Magic Kingdom Update – January 2019
We’re back to Magic Kingdom to continue our January 2019 Walt Disney World construction progress and random park updates. We’ve got a range of status updates on the Railroad, Speedway, Tron Lightcycle Power Run, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and more.
It’s also an interesting update because it’s the first one since August without a seasonal celebration in Magic Kingdom. As much as we love Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, it was nice to enter Magic Kingdom last week and not see pumpkins or garland for the first time in 5 months.
Without any holiday-driven agenda for our visits (aside from Minnie & Mickey’s Surprise Celebration at Magic Kingdom, which we’ve covered separately), what we did at Magic Kingdom was pretty random. This photo update will likewise be pretty random, with around 20 photos and observations about a multitude of stuff we’ve seen in Magic Kingdom over the last week or so…
Let’s start with the biggest construction project, which is Tron Lightcycle Power Run (or whatever the Walt Disney World version of the roller coaster ends up being called). This construction area continues to grow, with a huge plot of land backstage being visible from the PeopleMover.
This is a huge area, and if Shanghai’s show building is any indication (and it should be), this attraction will use much of the space between the Walt Disney World railroad tracks and World Drive, which runs alongside the eastern border of Magic Kingdom.
Here’s a look at the progress:
Both the Walt Disney World Railroad and Tomorrowland Speedway tracks are partially torn up. The latter is expected to re-open before the start of the busy summer season, while the return date of the Railroad is anyone’s guess–it could be as far as 2 years away due to the way the attraction’s canopy will overhang the railroad.
During that same Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover ride, Space Mountain had its lights on, and I got some photos, which follow. I would recommend scrolling quickly if you don’t want to see how the sausage is made…
Due to being frequent fliers on the PeopleMover, this is something we’ve seen more times than I can count, but it was the first time I thought to get photos.
To be honest, it’s something I wish I had never seen. I’m a total sucker for the attraction, which still has (had?) a sense of mystique from my childhood. Oh well, I guess.
Speaking of the PeopleMover and attractions breaking down, it feels like the TTA is being held together with spit, glue, baling wire, duct tape, and chewing gum. Actually, it has felt that way for a couple of years, but it seems to be getting worse.
There’s now downtime not just every day, but almost every hour. There are literally more problems than I could list here–and those are just the ones about which I know. A lot is already down in Tomorrowland, but this attraction is urgently in need of an extended refurbishment.
When Space Mountain finally resumed operations several hours later in the day, we jumped into the standby line and did the ride with minimal wait. Still the best Space Mountain in the world.
While in line, I noticed this sign, which is new to me. Space Mountain seems like a great candidate for a single rider line, but so far there’s no signage out front.
Continuing in Tomorrowland, there’s another refurbishment at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe being done in phases.
Walls are going up Bay by Bay inside the restaurant, and some of the windows are tarped over.
From what we’ve heard, Sonny Eclipse and the seating area reopened over the weekend (after we took these photos, of course), but work remains ongoing.
This restaurant has seen a much needed increase in its seating capacity via an ongoing project over the last couple of years, and our assumption is that this will continue ahead of the Tron coaster addition. Disney has recent experience with Plazma Ray’s Diner, which expanded capacity in a similar manner.
In the Space Mountain gift shop, you can now purchase the greatest phone case ever.
There’s also one with Figment. In other news, I soon will by carrying two phones–not because I have a cool and mysterious job, but because I’m a super dork.
It’s January, and that means one thing at Magic Kingdom: the return of the infamous crane, ruiner of family Christmas card photos.
Contrary to the widely held belief that this is a Disney conspiracy to ruin photos, it actually serves a functional purpose, too. It will be used to take down the Dream Lights from Cinderella Castle over the next few weeks.
The roughly month-long refurbishment of Peter Pan’s Flight continues, with a finish date of February 2, 2019.
It’ll be interesting to see whether this is just routine work, or if we’ll get some new effects out of it. Lots of potential given changes that have been made to other versions of this ride.
Heading over to Memento Mori, there’s some new or new-ish merchandise…
There’s also a lot of Hatbox Ghost stuff.
I’m not sure if this is just spillover from Disneyland or because there’s a market for it in Florida…or maybe it’s just a cool-looking character that sells well, even without context?
Sticking with Haunted Mansion, there are new lighting effects in the portrait scene, with the visuals being much more vibrant and pronounced now.
It impresses me that Haunted Mansion continues to receive love and attention. I’m not convinced all of the changes in the last decade have been actual improvements, but Imagineers are definitely batting over .500, with most of the big changes being good ones.
Speaking of improvements (or rather, the need for them), Jungle Cruise is one of several attractions in Magic Kingdom with several broken effects. Our skipper poked fun at this with a couple of amusing jokes, but really, there’s no excuse for it.
The reason things remain broken is because management feels they can get away with it, which is the same reason we’ve seen cost-cutting at a time when Parks & Resorts is posting record numbers. Walt Disney World vacations are expensive–and only getting pricier. We as fans should hold WDW to the standards they set for themselves rather than making excuses for them.
Changing gears, the photo above features the moonrise on the night of the super blood wolf moon. It was a beautiful night in the park. Brisk winter air, the glow of Magic Kingdom’s lighting, and the glow of the moon hanging in the air. Perfection.
Like an idiot, I didn’t bring my tripod to Magic Kingdom to capture this great atmosphere, so these handheld shots will have to suffice.
In other positive news, Main Street vehicles were out at night!
Every once in a while, I see photos of this on social media, but I think it was the first time I’ve seen it in person. These cars add so much kinetic energy to Main Street, and I’d love to see them out more often at night. It’s the best time for a ride, and even though I know this isn’t everyone’s “speed” for enjoying Magic Kingdom, I think they are fantastic–and something that adds to the experience even of guests on Main Street who don’t ride. It’s a great way to end the night…and this Magic Kingdom update.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts or insights about current construction projects in Magic Kingdom? Thoughts on what’s in need–or not in need–of maintenance or a refurbishment? 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!
The TTA is one of our favorite rides, and I know many people feel the same. I really hope they take care of this gem!
I agree with a lot of these comments. Prices are skyrocketing and lines are crazy and rides are closed or broken down. We try to go every other year but it is getting too expensive since we go with 9-12 people.
My biggest complaint is about the transportation system. On our last visit we left the park after the last fireworks display and got to the bus stop. Probably 60-70 people already there. Waited over 30 minutes for a bus to come, while the stop next to us did not have anyone there and 4 buses came to it in the same time. Took us almost 2 hrs to get back to the hotel.
Tom, I’m an amateur photographer and your Disney photos are my #PhotoGoals. That picture with the castle & the moon- gorgeous!
Ah, I see you’ve met the acquaintance of the Cone’d TTA PeopleMover car! My daughter and I saw it not a week and a half ago!
I’d love to see the Main Street vehicles out. Reminds me of the days gone by. HM still my fave whatever they do to it. Love TTA, and the last year it’s had a lot of down time. Please fix before August! Any chance they might start F&W earlier in August like MNSSHP?
Yikes. Summer without the railroad will be rough. When your kids (and you) are hot and tired in Frontierland before nap time, that railroad is a saving grace. Not a lot of shade on the walk from the back to the front of the MK. I’ll try to plan our days accordingly
It is hard to justify going to Disney in our family. I priced out a vacation in May of this year for 5 days. $3600, for just room/tix. That is a 50% increase since 2016 when we went at the same time/resort. In that time the experience has not improved 50%. Too much planning and logistics that have to be done beforehand (Tom and Josh can only provide so much helpful tips and assistance) that it is not worth it. Even our Disney lite trip we did was time consuming for the planning involved.
I feel if Disney continues not reinvesting into maintenance, its trajectory is that of a glorified 6 flags. (I am talking years away). Look at the lists of all of the broken WDW items, they are almost a distraction from the “Disney” magic that you do not get from other parks. This past trip stripped a lot of the magic away for various reasons.
It will be interesting after we go on a cruise in a few weeks what the sentiment of the family will be, Disney World or a non Disney Cruise for our next trip?
Matt B – i went on a Disney Cruise to Alaska with two of my kids (then 10 and 12) a few years ago and it was amazing. Eveything was well-maintained and well worth the price (tho we did do the shoulder season so it was cheaper). Planning a cruise again in a few years, maybe not even shoulder season because we would like to do some salmon fishing. I do highly recommend an Alaskan Disney cruise.
Who among us will stop going to WDW because of falling standards?
Me! And my Family………That’s Who. We have, or are losing interest because of the way things are, becoming a sea of mediocrity with a ever increasing price, not even mentioning the Over Crowding that is the New Norm. Have zero interest when Galaxy’s Edge opens…….Its gotten so bad, it’s become hard to even Walk thru the Parks……
Oh man, I would have loved it if Tom’s article would’ve said this instead:
“Runaway bulldozer raised to the ground the entire Tomorrowland area, except the new Tron ride construction (phew!). Disney Co. forced to rebuild amid cheers from fans seeking a new and refreshed Tomorrowland. The Association for Clogged Lungs voiced concerns about losing the Speedway. The American Chiropractors Guild complained about losing business from Space Mountain. The Department of Mediocre to Below Average wrote an essay in support of the remaining attractions and restaurants in the land. After the last “old school” Disney fan was unchained from the spot formerly occupied by the People Mover (protesting for nostalgic reasons), a truck with the label “Disney IP Stuff” on its trailer pulled up….”
Unfortunately, the article ends because Tom dropped the laptop at this point and picked up a picket sign. 🙂
We were there last week. I will always love Wdw but it has lost some of it’s shine for me. The People Mover having issues, Space Mtn down. Most of which you have already mentioned. The best part…my 21 year old son and I ride Splash Mtn with only a 5 minute wait!!!
“We as fans should hold WDW to the standards they set for themselves rather than making excuses for them.” Never gonna happen. Who among us will stop going to WDW because of falling standards? As you said, they are setting attendance records so management has zero incentive to fix the issues you mentioned. They are also banking on SWGE bringing huge number of people, which it will, so again no incentive to maintain high standards.
One or two broken rides will not stop me from coming. However, the ever increasing cost of a WDW vacation WILL!
We were at MK the same day! Also saw Space Mountain with the lights on from the Peoplemover, and I wish I hadn’t. I kept telling my husband to keep a lookout for you guys (he says that I say “well Tom and Sarah said…” way too often when planning our Disney trips), but sadly didn’t get to run into you. I promise I’m not a stalker though
Tom- enjoy the updates but as a California resident, would like to see a bit more about Disneyland. WDW is great and like the updates ,but we don’t get there as often.
Still “grumpy” about annual pass prices !
I love that they are bringing out the Main Street Vehicles at night! The street won’t be nearly as crowded as it is during the morning rush hour, ha! Just wish they did this more often!
I’m alarmed about the problems with the Peoplemover you mention. What if Disney decides to abandon it rather than repair it, as they did at Disneyland? (I was just at Disneyland for my first-ever trip there, and it was positively depressing to see the Peoplemover tracks just standing there, rusting and covered in fallen leaves.) The TTA is a favorite of mine on every visit to WDW, I’d hate to lose it.
Space Mountain having downtime worries me less. Though still a must-do when I’m there, It lost a lot of appeal for me when they stopped projecting stars on the superstructure and just left everything completely dark. It gave only a partial illusion of flying through space, but a partial illusion’s better than nothing: in a place where every other ride, including roller coasters, is Imagineered along every inch, it was always disappointing to get on Space Mountain and, after the initial climb past the astronauts, just have nothing.
If they ever take out the People Mover, I will revolt!!!! It is an absolute must do and I usually ride twice. On a hot day, after you started in Adventureland at 8am and by now your legs are tired and you are hot- an easy peasy ride on the People Mover is just the ticket for cooling down and relaxing for a spell before picking up the pace again. It is, also, great if all of the Tomorrowland attractions have a huge wait time and you want to ride SOMETHING. It really does have retro space age feel and is something that all ages can do- whereas not everything in Tomorrowland is. We need to start a letter writing campaign to let them know how much we love it and to get it some TLC. It has no princesses or gimmicks, isn’t geared toward a specific age and gives you a wonderful view of rides you might not go on for one reason or another – like Space Mountain.
Ugh I hope they don’t abandoned it. DL’s Tomorrowland feels empty without Peoplemover and Carousel of Progress. I hope WDW never gets rid of either attraction.
You’ve done up my thoughts too.
Agree re refurb. It’s a Small World is in major need of refurb. Younger people that go aren’t getting the same magical experience. People were laughing at ISW instead of being mesmorized by it. At minimum they need to fix the sound. Peter Pan refurb should be neat and agree the Haunted Mansion improvements have usually been good.
Hopefully Disney management pays attention to your blog! 🙂
At Disney right now. The jungle cruise was a big disappointment. As you said, even our tour guide made fun of it. Won’t be doing that anymore!
How are crowds this week?
2 years for WDW railroad???? I might cry
Tom, I have been a huge fan of your blog for years, now! I have also been a WDW fan and have made 1-3 trips a year with my family since 2005. We just went at Christmas and are going again in August for longer stay.
How can we keep it fresh? We have an awesome time every time, but it is mostly doing the same things over and over. Do you have advice for a fresh approach? We might start a pressed penny collection or do the Sorcerer’s challenge, and try a new restaurant.
What do you do to keep it magical?
Thanks,
Katherine
So can anyone get a ride on the Main Street vehicles? Any advice on doing so?