Credit: rickpilot_2000, FlickrDays after announcing a lengthy refurbishment project, Walt Disney World Resort has demolished part of the Tomorrowland area at Magic Kingdom Park.
Earlier this week, Walt Disney World Resort updated its website to reveal that the Cool Ship drink stand, hosted by Coca-Cola, is “temporarily closed for refurbishment and is expected to reopen later this year.” Construction walls appeared around the stand, blocking Magic Kingdom Park guests from accessing the area.
Just days later, Cool Ship disappeared from Tomorrowland. An anonymous Reddit user shared a photo taken from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, above the construction walls. The image appeared to show that the entire stand had been dismantled, including the large fiberglass rocketship that had long decorated the roof.
Cool Ship in Tomorrowland has been demolished
Cool Ship in Tomorrowland has been demolished
by inWaltDisneyWorld
In the comments, many Disney Parks fans expressed concern that Cool Ship would eventually return without the fiberglass ship, which not many guests know is a repurposed prop from the film Flight of the Navigator (1986). Before Walt Disney Imagineers moved it to the Tomorrowland drink stand, the prop sat on the defunct Studio Backlot Tour attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
“I really hope they preserved that ship,” u/CoffeeJedi wrote. “… It’s a real piece of Disney movie and theme park history.”
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t announced an exact reopening date for Cool Ship beyond “later this year.” It’s unclear whether the drink stand will look the same when it comes back, or serve the same Coca-Cola products, slushes, Mickey ice cream bars, and other menu items.
This is one of many ongoing refurbishment projects around Tomorrowland. Earlier this year, the Astro Orbiter shut down, and a crane removed the entire attraction for offsite refurbishment. The crane recently returned to Magic Kingdom Park to reinstall the ride, which is expected to reopen sometime this summer.
In August 2025, the nearby Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin attraction will close for a lengthy refurbishment and modernization. Walt Disney Imagineers will install improved blasters, more sensitive targets, and other refreshed elements, including an animatronic robot host named Buddy. The reimagined Toy Story (1995) attraction is expected to reopen sometime in 2026.
Have you noticed any other construction projects at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!