A major Walt Disney World infrastructure project that literally paves the way for a potential new park entrance Magic Kingdom resort has been delayed again, this time by another 447 days. Here’s the latest, along with our commentary on the project and its implications for future expansion.
The most recent Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors Meeting Agenda revealed the delay, with documents filed for several Change Orders for contractors working on what’s known as the “World Drive North Phase III – Seven Seas Drive Realignment and Grand Floridian Connector Roadways” project.
Construction of the phased World Drive project has been ongoing for years. To put it into context, the current (third) phase involving the Floridian Way connector had its first permits filed with the South Florida Water Management District way back in October 2021, shortly after Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.
Phases prior to that had been underway for the better part of the previous decade, bringing new flyovers and roadways to improve traffic flow near the Magic Kingdom and the area hotels. It was part of a package of infrastructure improvements during the last big development cycle ahead of expansions like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Toy Story Land, TRON Lightcycle Run, Cosmic Rewind, etc.
Also part of this were new bus loops and enhancements to the arrival experience. It was a pain to navigate on-property at the time, but the end result has made a big difference. Something we really appreciate even more now that we’ve become accustomed to dealing with the situation at Disneyland, which is far worse.
The first phase of the World Drive project actually began almost immediately after New Fantasyland, in 2013. It will now culminate in late 2027. It’s been a massive undertaking that’ll last almost 15 years, bringing traffic relief to the north side of Walt Disney World property, which is increasingly used as an entrance for the growing number of locals living to the north and west of Magic Kingdom. Speaking from experience, it was/is badly needed.
While we’re going to focus mostly on the portion of the project between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom, there’s actually more to this than the re-routing. Here’s a map of phase 3 from the CFTOD:
According to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board meeting minutes, the World Drive North Phase III project involves extending the four-lane divided World Drive and replacing the existing Floridian Way from south of Seven Seas Drive to north of Maple Road. Key project elements include three roundabouts, a single-span bridge, and the relocation of a portion of Seven Seas Drive.
The overall project was originally intended to be awarded as a single package; however, funding availability required the construction to be split into two separate phases, which significantly extended the total project duration.
Furthermore, the construction timeline was impacted by complex sequencing of additional utility work within a constrained corridor and the subsequent initiation of a major resort development adjacent to the roadway. (That’s the Island Tower at the Polynesian.)
Additional factors contributing to the schedule extension included expanded work at the Grand Floridian entrances and the mid-construction addition of a new force main. The project was previously slated to be finished by or before September 30, 2026.
There are multiple Change Orders in the meeting minutes, but the largest and most impactful one is that for Consor Engineers, LLC. To ensure continuous oversight on the World Drive North III project during the 447 day delay, an additional $2,137,465.09 in compensation is being paid to the contractor.
The new completion date of Floridian Way is by or before December 21, 2027. So mark your calendars for some sweet, sweet drive-through roadway footage dropping next Christmas!
Floridian Way Construction Photos
Aside from drive-by shots out the car window that don’t really look like much or glimpses from Island Tower (see above), the biggest source of updates on Floridian Way has been aerial photos courtesy of friend of the site bioreconstruct, who graciously provided the construction photos here. These show the re-routed road taking shape pretty nicely!
Let’s start with a high-level establishing shot. Here we can see Magic Kingdom on the left (north), Grand Floridian in the middle (east), plus the Polynesian on the right and TTC just out of the frame (south):
The one roundabout that’ll connect to Cast Member parking is substantially complete, with the two not being nearly as far along. The second roundabout on the south side of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort should commence construction on a roundabout soon.
Below are a few more photos, with the final one highlighting the plot of land where a new hotel could be located between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom. The three photos before that are from last year, but better help contextualize this project, especially the stretch of road that runs to the west of the park.
New Magic Kingdom Park Entrance Hotel?
Infrastructure improvements should receive more fanfare than they do. The improvements made around Walt Disney World property in the last decade or so, especially as the local (off-site) population has exploded, are truly underrated.
These upgrades are largely under the radar because most guests haven’t seen just how bad things could’ve been in an alternative timeline. Well, that’s not entirely true. Go out to Western Way by Coronado Springs and you’ll get a pretty good idea!
This is another needed upgrade and one that will reduce the strain on a section of road that is undersized for modern traffic. In any case, since this project was first announced 5 years ago, most of the fan excitement hasn’t revolved around the road itself. It’s been focused on the possibility of a new Magic Kingdom area resort a short walk from the park entrance.
As you can see from the construction photos, the re-routed Floridian Way will free up a large parcel of land that the current road cuts through that’s to the north of the Grand Floridian (see the middle of the photo above, inside the new and wider roadway).
This would be an extremely convenient location for a hotel within walking distance of Magic Kingdom. This could be a fairly sizable resort complex, likely the size of Lakeshore Lodge depending upon just how suitable all of that land is for construction.
At this point, a new resort being built adjacent to Magic Kingdom is purely speculative. To the best of my knowledge, nothing credible has been rumored in the last ~5 years. It’s all a matter of looking at the plans, which seem to pretty clearly lay the groundwork for a new hotel, and making educated guesses on that basis.
My own speculation leads to similar conclusions. I can’t find any concrete numbers now, but this World Drive North Phase III project in total is likely now well above $100 million. It’s necessary work, but that’s nevertheless a lot to spend on infrastructure alone.
As an old school fan, I salivate at the prospect of Walt Disney World dusting off the plans for the original Seven Seas Lagoon Resorts that were slated for construction until the 1973 Oil Embargo stalled those plans.
It would be really cool to see the Asian, Persian, or Venetian Resorts finally come to fruition on this plot of land. The Persian concept really intrigues me, especially as it would be something totally unlike any other Disney hotel in the world.
The striking blue and white domes and the Mughal architecture would be stunning. The Shah of Iran allegedly offered to fund the project, but after the Iranian Revolution, those plans were abandoned. I do wonder whether Disney would embrace that style of architecture in today’s climate, but it’d be cool.
Alternatively, after seeing Hotel MiraCosta and the venetian gondolas in Tokyo DisneySea, I’d also welcome Disney reviving the Eisner-era plans for the Mediterranean Resort. This is probably all extremely wishful thinking; we’re more likely to get Island Tower 2.0: Bigger & Taller Edition with no real theme to speak of.
We also know that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District 2045 Comprehensive Plan, which provides the basis for future decisions regarding land use, development, conservation and infrastructure, allows for significant hotel expansion.
What caught everyone else’s attention in the 2045 Comprehensive Plan is that the CFTOD approved a fifth major theme park, as well as the plan allows for two more minor theme parks. It also allowed for over 1 million square feet of new office space and 1.7 million square feet of restaurant/retail space.
What caught our attention is the addition of 53,076 hotel rooms. The 2045 Comprehensive Plan is less about what will happen and more about what is now allowed to happen, and from our perspective, hotel expansion is much more likely than new water or theme parks. And that is a lot of hotel rooms!
However, just as we’ve been quick to cast doubts about 5th gate daydreaming, there’s ample reason to question just how much hotel development Walt Disney World can sustain.
Currently, Walt Disney World is once again building Lakeshore Lodge on the shores of Bay Lake between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, which will add the first brand-new hotel to the Magic Kingdom resort area in decades. It follows hot on the heels of Island Tower at the Polynesian and other DVC expansion projects, many of which have not sold out. This probably kicks the can out on a new Magic Kingdom area resort until at least 2030, which is fine, since that’s probably the earliest conceivable opening if the project started as soon as the new Floridian Way opens.
Also on the DVC side is the ticking time bomb of those 2042 contracts expiring. How that will unfold remains to be seen. Will Disney kick the can down the road by extending some of those resorts a la what they’ve already done at Old Key West? Will other resorts be resold? Will some be torn down and replaced by higher efficiency and occupancy towers? It’s unknown how all of that will unfold, but it will undoubtedly impact both supply and demand on the resort side.
Then there are the other rumored and/or speculated projects. Another upcoming infrastructure project we’ll be covering soon raises the possibility of a new resort over by Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, that’s further down the road–if it happens at all.
Over at Walt Disney World’s second gate, Rumors of an in-park hotel at EPCOT have floated around for the last decade, with possible locations outside the front entrance adjacent to the monorail station or backstage between the Living Seas and Land pavilions.
Oh, and that doesn’t even address the other possibility at Magic Kingdom! Once Villains Land is done, its laydown yards will flip a lot of the land to the northwest of Magic Kingdom from “marginally unsuitable” to “marginally suitable” for future development.
That land that could become future park expansion to build out Magic Kingdom even further. It could also be an in-park hotel overlooking Villains Land, a la Fantasy Springs Hotel at Tokyo DisneySea (below). It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the ways the pricey expansion has been sold internally is with a similarly pricey in-park hotel on the backside of Magic Kingdom!
Ultimately, there are a lot of possibilities for future hotels at Walt Disney World. Not all of them are going to be built; to the contrary, most will not. There are only a few certainties at this point.
First, that Lakeshore Lodge is going to be the largest hotel development in over a decade when it opens in 2027. This 10-story resort, 900 room resort will be Walt Disney World’s biggest since Art of Animation or Animal Kingdom Lodge. The existing DVC resorts won’t all be sold out by the time that opens, meaning Walt Disney World might have enough inventory through the early 2030s.
Second, that something needs to be done with the DVC contracts expiring in 2042, and that alone is enough to change the trajectory of whatever happens in the 2030s and 2040s. Finally, that Disney will never be completed; it will continue to grow as long as there are DVC contracts left to sell in the ‘World.
Even with all of that in mind, I would still bet on a new Magic Kingdom resort hotel north of Grand Floridian. It’s just too appetizing of a possibility to pass up, especially as Walt Disney World has spent the last decade shoehorning properties into ‘next best’ parcels.
By contrast, this could be billed as the closest hotel to Magic Kingdom, with an entrance adjacent location and rooms overlooking the park. It probably wouldn’t need (or be able to have) a monorail station, but that wouldn’t matter since it’d be easily within walking distance to the park.
Another positive is that its entrance from the road could be adjacent to the Cast Member parking, meaning this Magic Kingdom park entrance hotel could be built without major additional future roadwork. Those are a lot of upsides for a future flagship hotel that wouldn’t require much infrastructure work. On all those bases, it seems like the most realistic candidate for future hotel expansion at Walt Disney World.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts on the Floridian Way widening and World Drive project as a whole? Think part of the motivation for spending so much money on this is to free space for a park entrance hotel at Magic Kingdom? Any preferred theme you’d like to see for such a flagship resort? Think this is likely or unlikely to be built in the next decade? Agree or disagree with our assessment? If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please post them in the comments. We love hearing from readers!
