- General: 600-Millionth Guest -
On June
24, 1998
- Studios: Superstar
TV
- This audience participation attraction closed in the fall
of 1998, to be replaced by the new attraction Doug Live in February 1999.
- Magic Kingdom: Central
Plaza-Cinderella's Castle
- In the
fall of 1998 Cinderella Castle's lighting system was upgraded to illuminate
it in any of 16 million colors. This capability is used during the Fantasy
is the Sky and as the park closes each night.
- Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland-Buzz
Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
- Housed in the space formerly occupied
by Take Flight, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin opened October 7, 1998.
This is the first interactive dark ride at the Magic Kingdom. The formerly
sedate ride vehicles have been replaced with rotating XP-37 Space Cruisers
armed with laser cannons you can use to help Buzz defeat the evil Zurg.
- Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland-Mr.
Toad's Wild Ride
- The venerable Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, dating from
the park's opening in 1971, closed for the last time on September 8, 1998.
It will be replaced by a Winnie-the-Pooh adventure.
- Studios: Fantasmic
- The attraction Fantasmic, based on the attraction of the same name at Disneyland,
opened in October 1998 in back of the Tower of Terror. This 25-minute nighttime
show, which is 50 percent different than the show at Disneyland, tells Disney's
classic stories using costumed characters, lasers, pyrotechnics, floating
stages, boats, and movies projected onto water curtains.
- Magic Kingdom: Frontierland-Pecos
Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café
- This
Frontierland fast-food eatery reopened in the spring of 1998 following a complete
remodeling. Now air conditioned, over 75% of the seating is indoors. Six themed
dining areas include Pecos Bill memorabilia mounted on the walls.
- EPCOT: Future World-Ice Station Cool
- Ice Station Cool, located next to the Fountainview Café in Epcot East/West,
opened in the spring of 1998. Perfect
on a hot day, you walk into a frigid arctic environment where you can sample
tastes of exotic soda flavors from around the world.
- Recreation: Downtown Disney-West End: DisneyQuest
- DisneyQuest is the first in a national chain of interactive entertainment
centers, Disney style. It opened in the West End area of Downtown Disney on
June 19, 1998. Packed with four floors of high-tech, interactive virtual adventures,
this isn't your momma's video game arcade! You can paddle a raft down a virtual
river, design a roller coaster and then ride it in a 360 degree simulator,
and much more. And when you get hungry, visit the Cheesecake Factory counters
located on both the third and fourth levels. The original ticketing system
of buying cards with points which you used up on each adventure was replaced
on November 11, 1998 with an all day unlimited ticket.
- Recreation: Downtown Disney-Pleasure Island: BET
Soundstage Club (formerly the Neon Armadillo)
- The BET Soundstage
Club, offering rhythm, blues, jazz, soul, and hip-hop consistent with the
programming of the BET Cable Network, opened June 10, 1998 at the site of
the former Neon Armadillo Country & Western Club. The amenities include an
expanded dance floor, an outdoor terrace, and a Caribbean-style finger food
menu.
- Recreation: Downtown Disney-Pleasure Island: Wildhorse
Saloon (formerly the Fireworks Factory)
- Country & Western moves
from the recently closed Neon Armadillo to the Wildhorse Saloon, which opened
on May 30, 1998 on the former site of the Fireworks Factory restaurant. This
is a combined entertainment and food service establishment, featuring live
performances by rising country artists and a menu that includes house-smoked
barbecue ribs and chicken, steaks, entree salads, and home-baked desserts.
Wildhorse Saloon is managed by Levy Restaurants, which owns and operates the
adjacent Portobello Yacht Club and Fulton's restaurants.
- Studios: Animation
Tour
- The newly expanded Disney Orlando Animation Studio opened
on May 25, 1998. The new "Magic of Disney Animation" tour includes an expanded
viewing area where you are able to meet Disney animation artists and see the
ongoing work on a future animated release.
- Animal Kingdom
- The fourth and newest
of Walt Disney World's major theme parks, Disney World's Animal Kingdom, opened
April 22, 1998. Park hours are 7:00 AM until 8:00 PM. Two of the three major
"lands" (Africa & DinoLand U.S.A.) opened on this date, with Asia opening
in early 1999.
- General: Security
- Uniformed police
started patrolling Walt Disney World for the first time in April of 1998.
They may be seen in all areas except the four major parks, where Disney will
continue to rely exclusively on their own private security personnel (aka
the Mickey Mouse police).
- EPCOT: Future World-Epcot East/West
-
The Future World section of Epcot was renamed Epcot East/West in April of
1998.
- Transportation: Water Mice
- The venerable
water sprites, which have plied the waters of the Seven Seas Lagoon, Bay Lake,
Lake Buena Vista, and other waterways for years, were replaced in the Spring
of 1998 with a newer model called the Water Mouse. The new model can tool
along at 20 mph.
- Recreation: Typhoon Lagoon
- Staring
in March 1998 Lagoona Gator, Typhoon Lagoon's new mascot, began hosting surfing
clinics that are held before the park's regular opening time.
- Magic Kingdom: Adventureland-The
Enchanted Tiki Room
- This attraction reopened in late March 1998
after being closed for seven months. Extensively refurbished and updated,
the show blends the original cast of characters with the newer Disney birds
Iago, from "Aladdin," and Zazu, from "The Lion King." The new show features
several new choreographed musical numbers in addition to some of the original
music. New special effects have been added, including Uh Oa, the tiki goddess
of disaster, who rises up from the center of the room in a blast of green
vapor to thwart Iago's plan to completely revise the show.
- Recreation: All Star Cafe
- The All Star Cafe opened at Disney's Wide World of Sports on February
26, 1998.
- Recreation: Downtown Disney-Marketplace-Ghirardelli
Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop
- The Downtown Disney Ghirardelli
Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop opened January 1998.
- Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland-Take
Flight
- This attraction closed in early January 1998 for extensive
refurbishment. It is expected to reopen late 1998 with a Buzz Lightyear theme.
- Recreation: Downtown Disney-Marketplace: McDonald's
Restaurant
- The Downtown Disney Marketplace McDonald's Restaurant
opened early January 1998.
- Recreation: Downtown Disney-Pleasure Island: Neon
Armadillo
- The Neon Armadillo Country & Western Club closed in
early January 1998 to be transformed into the BET Soundstage Club, which will
offer rhythm, blues, jazz, soul, and hip-hop.
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