Updating the Magic Kingdom:

NiceBlue

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 18, 2020
Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida is a remarkably successful theme park. Part of the reason for this is that its design was patterned after Disneyland in California, which is the second most successful theme park. According to a report published by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) in 2018, The Magic Kingdom had the top attendance, followed by Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland in third place. All, of these parks have the same basic “Disneyland” design. In addition to the Magic Kingdom there are three other parks in Walt Disney World in Orlando. The attendance at each of these parks is significantly less than that of the Magic Kingdom, even though each one is newer. These are Animal Kingdom at 66% of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot at 60% and Hollywood Studios at 54%. Another part of the reason for the Magic Kingdom’s success was the public relations efforts going back before the opening of Disneyland in 1955, with the Disney TV show and the interconnection of the various Disney products – the movies, additional TV shows, toys and literature. So, why mess with something that works so well? Well the Magic Kingdom is now a victim of its own success and the congestion that goes with that success in regard to the length of line before one can enter a ride and in regard to just the congestion due to the number of people in the park. Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom were designed when attendance was much lower and before the technological advancements which I believe could substantially improve this situation. To me the most disagreeable thing is the waiting in line. These lines are currently needed to keep one’s place in a first come first serve system. Since rides have a limited capacity the Fast Pass system cannot reduce the amount of time the average person waits in line, unless there are periods when no one is trying to enter the ride, which does not seem likely for the most popular and most congressed rides. Or, unless Fast Passes somehow discourages people from entering a ride. Fast Pass could even out the length of lines over the day. However, a different system, while it would not shorten the amount of time a person needs to wait to enter a ride could drastically reduce the amount of time a person needs to wait on a line. This type of system would sue electronic lines instead of physical lines.

Upon entering the park, a person could insert her ticket into a machine that would then display the time she could enter a particular ride or attraction and would also electronically encode that time on the ticket. This machine would be interconnected with others throughout the park and in this way would “know” how many people are in the electronic line for that ride. As people get on the electronic line the time that the next person would be allowed to enter the ride would be changed. For example, if the average capacity of the ride is 20 persons per minute then every time 20 people “enter” the line one minute would be added to the time for the next person to enter the ride. In this way instead of physically standing in line the person could wander around, sit in comfort, have something to eat or go to the bathroom, that is anything that is more enjoyable than standing in line. People would only be able to use the ticket to wait on one electronic line at a time. Once the person has finished with the ride, she could then enter a line for another ride. The machine could also display the wait time for various rides so the person could then use that information to choose which ride to go on. Smart phones could also be used as a ticket in which case the person would not have to use a machine. Now, nothing is perfect, and I would not expect these machines to be perfect in anticipating when a space would be available for a person to enter the chosen ride. Because of this there most likely would be a short wait once the person arrived at the ride at the designated time, but it would be much shorter than currently. If there is a problem with a ride the system could be adjusted to take any such delays into consideration and if the person had a smart phone they could be notified. Not all rides would have to have this system. Rides what are not that popular could be on the current “stand-by” system. Also, there would be no “stand-by” or “Fast Pass” for rides on the electronic system. There is a problem with this system, which I plan to address that in my next post.

Tom,
 
One negative side effect of the electronic “lines” would be an increase in general congestion in the park, as many more patrons would be strolling around the park or sitting around the park instead of waiting in line and it seems that people would be more compacted when in line than elsewhere. So, while most of the space devoted to lines and to stroller parking would be opened the net effect would be more general crowding. Further, general crowding is currently a problem so providing more space would be advantageous. There are three outdoor areas within the railroad track perimeter which are currently not open to the public. One such area is to the west of Main Street and appears to be now devoted to deliveries, some parking and the Caribbean Way road. Another is to the east of Main Street and contains parking, while the third is north of Fantasyland and is mostly woods.

The area to the west of Main Street can be farther enlarged by relocating most of the Jungle Cruise ride to the southwest, outside of the track perimeter. People would board the ride just within the tracks and the boats would then pass under “bamboo” trestles. I estimate that this would then provide seven acres of additional space. Deliveries which would have come by Caribbean Way could come by the utilidors. Anything too big for the utilidors could be brought in at night and the parade could still use Caribbean Way to return to its sheds except that this roadway would be open to the public as part of Adventureland. This last change would have an additional advantage of providing more viewing space for the parade and thereby reducing congestion along its route. A possible use for this enlarged Adventureland would be to divide it into six sub-areas each presenting a region of the world. These regions could be Latin America connected with the Pirates of the Caribbean area, the Middle East connected with the area around the Magic Carpet ride, Oceania connected with the area near the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, Africa, Southeast Asia (including India) and East Asia. They would not include Europe which is covered by Fantasyland or North American which is covered by Frontierland. Each of these sub-areas would be themed as to the region of the world they represent. They would be right next to each other so one could walk directly from one to another. In addition, people could enter this new area directly from Town Square and then enter the current Adventureland without having to first go up Main Street. This would reduce congestion on Main Street, which now is a bottleneck and would give people who visit the park more than once a somewhat different experience.

To the east of Main Street is a smaller area which is now mostly a parking lot. This could be designed as both an enlargement of MainStreet and of Tomorrowland as it could be themed to highlight inventions and discoveries of the 19th and early 20th centuries. That it would be about the 19th and early 20th centuries would connect it to Main Street and that it is about inventions and discoveries would connect it with Tomorrowland. Also, people could enter this new area directly from Town Square and then from the new area into Tomorrowland near the Carousal of Progress. It could also be in a “Steampunk” style and as well as covering real inventions and discoveries could also cover fictional view of the future such as in the books by Jules Verne. I estimate this area to be 2 acres.

Tom,
 
The third area – the one north of Fantasyland – is a rough rectangle approximately 1200 by 300 feet or roughly 8 acres. Currently this is mostly woods with a pond in the middle and some roadways. The pond could be relocated and Magic Kingdom Drive, including the loading area for the utilidors, which appears to be at the utilidor level, could be covered by an upper level and this upper level would then be part of the public area. Thus, the roadways would be placed in a tunnel.

This new northern area could be divided in half with each half being 4 acres. The western half of this area could be themed in a New Orleans style like New Orleans square in Disneyland with a Tiana’s Palace restaurant as the main attraction. This would be an extension of Frontierland and Tiana’s Palace could be placed along the eastern bank of the Rivers of America. A second theme for this area could be music and particularly Jazz music which would fit in with New Orleans and the 1920s indicated by Tiana’s Palace. Walking access to this area could be from the current Fantasyland, perhaps between Enchanted Tales with Belle and Pinocchio Village Haus. Additional access could be by the riverboat which could dock near Tiana’s Palace. In this way the riverboat would make two stops, one at the current spot and the second by New Orleans Square. I do know that Disney is re-theming Splash Mountain into a Princess and the Frog ride and I like that, but the idea of making the area to the east of Rivers of American and north of the Haunted Manson into New Orleans Square with a second stop for the riverboat fits together so well and in addition would reduce congestion by adding space that I still consider it a good idea. Then if there is a New Orleans Square it still makes sense to have Tiana’s Palace as a centerpiece even with a Princess and the Frog Splash Mountain. This would also allow for utilization of the north half of Tom Sawyer’s Island by having a ferry at the north end of the island (like the one at the south end) to the new, New Orleans Square. In this way people could continue along the entire island and reach a new area instead of having to backtrack once they reach Fort Langhorn.

The eastern half of the north area could be an extension of Fantasyland and have a Pixie Hollow theme, but there would not only be the fairies from Pixie Hollow. Other fairies or fairy like creatures could also find a place there. These could include the Fairies from Fantasia, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, the Three Good Fairies from Sleeping Beauty, the fairies from the Black Cauldon and the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, as well s fairy like beings such as the Genie from Aladdin, Grandmother Willow from Pocahontas, the Willo-the-wisp from Brave, Mushu from Mulan, Princess Eilonwy’s bauble and characters from Moana such as Grandmother Tala as a stingray, Te Fiti and the Kakamora, but in a more realistic and nicer way. Also, there could be fairy like beings from non-European cultures that are not in Disney movies. Access to this area would be from Fantasyland through an entrance between Enchanted Tales with Belle and Pinocchio Village Haus and one near Gaston;s Tavern, as well.as from the new, New Orleans Square.

Additional access to both new northern areas – New Orleans Square and the Pixie Hollow themed area – could be had with a new station for the Disney Railroad at the border of the two areas. So, people could walk into these areas from Fantasyland, take the Riverboat or walk along Tom Sawyer’s Island and take the ferry to New Orleans Square or take the Railroad.

Tom,
 
This post addresses the inclusion of ethnic groups primarily in Frontierland, but also in Adventureland. Adding New Orleans Square with Tiana’s Palace, as noted above, would be a start. There are three more ethnic groups that I would like to see better represented in Frontierland. First are Native-Americans who were the first pioneers and explorers to North America. Next would be Mexicans as Mexico owned much of the American west and Mexicans had settled there prior to it becoming part of the United States. Third would be Asians, as during the second half of the 19th century many Chinese came to the United States and helped build the country notably regarding working to build the railroads.

As to Native-Americans my suggestion would be to have something more substantial than simply the setting up of some teepees. A possibility would be some type of attraction that would tell of the entry of Native-Americans into the Americas, their spreading to all parts of the continents and the great variety of Native-American cultures. Originally I thought of a re-themed Splash Mountain to showcase the more than 10,000 mile journey of Native-Americans from the Bering Strait to the tip of South America and at the same time show the variety of their cultures, but since Disney is now in the process of making-over Splash Mountain with a Princess and the Frog theme I considered a whole new ride. One possibility would be to locate this new ride between The Rivers of America and the Haunted Mansion and to have it be a slow ride similar to the Little Mermaid ride. In that way everyone would have a front row seat. It could be made colorful and awe-inspiring by starting with an image of the night sky, somewhat like a planetarium with the North Star then adding the northern lights. This could be followed by panorama images of the terrain with early Native-Americans dressed in their various authentic clothing. The scenes of the terrain could include both temperate and tropical forests, plains with wildflowers, northern mountains with glaciers and the Andes with Machu Picchu etc. In the background could be images and perhaps models of the homes. Some cases could be made as if the passengers were flying over the terrain. All would be respectful with the story being narrated by Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow. Grandmother Willow could start the narration and the music could start out slow and low and somewhat mysterious, but not scary. Entrance to the ride could be from either the new, New Orleans Square or from near the Haunted Mansion. This ride could be hidden from the riverboat ride by keeping some trees or by covering the ride with fake rocks to simulate a cliff and if needed could be extended into the area north of the Haunted Mansion or could be made with multiple levels and with the vehicles winding upward or downward. I feel that a substantial attraction regarding Native-Americans would be an important and long neglected addition to Frontierland.

A subsection of Frontierland could be named Old San Francisco and themed in a Mexican style (Mexicans founded San Francisco) and in a Chinatown style. It could include a rethemed Pecos Bill Café (who was clearly meant to be a white non-Mexican Texan) and re-decorated buildings near it.

I view Frontierland as representing the North American frontier north of the Rio Grande. As such it would include Canada and so I propose renaming the Thunder Mountain Railroad as the Klondike Mountain Railroad recalling the White Pass and Yukon RR which starting in 1900 operated between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon (operating in both the US and Canada). This is a narrow gauge, mountainous railroad, which rises almost 3,0000 feet from sea level to White Pass and thus would fit the existing ride. The aesthetics of the ride could be redone to suggest a snowy climate.

Going even further to include more ethnicities The Hall of Presidents (who were all men and mostly white) could be re-done as The Hall of Immigrants. The show would start with Native-Americans, who were the first immigrants then include English, Germans, Africans who were brought as slaves, Irish, Italians, Eastern Europeans, Asians, peoples from the Middle East, etc. Thus, this would represent all Americans as every American is either an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant. There also would be women, men and children all telling their stories and they would be dressed in the style that was common when most of their group immigrated. I imagine these talks to be positive in terms of how things improved, but not to neglect the problems including discrimination, slavery and the forceful removal of Native-Americans.

Lastly, I would re-name Liberty Square to perhaps Colonial Square. Liberty Square could suggest that the fight was for the liberation and for the freedom of all Americans and that clearly was not the case.

An enlarged Adventureland would provide more opportunities regarding the showing of Latin American, Middle Eastern, Oceanic, African, South Asian, Indian and East Asian cultures. I imagine these regions of an enlarged Adventureland to be something like the country areas in the World Showcase at Epcot in that they would display in a positive manner various aspect of the region’s culture and history. What I would do is hire consultants from nations in those regions to plan how best to illustrate these aspects. One attraction to the World Showcase is the food of the various nations and this could also be done in the new Adventureland. Further, accurate historical clothing of the various regions could also be sold. These would not be the stereotypical ideas of what these cultures were like.

Tom,
 


The additions described above would add 17 acres for public use in the park, which would represent a 17% increase. (I estimate the public area of the park to be currently approximately 100 acres.) Further, the ability to enter Adventureland or Tomorrowland directly from Town Square would reduce congestion on Main Street. While these improvements will make a significant change it still may not be enough. Attendance at the Magic Kingdom has been increasing almost every year since at least 2000. The percent increase in attendance since 2000 has been more than double the percent increase in US population. Additional reduction in congestion could be achieved by constructing pathways above many of the buildings. One such pathway could go from the proposed extension of Tomorrowland (see above) over the building housing Monsters Inc., to the building housing the Merchant of Venus store, then from Cosmic Ray’s Café over Fantasyland’s the Many adventures of Winnie the Pooh, then to the building housing Mickey’s PhilarMagic, then possibly even over the building housing It’s a Small World. These roofs would have to be reinforced – the pathways could be built as structures separate from the existing buildings and bridges could carry the elevated pathways between buildings. Ramps and elevators leading from the lower level could bring people to the upper level pathways. Some of the ramps could be in the areas which are no longer needed for lines. An additional area could be built above the loading and storage area for the Speedway, with a bridge to the pathway above Cosmic Ray’s Café and with a ramp located in what currently is used for the Speedway’s line. A second upper level pathway could extend over the Sunshine Tree Terrace in Adventureland to Tortuga Tavern. These upper levels would not only contain pathways, but also sitting areas. They could be shielded from view from below on one or both sides or could be open on both sides and would be themed in a style consistent with the area they are going through. Not only would they reduce crowding but would also provide people with various experiences. The new areas could also be designed with these upper level pathways.

Tom,
 
On paper the current system of transporting people from the main parking lot to the Magic Kingdom entrance, using the monorail and ferries, looks good and when attendance was low it most likely worked fine, but with increases in attendance and the resulting long lines to enter the monorail, either when entering the park or exiting it, it has become a bottleneck. In hindsight it would have been preferable to have built the parking lot where the lake is now and built the lake south of the parking.

This post deals with a proposal to divide the current parking area into four. Three of these lots would be four level parking garages. I estimate current parking to take up 66,000,000 square feet (3000 feet by 2200 feet). Dividing that by four then each new parking area would need 16,500,000 square feet and each of the four levels of each garage would need 4,125,000 square feet. One of these garages could be configured as a rectangle 908 feet by 454 feet and located over the lake in front of the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. The east end of this garage would be next to the ferry docks so that the ferries could still be used. World Drive could be upgraded to a one-way, northbound expressway leading to the southside of the garage and to spiral ramps that would allow access to each of the four levels. On the west side of the garage more ramps would lead to Floridian Way which would be upgraded to a one-way southbound expressway. Ramps and elevators would allow people to descend to the entrance level. This parking garage could be decorated (disguised) as a mountain.

A second such parking garage could be located at the northern most side of the park. Extensions of both the World Drive and Floridian Way expressways could serve this garage and a new entrance to the park could be located at this northern point. This new entrance would lead into the new, New Orleans Square or the new, Pixie Hollow areas.

The third parking garage could be located next to the Transportation Center and near the southern ferry dock. This would be the same size as the other two garages. People using this garage would then use the monorail or ferry to reach the park’s southern entrance. Some people might prefer using this garage to take the monorail or ferry particularly as the lines would be shorter or there may not be lines. However, if not enough people feel this way a discount for parking there may encourage more to use it.

On most days, these three garages would be enough to handle all park goers. For those days when more parking space is required a quarter of the existing parking area (nearest the monorail station) could be used as overflow parking. This would be at ground level and would be the only parking area that parking lot trams would be needed.

Tom,
 
There's a lot here but I think the American Adventure needs an update to include more of the immigrant's story. The don't touch it that much. They should have a part of the immigrants story in every scene. Immigration did not stop in 1900. they should also emphasis more the Hispanic story as they had established major settlements in the Americas even before the Pilgrims arrived.
 


No, please no. Leave the theming of MK alone. And virtual queues are annoying. Just no.
 
DIS engineer, thank you for your comment. I have never seen the American Adventure, but your idea seems like a good one. Considering that Native-Americans were the first immigrants and that not all immigrants came here voluntarily, everyone living here now is either an immigrant or is a descendant of an immigrant and every group of immigrants are part of the "American Adventure." You are right that Hispanic immigration proceeded the Pilgrims and that many US cities were founded by people from Mexico. Also, that immigration continues today.

JM23457, nothing is perfect, but i feel the electronic lines are much better than what now exists and not that expensive to implement. Also, I have not suggested changing the theming of the Magic Kingdom.

Tom,
 
Earlier in this thread I wrote that adding a four level parking garage over a portion of the lake immediately in front of the Magic Kingdom and adding a second such garage at a new “back” entrance at the north side of the park would enable some people to enter or leave the park without having to use the monorail, which is now extremely crowded and has long lines. There could still be some parking at the transportation center. One problem with people leaving through a back exit may be due to the fireworks. A solution would be to get rid of the fireworks and just have a light show. Another solution would be to have the fireworks launched from an island in the middle of the Seven Seas Lagoon. People could view them from seats on the roof of the parking garage in front of the south entrance to the park. This would mean it would be easier when people leave to go to their cars or to the monorail and the people who need to go to the back parking garage could use the WDW railroad.

Tom,
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top