Disneyland Makes Surprising Move to Remove Popular Seating Area Two Months After Debut

We didn't expect to see this one today. Previously, we shared that Disneyland was closing a Disneyland shop to turn it into a seating area, and we guessed, eventually, an extended queue for Pirates of the Caribbean.

Well, now we have an update on this location and some potential reasons Disney may be making this change.

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Disneyland Removing Seating Area Less Than Two Months After Debut

In late April 2025, Disney shared that the Port Royal Curios and Curiosities shop was closing for the creation of a new seating area while plans were formalized for the future of the space with guest comfort in mind. The seating area was always going to be temporary, but I didn't expect it to be turned back into a shop.

We assumed that this meant that the space would become part of an extended Pirates of the Caribbean queue to improve guest flow in New Orleans Square. You can see in the map below how close the Port Royal location is to the Pirates queue. It is also located right next to the Royal Street Veranda and provided perfect seating for that restaurant during this period.

The new space came together almost overnight. The seating area debuted to lots of positive comments and sentiment though some did comment they really liked the Haunted Mansion-themed shop that was here previously. Here was a look at a photo of the new seating area. The shop was renamed to the Port Royal Jazz Club as the seating area.

And the interior.

Our Instagram reel showing off the new space was shared thousands of times with people commenting on how nice it was to have extra seating space in this area.

 

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Some suggested that the space could even become a new kind of Pirates of the Caribbean Bar in line with the new pirates bar coming to Magic Kingdom.

Today, we got the surprising alert that this space seems to be transforming back into a retail location. In photos shared today by @DisneyScoopGuy, it looks like Cast Members are actively setting up a shop in this location. Those who were missing the shop will be pleased.

The Port Royal Curious and Curiosities shop, which was converted from a shop into additional seating for Royal Street Veranda, is being converted back into a shop at Disneyland today https://t.co/6yjBe3yrhg pic.twitter.com/J4LF6FKzUg

— Matt Desmond (@DisneyScoopGuy) July 2, 2025

The photos show what looks like the same Haunted Mansion merchandise being moved back into the space.

This was almost a laughable surprise. I couldn't believe they were switching back this quickly. We have no real sense of why this change is happening, but it has us wondering about a couple of possible factors. Generally, though, this entire project has been a positive sign that Disneyland is trying new things and that the operations team has the flexibility to try something to make the guest experience better.

Perhaps the Pirates of the Caribbean extended queue would only have happened at Disneyland if they had kept Lightning Lane on the attraction. That offering was just removed from Pirates, so maybe the thought is that crowds here will decrease.

Perhaps there was a dramatic drop in merchandise sales with the closing of this location and the merchandise team won over the operations teams that had wanted to use this space for seating or a queue.

Perhaps this space was not being used enough as a seating area and the decision was made that the utilization as a shop would be better.

Perhaps the new Disneyland President, Thomas Mazloum, had different priorities for the space than the previous Disneyland President. The initial plan to create the seating area could have been in the works before Ken Potrock left the resort.

I am really at a loss for what else this could be due to. Please comment if you have any thoughts on why this space is switching back to a retail location.

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