Frontierland Shootin' Arcade at Magic Kingdom rumored to close, new DVC Lounge to take its place

Apr 02, 2024 in "Frontierland Shootin' Arcade"

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Posted: Tuesday April 2, 2024 9:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The Frontierland Shootin' Arcade at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is expected to permanently close this summer to make way for a new Disney Vacation Club Member Lounge.

Frontierland Shootin' Arcade

Disney announced in early January that construction on a brand-new Disney Vacation Club Member Lounge in an unspecified location will begin in 2024 at Walt Disney World. Disney said the new lounge "will be a great place for members to relax and recharge during their day of fun!"

Disney has yet to publicly announce the closure of the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade or provide details of its replacement.

Frontierland Shootin' Arcade free play

The Frontierland Shootin' Arcade was previously expected to close in 2021 when its operating hours were dropped from the calendar and a switch of the arcade into a free play mode. That turned out to be a false alarm, and the arcade continued to operate as normal.

It seems this time however, plans are set, and the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade's time at Magic Kingdom will come to an end pending Disney's announcement.

In addition to the possibility of a new DVC lounge, a number of changes are in store for Frontierland, including the new Country Bears Musical Jamboree opening this summer, and a likely retheme of Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe into a Princess and the Frog tie-in with the nearby Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

Disney recently said in a post on its official blog, "Hold your horses, we're not done yet. We have a lot of growth and investment planned for our theme parks in the coming years and look forward to sharing more announcements about Frontierland … so y'all come back now, ya hear?"

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HauntedPirateDec 04, 2024

Not to mention unskilled/entry level workers demanding, and often getting, at least $15/hr as a starting wage. But anyway... I'm still opposed to the shooting gallery being replaced by a DVC lounge.

rle4lunchDec 04, 2024

Don't forget about Union workers getting huge pay increases the last few years, even though the work isn't getting any tougher due to automation. You keep increasing wages, prices will continue to go up and up.

HauntedPirateDec 03, 2024

Because airlines subscribe to the same customer theories that Bob does - If you can charge them for something, do it. If you can charge them more, even better. I used to work for a major US airline and whilst I wasn’t involved in the business side, we heard enough as IT people to know they were constantly looking for ways to upcharge passengers and reduce offerings to those unwilling to pay. Then Covid hit, and the ensuing inflation and fall out from Covid, and here we are. Airfare that was $250 in 2019 is now $450. Why? 🤷‍♂️

nickysDec 03, 2024

So if the price of technology has dropped, why are the latest top of the range cars more expensive than they were a decade ago? But OK, let’s use the price of a holiday as an example, including air fare. Or a house. Or just flights. Our flights from the UK to Orlando in 2010 were less than £400 pp return. Same flights in 2022 was over £800. In 2010 we got free drinks throughout the flight and two meals. In 2022 it was one meal, a drink with the meal and a snack. And everyone knows you should never factor in DVC benefits into the decision to buy.

HauntedPirateDec 03, 2024

We bought into SSR in 2005 at $95/point (we got an $8/point discount, bring it down to $87/point). Current rates are $225-ish per point. I can also say that according to Birnbaum's, in 2005, the Peak rate for a room at AKL was $445/night, and as near as I can figure, a standard view, non-discounted room at AKL this year during a Peak time (week before Christmas, so not holiday pricing) is $780/night. So DVC per point prices have increased roughly 140%, whereas standard cash room prices have increased 75%. DVC rooms haven't gotten bigger, the amenities haven't gotten better than they were in 2005, but the per-point prices have outpaced cash room prices by nearly double. Resale is an entirely different discussion, with the limitations Disney has imposed. And while I know what you're getting at, you can't compare the price increases related to cars (which are mostly technology-based these days, and comparable technology prices drop over time) with a vacation destination, it's a very apples-to-oranges comparison. :) Also, if you want to throw in benefits? You and I know we used to get a discount on APs, whereas there is no discount anymore. Have they moved back to hard kitchen goods in studios or are they still doing the disposable plates, cups, and silverware? (That's actually an honest question, I haven't stayed in a studio in forever)

nickysDec 03, 2024

Usually though such posts simply state that “DVC is not worth it, blah, blah”. No mention of current price points, no mention of resale. Such posts also often add such opinions along the lines of “it’s all a waste of money”; “you are part of the problem”; “buying DVC only encourages them to build more” and so on. And rarely do the posters admit to being owners themselves. They may have bought years ago but I’m willing to bet that at the time there were similar detractors who thought the price wasn’t worth it. They also ignore the fact that the current price point relative to the current cash room prices is possibly no worse than it was 5, 10, 15 years ago. Instead the posters are comparing the current prices to the prices paid by themselves 10+ years ago. Try doing the same comparison between the price of a high end car now to 10 years ago. Is the car worth the current price?

HauntedPirateDec 03, 2024

THAT is what many people have said and have tried to explain for a few years, and get yelled at, shouted down, called "haters", "complainers", et al.

tissandtullyDec 03, 2024

Yeah, I know DVC gets treated as some sort of rich people thing, but it's really not? Some people just decided to spend their money that way. I will say I'm glad I got in when I did cause I don't think the value is there now at current price points unless you get it on one of the huge deals when they are desperate to make their sales goals.

nickysNov 30, 2024

It used to annoy me far more because I thought it painted us all in a hypocritical light. Now I just do this more 🙄 (and to myself) and scroll past.

nickysNov 30, 2024

They could relocate them from Fort Langholm (RIP) used to aim at Big Thunder riders. Then we can take aim at the guests outside …. 😉

Haymarket2008Nov 29, 2024

Getting rid of the shooting gallery for this is incredibly silly. That being said….this is probably the most genuine Frontierland themed addition coming to the MK in a long time. The fact that the company is razing gorgeous landscapes and slapping googly eyes on cars while this space is hidden behind a paywall is…..telling.

Fido ChuckwagonNov 29, 2024

There are people (like me) who think TIana’s is decent in it’s own right, and a good attraction. But better than Splash? No, I think you would really struggle to find people who have that opinion.