The Disney Dream (Literally!)

It is something that we have all probably done sometime in our Disney lives: have a Disney dream while you’re sleeping.

Sometimes, the dream is you in a strange hybrid Disney movie with real life mixed in. Sometimes it’s a dream derived from something at the Disney Parks. And in other ways it’s just a crazy mixed-up dream with a little Disney thrown in.

I had an incredibly vivid dream a couple of weeks ago that took place in Walt Disney World and featured some interesting new ideas that came out of the subconscious of my mind. But when I woke up and thought them through, I was thinking of ways those features in my dream could actually work in the parks.

I am going to tell you my Disney dream, and explain how some of those thoughts could be implemented in a Disney Park.

The Dream: A street show

I was in Magic Kingdom park with my family. We were touring around the back of Adventureland, when suddenly we found a large crowd forming around a street show. The street show featured cast members in pirate garb and jungle camo doing a show for everyone. People were brought from the crowd to perform in the show, which had magic involved.

The Reality: An integrated street show

Often when we go to the parks, the areas are split up, and there isn’t any mixing of genres. This was important to Walt Disney, who was annoyed when he saw a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland back in Disneyland. He vowed in his next park – Walt Disney World – he would make this problem disappear. Thus, the use of the utilidors.

I am not talking about integration that extreme. I don’t want to have an astronaut to have a show in Fantasyland. But what I would love to see is some mingling of genres within their land. It would be fun to see a pirate have a sparring match with a skipper in Adventureland, or watch a show in Epcot featuring two cast members of different nationalities conversing with each other about how they celebrate a holiday. We almost get this already with the Cinderella’s castle stage shows and Fantasmic! to a certain degree.

The Dream: A smaller show with dinner!

My family was ushered from the big group into a building where another show was taking place. I do remember being separated at this time: my dad and brothers went to an Adventureland show, while my sister, mom, and I went to a Fantasyland show. Don’t ask me why we were separated by gender; it was just a dream.

Following the show, we were ushered into a private dining area, with a table that only held about 20 people. We were served food that was appropriate for the show that we just watched. The food was probably delicious.

The Reality: Dinner and a show in the park

The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is a great dinner theater show found in Fort Wilderness. To get there, though, people are required to get to Fort Wilderness, which might seem insurmountable for some people.

Unlike places like the Be Our Guest Restaurant or Cinderella’s Royal Table, where you meet-and-greet with characters and then eat, why not have a stage show before or after the dinner? Logistically this would be a nightmare for table turnover, but a small show would probably bring in big bucks for people who want that personal experience.

It could even be more like what Epcot offers during the Candlelight Processional: dinner at a nearby table service restaurant followed by a small show in another location in the same park. Can you imagine what would happen if that “Villains in the tavern moaning about their failures” idea ever flew? I would be on the phone right away to see that dinner show!

The Dream: No kids in sight

It might be because I don’t have any kids of my own, but after the outdoor show, the dinner and show inside the building was kid-free.

The Reality: Adult-only feature…in the park

There are a few adult-only experiences for guests outside of the four parks in Walt Disney World, but very few things for only adults inside the park. It doesn’t have to be something mature – that doesn’t seem to be Disney’s thing. However, a secluded area with something for people 18 and over would be a pretty relaxing idea. They have it on the Disney Cruise Line – why not have it for a Disney Park?

The Dream: Cast members galore

Not only were there lots cast members in the shows, but there were tons of cast members for the dining portion! For every three or four people there was a cast member waiting on them. Most of them stayed perfectly in character while helping out the guests.

The Reality: Cast members galore

The beauty of this “reality” is that there are often many cast members aiding guests in attractions, dining, and more. Yes, there are times when it seems like there is only one cast member working with a long queue of guests, but most of the time Disney stays on top of the guest-cast member ratio. Hopefully it stays that way.

My dream ideas probably won’t be used in the parks any time soon. But it is still fun to take some time and think outside the Disney box for ways to help innovate and improve the parks!

Have you ever had a Disney dream? Have you ever been inspired by something – dream or reality – that you wish Disney would implement into its parks? Do you think all my ideas are hogwash? Comment below!