Recent Disney Springs Permit Tied to Removal of Drone Show Fencing

Sep 04, 2025 in "Disney Springs"

Posted: Thursday September 4, 2025 10:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Update: The recently filed Notice of Commencement at Disney Springs is for the removal of the previously installed fencing, not the installation of new fencing. This means the permit is not tied to any upcoming projects, such as a potential drone show return or the construction of Level99.

The original article appears below for reference.

Disney Springs saw a new Notice of Commencement filed this week, detailing plans to install 870 feet of six-foot fencing and five gates in the parking lot behind Cirque, with Jim William Fence Company assigned to the project.

What makes this notable is the match to an earlier permit filed in April 2024 - same contractor, same fence dimensions and location - which later became the launch area for 800 drones that made up the Disney Dreams That Soar show.

Disney Dreams that Soar Show

Drone Show Possibility

Disney Dreams That Soar was a major draw during its limited run in 2024 from May 24 through September 2, 2024, with large-scale drone formations over Lake Buena Vista celebrating Disney characters and stories. While hugely popular with guests, the show was considered difficult to manage at Disney Springs. Walkways became heavily congested during the show, parking lots were gridlocked afterward, and a large number of Cast Members were required for crowd control.

Because of those operational challenges, many thought the drone show would not return. Still, this new permit raises the possibility that Disney could be preparing to stage drones again in some form, perhaps for the holiday season? Disney has not made any announcement about the return of the show for 2025.

Disney Dreams that Soar Show

Level99 Construction Prep

Another possible explanation is that the fenced area could be used for construction staging related to the upcoming Level99 venue.

Level99 Overview

In February 2025, Disney confirmed that Level99 will open its first Florida location and largest venue yet at Disney Springs, taking over the 45,000-square-foot former NBA Experience building, vacant since 2021. The interactive entertainment space will feature:

60+ challenge rooms mixing physical and mental tasks
Arena duels for competitive play
A two-story bar with craft cocktails and local beers
A kitchen serving chef-driven food, including Detroit-style pizza

The venue is designed to handle up to 1,000 players at once, combining gameplay, themed spaces, and dining. No opening date has been announced.

Level99 Overview

What's Next

At this point, it's unclear if the new fencing will support a return of drone entertainment, mark the start of work for Level99, or something else. Stay tuned.

Discuss on the Forums

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SteveAZeeSep 05, 2025

I'm sorry, but I have that copyrighted for my drone enemas.

TheMaxReboSep 05, 2025

Good point - if I wasn't going for the show I would definitely skedaddle out of there earlier

DisneyHead123Sep 05, 2025

Yeah my guess (100% just a guess) is that places selling small items like drinks and snacks, in addition to those with drone show packages, did well. The rest I have no idea, but I can see the massive crowds actually scaring off would be diners.

TheMaxReboSep 05, 2025

I think it would be hard to argue that it kept more people at DS later - but like you said that doesn't mean they bought more food or merch than they would have otherwise We did do the viewing spots at Summerhouse on the Lake so I think they definitely saw an uptick from it - but some place on the other side of DS might have seen less business Definitely seems like any benefit wasn't worth the operational challenges

DisneyHead123Sep 05, 2025

I was reading a post on Disney Tourist Blog today where Tom Bricker speculated that restaurants with drone show packages may have seen different results than other restaurants. Others may have suffered from the fact that crazy crowds and traffic might have kept away people who just wanted to head out for a meal. (No guarantee that people who want to see a drone show also want to eat dinner, after all.)

mattpetoSep 04, 2025

I’d like to hear your source on that. Just had someone tell me the opposite.

TheMaxReboSep 04, 2025

I thought Dreams that Soar was a fun little show - I did enjoy the music which probably helped ... But it was a show that did not require entrance admission cost - if it was the nighttime spectacular at MK it would have been, um, not sufficient

Vinnie MacSep 04, 2025

It needs to complement a show it's boring as its own thing. As maybe a little extra bit of night entertainment in the same way the Electrical Water Pageant isn't a full entertainment offering but it's something cute and whimsical you might accidentally come by.

MisterPenguinSep 04, 2025

It's beginning to look a lot like grinchmas.

𝐌𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖓 𝐖𝖊𝖇Sep 04, 2025

That's a show with drones. Not a drone show. Lasers, fireworks and protection doing the heavy-lifting. The drones themselves are the low point.

WDWLover#1Sep 04, 2025

I would have to disagree - I'm a local of DLP and seeing what they've been able to do has been fantastic over the years. The latest firework show there, Tales of Magic, is fantastic, as is the Electrical Sky Parade which I wish would come back.

invaderSep 04, 2025

Have you seen Tales of Magic?

djkidkazSep 04, 2025

The drone show had little to no impact on guest spending. It ended up being a logistical nightmare with little to no benefit. Many of the restaurants are either breaking even or are up from last year.

WorldExplorerSep 04, 2025

Also, you can see this from Epcot, and while seeing fireworks from another park is typically pretty neat, it ruins the dramatic tone of Luminous when there's a little Launchpad head bobbing up and down in the background.