What's New at Walt Disney World?

In regards to his parks, Walt Disney had said that he wanted them to be an ever-growing, always evolving "work in progress." He wanted a project that would always be current and never be finished in any kind of truly final sense. Although he never got to see the completion of Disney World, his brother, the Imagineers, and the others in charge of the park have kept that vision alive since its opening forty years ago. It is rare that any stretch of months go by without the announcement of something new that is coming, be it the re-imagining of a current attraction, a new addition to the already spectacular list of parades and shows, or even an entire new expansion to add additional depth and options to the World. There are always numerous things to announce and promote, but these are just some of the biggest things coming to Walt Disney World in the next couple of years.

The Fantasyland Expansion- The Magic Kingdom is THE park people think of when they picture Disney World, and right now major construction in underway to make it appear even more like a page out of a fairy tale. The expansion of the Fantasyland area is going to add new attractions, restaurants, character greeting spots, and experiences to the Magic Kingdom, and even some old favorites are getting a boost. (The Dumbo ride will expand to twice its current size and provide more entertainment for riders who are waiting in line.) Ariel (the Little Mermaid) will get her own Magic Kingdom attraction and guests will be able to tour the castle of Belle and her Beast. The downside to all this expansion? Mickey's Toontown Fair had to vacate to make room for everything. However, a re-imagined version of the Barmstormer will be included in the new Fantasyland. Some attractions are scheduled to open by 2012, and the whole thing is planned to be completed by 2013.

The Art of Animation Resort- Disney does not cut corners on any detail of their "World" and the resorts are no exception. With Disney World's popularity steadily growing, they need to find places to put all those guests who come to visit every year and the newest option with be a fourth value resort called the Art of Animation. In the style of the current value resorts on the property (All Star's Music, Sports, Movies, and the Pop Century) the Art of Animation will have several buildings themed to different Disney movies: Finding Nemo, Cars, the Lion King, and the Little Mermaid. This resort will be located across from the Pop Century, on the site formerly reserved for the Pop Century Legendary Years buildings. What will set the Art of Animation apart from the other value resorts is that most of their rooms will be family suites, allowing larger groups to come enjoy the magic without spending a large chunk of their vacation budget on lodging. The resort is expected to be completed by the summer of 2012, although so far no dates have been announced for when Disney will start accepting reservations.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue- Star Tours has been a favorite attraction at the Hollywood Studios since its opening, so its closure last year was a hardship for some. However, upon its re-opening, guests will be treated to an entirely new experience, including new pilots, some familiar faces, and scenes from the three prequels. The technology for the ride will remain the same, so some similar tricks can likely be expected. So far, Disney has referred to the new adventures in only the vaguest of terms, although they have released pictures of some of the new droids that will be along for the ride. Just recently, Disney announced a firm re-opening date of May 20, which will make it coincide with the first of the Star Wars weekends for 2011. Note- The Star Tours attraction in Disneyland is also being re-imagined with the same new storyline, but a firm re-opening date has not been set yet for that park.

The Magic, the Memories, and You! Projection show - Ok, so this show opened in January, but it's a fun change and way too cool not to mention. As a new prelude to the Wishes fireworks presentation, this show is ten minutes of guests' pictures projected right onto Cinderella's castle. All throughout the day, Disney Photo-Pass photographers take professional pictures of guests as they pose in front of the castle. At the end of the day, just prior to Wishes, up to 500 of those pictures may be used in this unique presentation. The pictures are inter spaced with animated clips and stories, accompanied by classic Disney music, and at times, pieces of the castle itself seem to come alive and dance. There are several Disney fans sites that have video of this show, although video just doesn't seem to really do it justice! Even if just for a second, the average family can now become the star of the show in yet more ways at Disney World.

Of course, as mentioned earlier, at any given time there are a plethora of new shows and attractions in the works. Plus, I've chosen to focus purely on Disney World for this article. Disneyland and other Disney parks around the world have new openings just as often and frequently boast new additions that are unique to that park. Then you have the Disney cruise line, Adventures by Disney, the Disney Vacation Club resorts and benefits...The list goes on and on! No matter what your interest, Disney no doubt offers something that can supply it. Before taking a trip, always be sure to check out the lastest of what's new and what may be closed at the moment. Aside from the official Disney website, there are many fan sites that are actually more informative and up to date at times than Disney's.