Orlando International Airport’s second Magic of Disney store (in the Main Terminal East Hall) officially opened to guests today, replacing Disney’s EarPort which closed back in July.
The two airport shops now share the same name. That’s not going to confuse anyone or anything.
The grand opening moment was documented by Disney… and us.
The focal point of the exterior is a 36-foot-long video screen showing scenes from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The video wall replaces the Mickey statue with the four theme park icons that welcomed guests for many years.
You can watch the entire loop on the giant screen in our video below:
Besides the screen, guests are greeted by a cold, grey wall.
Let’s head inside, shall we?
The “Passport Collection” Mickey compass leads the way.
The walls feature faux-wood paneling with Mickey icons.
Woodgrain, white, and grey make up the color palette of the various store displays.
Illuminated graphics highlight various merchandise lines.
The EarPort wasn’t the prettiest store, but it certainly had character. This looks more like a very average mall shop, but then again, so do most of the stores at Walt Disney World now, so they’re preparing guests for sterile shopping when they arrive.
More art like the display behind the registers would have been nice.
A large screen shows various Walt Disney World imagery inside the shop.
The various store remodeling projects of the Chapek regime (i.e. World of Disney, Keystone Clothiers, Star Traders) are from a belief that it is hard for guests to find merchandise in shops “cluttered” with story, theme, and character. Muted colors allow the merchandise to “pop”, but in hindsight I hope someone will realize it is the anthesis of what a Disney theme park experience is supposed to be.
You can shop for merchandise at your local mall, Disney Parks are not malls. Theme park merchandise sales are not suddenly going to skyrocket because you made a store mostly white. Maybe you should stop developing generic items and using low-quality materials to improve your sales? I know this isn’t meant to be an editorial, but perusing through these images just makes me more and more upset about the current state of the shops.
Here’s a full video walking tour of the new store:
For reference, here’s what the store looked like before its remodeling:
And if you’re feeling particularly nostalgic, here’s a video walkthrough of the old Magic of Disney store:
What do you think of the new Magic of Disney store that has replaced Disney’s EarPort? Do you miss the old, over-the-top store displays, or do you appreciate the cleaner look? Let us know in the comments!
