Disney Parks are firing on all cylinders between major projects like Cars Land and Villains Land in Magic Kingdom, Monsters Inc Land in Hollywood Studios, or Encanto and Indiana Jones coming to Animal Kingdom. But let’s not forget some of the smaller scale projects also in the works. Sometimes, the best changes at the Disney parks are the smaller scale projects because they’re easier to make special and unique.
Disney World is in a constant state of upgrading and renovation, and we just got some official construction timelines for some of the smaller scale projects coming to the property. Let’s look at some of these projects that are now another step closer to reality:
Spaceship Earth Lounge will open in the first half of 2025
Spaceship Earth is my favorite nostalgic ride on property, so I feel like this is a space I will be visiting frequently in the future. I believe this was originally slated to be part of the Epcot overhaul (I might be mistaken by this but it makes sense), but we all know how that worked out. I am happy they are still going through with this portion of it though because World Celebration currently does not have a lounge, and to find a relaxing place to take a rest and get a drink you typically have to go to one of the countries in World Showcase. Hollywood Studios has Brown Derby Lounge, Magic Kingdom is getting a pirate themed lounge, and Animal Kingdom has Nomad Lounge, so it’s only fair Epcot receives their own park-themed lounge.
According to Disney, we can expect this lounge to open sometime in spring 2025 before the summer months and is being described as a, “zen space for families to gather and enjoy refreshments”. Yes Disney, more of this please.
Magic Kingdom will open their pirates themed lounge in late 2025
This one is big for a number of reasons: not only is it the first Pirates of the Caribbean themed food location in Magic Kingdom, it will be the first bar and lounge ever opened in the park. Magic Kingdom was infamously known for decades as a dry park as mandated by Walt Disney himself, but with the installation of Be Our Guest those restrictions slowly began pulling back by allowing guests to order alcohol at table service restaurants. When the lounge opens, you still won’t be able to walk around the park with your drink, but it will be nice to have a bar-escape option for adults in the most child-friendly (see: sometimes headache-inducing) park on property.
Construction is currently underway in Adventureland where they used to have the pirate makeover experience, next to the Pirates of the Caribbean exit gift shop Plaza Del Sol Caribe Bazaar. The lounge, and its mascot Peg-leg Pete the pirate bird, will officially be open in late 2025.
Test Track refurbishment
Along with the aforementioned lounges, Disney is also hard at work at revamping the first thrill ride ever installed in Epcot: Test Track. The ride opened in the late 90’s and has since gone through a couple iterations, but this newest refurbishment will bring back echoes of the past by including elements from World of Motion, the dark ride that was in that space before Test Track was constructed. Along with the refurbishment, the pavilion sponsorship will revert away from Chevrolet and be picked up by their original sponsor General Motors once again.
The track will remain structurally the same, but the ride scenes are being upgraded to reflect this new iteration. According to WDWNT, the ride will, “focus on onboard technology, customization, and personalization, showcasing technological advances, and how our lifestyles and relationships to mobility connect everyone.” The high speed portion around the perimeter of the track will remain the same from what we can tell.
The new version of Test Track was originally planned to open 2025, but Disney has updated that timeline and aims to open to the attraction in “late summer 2025” instead, pushing up the opening date up by a few months. This ride can’t open back up quick enough because on my last trip to Epcot, you really do feel the hole left by this pavilion not being open.
So, which of these Disney park upgrades are you looking most forward to? Sound off on our social media!