Magic Kingdom Photo Report: PeopleMover Problems, Dining Dilemmas, Short Waits, Etc.
Magic Kingdom has now been open for over two full weeks, so it’s time to head back to Walt Disney World’s flagship park to see how things are going after the pent-up demand has been exhausted during what would otherwise be summer vacation season.
This was our first visit to Magic Kingdom following the reopening of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Our main goals were to see how the park had ‘settled’ into operations during this time of temporary abnormal and if more parks being open meant attendance was further diluted or if more tourists and other guests would be present after hearing glowing health safety reports.
In this photo update, we’ll cover that. We’ll also address a range of random topics from around the Magic Kingdom, including the current status of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, Magic Kingdom’s dining dearth, cool new merchandise, walk-on rides, and more. It’s fairly rambling and basically just covers interesting tidbits, illustrative photos (plus ones I like), and other observations.
To that end, we’re not really sure what readers want out of these updates. Is it for vicarious visits to Walt Disney World while you can’t or won’t make the trip yourself? Is it to assess safety, crowd levels, and how the parks ‘feel’ to determine whether you’d feel comfortable going to Walt Disney World? A little of both? Something else?
Normally, we can ascertain this from past comments, but it’s tough to tell. Our reopening reports have been popular, but the why of that is unclear. As such, we’d love feedback so we can tailor these Walt Disney World photo reports to what’s relevant to prevailing interests!
It should go without saying, but we’re not going to do anything that makes us uncomfortable. Sadly and ironically, the things we want to do most at Magic Kingdom are either beyond our risk tolerances–Carousel of Progress & Country Bear Jamboree, dining at Be Our Guest Restaurant & Skipper Canteen–or not currently operational, in the case of the PeopleMover.
Anyway, on with the Magic Kingdom photo report…
Lately, we’ve been arriving late to each park. Usually, we’ll look at the weather forecast to time our visit after or before the summer storms, to the extent that’s possible.
Aside from some brief rain, this day was mostly just overcast. On the plus side, that made the weather cooler and more comfortable.
We did get lucky with a late afternoon break in the clouds, and most of the photos here are from that brief window.
As you can see from the two photos above, Magic Kingdom is still pretty uncrowded.
The ‘paint by numbers’ on the bricks of Cinderella Castle have largely been completed, which means this project is almost done.
A lot of Walt Disney World fans seem to love the new-look Cinderella Castle. I am not one of them, but my opinion isn’t going to change anything here, so I’ll just let those who enjoy it have their fun without my cynicism.
I will say that if you think the new-look Cinderella Castle looks different in virtually every photo, that’s pretty true to life.
They might as well call this Chameleon Castle, because it looks dramatically different in every type of lighting. If you’re seeking the “ideal” look, check it out an hour after sunrise as close as possible to the winter solstice.
Sleepy Hollow is currently the best option for counter service dining in Magic Kingdom due to Columbia Harbour House being closed, Be Our Guest Restaurant not doing its normal lunch, and the toppings bars being dramatically scaled back at Pecos Bill and Cosmic Ray’s.
Don’t get me wrong, I love these waffles and this is a great excuse to switch to an all-waffle diet…but these being the best option for quick service meals in the entire Magic Kingdom is not ideal.
On the plus side, nearly every table service restaurant has a sign out front indicating that seating is available. We dined at Tony’s recently and shared the experience in Tony’s Town Square Restaurant Redemption.
Given the abundant same-day availability, I cannot fathom making an Advance Dining Reservation right now. That flexibility is really nice. We cannot overstate how nice it is to have this much spontaneity when visiting Walt Disney World.
Sticking with the restaurant motif, in response to our 5 Post-Reopening Improvements for Walt Disney World, some commenters reported success in getting water from counter service restaurants. We’ve had recent success at smaller spots in this regard.
However Cosmic Ray’s is the only spot in Magic Kingdom (to our knowledge) with a water bottle refill station. Here, there’s a Cast Member stationed just inside the door lying in wait, ready to shout “WIZARD YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” to anyone who doesn’t have a Mobile Order.
Liki Tikis and other water features are turned off (no spitting Aladdin camel), which is easier for photos.
I hope water play areas can return at some point in the near future, but if not, maybe they could receive some other type of interactivity? (Dancing lights corresponding with their drumbeat would be cool once Magic Kingdom open after sunset.)
Moving on to attractions…we didn’t do any because we instead spent 5.75 hours waving at the Country Bears.
Some might argue that this was a waste of time, but we’ll get the last laugh when the bear insurrection finally happens. We’ve made our alliances known–how will you handle our new oso overlords?!
Joking aside, we were only able to wave at bears for about 30 minutes before their set ended. After that, it was off to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
This was about a ~10 minute wait–the longest line of the day.
Pirates of the Caribbean was a walk-on.
While other aspects of the current Walt Disney World experience might be surreal or eerie, I absolutely love walking through empty standby queues. There’s so much you miss when these are full of people, and the empty queues have a ‘heightened senses’ kind of vibe.
Haunted Mansion was also a walk-on.
The lack of a pause between the front door and the load area is the oddest part of this. (I’m also probably used to the Disneyland version, where there is more physical distance–plus an elevator.)
Space Mountain was yet another walk-on.
This was the eeriest attraction experience of the day, and it gave new meaning to “in space, no one can hear you scream.” The ride was totally silent for some reason (well, aside from the creaking of the track), which I guess fits if you’re looking for a dead atmosphere that reinforces the vastness and vacuum of space. Still fun.
Sticking in Tomorrowland, we’ll take a look at some new-to-us merchandise.
I absolutely love the color choices of this new line, especially the t-shirt. I would love a light blue dad hat with the old Walt Disney World logo in lime green text.
I’m not entirely sure this stuff is new, but it’s also cool.
There have been a lot of cool PeopleMover shirts of late, but the slogans on them are always too cheesy for even my cheesy tastes.
Until this one!
I love everything about it–the design, material, and colors. Will probably pick it up before that 30% off merchandise discount expires.
Speaking of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover, it’s still down. As you might recall, it has been down since about a week before Magic Kingdom closed back in March.
Sarah asks about this every time we visit, and she’s received a range of different explanations. Distilling those into something consistent, it seems like Disney is awaiting new motors or parts of some sort, and the reason for the delay is a supply chain issue or factory closure. The timeline for this ranges from a few days until several months.
We are perhaps overly apprehensive about all things PeopleMover, especially after what happened at Disneyland. Losing this attraction would be a huge blow for Magic Kingdom.
However, we believe Walt Disney World management knows this. At no point in recent memory have we heard any credible rumors about the PeopleMover being replaced or retired. To the contrary, we’ve been “reminded” that more Magic Kingdom guests do the PeopleMover than any other attraction, and as such, improvements are more likely than anything.
I haven’t the slightest inkling as to what, if anything, that means in the current environment. From a ‘wishful thinking’ perspective, now (or whenever the parts arrive) seems like the perfect time to take the PeopleMover down for long-overdue maintenance, plussing, and a new on-ride spiel. Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary may not offer as much as previously planned, but that’d be a pleasant surprise.
Elsewhere in Tomorrowland, the place-making project has stalled (see above). We still expect this to resume and finish in time for the debut of TRON Lightcycle Run, whenever that might happen.
“THE NEW CASTLE COLORS DO NOT LOOK BETTER, THEY ARE A CARTOONISH OVERCORRECTION THAT DIDN’T EVEN ACCOUNT FOR FLORIDA WEATHER. PLUS THEY DRAINED MY FAVORITE FLOATIN’ SPOT FOR THIS FOOLISHNESS. LEMME BREAK IT DOWN FOR YOU IN 2,000 QUACKS.”
“SIR, THIS IS A WENDY’S.”
Our original plan was to stick around as the Hub and Main Street cleared out, but there was a “huge” crowd–the biggest of the day, by far–still there at 7:30 pm. That makes sense given the early closing time, but with an ugly sunset coupled with more rain in the forecast, we decided to bounce to beat the storm.
Ultimately, it was another good visit to Magic Kingdom. Mask compliance and guest observance of rules remained high–around 98%, which leaves Epcot as the outlier for obvious reasons. Wait times and crowds were short or non-existent. Magic Kingdom has the strongest and most well-rounded attraction lineup of any park at Walt Disney World, but even it doesn’t require a full day right now.
It currently reminds us of a daytime version of Disney After Hours, which is great for guests who want to max out their ride count. We’d personally like to see a bit more balance–even some new snacks would really help improve the overall experience–but it’s really hard to complain about the current experience. Walt Disney World continues to do an exceptional job from a safety perspective, and we’re really savoring these visits, as we’re unlikely to ever experience anything like this ever again (hopefully!). It’s the one silver lining for us amidst…literally everything else…happening in the real world.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Have you visited Magic Kingdom since the park reopened? What was your experience? What would you like to see covered in these park photo reports? Are you eagerly awaiting your next vacation ‘escape’ to Walt Disney World, or still apprehensive about everything going on right now? Do you have any questions about the current modified Magic Kingdom experience? Will you be attempting to visit Walt Disney World this summer or fall, or are you waiting until 2021 or beyond? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Being from California, I 90% read to live vicariously since we will not be traveling to Florida anytime soon and 10% to gauge how Disneyland might me when it eventually opens. (As an annual passholder I would rather it be closed longer since the clock starts on our pass once open and I expect more demand then in WDW so not sure we will be ready to go back)
Curious as to why Carousel of Progress and Country Bears are beyond your comfort levels. Are they sitting people too closely ? Is it that there is not enough air flow?
My husband and I are considering a fall trip, and love hearing updates on all things safety and mask compliance! That’s the only way we’ll go, is if things at WDW stay similar to how they are now (except temperature, that can go down). One thing I haven’t really seen mentioned, at least not in any detail, is the availability of carryout meals at resorts. My husband and I, much like you and Sarah, will not be dining indoors during the pandemic. However, it would be great to pick up meals from places like Whispering Canyon, Beaches and Cream, or Grand Floridian Cafe, and take them outside to eat. Wondering if you’ve had any carryout experience, and if it’s even possible!
Tom… we visited Disney from July 12th-19th. Words and pictures do not do justice the how AMAZING our visit was. We could not stop saying “This is surreal”. We are big Disney fans, and have been annual passholders since we were married in 1994. Living 2 hours away also makes it easy for us to go for weekends about 8 times a year then one full week for a bigger vacation. That being said… we have even used Disney as a shelter during hurricanes. And even then the parks were filled more than now (of course they closed the day of the actual hurricane, I mean the day after they cleaned up). Lol!! We are like many frequent Disney visitors who have a plan of how they will maneuver the park. Of course the fast pass generally directs where we will be at a certain time of the day. But we may be in tomorrowland and find out that haunted mansion’s queue has significantly reduced and we will head that way. That is how we normally do Disney. But during this trip, things were extremely different. We literally just followed the path of the park and rode each ride we passed. Even the rides we tend to skip b/c we don’t want to waste time Like we actually rode the Goofy Rollercoaster twice back to back. They literally asked if we wanted to ride again b/c nobody else was in line! There was no need to rush to another land because the a fast pass was about to expire. We Just relaxed and enjoy the leisure stroll!! I will say… we are like you and Sarah… we only ate outside and thought we would have to miss the Haunted Mansion b/c we were not going to be in an inclosef room with “no windows and no doors”. But as you know, we just walked through. Even in the rides that we did have to wait up to 20 minutes, EVERYONE was following the social distance markers. Before our visit, we had not ventured out of our home much , except for necessary reasons , b/c even though masks are mandated where we live, many people don’t abide. I tell everyone that I felt safer in Disney than I do in my supermarket at home. The only place we decided not to hang too much at was Disney Springs. Since we we’re staying in Saratoga springs, we would walk over at night to pick up some food and bring it back to our resort. I did feel social distancing was more difficult there,. However I will say that the earlier we went, the easier it was to social distance. All in all… we feel blessed to have enjoyed Disney World during this time and are so thankful to all the cast members (we even wore “thank you cast members” shirts) b/c without them there is no Disney!! We will remember this trip forever!!
Hi Tom (& Sarah)! I agree with the other comments. I read your blog posts as a means of escape/ living vicariously and also to see how Walt Disney World is managing in COVID-19 times. I am in Maryland and have to pace my family’s visits to WDW due to budget. I love your posts and the pictures. It brings me joy and makes my day! Thank you!
I love your posts for a variety of reasons, depending on what craziness is going on outside the Disney bubble. Lately just to live vicariously and frankly love your sense of humor. I counted 5 times I laughed out loud in this current post. The world needs to laugh more- so thank you!
Thanks for the post!! Was this today? I love reading all your updates, but crowd size and safety is what I’m really looking for right now!
Personally, I’ve got a trip planned with my husband, parents and two daughters (4 and 1) planned for the week after Labor Day. We visit once every two or three years, and had this trip booked back in January (renting DVC points). I read because I’ve been reading for years and years, and I trust your judgement about safety and how to best and most safely enjoy the parks in these weird times more than I trust anyone else. So keep up the tips and the honesty about what feels right and what doesn’t.
I come for the photos! I love, love, love your viewpoint on so many of the photos you post, and I especially love the ones where there are few, if any, people in the shot. I also use your blog as a reference point to keep up with what’s going on in one of my favorite places on the planet. Thank you both for letting me live vicariously through you.
I agree with the people that commented on giving us an escape from reality right now. Every day I look forward to your blogs not only for your writing but for your pictures as well. I miss the people watching and I would like it if you took some photos Of people in the parks. Such as people watching the country bears up on the roof.
Thanks for the report. I’m not sure whether I like these for living vicariously, torturing myself/being jealous that I can’t go, or seeing the safety protocols. But I do enjoy reading them.
As to the castle colors – I do think that the new color scheme looks lovely. I just think that the non-pink color scheme looks far lovelier. (Supposedly, Cinderella castle was inspired in part the castles of the Loire. That look in the Loire is going strong after 500 years, I don’t think WDW needed to change at 50.)
I think as far as ‘what do we want’ from u guys… other then pictures of various desserts. 🙂
I’m still planning on a mid-December trip so I’m looking for updates and your invites on what’s not there and realities as they go along so I can set expectations or decide it’s truly a rip off to come in from out of state with so much of the experience not happening.
So, for example, your blogs tell me that what we love – millions of rides and a family empty park like the special event nights – are a huge positive for us so far if this holds out and Disney doesn’t just shutter the park due to losing so much running the empty for months. So I’ll be disappointed if we show up in mid-December and it’s back up to the long lines and all.
Or another example – we lived in China 5 years and LOVE the world pavilion areas and ‘real Chinese’ and other nationalities. But it seems like Epcot’s not gonna be that and with the construction not even sure it’s worth a day there vs going to universal or something.
Thanks for all you’ve written so far, very helpful.
I agree with bill every day I look forward to your new posts and as they said it’s like you’re really there snitch provides great Escape of these times. I would enjoy seeing a picture of the people looking at the country bears up on the balcony. Even though everyone is in a mask I still enjoy people. I asked the question in your previous post in the comments about my friends are now cast members down in Florida and you did not respond as soon you can’t comment on something like that?
Agreed! I love these reports to live vicariously through you and Sarah, plus to follow how the parks are doing in general crowds,etc. keep up the great work!!
I read these articles for several reasons. We have a trip planned for October and it will be a first trip for my sister’s family who include two kids age 11 and 9. I watch your blog to see if I think they will get the true magical experience of a first trip or if I need to reschedule it. I also read your blog to see your beautiful pictures of my favorite place on earth while I can’t be there. Thank you for your blog posts of the current views in the parks!
Great post Tom. I enjoy reading these as it is so interesting to read a first hand account of how the parks are operating during this time. I also enjoy the Country Bear humor. 🙂
We have a trip planned for late September and these updates are good to read. It helps us get an idea of what to expect and to help keep realistic versions of what kind of magic to expect. We know the trip will be different than any other we have taken, which is why it is still a go for us. Thanks for the updates 🙂
I live about 40 minutes away and like your trip reports for 1) your amazing photography 2) to see if you’re seeing what we are. Also with the deaths on such a rise in Orange County we weren’t sure if we should come back. We have decided to visit this Thursday, not sure if good idea or not but your trip report helps a little. Hopefully we have a similar experience to you. Question: When we visited MK last we felt pretty good except at the exit. A lot of bottlenecking, especially at TTC end where the monorails and the ferries were emptying into a pretty tight spot to get back to the parking lot. Did you experience this at all?
Thank you so much for your updates and thoughtful commentary! I still have a 10 day trip in October on the books (booked in June 2019…feels like another universe at this point), and I’ve been reading each of your posts for all the reasons you mentioned – living vicariously, safety checks, and seeing if what is operational is worth the trip (especially if we cut it shorter to a few days). I’m curious how kids are managing at the parks, especially younger ones (we have a 3 year old). Are there just none at the parks at this point? Are they struggling with the masks and with keeping their distance from people/things? It would be wonderful to get a sense of how families are doing!
I wanted one of those peoplemover shirts when we went in Feb, but all they had was small and medium at the 2 shops that had them (I asked). I ended up ordering a 2xl from shop Disney, even though I’m drowning in it, but medium would have been to small.
Regarding the Peoplemover: It’s obvious that there are persistent maintenance issues with this ride. We’re APs that visited 3 or 4 times a week before March (we cannot and will not go currently due to health risks in our family and out of consideration for cast members who do not have much of a choice in working right now). Nearly every time we went, there were issues with the Peoplemover, usually low-speed collisions between trains that resulted in the ride being evacuated. This happened to us twice in one week. There was a fire (well, lots of smoke) on the (lowercase) peoplemover ramp that brings you up to the loading platform recently, as well as often dozens of individual cars that were roped off and skipped loading. Clearly something is up, but I’m not sure what. It might just be age of the attraction as well as increased use recently. There’s always a considerable wait in line for the thing now. They might be having trouble sourcing parts. It might be Pressler-style cinching of the maintenance belt (not a good look, but this is just speculation). Not sure, but clearly it’s something. I wouldn’t ride it again until it got a serious overhaul, and it’s one of my favorites.
Hope everyone is safe and healthy out there, if you choose to go.
Tom! Since you asked, I read these trip reports to live vicariously through you and Sarah, as I won’t be traveling from Philly to WDW until this virus is contained. I love seeing your pics and reading your reports. Your perspective is always appreciated and you make me laugh and I always feel like I’m in the parks just a little bit, so thank you! Stay safe!
Amen from Brazil to your comment.
@Bill I totally concur! Tom’s style of writing, excellent I might add, the bonus of making me laugh and the huge bonus of living vicariously through him. @Tom Bricker keep it going, it’s healthy for all of us going stir crazy!
I agree totally. However, I’m also curious as to how mitigation and park rides, etc. ate working out.
Ditto. From NJ. Keep the gorgeous photos and the hilarious and intelligent commentary coming. A bright spot each day in a nightmare world. Much appreciated.
Me too! We can’t go, so we look at your photos!
that duck picture needs to be a meme.
Hahaha, I could think of several subtitles!
Tom,
Most of the time I read your reports for updates and advice, as I’m at WDW a few times a year. Now, I’m watching and reading, because I have a trip planned in mid September, after one cancellation and one delay. Your posts sealed the “let’s go back” deal for us. In spite of how the rest of Florida is behaving, I think I’ll feel safer at Disney than at today’s trip to the dentist. Thanks for keeping us updated and, as always, the pictures are awesome.