The American Idol Experience at Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, was originally closing its doors in January 2015. But now, the Orlando Sentinel has confirmed, the date has been moved up to August 3oth.
The attraction opened in 2009, allowing park guests to audition in front of fellow guests to compete for a golden ticket. Winning ticket holders were able to skip the line at the next audition cattle call. Several Top 10 American Idol contestants, including Aaron Kelly (S9) and Majesty Rose (S13) nabbed golden tickets at the attraction.
Opening day had brought all seven Idol winners onto the same stage at the same time. It was the first and only time, in Idol history, that every champ would be together on one stage. Appearances at the Experience to tape greetings for and perform at the attraction were a nice payday for the Top 5.
American Idol Experience Closing in August
At the time the closing was announced, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment released a joint statement that said:
Our partnership with FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment has been a great addition to the park and we are very appreciative of the amazing cast and guests who have devoted their time and talent to make this experience special and memorable. We are incredibly proud of the more than 2,000 Dream Tickets that have given guests a chance to live their very own Cinderella story and audition for ‘American Idol’. This past season alone, three of the Top 13 contestants were originally discovered through The American Idol Experience and we expect the attraction to continue providing top contestants for ‘American Idol’ XIV in the coming year.
Attendance must be pretty terrible at the attraction that Disney decided to close it before the holiday season.
If you want to go to the attraction, or maybe even audition. Time is running out. You have 15 days to get yourself to Orlando.
