October 25, 2016Update: On November 4th 2016 Disney was approved by the FAA to fly drones for entertainment purposes within Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort.
Remember the Disney drone patent that was revealed over two years ago? At that time it was revealed that Disney had filed for “entertainment drones” to do a synchronized projection show. We finally have some information coming our way about the projection drones that so many were curious about.
This news comes our way because once testing begins guests are going to notice it. One drone sounds like a swarm of angry bees. Can you imagine how a swarm of drones sounds? Guests staying in Saratoga Springs may be in for a surprise in late October or early November. Do take that with a grain of salt because we know how Rivers of Light has turned out so far.
This news isn’t surprising since nearly every part of Disney except for Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs is covered by a No Fly Zone. Disney has tried to appeal the No Fly Zone for their own drones but so far has been unsuccessful in doing so. Commercial use of drones is still up in the air in Orlando. If anyone can get clearance to fly drones it would probably be Disney since it’s their own property.
The show is being tested at Disney Springs and will be deployed as a holiday themed projection show. Each drone will carry a projector and a downward facing screen. We’ve received no notice of how the drones will launch and how they will land. We’re assuming they will perform over the water at Disney Springs since guest safety is always a top concern for Disney.
This news will bring a nighttime show to Disney Springs which is a first for the area. Disney recently started a A Princess Royal Reception at World of Disney inside Disney Springs. This shows that Disney is more than invested in bringing guests to the newly reimagined area.
We’re excited to see something as unique as a drone show come to Walt Disney World. Hopefully it does come to fruition since Disney has had troubles hitting the mark with deadlines and the introduction of new entertainment. We’ll see if this comes to fruition because unless the testing goes off with out a hitch they may miss the holiday season.
