Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom Closing

[TiggerBouncy]

That's a shame. I can understand a temporary closure because many of the portals are blocked by lines. But it was a fun game. One thing that always irritated me about SotMK was that you had to do them in a particular order. I always wanted them to reprogram it so you can take the portals in any order and can skip some. Like something to do when you are around an area, not something I had to plan around.

So maybe it may come back after a refurb. Remember that they replaced Kim Possible with Agent P. They have the assets in the park now so it's easy to reprogram the portals and make a new one.

 

[yulilin3]

That's a shame. I can understand a temporary closure because many of the portals are blocked by lines. But it was a fun game. One thing that always irritated me about SotMK was that you had to do them in a particular order. I always wanted them to reprogram it so you can take the portals in any order and can skip some. Like something to do when you are around an area, not something I had to plan around.

So maybe it may come back after a refurb. Remember that they replaced Kim Possible with Agent P. They have the assets in the park now so it's easy to reprogram the portals and make a new one.

It's being retired. Not coming back

 

[samsteele]

A shame. I played this at least 2 or 3x each trip. Loved the artwork on the collectible cards and esp the Halloween Party limited card. Was my go to unique WDW activity after they put an end to vinylmation trading.

While everything changes, seems to be a trend in the parks to drop the fun, traditional extras that made WDW special and just double down on tech attractions that require few CMs. While covid clearly is responsible for the temporary (only temporary, I hope) loss of our incredible live shows like Festival of the Lion King, is the future really just about staring at our phones? Most of us are stuck staring at screens for most of our work day. On vacation, it was a nice break to be a kid again and not be glued to a device. Another loss.

 

[5Tulips]

Ugh. We were thinking about going to MK for one day during our “resort only” stay. I figured if the ride lines are long we would just play Scorers. The kids love it. It doesn’t seem like a huge overhead cost. It would be nice if they left it in place for folks who need a break standing in lines.

 

[Jrobo]

Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

oh man!
I'll be there at the end of Jan on my birthday right after they close this.
I was so looking forward to playing with all my cards!

i love this game and so do my kids.
Sad news.

rip
SOTMK

 

[jen7233]

We've enjoyed that. We didn't do it on our last and most recent December visit, now wish we had.

 

[revdon64]

The more I think about this, the more steamed I get about it. Most of their projects are on hold, and all they do is remove stuff. All while not removing their hands from our pockets. C'mon Disney... do better.

 

[Lilylogan]

We were there in early dec and on main st waiting about 30mins for silhouettes and probably had 10 people walk by and do SOTMK next to us- seemed very popular.

 

[Chris Ehlers]

I just read that sorcerers is closing. Anyone know anything. I am going on 1/11 & 1/15. Will it bw open or closed?

if youre going to be there this will help you play the game a little bit better

 

[Chris Ehlers]

If yall as mad as we are over this make sure you complain!!!!! Twitter is the best way because it is a public complaint for all to see and email they can just delete

 

[wilbret]

They aren't planning to replace it. They think every person should just have a smart phone, kids included, apparently.
This was a great distraction for days when lines were long, or if you just want to do something different. Our kids loved it. It wasn't very advanced, but it was fun, and forced you to go from land to land.

Not many people may have been using it, but all those people will now be additional bodies in queues, stores, restaurant lines... etc.

I am thinking about cramming in one more trip this month, I guess we will go for nostalgia sake.

 

[cdoc29]

If yall as mad as we are over this make sure you complain!!!!! Twitter is the best way because it is a public complaint for all to see and email they can just delete

Here was my letter to Disney

"I am writing to express my disappointment in your closing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. We scheduled 8 nights for our trip next month so we could spend an extra day at the Magic Kingdom playing SOTMK. Now I have to break the news to my 9 year old autistic son that we won't be able to play the game as it was a favorite activity of his and he worked very hard to collect a complete deck through trading cards by mail before we returned next month. My hope is you are developing something better but in the meantime please know that you will have a very disappointed family (and 9 year old) visiting next month. Thank you for taking the time to read this."

Here is the response

"Thank you for your e-mail to the Walt Disney World® Resort. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us.

We are sorry for the disappointments you mentioned in your e-mail. It is our goal to create magical memories and exceed the expectations of our Guests during each and every interaction that you have with us. Please be assured that we have shared your comments with our leadership team, along with the appropriate management, as feedback such as yours is taken very seriously.

Once again, thank you for contacting us. We sincerely hope that we will have an opportunity to entertain you soon.

If you have any other questions or challenges, please do not hesitate to contact us by calling us at 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639) or by chatting with us in the Help Center of the Walt Disney World® website (only available on the US site). Cast Members will be happy to assist you further.

Sincerely,

Treasure
eCommerce Sales and Service Team"

I don't how serious they will take it but I do encourage people to let them know you are upset. Just be nice when you write, it make the decision much easier for them to dismiss when people yell at them through email or social media. Also I would not be surprised if they read this board as it is one of the larger ones out there.

 

[Chris Ehlers]

Here was my letter to Disney

"I am writing to express my disappointment in your closing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. We scheduled 8 nights for our trip next month so we could spend an extra day at the Magic Kingdom playing SOTMK. Now I have to break the news to my 9 year old autistic son that we won't be able to play the game as it was a favorite activity of his and he worked very hard to collect a complete deck through trading cards by mail before we returned next month. My hope is you are developing something better but in the meantime please know that you will have a very disappointed family (and 9 year old) visiting next month. Thank you for taking the time to read this."

Here is the response

"Thank you for your e-mail to the Walt Disney World® Resort. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us.

We are sorry for the disappointments you mentioned in your e-mail. It is our goal to create magical memories and exceed the expectations of our Guests during each and every interaction that you have with us. Please be assured that we have shared your comments with our leadership team, along with the appropriate management, as feedback such as yours is taken very seriously.

Once again, thank you for contacting us. We sincerely hope that we will have an opportunity to entertain you soon.

If you have any other questions or challenges, please do not hesitate to contact us by calling us at 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639) or by chatting with us in the Help Center of the Walt Disney World® website (only available on the US site). Cast Members will be happy to assist you further.

Sincerely,

Treasure
eCommerce Sales and Service Team"

I don't how serious they will take it but I do encourage people to let them know you are upset. Just be nice when you write, it make the decision much easier for them to dismiss when people yell at them through email or social media. Also I would not be surprised if they read this board as it is one of the larger ones out there.

Awesome! Its a generic respose but still works if we over load the mail box.........Twitter works with real responses

 

[cdoc29]

Awesome! Its a generic respose but still works if we over load the mail box.........Twitter works with real responses

HashTag #saveSOTMK

 

[ford91exploder]

This is sad but not unexpected for Disney management is always looking for a few pennies to tack onto the earnings report.

Especially with so many major attractions offline and virtually non-existent streetmosphere. Now is the absolute WRONG time to discontinue another entertainment option and especially one that's very popular with guests,

I've played it a few times and it was a new and fun way to experience the Magic Kingdom.

 

[ford91exploder]

A shame. I played this at least 2 or 3x each trip. Loved the artwork on the collectible cards and esp the Halloween Party limited card. Was my go to unique WDW activity after they put an end to vinylmation trading.

While everything changes, seems to be a trend in the parks to drop the fun, traditional extras that made WDW special and just double down on tech attractions that require few CMs. While covid clearly is responsible for the temporary (only temporary, I hope) loss of our incredible live shows like Festival of the Lion King, is the future really just about staring at our phones? Most of us are stuck staring at screens for most of our work day. On vacation, it was a nice break to be a kid again and not be glued to a device. Another loss.

If Disney thinks that people will spend thousands of dollars to stare at their phones all day I suspect they will have a unpleasant surprise. At the office I'm tied to my phone answering emails and alerts from both humans and machines. I Ain't gonna pay to stare at a phone, I get PAID for that.

 

[MrsPete]

Disappointing but not entirely surprising. The article I read said usage was down

Even so, they've already invested the money in developing the game ... it can't cost much (in terms of money or manpower) to keep it running.

We here on this board know about it, but I wonder how many visitors in general are aware of it.

Folks who are into it, have you ever been to MagiQuest? They have one at Myrtle Beach, and they have a smaller version in the Great Wolf Lodges. My kids were INSANE for it when they were younger.

 

[jennab]

We are so sad about this too . My son has been talking about surprising other kids with his extra cards at our next trip, as he met some people who gave him some when we started out. It was something nice we could do as a family, at our own pace, and not be staring at our phones. I also sent an email today letting them know how disappointed we are.

 

[Paul70]

My family and I were really bummed to hear this news this morning. SoMK made for great memories for me and my boys over the years. It was one of those activities I'd brag about to people new to Disney or asked what was special about going to Disney. Lots of theme parks have great rides. SoMK added a layer of activity to the immersive experience of being at the park. The game succeeded in giving you the feeling of being on a secret mission within the park's world as seemingly unremarkable windows magically transformed into portals. Without exception, every time my boys and I played, someone unfamiliar to the game would be wowed and ask how to do it (and would be shocked to hear it was free!). I remember my first trip to WDW, playing this game, thinking, "I love being here!" and "This is like nowhere else!" And playing something similar on a phone would be a pale substitute. Part of the reason I go on any vacation is to get my kids the heck off devices. SoMK had the imagineering genius of combining cool new tech (even if it is a little older, now) with the timeless retro appeal of collecting cards. A day of of our Disney planning would be spent laying out our collection on the dining room table to select that trip's deck. I know there are other examples, but SoMK definitely was an experience that made me feel like Disney is different from an IP-based thrillpark. High profile rides bring people in, but in my opinion, it's the in-between magic of activities like SoMK that make you want to come back again and again.

 

[Paul70]

Here was my letter to Disney

"I am writing to express my disappointment in your closing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. We scheduled 8 nights for our trip next month so we could spend an extra day at the Magic Kingdom playing SOTMK. Now I have to break the news to my 9 year old autistic son that we won't be able to play the game as it was a favorite activity of his and he worked very hard to collect a complete deck through trading cards by mail before we returned next month. My hope is you are developing something better but in the meantime please know that you will have a very disappointed family (and 9 year old) visiting next month. Thank you for taking the time to read this."

Here is the response

"Thank you for your e-mail to the Walt Disney World® Resort. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us.

We are sorry for the disappointments you mentioned in your e-mail. It is our goal to create magical memories and exceed the expectations of our Guests during each and every interaction that you have with us. Please be assured that we have shared your comments with our leadership team, along with the appropriate management, as feedback such as yours is taken very seriously.

Once again, thank you for contacting us. We sincerely hope that we will have an opportunity to entertain you soon.

If you have any other questions or challenges, please do not hesitate to contact us by calling us at 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639) or by chatting with us in the Help Center of the Walt Disney World® website (only available on the US site). Cast Members will be happy to assist you further.

Sincerely,

Treasure
eCommerce Sales and Service Team"

I don't how serious they will take it but I do encourage people to let them know you are upset. Just be nice when you write, it make the decision much easier for them to dismiss when people yell at them through email or social media. Also I would not be surprised if they read this board as it is one of the larger ones out there.

What address did you write to?