Activity on the most prized piece of land at Walt Disney World sparks renewed interest in the resurgence of another Magic Kingdom area resort

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Activity on the potential Magic Kingdom area monorail resort site

Posted: Friday July 9, 2021 10:09am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

A simple barrier and fence installed this week on the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon has sparked a lot of interest this week with the possibility that Disney may once again be exploring building on perhaps the most valuable piece of unbuilt land at Disney World.

Activity on the potential Magic Kingdom area monorail resort site

The site is well known to Disney history fans as the location of what was to be the Venetian Resort and then later the Mediterranean Resort.

Venetian Resort shown on pre-1971 concept art

With its waterside Seven Seas Lagoon position on the monorail line, the site is very close to the Magic Kingdom, complete with the all-important views of the park and its nightly firework shows.

Activity on the potential Magic Kingdom area monorail resort site

Despite appearing to be an ideal location for a new ultra-deluxe Disney resort, the project has never made it past the planning stage for various reasons.

Location of the area shown in green

Economic factors have been suggested as being the hotel's downfall, along with difficulty in building on the area. Disney attempted some trial construction on the site in the past, with disappointing results.

With Disney's upcoming Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser resort set open in 2022, could Disney be eyeing up another premium boutique resort at Walt Disney World?

December 2019 Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser concept art

What we can see so far is clearly not enough to make any predictions, and if Disney is indeed looking at developing this site again, it is in the very early stages. No permits have been filed at this point, which is usually the first indicator of a new significant development, even if it is just for ground test borings. Nevertheless, fans will be watching this area closely over the coming months.

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lewiscDec 03, 2021

Lightning Expre$$ entrance for ferry

SirwalterraleighDec 03, 2021

Wait a second…did people actually think they were building a new hotel? After not being able to move what they have at their prices for at least 10 years? oh that’s rich 🤣

MisterPenguinDec 03, 2021

Cheaper than a new ferry.

castlecake2.0Dec 03, 2021

That seems to be it

wdwmagicDec 03, 2021

Was this all for this? https://www.wdwmagic.com/transportation/ferry-boats/news/03dec2021-magic-kingdom-ferry-boat-second-upper-level-ferry-boat-access-gangway-prepped-for-installation.htm

hosekillerJul 16, 2021

I don’t know speeds of either incident. But after seeing more pictures on Facebook of the I-16 incident, it was a large dump truck, not what you would routinely see around town, and it ended up being loaded with large tires. It was a heck of a hit for sure!

GimpYancIentJul 16, 2021

How fast was the truck estimated to be traveling? Even an unloaded dump truck can be a massive force when at speed.

aladdin2007Jul 16, 2021

FjordTunnelVenture to replace frozen ever after....:)

homerdanceJul 16, 2021

Problem solved. Floating tunnel in the lake. https://www.borntoengineer.com/norway-pioneers-first-floating-underwater-tunnels

hosekillerJul 16, 2021

I’d guess the dump truck was a mechanical failure of some sort, or a failure to lock the dump bed if that’s a thing. Completely different situation than the monorail guard though. For what it’s worth, I’d bet the monorail guard would likely catch MOST issues where it’s set up….a vac boom for example, wouldn’t likely be traveling very fast on a dirt path. On the flip side, the underpass that is hit several times a year where I live had similar “guards”, but they didn’t accomplish a thing. People just plowed right through them before nailing the bridge 🤦🏻‍♂️

EeyoreFan#24Jul 16, 2021

I was just sharing because it was semi related to the beam discussion, although a guard probably wouldn’t have helped much there. That’s what got me, I’ve seen some truck vs bridge collisions like this before, but can’t recall the truck winning, as least not this much.

hosekillerJul 16, 2021

We have a low overpass that supports a couple of train tracks, and it’s hit several times a year. Slap a new beam in there and call it a day. We had a bridge over an interstate struck by a dump truck a few years ago where I live, looks like the same thing that happened on I-16. We only had cosmetic damage though, it was a much wider roadway. Crazy how the I-16 bridge shifted after being hit by an unloaded dump truck.