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!
I was at Disney in early December, 2019 and hope to return around the same time in 2021. I enjoy reading the updates and seeing the photos of what Disney looks like now. I agree that the castle colors are atrocious.
I enjoy reading all of your various posts. Partly because we don’t get to Disney parks annually, but also because I feel like you are inside my head…the thoughts, the reasoning, the manner of speech. I’ll read whatever you post, but you could just do a series like the duck portion of this post, and I would thoroughly enjoy it. Gave me. Good giggle!
Hi
My Disney does not include turning an iconic castle purple.!!!
My disney does not include covid masks on guests or cast members.!!!!!
My Disney does not include upgrades that are not endearing to guests or the creation of memories.!!!!
I am now planning to live vicariously through your wonderful posts and remember the good times when Disney was Walt’s.. Disney
I follow your blog even when we aren’t planning a trip, but more so now with what is going on, in order to assess if it is “worth the risk” to do a trip…..and also to live vicariously through your trips.
We pulled the plug on what would have been our first trip to Universal Orlando next week (true, different park, same general location) back when the pandemic was raging in our neck of the woods back in March and April, and are hoping to reschedule it for April 2021 (while our self proclaimed “Potter geek” will still be 11 years old).
For now, hoping everyone visiting and living in the Orlando area and Florida stays safe and healthy. My sister who lives about half an hour from the parks has to work remotely from home now, as somebody in her office contracted Covid and potentially exposed the rest of the people in the office for the couple of days she was in the office before getting symptoms and a positive test
I love reading your reports due to the humor and amazing photos. Keep them coming as they fuel my vicarious trips to Disney! I’m not planning on going anytime this year but I like knowing about the current situation. I derive a ridiculous amount of joy from Disney planning, even if my next trip is most likely delayed for at least a year.
“Oso overlords?” HAHAHA You are killing me, bro!
Our last trip was in March/April of 2018. My wife and I were scheduled to take an adults-only trip in May, which was obviously canceled. I don’t know when we’ll be able to go back, but when I mentioned the emptiness of the parks to my wife she said “let’s go!” I don’t think I can do it, being we would be traveling from Illinois, so I’ll continue to read your blogs to live vicariously through you. And hopefully, in the next year or so, things will be better and we’ll be able to get back to the parks. I hate to say it, but I actually long for the crowds – something magical is missing when MK looks like a ghost town.
Why does being from Illinois keep you from going? We livein Illinois and are going in sept ( our May trip, which became our July trip , then sept). I know you have the self quarantine when you return from Florida, but only if you live in Chicago. Maybe you live in Chicago?
Your blog is invaluable to us, both in terms of assessing risk for our December 2020 trip and being able to live vicariously through you and Sarah. We won’t make any decisions until November probably (and ultimately the decision might be made for us with the whole border closure thing). We are resigned to the fact that we won’t likely be coming in December but read your posts for a nice bit of escapism. More ducks!
I follow your blog for the witty commentary and spectacular photos which I screenshot and use for inspiration. I tried to duplicate your castle photo shot from under the arch. Let’s just say I need lots of practice! But it was fun trying.
As a DVC member, I’m never more than 4-6 months away from my next trip in “normal” times. I visited in early February, had my May trip cancelled and just returned from 4 days at the BoardWalk. I’m from MA, but flew out of RI. Today is day 1 of quarantine.
I have some observations and experiences that may be helpful to others. Both Southwest flights were well below capacity. 40 out of 143 seats filled outbound and 44 on return flight. I didn’t see anyone accept water or pretzels so I assume masks were worn 100% of the flight. At Orlando airport there were more dining options at gates than the food court before going through security. At Magical Express I was told wait for bus could be 90 minutes. It ended up being 10. Return trip to airport still has pickup 3 hours before flight which means I had 2+ hours to kill. Both Disney airport stores were closed. Universal was open. I asked if I could extend checkout time by 45 minutes to avoid putting luggage in storage but was declined.
This trip was different, but still magical. Eight other family members cancelled so I was a solo traveler. My BW room number ended in 71, the year MK opened. When I opened the door, the balcony curtains were open and straight ahead I saw the American flag waving. It was a beautiful sight and makes we wonder if placement was purposeful. I admired that view overlooking the entrance each morning while having breakfast on the balcony.
I think the bus stop situation at the resort could be improved. On past visits, there would be a cast member greeting guests. Not so this trip. There were distance ground markers that were perpendicular to the benches. All parks share the same bus stop. There was confusion because the bus marquee was nonfunctional and bus driver couldn’t be heard over sound of running bus. Disney should really utilize the bus drop off in front of the (unused) conference center and post a cast member at the stop at least during early morning rush. I changed my AK park reservation to a second day at Studios specifically to avoid bus situation.
Typical 20 minute afternoon summer showers lasted considerably longer (2-3 hours). Rather than wait it out, I returned to my resort. With shortened park hours, I didn’t make it back after storm passed.
On my MK day, I took a boat to Wilderness Lodge for lunch at Whispering Canyon. A maintenance crew was screened off in the center of the restaurant so lunch was served at Artist Point. That was a nice surprise.
As far as merchandise, a cute Space Mountain shirt caught my eye as I meandered out of store at ride exit. It read, “I need my space”. Particularly appropriate during these times.
Thank you again, Tom, for your thoughtful commentary particularly relating to safety. It helped me decide to go through with my trip. I was willing to be flexible and call an audible when necessary. Just 13 more days of quarantine! Be well.
While I honestly can’t remember the last time I had to wait in a line at a Disney resort, short lines are awesome. In fact, at Disneyland we used to say short lines = happy guests. They probably still say it everywhere. But from the pictures, it just doesn’t look fun. Parks of every stripe are where people congregate, and that vacant energy looks like it would really mar the experience for me.
Cinderella’s Castle looks a lot more like Sleeping Beauty’s color scheme, no?
It was a real loss when Disneyland ended the PeopleEater, what with its volume and kinetic energy. It really brought the land to life, especially with the rockets placed where they belonged. I’d hate to see the same happen to MK. Glad to hear your assessment.
Hey Tom,
I am reading your posts now to see when the value for price gets close enough for a visit. No EMH, no dining plan ( we have kids and do lots of character meals), no fireworks ,etc. The low lines do make it seem a bit more appealing now we have had the coronavirus and survived without feeling bad. I just don’t think my kids would handle a mask all day. Do you know if they would give an exception for anxiety? I’m also not crazy about pics of us all in masks. Thanks for all the updates. I’m jealous you live so close to WDW.
At this point, I’m definitely living vicariously. We are in California so no WDW visits any time soon. Though I do like to pretend I am actually planning a trip. We were supposed to be there just before schools got out this year but now are hoping for a trip next Spring and this will be my source for planning — as it was for our last trip a couple years ago. I love the tips, commentary, pics…everything about the blog! I so look forward to seeing it in my email. Thanks for taking us along with you!
Tom, I love reading these updates of your trips to the parks, primarily as a way to live vicariously through your visits (both in “normal” time as and now). The combination of the photos, your observations, and opinions as you visit are great and make me excited every time you post a new article!
The Peoplemover is one of the biggest advantages Magic Kingdom has over Disneyland. It’s one of my biggest highlights on my infrequent visits to WDW. I’d be very disappointed if it ever went away.
@Josh, I’ve been trying to completely ignore the PeopleMover portion of this update. 2020 has brought too many hits, and I’m not sure I can hold on if the PeopleMover goes away!
I have been following all things Disney World thru the internet since March. My last visit was early February. I am almost 64, with back and neck issues that keep me from any “thrill” rides, but go (usually alone) for the slow rides, shows, character greetings, and interactions with cast members and fellow Disney-holics while waiting in line. Most of these pleasures may be denied me from here on out thanks to COVID. But i much appreciate your descriptions of how things are now and especially enjoy videos of rides denied me since my 2011 neck surgery. Keep up the good work
And i agree that the new castle colors are appalling.
Dear Tom,
I just want you to know that I always look forward to your updates. My last trip to WDW was last September and I was planning a short trip in April of this year. Your blogs are the best thing to almost being there. I plan to wait until next year to visit but in the meantime I absolutely love your photos and all the meals that you and Sara enjoy together.
To put it simply: I come for for the escapism, trip planning, and gorgeous photos…but I stay for the humor, pop-culture references, and duck conversations. Keep up the fabulous work and stay healthy and safe! 🙂
Exactly what Katie said!
Tom and Sarah, thank you for everything you guys do with this blog. Your website is honestly my favorite on the Internet, and I find myself checking it a couple times a day, just to see if there’s any new posts to bring a smile onto my face as I read them. Between your writing style, the humor you use, and your awesome photos (which I have used as a background on my zoom calls, sorry), please don’t change a thing! The other Disney blogs right now are just not my cup of tea, and their forced fake enthusiasm is way too evident. DTB is always written in a way that I would buy an audio tape recording of your blog if you sold it- it reads just like a normal conversation piece.
Tl;dr- You guys rock, please don’t change anything and keep doing what you’re doing!
I need more duck conversations! (Said Christopher Walken)
I love reading the blog to see the latest WDW news. Our last trip was Mardi Gras just before Covid ruined our spring and summer. I am so thankful we were able to make that trip. I kinda want to go now despite the masks and decreased hours. I think it would be wonderful to walk on to every ride without having to wake up at the crack of dawn to rope drop. I am not a morning person but I make it happen at Disney. Thank you for your blog post. I love seeing all your pics and reading the commentary.