Exploring Disney World's Abandoned Venues

Disney World made a quick comeback after the pandemic and other challenges like supply chain issues and high inflation but not everything survived today hiding in plain sight are still venues at Disney world that didn't make it from retailers to restaurants here are 17 venues at Walt Disney World that sit abandoned today most with little hope of returning anytime [Music] soon number 1 Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost at Disney's Hollywood Studios is located outside Indiana Jones epic stunt spectacular it was a small retail shop that sold a limited selection of Indiana Jones merch along with other souvenirs like rubber snakes of course and Disney themed toys Adventure Outpost closed in 2020 but in 2023 it briefly opened as the den of Destiny an Indiana Jones themed bar but it closed after a few months I don't know why Indi IND Jones has a huge following and it's in a great location for now if you're looking for an Indiana Jones team bar you'll have to visit jock Lindsay's in Disney Springs but here's a fun fact right behind the building you'll see a fictional World War I tank this is the actual movie prop used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade number 16 the studio store located in the Anaheim Courtyard of Disney's Hollywood Studios is one of my favorite places in the park this sign is one of the last artifacts from the Backlot tour the red black and yellow signage conveyed that MGM Studios was a working Studio Lot signs like this were once all over MGM Studios throughout the 1990s inside the studio store you would have found typical Disney Parks merch but what made this store special was that it also had merch from upcoming Disney movies the studio store closed in 2020 and hasn't reopened since but if you want to see some MGM Studio Nostalgia go check out the sign you'll find it right by the exit of the Walt Disney one man's dream attraction number 15 pirate League at Magic Kingdom was created in 2009 following the popularity of Mickey's pirate and princess party nights a hard ticketed evening event Pirates League was a themed Makeover Studio similar to bibid Bob Boutique and its Infamous princess makeovers the pirate League promised pirate themed makeover packages for all ages and they were affordable starting at just $30 upon entering you were given an official pirate name then it was off to the mustard station where you would be given a beard eye patch a bunch of wounds and scars and if you had parental permission tattoos and piercings okay well maybe not those last two but you could get a fake one anyway in January of 2020 it was announced that the pirate league would recruit their last pirate in July of that year however it closed in March and would never re open today Pirates League sits shuttered at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction just outside the best gift shop in all of Walt Disney World if you went to the Pirates League leave a note in the comments tell us what it was like to wear an eye patch all day number 14 the Brier patch was the companion gift shop to Splash Mountain in Magic Kingdom to me it was the second best gift shop at Walt Disney World because if you looked carefully it was bre rabbit's home complete with a fireplace rocking chair mismatch lanterns and a ction of items belonging to BR rabbit himself all around the ceiling by the time it closed the shop sold a very limited selection of Splash Mountain merchandise but it had plenty of General Disney World merch the Brier patch closed in March of 2020 and never reopened Disney has not announced any updates for this space but its counterpart in Disneyland will be a retailer for Tiana's Bayou adventure maybe this will happen in Magic Kingdom 2 number 13 back in 2012 Disney World introduced Club 626 making a temporary stage more permanent for an evening dance party at Magic Kingdom located just outside Space Mountain in Tomorrowland Club 626 ran 3 to four nights per week and featured Chip and Dale in their party costumes a lively DJ and lighting effects eventually Club 626 became The Incredibles super dance party the dance parties ended in 2018 but Disney was using the stage for hard ticket events like Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party most days it sits unused except for a character appearance usually Stitch some guests felt that music from the dance parties ruined the atmosphere of Tomorrowland at night while others felt it added a lot of energy number 12 the Magic Kingdom new stand located between the entrance and the tunnels leading into the park was a popular spot to grab a last minute gift I used to go here all the time to grab a bottle of water for the journey home it was hardly ever a line here which is probably why it's closed today but it was also where you could buy postage stamps to mail postcards home now I know people don't mail postcards anymore but what made this place special was that you could get an official Walt Disney World postmark here that was authorized by the US Postal Service to get that postmark today you'll need to stop at City Hall on Main Street USA the news stand closed in March of 2020 and has yet to re open it's in a great location being literally right outside the park entrance I'm really surprised Disney hasn't repurposed this spot yet number 11 there's yet another merchandise location closed at Disney Mickey's gift station located at the ticket and Transportation Center it closed in 2019 without any explanation and never reopened it was right around the time Disney upgraded the security screenings at the ticket and Transportation Center the gift station had a decent selection of Disney Parks merchandise dice Sundries snacks and Beverages and I remember them having a huge selection of those lanyards for your sunglasses it was a great place to buy Magic Kingdom merch without needing a park ticket too number 10 this one isn't only closed and abandoned but it failed miserably rather quickly the NBA experience at Disney Springs was a multi-level Recreation Center geared toward teen basketball fans for about $35 you could participate in various basketball activities like dunking on a lower hoop captured by cameras testing your dribbling skills with a coach exploring a mockup of a team locker room and an NBA gift shop it opened in August of 2019 to a disappointing start soon after opening there were deep discounts for Disney Vacation Club members and then annual passholders and when that didn't work they had employees stand outside the entrance with basketballs trying to get people inside the NBA experience closed in March of 2020 for the pandemic and never reopened recent rumors suggest that Disney is working on something new so let's see what happens number nine census Spas can be found on Disney Cruise Line ships at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and until recently Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort both the Grand Floridian and Saratoga were designated Spa hotels at Walt Disney World where guests could schedule revitalizing therapies and services but here's the problem the mandera spa at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and the Four Season spa at the Four Seasons Hotel both on Disney World property are a lot nicer in March of 2020 census closed and today it's just abandoned The Spa products were removed from the shelves and the reception desk has been cleared on the Disney World website it doesn't even say temporarily unavailable it's been completely removed giving little hope that it will ever return so maybe Disney sah TOA Springs Resort and Spa will just become Disney Saratoga Springs Resort number eight the garden View t- room located on the main floor of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort was once a place to enjoy a classic British afternoon tea this was a popular venue for moms and daughters in particular the te- room closed in March of 2020 and since then the space has either been closed off with velvet ropes or opened as a game room I thought it would reopen after the hotel lobby was refurbished but there are still no signs of life here and no word on a reopening date but I do think it will eventually come back it's still listed on the Walt Disney World website along with the menu number seven when Epcot first opened after the pandemic many of the countries and World Showcase remained closed they began to reopen in phases and for a long time the International Exchange cast members were not present World Showcase has made a full recovery except for a few small venues dur teddy bear in the Germany Pavilion was once home to collectible stif teddy bears and other German toys the space has been blocked now by tables and chairs and it has been sealed off from the other stores on the inside by a wall I think when Disney seals off a store with a wall it's safe to say that it won't be reopening anytime soon number six also in World Showcase and Epcot the brass Bazaar Tangier Traders and even castleblanca carpets in the Morocco Pavilion have been closed since 2020 this entire Pavilion has been weirdly closed and reopened without any announcements from Disney The Oasis suets and sips located in the rear of the Pavilion is a Hidden Gem in Epcot and while it's technically open for business I've noticed that it also closed a lot it seems Disney opens it whenever it can the Pavilion has also been going through a lot of seemingly random refurbishments and yet it never looks any different number five Morocco was added to Epcot in 1984 and was home to the popular restaurant maresh it served Moroccan and other Arabian dishes for both lunch and dinner there were also belly dancing performances but it's been closed for over 4 years and it's the only restaurant in World Showcase that has yet to reopen since the pandemic Disney still has the menu posted online along with a message saying that it's just temporarily closed so who knows maybe it will come back soon number four Voyage of the Little Mermaid was a popular stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studios running from 1992 through 2020 the show never reopened after the pandemic and in September of that year the signage was removed from the building Disney announced that the sign was just being refurbished many thought it would never return and the theater would get a new show but the sign did return and today it needs refurbishment again in December of 202 3 Disney announced that the theater would be reopening in the fall of 2024 as a new show titled The Little Mermaid a musical Adventure this new show will feature all new performances and musical numbers from the film including Part of Your World Poor Unfortunate Souls and more number three since 2006 young guests have been receiving Royal Transformations thanks to bibid Bob Boutique and its theme of fairy godmothers and training while the Magic Kingdom location just behind Cinderella Castle quickly became the preferred Boutique the very first Boutique was at Downtown Disney now Disney Springs later a third Boutique at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort also opened to provide relief to the soldout Magic Kingdom location but the Disney Springs and Grand Floridian boutiques have yet to open since the 2020 closure today guests can only visit the Magic Kingdom location packages start around $100 per princess number number two can you believe that the Wonders Of Life pavilion at Epcot has been closed longer than it was an operation prior to the pandemic Disney World announced that the play Pavilion was planned as part of the Epcot refurbishment it was originally planned to open in 2021 but that never happened Disney never even announced that it was delayed or even canceled but in January 2023 Disney officially announced that the attractions concept was on hold today the entrance has been removed and they even put curbing along the pathway making it seem like a long-term closure Disney isn't even using the Pavilion for special events anymore it was often used for the Epcot Food and Wine Festival and flower and garden festival Disney also used it as a backup location in the event an outdoor dessert party got rained out and in 2021 the entire roof was replaced but since then there has been nothing else going on number one rivers of light was Disney World's attempt to bring a nighttime show to Disney's Animal Kingdom park it featured water fountains projection mapping and live performers a massive Amphitheater was constructed around the lake near Expedition Everest rivers of light in theory was part of a great idea to keep Animal Kingdom opened after dark but rivers of light was troubled from the start taking nearly 4 years to build so people lost interest and then it missed the opening date desperate to get something going Disney released a scaled back version of the show but it failed to impress audiences Disney attempted a revised version of the show in 2019 but it still didn't take I give Disney imagineers a lot of credit for trying something like this and I'm grateful they didn't just go with another Disney concert but now Disney has a giant theater just sitting abandoned around a lake in the middle of the park what do you think could be next maybe a drone show hey isn't there one being tested this summer at Disney Springs over a lake interesting what on this list do you miss the most did anything surprise you did I miss anything I'll be in the comments and would love to know I'm Darren whitco from Orlando Park sky.com you can also find me on Facebook and Instagram and now here comes a video that has been picked just for [Music] you

Channel: OrlandoParksGuy

Views: 85,707

Keywords: disney world, walt disney world, abandoned places, disney world character meet and greet, disney world restaurants, disney how to, exploring, theme park, ThemePark, Abandoned Places, Explore, LostPlaces, orlando, florida, DisneyParks, DisneyDining, indiana jones, epcot, disney's hollywood studios, magic kingdom, disney's animal kingdom, bibbidi bobbidi boutique, world showcase, epcot cetner, disney rides closed permanently, disney world closures 2024, disney world closures history

Id: 8bqmQVHOjPc

Length: 14min 34sec (874 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 08 2024