Mickey always plans a few moves ahead when it comes to Walt Disney World

Jim Hill

14 years ago

There have been lots of looky-loos lately over that
Fantasyland Forest construction fence. Which has resulted in an equally large
number of theories floating around online about what's currently going on with
this $300 million project.

Take – for example – all that soil that's been piled up
towards the very back of this construction site. There are those who will tell
you that this dirt was deliberately moved there so that the Imagineers could
then sculpt the Fantasyland Forest hills. Or – better yet – build a brand-new
berm for the Magic Kingdom.

Truth be told, the real reason that all this soil is being
temporarily heaped in one place is because the construction crew is now trying
to excavate what's left of the old "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" lagoon. All
of that concrete & rebar has to be removed before Disney can then get started
with pouring foundations as well as installing the footings necessary to
support Fantasyland Forest's new show buildings.

Mind you, all of the rain that Central Florida has been
experiencing lately hasn't made this excavation any easier to
accomplish. But there is one foundation that should be poured fairly soon. Which
will be out of the general public's sightlines, down at ground level for
Gaston's Tavern. And the reason that Cast Members are really looking forward to
this part of the project being completed is that they'll then once again have
easy access to the Men's & Women's locker rooms down in the Utilidors.

But that's the sort of stuff you always have to keep in mind
while discussing a construction project that's going on inside of a theme park.
Especially one that's as busy as the Magic Kingdom is. Which is why – in situations
like this – the Mouse tries to be like a Grandmaster playing Chess (i.e. always
thinking a few moves ahead). Making sure that they're doing things in just the
right order so that whatever moves that they're making will then have the
smallest possible impact on the overall Guest experience as well as not cause
too many Operational headaches for that Park.

And speaking of Operational headaches … There's been a lot
of chatter lately about what's going on with WDW's version of "it's a small
world." Why this Fantasyland Favorite was closed for refurbishment on August 1^st
and now won't re-open to the public 'til October 22nd.

Given that WDW's "it's a small world" underwent a pretty
extensive / lengthy overhaul in the not-so-distant past (This Magic Kingdom
classic was closed from May 2, 2004 through March 18, 2005), Disneyana fans are
wondering what's going on here. Whether those 29 Disney characters that were
added to Disneyland's version of "it's a small world" back in 2008 will soon be
popping up in Orlando. But this refurbishment isn't so much about new Show elements as it is about dealing with long term Operational issues that are associated with the WDW version of "it's a small world."

You see,
back during the 2004 / 2005 rehab of this Fantasyland favorite, the Imagineers
– with the hope that they'd then be able to improve Guest-flow through / ease
congestion in this historically crowded corner of the Magic Kingdom – had wanted to
swap the entrance and exit of this Fantasyland attraction. So that Guests would
then be able to park their strollers right near the entrance of this
super-popular attraction. More to the point, so that WDW visitors in
wheelchairs / riding on ECVs wouldn't have to enter through the exit any
longer. That they could gain access to WDW's "it's a small world" just by
entering the queue along with all of the regular Guests.

But there wasn't enough time / sufficient money in the budget to deal with this issue back in 2004 / 2005. Which is why this work is being done right now on WDW's "it's a
small world." All with the hope that
this entrance / exit switch will then clear up a decades-old congestion problem
at the Magic Kingdom.

And this isn't the only Guest-flow issue at that theme park
that the Imagineers have been looking into recently. Do you know that walkway
between Fantasyland and Liberty Square? The
one between the Columbia Harbor House quick service restaurant and the Yankee
Trader shop? Given that tens of
thousands of Guests pass through this relatively narrow passage each day as
they move from "The Haunted Mansion" to "Peter Pan's Flight" & "it's a small
world," things can get pretty grim, crowded and tight back there. Especially
during the Holiday season and/or right after a parade dumps.

And while Disney has experimented with two-way traffic in
this part of the theme park in the past (i.e. having Guests who are entering
from the Liberty Square side of the Park walk up the left side of the street
while people who are exiting Fantasyland are forced to walk down the right side
of the street), it's become apparent that a more permanent solution to this problem is now necessary. Especially given the huge influx of Guests that are expected to come
flooding into the Magic Kingdom once construction of Fantasyland Forest is
completed in 2012 or thereabouts.

So what is Disney going to do back in this part of the Park?
Again, you have to think like a Chess
Grandmaster here (i.e. a few moves ahead). Especially since the Imagineers have wanted to do something significant with that primo piece of real estate that the old
Fantasyland Skyway station occupies.

Which is why it might be wise – after "it's a small world" 's
entrance & exit get swapped around and the Liberty Square / Fantasyland
entrance congestion issue gets dealt with – to keep your eye on the Sky … way
Station.

What's that you say? I've made predictions on this website before
that haven't panned out. Like – for example
— Disney's Night Kingdom / Jungle Trek.

Well, that project was legit. Just ask all of the British
tourists who were surveyed about Disney's proposed answer to SeaWorld's
Discovery Cove. The only reason that WDI didn't move forward with development
of this niche park for Orlando is because the economy tanked back in the Fall
of 2008.

But let's remember that good ideas never die at Disney.
Which is why it was interesting to hear all about those information sessions
that were held on property last week. As the WDW Resort began looking for Cast
Members who might be interested in hosting that new tour that's now in the
works for Disney's Animal Kingdom. You see, many of the Guest experiences that were originally
proposed for Disney's Night Kingdom / Jungle Trek (i.e. rock climbing, ziplines,
etc.) have since been resurrected as elements for this new DAK tour.

And if this Animal Kingdom version of "Keys to the Kingdom"
proves to be extremely popular with WDW visitors … Well, who knows? Maybe once
the economy finally turns around, Disney might then take another look at possibly
building a niche park in Central Florida.

But – for now, anyway – the Company's taking the emphasis
off of plans for the WDW Resort that can then be implemented in the far-off
distant future and instead exploring new revenue
sources that can possibly be implemented at Disney World in the somewhat immediate future. Which
is why (again borrowing a page from SeaWorld Orlando & the Universal
Orlando Resort. Who have offered valet parking to their Guests for quite a
while now) the Mouse is now reportedly toying with the idea of setting up a professional
parking service (for an extra fee, of course) at its Central Florida theme
parks.

"Wait a minute," you say."Valet parking at WDW's theme
parks? I can see how that might work at Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal
Kingdom? But how could Disney ever offer valet parking to those Guests who were
visiting the Magic Kingdom?"

Again, in a situation like this, it's best if you embrace
that Chess Grandmaster analogy. And then wonder what changes The Walt Disney
Company would first have to make to the physical set-up of that theme park before
valet parking could then become a reality at the Magic Kingdom.

Anyone have any thoughts as to how that might happen?