7 Remnants of Forgotten Disney World Attractions You Can Still See Today

Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” While Disneyland has indeed continued to grow, change, and evolve over the years, the practice of continuous change and transformation has also taken place at Walt Disney World.

When it comes to attractions, many guests hate to say goodbye. However, it’s not uncommon for attractions to close at Walt Disney World, whether it be to make space for a new project, the result of the attraction’s success, or simply because it ran its course. Even though attractions come and go, these particular attractions have pieces that are left behind and can still be seen today.

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1. Stitch's Great Escape

Stitch’s Great Escape was a family-friendly attraction that focused on the lovable blue alien from the hit movie Lilo & Stitch. This attraction was located in Tomorrowland, across from Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

Stitch’s Great Escape wasn’t the first attraction to take place in this show building. It was originally home to ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, the not-so-family-friendly attraction that traumatized guests by bringing them face-to-face with an escaped alien. In a dark environment, special effects were used to make the alien’s presence extremely lifelike and frightening. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter closed in October of 2003, with plans for Stitch’s Great Escape already underway.

Stitch’s Great Escape was similar to ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter regarding concept and delivery. However, rather than creating a terrifying experience with a scary alien, the attraction was revamped to provide a fun and even comical experience with Stitch, an alien that many fell in love with just a couple of years prior.

Stitch’s Great Escape was in operation from 2004 through 2018, when it was “temporarily closed”. Unfortunately, the attraction never reopened after that temporary closure, and an announcement of its permanent closure was made in 2020.

During the temporary closure, the pre-show area was used as a meet-and-greet location where guests could meet Stitch. However, for years, the building hasn’t been opened for any sort of guest experience. Rumors have circulated about different attractions that may occupy the show building, but no official plans have been announced. The building sits in plain sight of guests visiting Tomorrowland, but it’s simply an empty shell of the alien experiences that once resided there.

2. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is a salon-style location at Walt Disney World that provides royal makeovers for guests ages 3-12. While package options include knight transformations, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is most well-known for its Disney Princess makeovers.

In the past, there were three locations on property where little ones could receive this royal treatment – Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. In 2020, all three locations closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, when the Magic Kingdom location reopened in 2022, the other two locations remained closed. As of today, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney Springs and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa are still labeled as “temporarily closed” with no sign of reopening any time soon.

When visiting Disney Springs or Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, you can still see the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations. Unfortunately, this is a sad reminder for many guests. These two locations were the only ones that guests could visit without purchasing a park ticket. Now, unless a visit to Magic Kingdom is in the plans, these royal makeovers are not an option for little ones.

3. Wonders of Life Pavilion

When visiting EPCOT, you may catch a glimpse of a gold dome and wonder, “What the heck is that?”. You can’t get to it, it’s not listed on the map – so what is it?

In the past, this was known as the Wonders of Life pavilion. This was a pavilion that focused on the human body, health, and fitness. Remember, most EPCOT attractions originally had the goal to educate guests while also entertaining them.

The Wonders of Life pavilion housed attractions such as Body Wars – a motion-simulator ride, Cranium Command – a show about the human brain, and The Making of Me – a family-friendly film about conception, gestation, and birth. The pavilion also had interactive exhibits, such as the Fitness Fairgrounds and Sensory Funhouse.

Many theme park attractions have sponsors that help with funding. The Wonders of Life pavilion was no different, with MetLife being the sponsor of the pavilion. However, in 2001, MetLife ended its sponsorship, which led to the demise of the Wonders of Life pavilion. Multiple attractions ended up closing, no doubt due to the lack of funding that was needed to run, operate, and maintain the upkeep on these attractions. Understandably, attendance started to decline due to a lack of interest in the outdated attractions.

For a few years, the pavilion operated seasonally. However, in 2007, the Wonders of Life pavilion closed permanently. Since then, the pavilion has been used for special occasions, such as the Flower & Garden Festival and the Food & Wine Festival. In 2019, it was announced that a pavilion called PLAY! would be coming to EPCOT and taking the place of the Wonders of Life pavilion. The PLAY! pavilion was set to open in 2021, but never came to be. With no word of the project moving forward, many guests assume that the plans for the PLAY! pavilion was ultimately shelved.

As I mentioned earlier, the gold dome of The Wonders of Life pavilion can still be seen today. However, barricades have been put up around it, and it seems as though Disney is letting trees and other plant life grow up around it to help block the view.

4. Discovery River Boats

From 1998 through 1999, there was a water taxi service that ran along the waters of Animal Kingdom, transporting guests from one side of the park to the other. This “attraction” was called Discovery River Boats. While this boat ride could have been extremely beneficial to guests, aiding them in travel around the park, it left many guests disgruntled.

The issue was that guests expected this boat ride to be similar to Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise. Ultimately, they were expecting a safari-style boat ride where they’d get views of animals along the way. Because of this, exceptionally long lines formed. After waiting for quite some time, finally boarding a boat, and then seeing a minimal number of animals, guests were not thrilled at all.

Disney tried to remove the expectation of the ride by renaming it Discovery River Taxi – emphasizing the fact that it was merely a taxi boat ride and nothing more. Shortly after, Disney tried renaming the ride again, calling it the Radio Disney River Cruise. This version included audio commentary from Radio Disney DJs. However, guests were still not satisfied, and the ride was permanently closed.

The docks where guests loaded and disembarked can still be seen today. The dock that was located in Upcountry Landing, in the Asia portion of the park, was used as a location for character meet-and-greets, but now serves as a location for seating and stroller parking. The dock that was located in Safari Village, now Discovery Island, is called Character Landing. While a variety of characters have been seen meeting guests at this location, it is most well-known for being Moana’s meet-and-greet location.

5. Discovery Island

Currently, there’s a somewhat random island that sits in the middle of Bay Lake. The Walt Disney World water taxis, ferryboats, and fishing excursion boats pass this island daily, but make no stops here. Most guests probably think nothing of this, since it just looks like an overgrown island. However, this island was once a location that guests of Walt Disney World could visit.

Opening in 1974, this location was first known as Treasure Island. The island had a pirate theme, but focused on providing guests with the opportunity to see a variety of wild animals and exotic plant life. Treasure Island, which was later renamed Discovery Island, was mainly home to birds such as macaws, cockatoos, flamingos, toucans, peacocks, pelicans, and cranes. However, there were other animals present, such as turtles and alligators.

Discovery Island closed to the public in 1999, with no official reason given for the closure. However, the opening of Animal Kingdom in 1998 led to a decline in attendance at Discovery Island, making the maintenance costs to keep the island running not worth it.

Within the first couple of months of the island’s closure, all of the animals were moved from Discovery Island to Animal Kingdom. After the animals were moved, the island remained untouched. Disney left the buildings and attractions intact, and they are still there to this day. However, much damage has been sustained due to weather, hurricanes, and the ever-growing plant life.

6. The Skyway

Today, when people think of gondolas at Walt Disney World, they think of the Disney Skyliner. However, there was a gondola system that was an opening day attraction at Magic Kingdom in 1971.

The system transported guests between two Magic Kingdom lands – Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. While often referred to as the Skyway, it technically went by two names – The Skyway to Tomorrowland and The Skyway to Magic Kingdom. This attraction was a one-way flight between the two lands. If you wanted to make a round trip, you’d have to exit the ride and get back in line to go the other direction.

The Skyway closed at Walt Disney World in 1999, with no official reason given. However, many suspect that the high maintenance costs and lowering attendance levels played a large part. Others assume that a Skyway-related incident, which took the life of a Walt Disney World Cast Member a few months prior, had something to do with the closure.

Today, there are two locations where you can see remnants of the Skyway. In Tomorrowland, the lower portion of the multi-story Skyway station still exists and houses the restrooms that are located near Space Mountain. At Disney Springs, in the store called DisneyStyle, you can see one of the Skyway gondolas. It’s hanging from the ceiling, right above the Mad Tea Party teacup photo op.

7. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was one of the original attractions at Magic Kingdom. While not an opening day attraction, it opened up 13 days later on October 14th, 1971. The ride was inspired by the live-action Walt Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and was a re-theme of an already existing Disneyland ride – Submarine Voyage.

During the attraction, guests boarded a submarine that was modeled after the notorious Nautilus and went on an underwater adventure. In actuality, the ride vehicles weren’t real submarines. Rather, they were boats on a guided track that gave guests a view under the surface and, with added effects, the feeling of submersion.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was a popular attraction. However, it was extremely expensive to maintain. The underwater attraction required significant maintenance for both the ride vehicles and the ride system. Additionally, the large lagoon also had its own set of expensive needs for upkeep.

While rides are sometimes deemed worth it when it comes to expensive maintenance, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea required more money than it was able to bring in. Due to the low capacity of the ride vehicles, the length of the ride, and the pace at which it moved, it was physically impossible to move a large number of guests through this attraction in comparison to others.

The ride temporarily closed in 1994, but never reopened. Its permanent closure was announced in 1996. After the closure, the fleet of 12 submarines was removed from the lagoon. In 2004, 10 of these vehicles were sent to a landfill. However, 2 of them were salvaged and sent to Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, where they were sunk in the snorkeling lagoon. 

Over the years, these Nautilus ride vehicles took quite a bit of damage from natural sea life as well as harsh weather, such as hurricanes. Today, only one remains. Those who set sail with Disney Cruise Line and enjoy a stop at Castaway Cay have a wonderful opportunity to take a look at this piece of Walt Disney World history. Check out more details on the Disney Cruise Line snorkeling experience and what other cool Disney things you can see.

First image via D23 and Mickey Visit.

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I've seen changes come and go, and like many seasoned Disney park goers, I've become familiar with the resulting emotional rollercoaster. It can be sad when the company decides to overhaul or even remove a beloved attraction. On the other hand, there are times when it's easy to embrace a much-needed update. Here are ten Disney attractions that have transformed substantially since opening day, for better or worse.

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