lounge with musical and comedy acts.
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LIBERTY SQUARE
No major changes outside of relocating the Liberty Square Market seating to the Liberty Belle station.
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FANTASYLAND
Some major changes are in store for Fantasyland. For starters, it should receive the same level of treatment Disneyland's Fantasyland received in the 80s. The medieval fair appearance is outdated and not as welcoming. More trees and shade structures are welcome.
Peter Pan's Flight receives a new attraction with higher-capacity back at Storybook Circus (which is turned into an English-style park). The Snuggly Ducking replaces Peter Pan's Flight while a Tangled attraction replaces It's a Small World.
The removal of the Speedway will be split in half with expansions for both Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Alice in Wonderland gets a dark ride with an adjacent tea shop.
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TOMORROWLAND
A major renovation of the existing space, following Tokyo's Tomorrowland refresh design and style.
The speedway is removed in favor of a new E-ticket based on Stitch. Space Mountain gets a major refurbishment. The previous Stitch's Great Escape building is too small to host a major attraction, so I'd place a lounge here that acts as a major relaxation area for families. Cosmic Ray's is connected to here and receives a major refurbishment. Incredibles franchise takes over the MILF theater. Tomorrowland is connected to the east MS expansion to improve guest flow during fireworks.
Stitch's Popcorn Experiment is in the style of the Main Street Confectionary (it's existing locations is too busy and has become a bottleneck). Stitch "messing up your popcorn" is the perfect IP for this type of concept.
Wall-E Encounter is an interactive exhibit that displays the latest and greatest tech developed by Walt Disney Imagineering.
Random Improvements to the park:
Let me be very clear, a lot of this is blue sky that will never materialize.
I first started by understanding the current & existing pain points of the Magic Kingdom.
- Attraction Capacity - overall attraction capacity is fine, but there is a lot of underutilized attractions currently in the park. I'm a firm believer of refreshing existing attractions along with the replacement of existing experiences to better help the overall park experience.
- Congestion Relief - expanding walkways (like adding another lane to a highway) is not the solution. A combination of improved attraction capacity and alternative walkways is desperately needed.
- Food & Beverage offerings - outside of Skipper Canteen, the park suffers in this department
MAIN STREET USA
I consider Main Street the lifeblood of the park, but it could be better... and Disney knew this. Ever since Disneyland opened, they knew that the stories and potential for this area of the park could be expanded into areas like Liberty Street & International Street. Walt knew there were more stories to tell on Main Street.
Main Street worked in 1971, but the park has doubled in attendance and has become a nightmare to walk around during parades and fireworks. The bypass walkway has become a constant for operations to use, and it's not the best guest experience. To alleviate this, arcades (similar to Disneyland Paris) and secondary streets are created to not only improve guest flow, but also provide covered shade structures as a relief from the hot Florida sun.
Current Main Street Configuration
As it stands, it's maxing out its current footprint. To alleviate this, Casey's Corner is relocated to the East Main Street Expansion (more details below), and the Emporium absorbs its space. The outdoor seating area is retained.
The Ice Cream parlor is expanded into the Plaza Restaurant's footprint to improve the space and add additional offerings like seating and an expanded menu. Outdoor seating area is retained.
You can see on the map I've "filled in" some greenery with additional fireworks viewing. On top of the new table service restaurant (Walt's - the replacement for the Tomorrowland Terrace) there is 2nd floor viewing for fireworks reserved for dessert parties and VIP. That way regular guests can get more viewing spots down below.
West Arcade
Similar in design to Disneyland Paris' arcades. This one is in a tighter area, so has less to do compared to the eastern MS expansion.
East Main Street Expansion
This is where Main Street will flourish. Casey's is relocated here to provide more space and additional indoor seating. This will allow it to share a kitchen with the adjacent table service - Walt's. Similar in style to Disneyland Paris, it'll be the park's fine-dining restaurant and also feature a "Marceline Lounge" on the 2nd floor that will serve drinks during the day, and then close off its outdoor patio for fireworks dessert parties and VIP at night.
This expansion will also include a new Mickey & Friends meet & greet location (replacing the Storybook Circus location - details below) along with another lounge dedicated to the history of the Disney parks - The E-Ticket Lounge. The Disney gallery is the relocated arts store from the Main Street Theater.
-------------------------------------
ADVENTURELAND
This is the most ambitious portion of the plan. I'll start off with the two realistic options first.
Most of this land is perfectly fine as is. The pain points being the congestion caused by the Magic Carpets, and the "emptiness" of the Tortuga Tavern. I would remove the Magic Carpets and replace it with outdoor seating and improved guest flow. An outdoor "Enchanted Tiki Bar" can be added at the Agrabah Bazaar. Tortuga Tavern can be utilized as a small counter service snack stand prioritizing Spanish style tapas or Caribbean dishes inspired by Cuban/Puerto Rico/Jamaican/etc. dishes. The menu can rotate to feature "best of items" like a small Epcot booth.
The more ambitious side of this plan involves the questionable removal of the Jungle Cruise. I personally don't think the MK Jungle Cruise is as sacred as it is in DL. In it's place would be a mini-Aladdin inspired land with a relocated Magic Carpets and an inverted dark ride onboard a flying magic carpet. The land will connect to Main Street via an indoor arcade.
The other part of this mega expansion is a Moana E-ticket attraction and mini-land. This will utilize the Shanghai POTC ride system. A volcano acts as the weenie for ride and overall Adventureland.
-------------------------------------
FRONTIERLAND
Not much change here as it's currently a work in progress. I've guessed based on the latest permits filed the approximate style/design of the land.
The two small changes I'd make - convert Pecos Bill to Tiana's Palace, a quick service. The other change is converting the Diamond Horseshoe to a lounge with musical and comedy acts.
-------------------------------------
LIBERTY SQUARE
No major changes outside of relocating the Liberty Square Market seating to the Liberty Belle station.
-------------------------------------
FANTASYLAND
Some major changes are in store for Fantasyland. For starters, it should receive the same level of treatment Disneyland's Fantasyland received in the 80s. The medieval fair appearance is outdated and not as welcoming. More trees and shade structures are welcome.
Peter Pan's Flight receives a new attraction with higher-capacity back at Storybook Circus (which is turned into an English-style park). The Snuggly Ducking replaces Peter Pan's Flight while a Tangled attraction replaces It's a Small World.
The removal of the Speedway will be split in half with expansions for both Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. Alice in Wonderland gets a dark ride with an adjacent tea shop.
-------------------------------------
TOMORROWLAND
A major renovation of the existing space, following Tokyo's Tomorrowland refresh design and style.
The speedway is removed in favor of a new E-ticket based on Stitch. Space Mountain gets a major refurbishment. The previous Stitch's Great Escape building is too small to host a major attraction, so I'd place a lounge here that acts as a major relaxation area for families. Cosmic Ray's is connected to here and receives a major refurbishment. Incredibles franchise takes over the MILF theater. Tomorrowland is connected to the east MS expansion to improve guest flow during fireworks.
Stitch's Popcorn Experiment is in the style of the Main Street Confectionary (it's existing locations is too busy and has become a bottleneck). Stitch "messing up your popcorn" is the perfect IP for this type of concept.
Wall-E Encounter is an interactive exhibit that displays the latest and greatest tech developed by Walt Disney Imagineering.
Random Improvements to the park:
- An improved extended queue for the monorail platform & ferry. Why these two are not covered and have more permanent locations is beyond me.
- More permanent snack kiosk locations that replace "temporary" ODV carts. it feels like those carts have been in their exact same location for decades.
- WDW Railroad improvements - more scenic improvements and features