New Main Street U.S.A bypass to be built to address entry and exit congestion at the Magic Kingdom

[devoy1701]

Given the time-frame and lack of regular access, I think anyone expecting even rear-facing facades (like Main Street's front-facing ones) may be imagining something much greater than what this project entails. Period billboards, fencing and maybe some character paint/plaster (brickwork) might be where to set expectations.

looking back at the period that these buildings are representing, no one should be expecting facades that "rival" the ones along Main Street (unless they truly are thinking of making a "Second Street" and to make it appear as though we are on the next street over from Main Street). The rear ends of these types of buildings were usually nothing fancy...just brick and/or siding, some windows on the second floor, and maybe a little overhang over the back entrance from the alleyway with some gardening and shrubs. Isn't this supposed to be a "one street town"? I'm thinking of how the backs of my Olszewski Main Street USA Miniatures look. It would be relatively easy for them to pull off a no thrills but thematically correct back alley bypass. I would even be ok if they didn't add rear entrances to the shops if they did it this way (though it would definitely be a missed opportunity on Disney's part).

They still probably won't do it though.

 

[gonnichi]

Anything is better than nothing and right now it's nothing. They say themed so it will better than the industrial backstage you see now. That's the point, make it better than a CM break area. It will only be used when needed so it won't be too elaborate but it will keep you in the magic better than what they have now. Instead of always looking for the negative, and that's especially bad on this board, sometimes folks here should see the positives for what they are and this is a positive no matter how you look at it.

That's why I said I hope it is at least a bit pretty. I was commenting that he said it was not going to be pretty at all. I'm not being negative at all here. I was being hopeful that it might be prettier then he said. please read peoples comments closer next time. I understand how you could have gotten it wrong with all of the negatives on here.

 

[TP2000]

How about adopting Disneyland's crowd control techniques?! The road is for standing, the East sidewalk is for people going into the Hub, the West sidewalk is for people leaving the park. IT WORKS PEOPLE!

I agree, the crowd control at Disneyland much better, and if MK actually adopted these techniques, they would save a boatload of money.

The difference in Main Street USA crowd control between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park is not just noticeable, but can be quite dramatically different. They really have a nightly plan at Disneyland with ropes and lighted signs and an army of CM ushers, where at Magic Kingdom it's much less structured and loosely managed. The result can be less than magical at Magic Kingdom Park.

What's interesting is that this same concept was rumored by Al Lutz to have been coming to Disneyland earlier this year. Disneyland is rumored to be getting a "backstage alley" themed to Main Street USA and a Victorian neighborhood of the era, sort of the suburbs of Main Street. The timetable was to have it complete prior to the 60th Anniversary and the new night parade that Disneyland is rumored to get in 2015.

And now Magic Kingdom Park is getting a clone of this same eastern bypass route also? They should have tried to implement some of the same crowd control strategies that Disneyland uses before they threw in the towel with this bypass route, in my opinion.

 

[devoy1701]

The difference in Main Street USA crowd control between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park is not just noticeable, but can be quite dramatically different. They really have a nightly plan at Disneyland with ropes and lighted signs and an army of CM ushers, where at Magic Kingdom it's much less structured and loosely managed. The result can be less than magical at Magic Kingdom Park.

What's interesting is that this same concept was rumored by Al Lutz to have been coming to Disneyland earlier this year. Disneyland is rumored to be getting a "backstage alley" themed to Main Street USA and a Victorian neighborhood of the era, sort of the suburbs of Main Street. The timetable was to have it complete prior to the 60th Anniversary and the new night parade that Disneyland is rumored to get in 2015.

And now Magic Kingdom Park is getting a clone of this same eastern bypass route also? They should have tried to implement some of the same crowd control strategies that Disneyland uses before they threw in the towel with this bypass route, in my opinion.

interesting that Al's rumor for Disneyland says that it will be themed...and along with a victorian neighborhood.

 

[wdwmagic]

The difference in Main Street USA crowd control between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park is not just noticeable, but can be quite dramatically different. They really have a nightly plan at Disneyland with ropes and lighted signs and an army of CM ushers, where at Magic Kingdom it's much less structured and loosely managed. The result can be less than magical at Magic Kingdom Park.

WDW MK is just the same. There is an army of cast who perform crown control with lights, ropes, tape. And they are out in big numbers. I really don't see how they can do anymore in terms of using cast. It is certainly not loosely managed.

 

[TP2000]

interesting that Al's rumor for Disneyland says that it will be themed...and along with a victorian neighborhood.

I just googled "Al Lutz Main Street Alley" and found the article. It was from last year; September, 2012. Al had lots of photos and descriptions of the location and access routes into and out of this new alley, but here's the core concept as Al stated it;

"As it stands now, the plan would get underway in approximately two years and be completed by mid-2015. A twenty foot wide alley, themed as quite literally an authentic looking back alley behind Victorian-era Main Street, would extend from the current patio near the Disney Showcase shop and the parade gates and end at what is currently the Baby Care Center and Make-A-Wish Lounge and First Aid building." -Al Lutz, September 2012, Micechat.com

The plans for Magic Kingdom Park sound like an exact duplicate of what they've been working on for Disneyland over the last year. It's planned to open by 2015 at Disneyland. I wonder what the timeline is for Magic Kingdom Park? Maybe WDI is saving some money by designing and building both alleys at the same time???

 

[TP2000]

WDW MK is just the same. There is an army of cast who perform crown control with lights, ropes, tape. And they are out in big numbers. I really don't see how they can do anymore in terms of using cast. It is certainly not loosely managed.

Yes, I've seen the crowd control ushers at Magic Kingdom. They are at least visible. It's just the outcomes are so very different between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom.

 

[dreamscometrue]

I'm surprised by the responses here. For years they have funneled people behind Main Street in an unthemed backstage area with some bushes to try and direct your attention from the parking lot that sits behind Main Street. Now it sounds like they will finally address that with a more show ready permanent route. Sounds like a much needed solution. I don't know what extent of theming is happening, but if Steve says it is to be a show ready route, I'm all for it.

I'm sorry, did you say you are surprised by some of the responses? What are you, new here lol? I could cover up the avatars, read the responses, and probably tell you who wrote them. There are no surprises with any of the posts when you look at who posted (including this one by me.).

 

[Gabe1]

This is the path my parents described when they took the back stage exit. It stated next to the Plaza restaurant which has always had a kind of a awkward look anyway. I'm wondering if this new path will connect up mid way at the ally in the middle of Main St. because aren't those buildings on the dead end ally just empty facades?

That is the path I've taken, dumping us out at Tony's. I've been hurded out on the left side from around the restrooms the other side of Casey's and they dumped us out in the courtyard area on the other side of the train station. That worked best because we could bypass the congestion and ropes for parade. Same for Wishes trying to exit during that.

I wonder if there is enough room to dump the guests out into the courtyard instead of Town Square? That would be real helpful.

 

[dreamscometrue]

42 years of operation.

give them another 40 years and the Seven Seas Lagoon will be completely filled in because it was deemed too time consuming and impractical to have to shuttle everyone to the parking lots via monorail/ferry.

Just build a bridge from TTC to MK. Wait, build bridges from GF DVC, BLT DVC and Poly DVC to MK. I think I'm on to something.

 

[Ignohippo]

I disagree. After a fun but tiring day, the last thing I'm going to care about is the theming or that it's "show ready." An alternate exit would be wonderful, thank you, so I'm not crammed in like a sardine. But being Disney, you can be sure it will be spruced up for guests anyway.

Have we gotten to the point where we truly have such limited expectations?

Yes, a nice path to alleviate congestion is going to be wonderful - no mater how themed it is. But, this is a major area of the park! Why couldn't it be beautifully themed and used as an actual big addition to the park? Because TDO is cheap? Are our expectations now that low because of it?

There's no reason (besides money) that this couldn't be, for example, New Orleans themed – complete with building facades, a M&G for Tiana, WDW's version of Club 33, etc.!! It could be AMAZING!!!!!!

Instead, we'll get sheetrock and posters, because that's what we've come to expect (and be satisfied with) from TDO.

 

[Ignohippo]

Yes, I've seen the crowd control ushers at Magic Kingdom. They are at least visible. It's just the outcomes are so very different between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom.

Isn't the length of DL's Main Street much shorter than the MK's though?

Couldn't that be why it seems to clear out faster?

 

[draybook]

The difference in Main Street USA crowd control between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park is not just noticeable, but can be quite dramatically different. They really have a nightly plan at Disneyland with ropes and lighted signs and an army of CM ushers, where at Magic Kingdom it's much less structured and loosely managed. The result can be less than magical at Magic Kingdom Park.

Holy crap, this can NOT be said enough for people to get the idea!! Wishes on September 26th was ridiculous and from the Tomorrowland entrance down to the Plaza over to the Adventureland bridge I counted about 7 CMs trying to handle what must have been about 3k people if not more.

Regardless of the theme or possible lack of, I look forward to easing the traffic flow, although leaving the MK without seeing the castle from MS will be a bit of a shock and take some time to get used to.

 

[Computer Magic]

Now if they could add a DVC and replace the parking lot, people could walk right into the park.

 

[CDavid]

As I said before, I understand why people are critical of this change. So long as it is approached as described though, a (necessary) back-stage access "relief valve" for overcrowded conditions, it's probably fine. It doesn't have to look like a DLP arcade to be better than we have now, though we don't want it to be too simplistic either. As long as this remains an alternate route when needed - and never used routinely to enter the park - it's a workable solution to a long standing problem.

 

[TP2000]

Isn't the length of DL's Main Street much shorter than the MK's though?

Couldn't that be why it seems to clear out faster?

Not likely. The distances and dimensions of Main Street USA and the Town Square are roughly identical between Disneyand and Magic Kingdom.

The width of each street and its sidewalks are also roughly identical, at about 50 feet wide including sidewalks. The buildings themselves are slightly taller at Magic Kingdom Park, and have broader overhangs to protect pedestrians from Florida rain, and with forced perspective the Magic Kingdom Main Street has bigger visuals even though the dimensions are nearly identical.

Main Street buildings/blocks (Emporium to Casey's Corner/Coke Corner)
Disneyland = 300 Feet Long
Magic Kingdom = 300 Feet Long

Town Square (from Train Station steps) to Castle Forecourt
Disneyland = 700 Feet Long
Magic Kingdom = 700 Feet Long

The difference is the width of the Central Plaza at the end of Main Street, as the gateway to the various lands of each park. At Disneyland the Central Plaza is smaller, and at Magic Kingdom it's wider. Although, a large chunk of that area at Magic Kingdom is used for the canals and landscaped areas that are off limits to pedestrians. But let's assume that the longer bridges and pathways over those areas hold some more people anyway.

Central Plaza Diameter from Frontierland entry to Tomorrowland entry
Disneyland = 200 Feet Diameter
Magic Kingdom = 225 Feet Diameter

But whatever extra space is gained at Magic Kingdom with the slightly wider Central Plaza and the broad pedestrian bridges out of the lands is overwhelmed by one thing at Disneyland: Fantasmic!. Fantasmic! at Disneyland performs nightly at 9:00PM and 10:30PM in Frontierland. Five minutes before the fireworks start at 9:30PM, Fantasmic! dumps 10,000 or more people out of Adventureland and Frontierland and into the Central Plaza and down Main Street USA. It's a massive dump of people into Main Street, and something Magic Kingdom doesn't have to deal with.

There's a small factor of having the Disneyland Monorail as a release valve for hotel guests, as the Tomorrowland station gets busy after fireworks as people take the Monorail back to Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel. But that can't explain it all.

There's something very different between the evening crowd control at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park. The real estate is nearly identical, and there's a giant water show dumping thousands of additional people into Disneyland's Central Plaza twice each night. That just leaves an operational difference of some sort to explain the discrepancy between the two parks run by the same company.

 

[Ignohippo]

Not likely. The distances and dimensions of Main Street USA and the Town Square are roughly identical between Disneyand and Magic Kingdom.

The width of each street and its sidewalks are also roughly identical, at about 50 feet wide including sidewalks. The buildings themselves are slightly taller at Magic Kingdom Park, and have broader overhangs to protect pedestrians from Florida rain, and with forced perspective the Magic Kingdom Main Street has bigger visuals even though the dimensions are nearly identical.

Main Street buildings/blocks (Emporium to Casey's Corner/Coke Corner)
Disneyland = 300 Feet Long
Magic Kingdom = 300 Feet Long

Town Square (from Train Station steps) to Castle Forecourt
Disneyland = 700 Feet Long
Magic Kingdom = 700 Feet Long

The difference is the width of the Central Plaza at the end of Main Street, as the gateway to the various lands of each park. At Disneyland the Central Plaza is smaller, and at Magic Kingdom it's wider. Although, a large chunk of that area at Magic Kingdom is used for the canals and landscaped areas that are off limits to pedestrians. But let's assume that the longer bridges and pathways over those areas hold some more people anyway.

Central Plaza Diameter from Frontierland entry to Tomorrowland entry
Disneyland = 200 Feet Diameter
Magic Kingdom = 225 Feet Diameter

But whatever extra space is gained at Magic Kingdom with the slightly wider Central Plaza and the broad pedestrian bridges out of the lands is overwhelmed by one thing at Disneyland: Fantasmic!. Fantasmic! at Disneyland performs nightly at 9:00PM and 10:30PM in Frontierland. Five minutes before the fireworks start at 9:30PM, Fantasmic! dumps 10,000 or more people out of Adventureland and Frontierland and into the Central Plaza and down Main Street USA. It's a massive dump of people into Main Street, and something Magic Kingdom doesn't have to deal with.

There's a small factor of having the Disneyland Monorail as a release valve for hotel guests, as the Tomorrowland station gets busy after fireworks as people take the Monorail back to Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotel. But that can't explain it all.

There's something very different between the evening crowd control at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom Park. The real estate is nearly identical, and there's a giant water show dumping thousands of additional people into Disneyland's Central Plaza twice each night. That just leaves an operational difference of some sort to explain the discrepancy between the two parks run by the same company.

Great to know! It's funny that with the two parks being so different in size thta their Main Streets would be identical!

Didn't need the enormous explanation, but good to know!!!

 

[Ignohippo]

As I said before, I understand why people are critical of this change. So long as it is approached as described though, a (necessary) back-stage access "relief valve" for overcrowded conditions, it's probably fine. It doesn't have to look like a DLP arcade to be better than we have now, though we don't want it to be too simplistic either. As long as this remains an alternate route when needed - and never used routinely to enter the park - it's a workable solution to a long standing problem.

I honestly don't get the negative reaction. even if it's just sheetrock and posters, it's a huge improvement on what we currently have.

 

[TP2000]

Great to know! It's funny that with the two parks being so different in size thta their Main Streets would be identical!

Didn't need the enormous explanation, but good to know!!!

It's interesting isn't it? The dimensional stats are roughly the same for the two parks, if not identical for Main Street USA itself, and then Fantasmic! in Frontierland body slams Disneyland's Central Plaza with 10,000 extra people that Magic Kingdom doesn't have to deal with.

And yet the difference in crowd control around fireworks time is very noticeable.

 

[The Visionary Soul]

Disneyland doesn't have a damn parade that happens before and after the fireworks on busy nights. That's the biggest difference on why the same plans for DL don't work for WDW currently. But don't worry, come next year, WDW won't either.

If you like Move it, Shake it, Celebrate it, or the Main Street Electrical Parade, or the Share a Dream Come True Parade, this is the year to see them.