Here’s How Disney is Cleaning Up The Park Entrances at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot

“Disney’s Walk Around the World” program was introduced in the 1990s during the Disney Decade as a way to get guests excited about leaving a mark on Walt Disney World with special paver stones that could be customized for $85 and then displayed around the Magic Kingdom. If you’ve ever looked down while walking around the Magic Kingdom entrance or the Disney Ticket and Transportation Center, you’ve probably seen many of the “Disney’s Walk Around the World” pavement stones, which were committed to be on display until 2011.

 

However, though these bricks have been in place for 20+ years, Disney has announced that they are being removed in the very near future, and will all be totally gone before the end of the summer. And since the bricks were not designed to be removed individually, they will not be available for guests take home. Instead, anyone who sponsored a brick may purchase a commemorative version between now and Aug. 31, 2019 for a discounted price by visiting Guest Relations, verifying their information, and receiving a special voucher that allows them to get a special recreation for only $10. Guests who cannot physically get to this location can also email [email protected] or call 407-828-2701 to verify their brick information and get their voucher. 

 

All guests (not just those who originally sponsored a brick in “Disney’s Walk Around the World”) will also be able to purchase a 6” brick ($29.99 plus tax – available now), 8” brick ($49.99 plus tax – available now) and ornament ($24.99 plus tax – on sale soon), all with customization included. These are at Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. (at Magic Kingdom Park) or the Marketplace Co-Op (at Disney Springs), or on shopDisney.com starting this spring.

 Leave a Legacy slabs are removed from Epcot entrance

Image: Disney

Epcot‘s main entrance plaza is also being redesigned with expanded new walkways, new garden areas, a newly reimagined fountain and a design that will pay homage to the original park entrance with fresh takes on classic elements, all of which you can see in the concept art above. 

And because of the expansion of walking areas, the Leave A Legacy photo display will be moving to an unspecified area outside the park’s gateway where the pictures will be displayed without the giant granite slabs that currently house the photos, which is definitely good news and will help free up more space for guests to walk around as they enter this park. 

Many guests have thought the Leave a Legacy slabs were quite the eyesore at the front of the park, and though Disney has to continue to display the Leave a Legacy plaques for some time (the program was discontinued in 2007, and guests paid to have their metal etchings displayed for “at least” 20 years), it looks like Disney will at least be moving this to a less obtrusive area. 

Image: Disney

While guests have loved seeing their names and likenesses at Epcot and the Magic Kingdom over the years, the clutter caused by these commemorative items could no longer be ignored, and Disney’s steps to eliminate these items from their park entrances (while still respecting the initial investment guests put towards them with discounts and relocation) definitely seems like a step in the right direction as the resort continues to evolve in the coming months and years, and will go a long way towards making the entrances of these two parks a lot less cluttered.