There is so much coming to Disney World that is a bit hard to keep track of it all!
Magic Kingdom Train Station
Magic Kingdom will seeing the addition of a Disney Villains land beyond Big Thunder Mountain and two brand-new Cars attractions coming to Frontierland. Animal Kingdom will be welcoming a brand-new show called Zootopia: Better Zoogether and DinoLand U.S.A. will be re-themed to Pueblo Esperanza and feature three brand new rides. See what I’m saying? There’s a lot coming, and we haven’t even talked about Test Track 3.0 coming to EPCOT or the new Monsters, Inc. land at Hollywood Studios! All of that being said, there are a couple of attractions that we wanted to get further clarity on, and they’re attractions that have seemingly been completely abandoned by Disney. So what’s the deal?
As we were saying, in the midst of all the excitement and hype over all of the new things coming to Disney World, we thought it was a good opportunity to revisit some of the attractions they straight up abandoned over the past few years (and have said nothing about)!
Galactic Starcruiser
First up, do you remember the Galatic Starcruiser? It was that interactive two-night Star Wars experience aboard the Halcyon. This “Star Wars hotel” opened back in May of 2022 and then closed up just over a year later in September of 2023.
Why waste a perfectly good room?
At the moment, we haven’t heard of any plans to re-open the hotel. Considering the massive initial investment, we really hope they decide to use it in some capacity.
Galactic Starcruiser
For example, what about having “day trips” from Batuu (Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios) to the Halcyon? Or maybe the hotel could host special Star Wars-themed events (I’m looking at you Star Wars Celebration).
Crowds in the Galactic Starcruiser’s Atrium
Either way, this space is just itching to be used, and we’re totally here for it!
PLAY! Pavilion
Next up, have you ever taken a stroll at EPCOT and noticed a golden dome out of the corner of your eye? Well, you’re not seeing a mirage. It actually used to be home to The Wonders of Life Pavilion, which closed permanently after operating seasonally on January 1st, 2007. Disney still made use of it seasonally as the headquarters of the EPCOT festivals from 2007 to 2018.
©Wikipedia
Back in 2019 at D23, we heard Disney say that The Wonders of Life Pavilion, would be re-vamped into the PLAY! Pavilion as part of the whole EPCOT Transformation that would be coming over the next few years at that point. It was even added to the EPCOT map and coming soon posters were placed around EPCOT for some time.
©Disney || Play Pavilion Concept Art
Well, the transformation has basically finished and we’re still seeing the same Golden Dome just sitting abandoned to this day.
The Wonders of Life Pavilion
Who knows what Disney has in store for this now and if the concept of the PLAY! Pavilion as an interactive and hands-on entertainment space would even work in this post-covid environment. Either way, we’re still fans of this being revitalized in some form.
Mary Poppins Attraction
Sticking with EPCOT for this last one, do y’all remember hearing about the Mary Poppins that was to come to the United Kingdom Pavilion?
Mary Poppins attraction concept art
So back when we had the EPCOT Experience in EPCOT’s Odyssey building, the Mary Poppins attraction was included in a brief section of the film that accompanied the UK Pavilion.
Mary Poppins Attraction ©Disney
We then heard in March 2022 from Disney that the project had become “postponed” along with a few others like the re-theming of Spaceship Earth. Since then however, we haven’t heard anything more on it. We can’t make heads or tails of this one as it would have been incredible to have a Mary Poppins attraction in EPCOT. Here’s hoping this project will come back soon!
Mary Poppins in EPCOT
We really do hope that Disney will knock our socks off and bring these abandoned projects back to life, and in the meantime, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for the latest on them. As always, keep it right here at Disney Food Blog for more Disney news, tips, and tricks.
In Less Than 70 Days, a Major CHANGE Will Hit Disney World
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Let’s add the abandoned Stitch’s Great Escape to this list and figure out what will replace that unused space.
Why does Disney do what it does… who knows…does not seem like a valid use of corporate assets already in place…
Walt would not have allowed this to happen! Poor planning!