***I do not guarantee the accuracy of the content on the page!***

My comments: Normal font ; Submitted comments: Italic text ; Dates in RED are New!

Drop off a Rumor

8/6/2000 - Ok here is a new list of possible openings that was submitted to us and it was mentioned it was taken from another site: this site was http://www.disneycorner.com

Phase Codes: O = Open/In Theaters C = Construction  I = Imagineering/Planning R = Rumor



Theme Parks:

Attraction - Location - Date

New Star Tours Movie D-MGM I 2002-2003
Mission: Space EP, Replace Horizons 2003
Clarabelle Cow's Barnyard Bash MK, ToonTown 200x
Goofy's Bounce House MK, ToonTown 200x
4th Water Park?  200x
Discovery Island Rehab (Like the computer game Myst) Discovery Island ????
Rehab of Fantasyland MK, Fantasyland  ????
Excavator (Roller Coaster) AK, Dinoland USA  2002
Beastly Kingdom AK  2003-2005?
Rehab of the Mexico Boat Ride EP, World Showcase, Mexico  ????
Mountain Themed Roller Coaster EP, World Showcase  ????
Rehab of World Showcase EP, World Showcase  ????
12th Country: Russia, Denmark, Iceland, Brazil, Switzerland EP, World Showcase  ????
5th Water Park No Location Known  ????
Rehab of The Land EP, The Land  ????


Resorts

Resort Name Where is it? Phase When does it open?

Pop Century Resort Near Caribbean Beach  early 2002
Beach Club Villas Near the Beach Club  Late 2002
Hawaiian Beach Resort Near Wide World of Sports ????
Kingdom Suites Near Contemporary  ????
Mediterranean Resort Location Unknown  ????


Other WDW Related Projects

Name Where is it? Phase When does it open?

5th Theme Park(Possible sports, villain, or thrill theme) East of the MK  200x
Celebration Completion South of WDW  2020
New Monorail Route AK, TTC  ????
The Workplace Celebration  ????
Disneyland Hong Kong Hong Kong, China I 2005
New Theme Park Plantersville, TX 
New Theme Park Columbus, OH 
Downtown Disney Atlanta, GA 
[ed. Living in Atlanta, I can say that an ESPN club just opened not to long ago in Buckhead]
Disney's Boardwalk Boston, MA 
DisneyQuest Denver, CO 
DisneyQuest Baltimore, MD 
DisneyQuest Honolulu, HI 
DisneyQuest Las Vegas, NV 
Small Resort Las Vegas, NV  After DisneyQuest, NV
DisneyQuest Madrid, Spain 
DisneyQuest Tenerife, Turkey 
Ski Resort Victoria, Australia
Disney Vacation Club Southern Greece 
West Coast Disney
Cruise Lines West Coast 2002
Disney's America Near Katy, TX 

This info was sent to me awhile back and it appears to be off the www.imagineering.org website and thought I would pass it along to you. These are the tentative opening dates for the possible attraction openings:

       WDW Mission: Space (2002 or 3?)
     WDW Fire Mtn. (2003?)
     Tokyo DisneySea (2003 or 4?)
     Hong Kong Disneyland (2005ish)
     Disney's Great America (Texas, 2008-10)
     Disney-MGM TV Studios Paris (April 12th, 2002)
     Disney's pop-culture themed park (2010?)
     Florida DisneySea (sometime after the above is finished)
     And, no joke, there are plans for an earth-orbiting
     hotel/park in conjunction with the Japanese Air & Space
     Admin. (possibly 2030)

MAGIC KINGDOM

09/08/2002 - Here is an intresting fact...the smoke stack on the Big thundar mountain railroad are missing. They do look quite odd without them, unfortantly...I didnt have my camera with me to capture and image for you. Talking with a castmember about it, she said that wont get put back on because the whole attraction is to be temporarly closed sometime next year for refurbisment. It is then they would probably get put back on.

09/08/2002 - We have received several emails about the overcrowding of disney's E-Ride Nights. I guess with Disney experiencing a lighter attendance load this year at the parks, they may have taken the restrictions off of the number of people allowed to enter. So be aware...that lines may actually be longer with only 8 attractions open than they are during the day.

04/29/2002 - Just a FYI....There is a new animated tombstone at the haunted mansion. While this is not groundbreaking news, it is still pretty neat to watch this. The best part is watching people freak out when they see it move slightly. The only bad part about it...is if there is no line and you can walk right in, you will never notice it.

04/29/2002 - It still seems that disney has a since of humor. If you ever have experienced the "It's A Small World" attraction, you know that at the very end of the boat ride, there are many signs that say "Goodbye" in just about every language. BUT!...if you look closely, you will see a cleverly designed sign with Oriental scripture that reads "Say, What the Crap!". I could not believe it, so i grabbed a picture of it and will put it up very soon.

8/26/99 - With Disney moving fire mountain plans from fantasyland to adventureland. which is a good move in my opinion, what is to become of the 20,000 leagues lagoon area? Enter BALD MOUNTAIN. I have read the different articles on this attraction but have not asked my buddy what this is exactly about but here are my gatherings so far. It seems to be a more intense version of splash mountain. It will be villain oriented, and opening up the new possibility of a new "land". not much more is known, and some things I have read are just to far outside the Disney realm for a thrillride. 

9/30/99 - not much new as far as rumors go for this right now, i would guess because it is still quite a few years away or so. just a side note, it is no longer bald mountain, but "Villain Mountain". this comment was received last week but im not quite sure i can believe it...."i was told that there is a possibility that villain mountain might actually have 2 different tracks built within the ride". I must admit this does seem a bit far fetched. 

11/15/99 - Food for thought. I personally believe that with IoA doing so poor in attendance, that this attraction will be pushed WAY back (a year or more than previously thought of). Eventhough i have read the different release dates being alot closer, i believe it will be push back. awww

1/6/2000 - not much news this time, but indications are Disney is going to make a decision on what to do with this park very soon...

08/06/2000 - Interesting enough, i am starting to hear more and more of this attraction. It could be quite possible that the rumors that I have previous posted about this attraction be wrong in location but right about content. New location..."Iron Kingdom"

12/24/2000 - While i still believe it makes better sense to put this into a new theme park, it has been mentioned that another possible location being thrown around has been the great movie ride building. Obviously it would not be a "mountain" they ride but more of a "spider-man" type ride.

09/08/2002 - Over in fantasyland....most of you know that the old lion king show has been closed for quite awhile. It's replacement is Mickey’s PhilharMagic which is supposed to be another 3-D movie...with similar theater effects like honey, I shrunk the audience over in Epcot...

EPCOT

09/08/2002 - Just a FYI....Maelstrom in Norway is currently closed.

4/22/99 - It seems that Mount Fuji is on again. Rumors of this surfaced about a year ago, but because of different reasons, it was dropped. Some speculated that it was pressure from Kodak not to put the attraction as is it their biggest competitor (Fuji Film). Which makes sense to an extent but the reality of it is that Fuji film is NOT sold anywhere in Walt Disney World and besides it is a well-known mountain. While other speculated that with the problems of Test Track, they didn't want to mess with another thrill-ride so soon. With Islands of Adventure opening very soon, Disney feels they need more thrills in Epcot so it appears that the coaster is back on again. It is supposed to be located in the Japan area.

5/5/99 - If there is a will, there is a way. While Kodak was up in arms about the Mount Fuji idea, Disney finds ways around to get what they want done without creating friction from sponsors. Instead of a Mount Fuji roller coaster, they may be planning a "Bobsled" type roller coaster with a Switzerland theme. I believe this to be on track than the Mount Fuji, mainly because Switzerland is going to be one of the new countries in World Showcase. I've heard from different people including relatives that work with Disney, that this will be a reality.

6/28/99 - Seems like this might fall by the wayside due to poor stock performance. For the moment this project has been put on the back burner, again.

7/24/99 - Not much new is going on but I see a little more life in this project than i have seen in the past few months. Could this project be coming back to life?

8/28/99 - I believe this project (Swiss Project) is back on again, but this wont be happening until the end of next year when the celebration starts its final months. Also a side note, the name Mt. Fuji has very religious meanings and Disney doesn't want to upset anyone, so making a "mini" Mt Fuji could very well be out. This doesn't mean that Disney could not name it something else.

12/5/99 - this rumor has kind of died off...anyone know anymore? it has been real quite about this attraction...hmmmm

12/24/2000 - It seems that Epcot wont be getting anything for awhile, at least until Mission:Space opens in 2003. 

06/20/2001 - Even though it was originally thought that nothing new was going to happen until mission:Space was open may not be as accurate as once thought. It appears that some countries may be expanding in a big way. I've read conflicting info where some say a new country (possibly Swiss or Spanish decent, scotland has been axed - see below) will be added along with a big attraction while others say that the rumor is being confused with the expansion of some current countries. Even though they were conflicting as the what, they both stated that construction could start as soon as the middle-end of 2002. Only time will tell....

03/15/2000 - It is all but confirmed that the next country that will reside in world showcase is Scotland. The only thing that seems quite weird was that when I had mentioned it to different people that I know, they had said that there is already a portion of it in England. Ahhhh good point. But then why is it in Millennium Village? they said "Ahhh...good Point". So it will be located by China and Germany. The only thing I could not pin down was, what attraction (if any) would be housed in or around the country. ARGH!...more waiting... No one seems to know just yet. One thing that I was able to confirm was that construction will start right after the celebration is over with. One side note tho... Millennium Village will be taken down after the celebration. 

06/20/2001 - Seems that this country got axed because of one of two reasons, One, the country just didn't want to put the up front money which is usually 80% or more, or Two,  Disney didn't want to put a "similar" country in or it couldn't associate a larger attraction with the country. What ever the reason is, it aint gonna anytime soon....

Mission: Space has been announced Click

02/20/2001 - Construction Pics - Notice the pic on the right, which was taken from the monorail as it was going by, there are 2 circles at the base of the structure where the 2 rotating platforms. These platforms are similar to the ones in spaceship earth. One person that i had talked with said that the project is WAY ahead of schedule... 

09/08/2002 - The outside of this new attractions looks very to being done...building wise. Landscaping still to come. I dont know if some of you saw on the travel channel a few weeks ago when it was "Coaster week". The had a few eposodes on the disney imagineering and how they create different effects, 1 segment they did was on Mission: Space and showed part of the que and it was complete. Looked very intresting, although they had a lot of television monitors up for waiting in line...hopefully it is part of the pre-show like alien encounter. If it comes on again, I will grab a couple of still shots and throw them on the site.

02/05/2001 - Several updates are supposed to take place by the end of the year, Universe of Energy, Living Seas and of course the above mentioned journey into your imagination. I believe that the living seas will begin than UoE and followed by JIYI.

10/15/2001 - lets recap what's been going on. The living seas have been cleaned up and is no longer sponsored by united technologies. Universe of Energy should have new signage to show the merge between Exxon and Mobil.  JIYI is now closed and wont reopen until sometime next year. That leaves the land, spaceship earth and wonders of life pavilions. My money is on wonders of life as the next one get a change. Current rumors suggest a sponsor change with a change in body wars. 

10/28/2001 - Just a FYI - due to lower crowd levels at Epcot, world showcase now opens at noon to 9pm and future world opens at 9pm and closes at 7pm except test track and spaceship earth.

DISNEY STUDIOS 

9/30/99 - Star tours will be getting a new update. it will feature the pod racers from episode 1. also the new Tatooine Traders gift shop is now open ...

03/15/2000 - We should be racing pods with in 1 year...

09/09/2000 - talking with castmembers about this, everyone seemed to say that while a new version is due, it may be quite a while before we actually see an update. Disney had installed a fastpass for this attraction in anticipation of the upgrade, but seems that plans dont always goes as planned, but it will happen.

12/24/2000 - Although everything is ready for the new film...it doesn't seem like we will see it anytime soon. The time frame so far is not until after the new star wars films are released. Even then it will be another year for creating the film and then testing it....

06/27/2001 - Even though i don't believe it at this point, seems that they are trying start filming for the new star tours film by the end of the year. Although the popular rumor is that it will be a pod racing scene of Episode 1, but ive heard a rumor or two that it will be based on Episode 2 and be ready for the premiere of the Episode 2 in theatres (which i believe is summer of 2002, but ill have to double check that)....we will see.... 

05/20/2001 - A little more info has come across my email....apparently as part as the 100 years of magic celebration...the tower of terror is getting the long rumored random drop sequence. There is said to be 7 different sequences that could be from the old double drop to the new quad-drop (3 full - 1 mini) sequence currently there now there have even been hints that we could get shoot up instead of just lifted. The only problem i see....if it is as fast as rumors have been suggesting then a new restraint system would have to be installed. More to come....

06/27/2001 - Ive been getting tons of email about this in which it seems that Disney thinks it has given people enough reason to visit the studios for the next year for the celebration and wont install the new drop sequence. While I never know for sure what Disney is doing (actually...I don't think Disney knows what Disney is doing at times), but I (and my buddy who works there) still believe that the new sequence is still a go....

10/15/2001 - As of this moment, the new drop sequence is not operating and probably wont. I'll see if i can nail down a date when it will go into affect, when I'm down there in 3 days and see what is really going on.

10/28/2001 - Ok...i rode this attraction 4 different times and every time it was the old sequence which is still awesome. Talking with a few folks, seems like they are holding the new random drop sequence for another year. at least that's what the consensus was.

04/28/2002 - Seems like the random drop sequence will happen this fall sometime. Talking with a castmember, she said that it will have some new special effect like smoke/fog as well as some new lighting effects.

09/08/2002 - Being a HUGE Tower of Terror fan and riding it well over 100 times since its inception....needless to say I "know" this attraction. I know changes are coming very soon as well....and what I experienced was simply awesome....granted they didnt have any/all of the special effects going on but I did see some of the changes. I rode the right drop chamber twice to make sure I saw what I think I saw. When you get pushed out in to the drop chamber, it started "bouncing" around in the chamber in both a vertical and horizontal motion. Then that bright light from before would come up and blind you and the drop. This time...we didnt just drop...we fell...and when i mean fell i mean...butt off the seat...the car pulling us down....type falling. When you reach the bottom of the chamber...right before you start to go back up....you can see a figure standing in the "window"...I couldnt tell if it was moving or not, but it did look like one of the people from the first stop on your way up. So now we are on our way to the top on the chamber and this thing is mov'n....of course it stops at the top to take your picture...then hold on to your britches....cause we are being forced down at MUCH faster rate of speed than we did before, just like the initial drop. I want to say it dropped us 4 (full) times the first trip and only 3 (full) on the second. It could have been the random drop sequence...or it could have been the fact I wasnt in my seat unless we were going up and simply miscounted. Now apply this to the rumors that Disney is altering the cars by removing lapbars and replacing them with seatbelts....everyone gets the "suicide seat" now. Either way....when all the effects are on....it will be one phenomonal attraction. Im going back in 5 weeks and hopefully Disney will have fully converted over.

2/12/2000 - The great Movie ride is a changing and will be some motion simulator will be incorporated into the ride system. Unfortunately I have not heard if or when this is supposed to take place. An educated guess is that it wont be until the millennium celebration is over with but before Magic Kingdom's celebration.

03/15/2000 - Chatting with few women that work at the Great Movie Ride, they had said that they have heard the rumors but also heard that it was pushed back a couple of years and was not as high a priority as it had seemed. The did mention that they heard it was going to 200+ million dollar attraction with a james bond theme.

08/06/2000 - word has it as a refurbishment more than a completely new attraction. Although something's are likely to change, no one knows exactly what will change. This is rumored to start after the millennium celebration.

09/09/2000 - this attraction should go down just after the first of the year for a rehab. Like most rehabs, this will include some minor upgrades and possibly a new script as well for the "guides".

12/24/2000 - There has not been much word on what exactly will be put into this building, but sources defiantly say it will be changed and the date that was being thrown around was 2005ish. 

02/20/2001 - Seems like a new (or old) time to start the project might be as soon as the end of next year after the 100 years of magic has ended. We will know with in the next 6 months on what is going to happen. There is also a second rumor going on with that a minor update is supposed to occur soon which will include some newer movies from the Disney library including changing Tarzan from what it is now to the Tarzan animated movie by Disney. Some speculate that this is part of Disney dropping the MGM from the park. 

Animal Kingdom

2/23/99 - One of the far off rumors is Beastly Kingdom, which is a new land in Animal Kingdom. I have refrained from talking to much about it because I can't nail down exactly what is going on with the coaster but here is what is being tossed around. A large wall of dirt has been pushed up near the Rainforest Café which is blocking everyone off from viewing the construction site in progress.  Sources say that we could start to see vertical construction in just two or three months. Sources tell us that the Quest for the Unicorn maze attraction will still be included along with a Stand-Up Dragon themed coaster... Dare the Dragon.  More to come.

4/22/99 - I am not sure what is going on, I keep reading reports that work has temporarily stopped. Although an impressive mound of dirt has been push up to hide any activity they may have or were doing.

6/28/99 - Even though I keep reading about how work has stopped, I don't believe it. This is the most "underthrilled" (is that even a word?) park at WDW. Another castmember mentioned that it was gearing up for full construction and that the temporary hold was to draw attention away from that area. Which makes sense because that huge mound of dirt is still in place as of this past week. Any ideas on the manufacture? Vekoma or B&M?

8/28/99 - This actually could be a B&M inverted coaster and not a stand up that was previously thought of.

10/29/99 - The area on the map which shows the location of this new land, or the area behind the built up mound of dirt. The only thing i could see was the Animal Kingdom Lodge being built (see below), the land still looked dormant and that it had now been touched for awhile.

11/15/99 - For now...this is dead. enuff said!

12/25/99 - i guess time does heal all wounds. just a month and a half ago, this was a dead rumor, but now there seems to be more interest in it. of course the knowledge of what coaster will be included is not known.

4/17/2000 - Again this project may have had fire set under it, with the apparent death of the magic kingdom location of fire mountain, this area has turned into a major focus. It makes sense if you think about it, why not add an e-ticket attraction to the park that gets the most complaints about nothing to do. if I remember correctly, they did do balloon tests on the area of land that seems to be dormant, to see if construction could be seen with in the park. We all know that Disney does not rush things, and this is no different.

12/24/2000 - I know there is not much new on this rumor, but now it seems that we wont even see this new land until many other attractions are built. I read that it may not be until 2008 when this might actually see the light of day. Other attraction in MGM, MK and Epcot have priority.  

05/20/2001 - All i can say right now is 2005....

06/27/2001 - Another interesting email has come from my good buddy titled "Do Not Open Til Xmas!"...I can say only 2 things right now (keeping the wishes of my buddy) is the name of the coaster should remain the same and the type of coaster is changing....Flying Dutchman anyone! 

08/06/2001 - In an interview with Pressler at LaughingPlace.com, Pressler confirmed what was said before that  2004 was when we can expect to see a new themed area. If you haven't read it yet, drop on over to the folks at LaughingPlace.com and read this very interesting article. 

2/12/2000 - As much as I hate to report this, but Countdown to Extinction is being toned down. I assume this is because of the new "Dinosaur" movie opening this year. It is said that it will return back to its original state... eventually. This eventually probably means once they have built more family attractions. very disappointing...

3/15/2000 - while there I did notice a difference in the program for the ride, it did seem a bit toned down. Honestly tho...maybe it only seemed that way because i was paying so close attention to it.....Naaaa. I've been back just a week now, and they have already changed the name of the ride to Dinosaur. Even heard rumors that they were going to make the dinosaurs talk? What the ...?!?!?!??!

12/24/2000 - Seems like we get the "full effect" version as soon as dinorama opens and gives the little guests something else to ride. 

04/29/2002 - Due to the heigth restrictions of primevil whril being 48 inches and dinosour only 40 inches, you might as well say good bye to the old program as there are no plans to ever go back to it.

Everywhere Else

04/26/2001 - Just a FYI - Starting May 1st...Prices for e-ride nights are going up $2 per person to $12 but a childs ticket will remain $10. Before it was  $10 for everyone. Also...E-ride nights for May are 1, 8, 15, 22 from 8 pm - 11 pm and  18, 25 from 10 pm - 1 am.

04/28/2002 - This has been confirmed, the Disney Institute main building is scheduled to be torn down real soon. The first stage will be convertion part of it to the Disney vacation club. A bolder move will come in stage 2 where Disney envisions Downtown Disney to completely wrap around the lake. East Side anyone? I guess Disney finally realized that people didnt want to go on vacation and sit in a classroom. Cant say I blame them either. I will try to get some concept art up before long.

4/4/99 - It has come to my attention that Disney has recognized the problem with waiting in line. This is probably where you spend most of your day while in the theme parks. So to alleviate this problem Disney is installing Ride Reservations System. What does this mean? Essentially there will be a time clock at all the rides, you are supposed to insert a card and it will print a time on the card. Once the card is stamped, you may leave and come back when the time on your card indicates. Show your card and you will be guaranteed to be on the ride within 15 minutes of the time stamped. Now I like the idea that Disney acknowledges that there is a problem with the long line waits, but I'm not sure if this will work. Do I have to walk around to every ride first and get a stamp? What if I have several stamps that have relatively the same time? The commercials that I have seen on the TV have not answered these questions. Except those few questions, I believe that this is a good solution the the line waiting. Now I can get something to eat instead of waiting in line for 90 minutes on splash mountain. Now from Disney's point-of-view, if you are standing in line, you are not spending money! Very cleaver!!!!!!But in the end, everyone benefits from this, I'm not standing around for hours at a time and my stock is going up! Anyone know anymore about this?

4/22/99 - Ok here's the deal so far, a neighbor of mine just got back last week from her trip down there. She mentioned to me that on mon and tues the ride reservation system was working but not very well. She said that people were getting a ticket and still standing in line. By wed, they have totally removed the reservation system because of two possible reasons, 1) there was just too many people in the magic kingdom that day and it just was not working, 2) (and most likely) people were selling their reservation slips to people who didn't want to wait in the line, or wait for the time on the ticket. I believe that an article was posted on the news groups that an Imagineers even reinforced this theory.

6/04/99 - Is this concept even being used anymore? Anyone know?

7/24/99 - The new name is FASTPASS. The concept is still initially the same as before but it has been tweaked a bit. Somehow or another, they use your ticket that you use to enter the park, slide it through the reader and then you get a time. but what is different from before was that people were selling the tickets and make a small profit. Now your time has your ticket id number in its database. The lady I had talked to about was quite confusing, so I hope that is the way it works. Anyways, they are starting in Animal Kingdom with the big 3 attractions, CTX, KRR, KS. Eventually it will creep into the rest of the world.

8/28/99 - all the major rides in the four parks now feature this ride system.

10/29/99 - FASTPASS is in a single word...AWESOME!!!!! I never had to wait in line for more than ten minutes. This is a thrillriders dream come true! even when the standby line was very short, I still grabbed a fastpass, went and grabbed a bite to eat and then when we were finished eating , we just walked right up to the front of the line. Folks, this is a beautiful thing! check the general info page for pics and more info on the tickets themselves.

09/09/2000 - FASTPASS 2 is coming... look for a major overhaul of the system with new benefits, especially those staying in a walt disney world resort. more to come...

12/24/2000 - Look for an all new FastPass Version 2.0 coming spring 2001. Be forewarned...this version wont be free...more details to come...

08/06/2001 - I read an interesting article the other day about Disney's fastpass reservation system. The article said that Disney is taking a firm hold on their patent on the ride reservation system and is actually asking other theme parks to stop using their ride reservation systems or be sued. Here in Atlanta, Six Flags over Georgia has a Q-Bot Ride System and ill be interested to see if it comes back next year or not.

04/28/2002 - Just some observations here. While Disney brought us the ride reservation system, there has always been a few things that have bothered me with this. First...on busy days...it is all but useless. I cant tell you how many times ive gotten a fastpass and it was 6 hours later before i can use it. Which means im hosed from getting another fastpass for atleast 2 hours. Furthermore, im am forced to get a time when the system thinks i need a time. This, my friends, is unacceptable. While over at Islands of Adventure this past week, the folks at universal have this problem fixed and was working smoothly. Not only was I allowed to get more than one "fastpass" at ANY given time for ANY attraction, but it also allows me to select the time that is suitable to me via touchscreen. It showed me the soonest possible time and a later alternate. It was my choice not the computers. So I pleed with Disney to adopt this type of reservation system for version 2.0. I wouls be happy to be able to select a time suitable for me.

1/28/99 - BIG RUMOR!! - Seems like Disney cant stop building parks. Just when animal kingdom was completed, rumors started  to fly about a 5th theme park. Speculation suggest that the park will be based on Disney villains, the temporary name or codename is Shadowlands. Now to fuel the speculation fire, when the Disney studios was completed, bus drivers started talking about a 4th park based on animals. Of course, this back in 89 and animal kingdom opened in 98, so with the nine year gap in effect, could we see a new park around 2007?

5/5/99 - As I read the different theories on what exactly ShadowLands would be or even where it would be located. It seems that people like the idea that shadowlands be "a part of" the magic kingdom, while other seem to like a whole new gated park. Personally, I would prefer a whole new gated park but seeing the track record of the past, I have about 8 more years to wait. Now this is where I think the "add-on" idea could be effective, not only would I get to ride new attractions sooner, but it could be a "Prequel" (for you Star Wars fans out there) for things to come. I am really interested to see how Disney will react to Islands of Adventure Opening very soon, through their eyes, the 'add-on" concept could be a quick fix. Either way, I know Disney, either way it will be done right! 

03/15/2000 - I am not sure if this is an old name or the new code-name for shadowlands. My one close friend said that "they were well under way conjuring up the plans for "IRON KINGDOM". Of course he reiterated that it would be a roller coaster thrill park to compete with Islands of Adventure. The location that he had last heard was over by the Wide World of Sports Complex. 

08/06/2000 - this submission gives more proof that something is around the corner and that IOA, while not hurting attendance at WDW, does have the concern of upper people:

To compete with the Islands of Adventure in Universal, Disney is looking towards a 5th park, one aimed towards young adults. This park will be based upon Villans with malificants castle as the center piece. Almost looking through the looking glass is will "miror" the Magic Kingdoms layout. The only attractions that were known at the time were a Night on Bald Mountain churnabog rollercoaster which will be inverted and be music themed like the Rockin Roller Coaster. And Jafar's Cave of wonders which is being compared to the Indy ride in Disneyland. Opening date is looking to be for the 35 birthday of WDW.

5/5/99 - We all know that Disney is in perpetual construction, giving us a reason to go 3 times a year. It is suggested that one of the original resorts that was planned for the initial opening back in 1971 was called the Venetian Resort. Of course it didn't make the final budget cut, but if any of you have read the Disney hard cover book "Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real", you know that Disney never discards an idea, no matter how in left field it may seem. This is where the Venetian Resort came from, it has been on the back burner for nearly 30 years now. I guess it is time to place it back on the front burner now. I will try to get a concept drawing of it up.

12/5/99 - Ok..i found a pic for ya...(ya i know...took long enough) Click

1/16/00 - this might actually happen, and alot sooner than we all think. Sources are saying  possibly with in 2 years! The land has been surveyed and a construction entrance has been created.  Interesting....

03/15/2000 - Ok, i have had 2 good sources state that the resort is off and the construction is for the light-rail between the TTC and Wilderness Lodge.

02/20/2001 - Pools, pools and more pools. The grand Floridian is in the process of building a new pool with slide. It is being built on the Polynesian side of the resort and can be clearly seen from the monorail. The construction is at about 25%. The other one that cannot be seen from the monorail is the new pool at the Polynesian resort. The construction is closer to 50% and will also include a slide. In the middle of the pool will be an erupting volcano. The main structure of the volcano has been built while the rest of the area was still leveled. 

10/28/2001 - Here are a couple of pics of the new pools at the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian.

1/28/99 - Ragin Cajun Lagoon is supposed to be the next water park and if rumors are true, should be located somewhere between Dixie Landing and Port Orleans. The only question i have is why? They already have 3 water parks already, why not just improve or add to the ones they have?

3/12/99 - Kinda funny, I mention improving the old ones, instead of building a new one, and they end up doing just that, go figure! For right now, it seems that Disney is just going to put the Ragin Cajun Lagoon on the back burner for now.

12/24/2000 - I have not heard much about this rumor for awhile, maybe because the focus is turning towards the pop century and the sports complex. Rumors are fling that the new water park will placed there, as there is nothing close to the new resort complex. If rumors remain true, it will most likely be a sport themed water park. This is great news. Some of you may or may not know, but for awhile when the rumor mill was working overtime on the new 5th theme park, many have speculated that it may be sports-themed. I don't know about you, but I would rather a water park be sports themed and not a whole new theme park.

07/03/2000 - Disney’s Beach Club Villas (2002) -- Featuring an ambience of casual elegance, Disney’s Beach Club Villas -- Disney Vacation Club’s sixth ownership resort project -- will be designed by noted architect Robert A.M. Stern. Situated next to Disney’s Beach Club Resort, the 205-room property will offer studio, one- and two-bedroom vacation villas and Cape May-inspired theming characterized by the use of whimsical “stick-style” architecture, pastel colors, porches and other decorative elements

09/09/2000 - I will have to get a picture of this new vacation club up for you, this this is going to be quite large and the area that it is "supposed" to fit in to looks to be quite a bit smaller that the picture shows. Unless they plan to build it over the road and make it apart of the tunnel that is already there.

08/06/2001 - As i was writing this update, Disney posted a news bulletin. So read all about the new resort HERE. Based on location, I see this new resort like the Old Key West Resort, very comfortable but completely removed from the magic.

1/28/99 - Monorail System - It seems that Disney has finally realized that they have maxed out their bus system and they are planning a major expansion of the monorail system. Rumors suggest that is will connect everything that is not connect at this point. This includes Downtown Disney, Animal Kingdom and Disney Studios.

3/12/99 - While riding in the front of the monorail (yes, I did get my co-pilot license too), I had talked about the system and he did say that they are going to start it very soon and they will be replacing the Mark VI models with the Mark VII at a cost of a mere 12 million per train. Also, in case you were wondering, they will be adding Disney studios to the Epcot line and Animal Kingdom from the T&TC. As far as Downtown Disney is concerned, he wasn't sure how they were going to do that one. One last thing, he also said that it costs about 1 million dollars per section (1 section is about 3 pillars and track) OUCH! and how far is AK from the T&TC? If they put the station by conservation station, might not be too bad, but if they take it to the front, Whoa!

6/04/99 - Haven't heard anything new on this at all! Except that they are still coming up with a master plan. I guess they are not sure exactly what they want to do with it either, should they include plans for new and upcoming packs, such as shadowlands, or just fix the current problem, which is that the DOT typically does.

10/29/99 - This project is dead and will remain as such. The main reason is attendance, while the Millennium Celebration is a kick'n event. It is pulling guests from the other 3 parks. Attendance for the other 3 parks is down significantly from the previous year while Epcot has seen an increase. The master plan is to buy more busses.

11/15/99 - I have been corrected, by many of you. It is raising attendance in all theme parks, especially Epcot by as much as 15%. But for the moment, i don't see this coming anytime soon.

12/24/99 - as soon as i start to write off this rumor it comes back even stronger. it seems that they are going back to their original plan with a rail system going to all popular destinations. I am sure this will change a dozen more times before it become official.

1/16/00 - my good buddy has contacted me again with this to say about the upcoming plans for the new transportation system -- the Transportation Question has a two-fold answer. In
documents as recent as 1998, most notably the so-called "PRT" documents
produced by WDI, a combination of traditional monorail and "light rail"
platforms would be used. Monorail lines would run from the EPCOT station
south/southwest to MGM, then cross World Drive to Blizzard Beach, and finally
to AK station, where a loop would be located for the return run. At the
Blizzard station, among others, subsidiary light rail lines would transport
guests to outlying resorts, such as the All Star complex. Interestingly, a
PI/West Side segment of the monorail line was also planned. Now, I want to be
clear that when I use the term "light rail", I am describing a narrow-gauge
trolley platform similar to San Francisco's street cars. This system would be
a nostalgic throwback to an earlier era, one that I think Walt would welcome.
Seemingly, there are two different light rail systems being considered: the
first being a traditional elevated-electrical powered system, and the second a
diesel fuel self-powered system.
-- Would that be cool or what!!!!!here is even a map of it....Click. Wanna see what the station would look like too? Click!

08/06/2000 - seems like the first likely step is to connect AK to the transportation and ticket center first. second is to start connecting the resorts to downtown Disney. I cant even begin to tell you about all the complaints I get from guests (and even my mom...Sigh) about how horrible the transportation is now at WDW. I wonder if WDW is still doing field studies on the problem....?!?!?!?!? 

09/09/2000 - Normally when i go to Disney i stay in the boardwalk resort (vacation club), but since i was out of points for this year, we decided to stay at the dixie landings (name is changing to Port Orleans Riverside). i cant even begin to tell how brutally horrid the bus transportation system has become. We waited for 45 minutes for a bus one night, so the next morning i was promptly on the phone to transportation complaining about the situation. While i knew there was nothing that could have been done the next day, i did find out that they will start building a monorail system and the new hub for the monorails will be Epcot. There will be one possibly two more stations being added. The first station will go to animal kingdom. the animal kingdom station will be where the castmember parking lot is. I assume that Downtown Disney station will be the second one to be built at Epcot and will take riders to the west side area of Downtown Disney. The station will be built in the parking lot over by the lake. There have been rumors of a possible parking deck being built at Downtown Disney, if they do, this is the reason why. I questioned about the light rail and said that he wasn't sure about that because not to many people want to go to other resorts (i care to differ, i love going to other resorts). 

04/08/2001- While i think don't think they have axed the monorail project yet, they are trying a new MOD (Magic on Demand) bus "reservation" system. While i don't have exact detail of how it is expected to work other than the emails i have received, my response is why? The bus system is so completely overworked that it is ridicules. Anytime you have to deal with the busses, I don't even see this as a solution. But i do see Disney axing the entire monorail project is this actually works. 

6/28/99 - Disney Airport?

10/29/99 - This not going to happen either! This is a rumor and nothing more.

08/06/2000 - I was paging through a book the other day, It is called "Walt Disney's Epcot Center" this is the same book that was sold in epcot when epcot first opened back in 1982. As far fetched as the airport rumor is, i could not believe what i saw in the hand drawn image right next to HWY192 (from what I could tell)....thats right....an airport....go figure...and you know disney never throws out an idea...NEVER!

12/24/2000 - As far fetched as it may seem and with talks with Orlando and the new rail system falling through. Some interesting are happening, there have been rumors that disney will do one of two things IF the rail agreement completely falls through. One...disney may build their own rail from the airport to the WDW complex or Two...they will build their own airport right in the disney complex.

5/24/2000 - Even thought information on this rumors has been out for awhile, I never have mentioned it because it has a very low priority and has not even started its initial request for funding. But i have received quite a few questions and comments on this in the last month or so. So i figured i would comment about it (not to mention there is quite a drought on rumors now a days). This is the "MYST" Island concept. this in short is rumored to be just like video game of the same name but would take a whole day to figure out the solutions to the puzzles. The rumored location was to completely rework Discovery Island. You know...the small island between the contemporary resort and fort wilderness where no one hardly visits much less know what is out there. Anyways...this whole concept came around because sea world has opened discovery cove where you can swim with dolphins among other things. They have been charging admission well over $100 (USD) for an entire day and is usually a sell out and a quit long waiting list (I have not confirmed that but that is what I have heard). Some suggested that Disney may follow suite and do something similar, but as of right now and until Sea World's Discovery Cove creates serious waves, this will just be a rumor.