At the D23 Expo, Josh D’Amaro announced two new lounges coming to Walt Disney World. The first, in Magic Kingdom, is a Pirates of the Caribbean themed lounge first announced last year. The second was a brand new lounge with a new Spaceship Earth theme. In this post, we’ll share the news and details before adding our commentary in the coming days. First, the news!

New Lounge Inspired by Spaceship Earth

For over 40 years, Spaceship Earth has welcomed visitors to EPCOT as a shining beacon of optimism and hope. This just-announced lounge is inspired by the stories, shapes, and enduring legacy of this timeless icon. Taking inspiration from the geometric sphere, the zen space for families to gather and enjoy refreshments will be draped with rich textures and warm metallic tones, giving it a mysterious and elegant intimacy.

Updates to Tavern Themed to Pirates of the Caribbean

Set course for the Magic Kingdom! First announced at Destination D23 last year, this rambunctious watering hole will offer a welcoming haven for all pirate-kind, big and small, and everyone in between. Here, bandits and buccaneers-to-be from every corner of the seven seas are welcome to join together and raise a toast to the pirate life! In the newly released artwork, X marks the spot for a sea-worthy selection of grogs and grub inside this tavern location coming to Magic Kingdom Park.

Both spaces will welcome their first guests in 2025.

Commentary

Hey, cool! New lounges! The Pirates of the Caribbean lounge is an interesting addition to Magic Kingdom, albeit one that we already knew about. Magic Kingdom doesn’t really have a lounge yet, and this addition should give the park more hangout space. That’s a need, albeit one that I’m not totally convinced this addition will fill.

As for Epcot, the Spaceship Earth lounge looks really cool! It will be a better use of the space than what was there and should offer some nice views of the park. Hopefully there will be some detailed touches and tribute payed to the iconic ride the lounge will be underneath. Adding another common space that looks like Connections but is slightly more exclusive won’t do the park any good.

This and Test Track being the only updates/announcement for Epcot is curious. After the large redo of the front of the park, it really does feel like Disney has put up the mission accomplished banner. That’s a shame if it’s true. The space formerly known as Future World has a half baked feel. Some of that area is nice enough and a few of the attractions are definitely winners. But there’s also some extremely puzzling places and shortcuts taken on theme and design.

It’s probably premature to say that they’re done. I’m sure Epcot will evolve over the next decade. But after taking on such a big project, I can’t help but feel that they’re somewhat giving up on it. Some of the legacy of this transformation will have to wait for the years to come to see what happens next. Lounges will be a fun addition but likely won’t move the needle much.

Are you excited for the new lounges? Let us know, along with any thoughts you might have, in the comments below! If you are planning a trip to Disney World, then check out our planning guide. Looking for discount Walt Disney World tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. You can do all of that on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!