Disney Parks Dream List

Like my fellow diehard Disney Parks fans, I have an ever evolving Disney Parks bucket list. It consists of what-I-haven’t-gotten-to and if-only-I-could-afford-it. Just as I tick something achievable off the list, something new is tacked on. To make matters worse, I also spend an inordinate amount of time dreaming up Disney World attractions. I not so secretly hope that my kid will grow up to be an Imagineer, so I have been quietly compiling a list of those Disney Parks Dreams to stuff in his suitcase when he moves to Glendale.

As a later in life Disney Parks fan, I also mourn those attractions that retired before I got a chance to experience them.  So, with a dash of wishful thinking here is my Disney Parks Dream List, both future and past.

Bring it Back, Disney! (Or Someone Loan Me a Time Machine)

1. Magic Kingdom’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

I have a few memories from my only childhood visit to Disney World. The wicked step sisters at Cinderella’s Royal Table (then King Stefan’s Banquet Hall) told me that I had to finish all of my peas or I wouldn’t get dessert. Ghosts tried to follow me home, and I was NOT impressed. Big Al’s “blood on the saddle,” song wedged itself into my brain so vividly that when I finally saw Country Bears decades later, it was EXACTLY how I remembered it.

However, what really stayed with me was the disappointment of not riding 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea which was down for the length of our trip. I truly don’t remember being obsessed with that movie, but I must have been obsessed with that attraction because the disappointment of not riding it hit hard enough for me to remember it IN DETAIL over 45 years later. I hope to someday mend this child-sized hole in my heart at Tokyo DisneySea or by snorkeling over the dead attraction’s remains at Castaway Cay. 

2. Epcot’s Future World of the 1990’s

I didn’t return to the parks again until this century so I missed out entirely on the early years of Epcot. Judging by the fondness that an entire generation of park goers seem to have for a crazy Future World full of singing vegetables and campy edutainment, I feel like I might have missed out. I do worry, as someone who IS NOT overly fond of Journey Into the Imagination or Figment  (sorry), that this might not be entirely my bag, but I’d like to experience it first hand to see what all of the fuss was about.

3. The Adventurer’s Club

Back in the Downtown Disney/Pleasure Island Days, this gem was located where The Edison currently sits at Disney Springs . It was a nightclub/comedy club dreamed up by Imagineers (including the fantastic Joe Rodhe) and that is probably all that you need to know to jump on this bandwagon with me, right? There is a lot to unpack with this topic if you are not familiar. Long story short, the club’s ethos went on to become the Society of Explorers and Adventures (S.E.A) which consists of characters woven throughout Disneyland, Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani and, more prominently at the international parks (particularly Tokyo DisneySea).

With the announcement of Ron Moore’s Disney+ development deal to create a Society for Explorers and Adventurers (S.E.A) series, I say bring this establishment back somewhere on property. The power of world building at the Disney Parks is a big draw for me. Little hidden connections between attractions and restaurants? I’m there for it. Throw in a few cocktails and a show and I’m making my ADR. Hey Disney, take some of that in depth genius that seems to be steeped more deeply into the fabric of the international parks and BRING IT HOME. 

(For a very deep dive on the topic, check out WDW Radio’s podcast about S.E.A.)

4. Hollywood Studios’ Backlot Tour 

Hollywood Studios struggles a bit with an identity crisis. While I am totally there for the hodge podge of Pixar, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones with a dash of  Disney Junior and Frozen, my favorite part of the park is the old Hollywood vibe. Sadly, I only experienced the Great Movie Ride once before it was shut down. I am excited to ride Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and I think that it fits in nicely with the nostalgia angle, but I wish more of the park embraced that same feel. The Backlot Tour seems like it melded nicely with that whole glamorous tinsel town situation that I like about Hollywood Studios. I like the educational component to it. It’s one of the reasons that I enjoy the Indiana Jones stunt show: a little behind the scenes look at movie magic. 

5. Magical Transportation Options

While I hold out hope that Disney has an unannounced replacement up their sleeves, I need to lament the imminent loss of Magical Express. If you are a flyer and not a driver this is where the magic begins and I will definitely miss the seamlessness of not having to deal with luggage. Strutting from plane to monorail, through the airport and to the Magical Express line was, well, magical.

I would also like to see Minnie Vans return. Yes, they were definitely a splurge but one I am willing to pay for occasionally (it’s a vacation!). Being whisked away from Magic Kingdom past the crowded bus lines after fireworks and chatting with Cast Member drivers who were FULL of interesting information? Bliss.

Last, but not least, is a little gem that lasted less than a year but was FANTASTIC. 

For a flat fee of $24 per person, “Express Transportation” took guests behind the scenes from park to park. The departure times were posted so you could plan around it. It allowed you to skip (yes SKIP) going through bag check and entry turnstiles once you made it through the first park that day and  there was never more than a few people on the bus.  Extra bonus? You got a little peek behind the scenes. It was the BEST way to do all four parks in a day. Based on the lack of participants and the low fee, I can see why they scratched it but it was marvelous while it lasted. Not having to go through bag check or the turnstiles was heaven. 

---

Okay. It’s blue-sky time now. While my Disney Parks Dream List knows no boundaries, I’m gonna try to stick with what tops my list. 

Bring It On, Disney! (Seriously. Let’s Make These Things Happen)

1. Anything Tangled

The toilets are lovely. The lantern photo op is a delight.

Yes, I am a fan of the rest area with barrels that double as a place to set your drink and charge your phone. However,  Disney powers that be, it’s just not enough. Rapunzel’s little faux tower in the background is a tease. 

Give me a Snuggly Duckling restaurant. I’d even settle for quick service. I’ll take an “I’ve Got a Dream” cupcake, please, or maybe a Pascal themed Dole Whip. Hire back the fabulous Cast Members who were the Vikings in Norway at Epcot.

Have those guys mill around the area engaging in hijinks with the guests. Maybe add some kind of attraction like the Island in the Sky deal that Legoland Florida used to have.

Make it look like Rapunzel’s tower and lift guests up high for panoramic views of Magic Kingdom. Or, maybe something like the Swiss Family treehouse where guests walk up and see Rapunzel’s painted ceiling and can look out over the park as well.

I’d say re-imagine Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as the scene from the movie where they drop through the trap door at the Snuggly Duckling and end up at the water dam, but I can already hear fans of the wildest ride in the wilderness sharpening pitchforks and lighting torches. Just give me something tower-esque with a view and let Rapuznel get more than a rest stop.

2. Haunted Mansion Restaurant

Give me something à la Disneyland’s Blue Bayou but make it a menu full of ghoulish delights. Camp it up. How about a Madame Leota Mac ‘n Cheese or Grim Grinning Ghosts Greek Salad? I don’t care as long as I have a view of the haunted ballroom while I eat. I want a waitstaff full of morose maids and butlers that shuffle slowly and avoid eye contact. It can be like a darker version of  Hollywood Studios 50’s Prime Time Café. If you don’t eat your vegetables the Bride comes to your table. Have Imagineering whip up some kind of Madame Leota in a crystal ball set up to serve as hostess. After your meal you can leave through a door with “Hurry Back” echoing around you. I mean, the possibilities are ENDLESS. 

3. 50’s Prime Time Café/WandaVision Overlay

Speaking of 50’ Prime Time…I love this restaurant just as it is, but wouldn’t it be fun to occasionally have WandaVision cut into the old sitcoms on the televisions? The waitstaff could suddenly shift from surly cousin Connie to sitcom robot Martha. Or, re-theme each “room” in the restaurant to a different decade: 50’s , 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and rename the location to Wanda’s Primetime Café. Throw a Scarlet Witch Waffle or Vision Vanilla Milkshake on the menu. Just saying. Clearly I don’t have a problem with more IP in the parks.

4. More Permanent Villainy

I know that Disney has tried different kinds of villainous things in the parks over the Halloween season and even cooked up the Club Villain cabaret at Hollywood Studios, but I’m talking a permanent home.

Rumors of a Villain Land have circulated for YEARS, and with good reason. There are loads of adult Disney parks fans. Adult Disney parks fans with and without children. Why not create a whole area of villainy open during the day for kid friendly bad guy/gal shenanigans that morphs into a more adult friendly area in the evening. Think of it as one of Epcot’s boozier festivals. Kids are still welcome in the evening, but it becomes more of teenager/adult vibe after the sun goes down.

I think it would be a particularly good idea for teenagers since a lot of what goes on in the parks is skewed toward younger kids or adults. Truly, I would prefer it also had its own castle (my preference is Maleficent’s castle) and be a 4th gate, but I’d settle for something carved out of Magic Kingdom’s unused back lots. You can’t have the good without the bad, people. 

---

Let’s face it. Right now just walking around the parks and listening to the drumbeat in Adventureland or the alien bugs chirping in Pandora would be a dream. I fully expect that my first Skyliner ride will bring me to tears and I’m certain I will engage in embarrassingly emotional behavior on both Flight of Passage and Soarin’ when I finally get back to the parks. Until then, a lady can dream, right? (And Imagineering…how soon is too soon for my kid to apply?)

---