River Country, which debuted at Walt Disney World in 1976, is one of the most fascinating relics of the resort’s past. Left partially standing in a perpetual state of disrepair, this abandoned water park has hasn’t seen guests for more than a decade and a half, and has become something of a cult symbol of the lost Walt Disney World of days gone by.
However, though this park’s past is fascinating to read about, something may actually be happening at this long-abandoned site in the near future. And that something begins with the mysterious Project 89.
A new permit surfaces online
Image: Reedy Creek
WDWMagic reported earlier this week that permits have been filed related to a mysterious project known only by the number 89. These permits show that Disney is planning on making some geotechnical borings, which are typically a pre-construction measure that evaluates the suitability of land ahead of major construction, near the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, right next to where the abandoned River Country Water Park still stands.
Interestingly, nothing about what kind of construction could be planned is contained in the permits, and with such an ambiguous name, there is no way to know for sure what Disney could be planning for this land. However, we have one very big idea…
Another Magic Kingdom resort could be in the works
Right now it isn’t known what kind of project this speculative work is being done in preparation for, but we have a pretty good guess: a new Magic Kingdom hotel. With expansions already in the works at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (in the form of the new DVC Riviera Resort building), plus construction set to begin soon on an immersive Star Wars themed hotel (potentially inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios), there is no shortage of new rooms coming to the resort in the next few years.
However, with Star Wars Land on the horizon plus new attractions coming to Epcot and the Magic Kingdom in 2021 and beyond, Disney is likely hoping to seriously grow the amount of people coming to its parks, and by extension, staying at its hotels. Which is where this development could come in. Though Disney hotels are being built near Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot, the last major construction project around the Magic Kingdom was the Bay Lake Tower, which opened in 2009.
If we had to guess, this new project will be a hybrid DVC resort (similar to the Contemporary) and will potentially be another “tower” style hotel that will maximize the amount of rooms able to be built on this (relatively) small land parcel. Though rumors swirled about a “Buffalo Junction” resort that was DVC-exclusive nearly a decade ago, that project never materialized, and Disney will likely be starting fresh with this potential new property, should it be greenlit.
When could we learn more about this project?
Though the idea of a new hotel at the Magic Kingdom certainly seems like an exciting prospect, it is important to remember that this project is just getting started, and Disney is simply doing preliminary work to see whether the land in this area is viable for a massive construction undertaking.
However, if they do find that the land could support such a project, we’d expect work to begin very soon with an announcement possibly as early as 2019. Though Disney has something of a reputation when it comes to spinning its wheels with big projects, because increasing hotel inventory is going to be so vital to the resort in the near future, we’d expect this to get a fast greenlight with a quick construction timeline that could potentially coincide with the projected 2021 opening of the Tron roller coaster.
Image: Disney
While there is a lot we still don’t know about Project 89, it is certainly interesting that Disney is finally planning on doing something with the remains of River Country, which have been deteriorating for so long. Perhaps even if this project doesn’t go forward, Disney will finally get around to demolishing the abandoned slides, pools, and more that have been left standing for so long.
What do you think about this potential project? Would you like to see another hotel built next to the Magic Kingdom? Let us know your thoughts below!
