Magic Kingdom Update: October 2018
We return to Magic Kingdom again for a fall visit to check on the current status of several projects around the park, including Club 33, Tron Lightcycle Power Run, Haunted Mansion, and more.
Despite it being October, Halloween at Magic Kingdom is not on the agenda, as we covered that back in the true “heart” of Halloween season, August. You can revisit our 2018 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Photo Report and Fall Snack Guide to Walt Disney World for more on spook season, which is now entering its true peak at Magic Kingdom.
Several other projects continue at Magic Kingdom without much in the way of visible progress. Chief among these are the Space Mountain exit, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel work, and Main Street facades. Refer to our September Magic Kingdom Update for progress on those. With that said, let’s dig into the update…
Before we head inside Magic Kingdom, we’ll board the DTB news chopper for a bird’s eye view of progress on the Tron Lightcycle Power Run construction area.
Unfortunately, the helicopter is in the shop, so we’ll have to settle for going to the Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake Tower. Pretty much the same thing as a helicopter, anyway.
Because I am extremely dedicated to these construction updates, not only did I make the trek to Top of the World Lounge just for these photos, but I also went at sunset, so you’d be able to see the Tron construction area in perfect lighting. (I may or may not have taken a bunch of photos of Cinderella Castle and Magic Kingdom while I was there, but it was mostly about the construction pics.)
As you can see…there’s not much to see. Looks like a bulldozer is playing king of the dirt mound, but that’s about it.
Inside Magic Kingdom, even less is visible. Here’s a view from the Tron billboard that’s up along the Walt Disney World Railroad line by Storybook Circus.
I do question why the Railroad needs to go down in December. As I speculated in our post about this closure, this strikes me as being more about operational savings than it does strict necessity. With numerous cutbacks announced since then, I think that theory is even more plausible.
There’s no way the Tron showbuilding is fully constructed another ~2 months from now (they’ll be lucky if it’s vertical at all), and the portion of construction that should impact the Walt Disney World Railroad is towards the end of construction, not the beginning. I really hope the scope of the project has changed and this truly is a necessary closure. We could be waiting ~2 years for the Walt Disney World Railroad to reopen, so this better be “worth it.” (And by that I mean we better get some Railroad dinosaurs out of the deal.)
Entering Tomorrowland, the Incredibles decorations have been removed.
It’s nice to have the unblemished entrance back. This is one of my favorite visuals in Magic Kingdom, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not around much longer.
What we previously thought was some concrete work in front of Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor was actually the removal of the attraction’s marquee and an ornamental, evocative UFO type detail.
With Stitch’s Great Escape gone for good, it’s safe to assume the other side of this corridor will get the same treatment soon. On the one hand, these 2D marquees were tacky. On the other hand, the ornamental details from Tomorrowland ’94 that are also being removed suggest that era is over.
Work is also occurring between Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Rocket Tower Plaza.
Over the course of the new couple of years, we’re guessing a lot of Tomorrowland ’94 artifice will be peeled back. Presumably, the goals are improving crowd flow (Tron and Space Mountain right next to one another are a recipe for heavy crowds) and also introducing a new aesthetic to the land.
No dance party in Tomorrowland right now, which is a rarity.
Not that I’m complaining–we were able to enjoy Carousel of Progress in peace!
Space Mountain regularly had a midday wait of 20-30 minutes during the first half of our visit.
It was really a “tale of two trips” in terms of crowds. The first half was a continuation of the trends observed in our “All Quiet on the Crowds at Walt Disney World Front” post. The second half was absolutely bananas, exactly what you’d expect from the “new normal” of October crowds.
We debated whether to get this flatbread at Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland for a good 5 minutes. The idea behind it actually sounds appealing to us, but it’s one of those things that is totally dependent upon execution.
After seeing a couple of guests carrying the “production model” of the flatbread, we decided to pass. Sorry, we don’t take our research that seriously.
Some great news in Liberty Square…well, if you obsess over foliage like we do.
The trees directly in front of Haunted Mansion have been replaced with smaller trees, revealing the facade in all its foreboding glory!
Here’s what the trees looked like a year ago:
I could understand having trees conceal the facade if there’s later going to be a big reveal further into the queue…but there isn’t.
Between the (necessary) shade canopy in the queue and those trees, most guests never get an up-close view of Haunted Mansion’s facade. That’s unfortunate, because it’s an ornate and disquieting exterior.
Above is the new view from a distance.
Below is that same view last month:
I definitely prefer the after, but from a distance, the trees obscure less of the facade.
The most noticeable difference between the two sets of photos is that the Rivers of America is no longer drained. The Riverboat is set to reopen December 22, 2018 after being closed most of this year.
As we reported in our Snack Prices Increase at Walt Disney World post, lots of food & beverage prices spiked last week.
Churros had one of the biggest jumps. I’m not sure how anyone justifies $6.25 on a churro. I really wonder what percentage of people use Disney Dining Plan snack credits versus paying out of pocket for those.
Speaking of having money to burn, if you do, why not consider joining Club 33 at Walt Disney World?!
All you need is $33,000 (cute) plus $15,000 per year, and you’ll get access to the 3 clubs currently open at Walt Disney World, along with Premier APs, instant FastPass+, and other benefits.
At least this Magic Kingdom Club 33 lounge at the entrance to Adventureland is subtle and fits with the theme of the area. The same can be said for all of the lounges open to date, which is a relief after the redesign of Club 33 at Disneyland botched parts of New Orleans Square.
This is the third Club 33 lounge to open at Walt Disney World, with Epcot (American Adventure) and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Catwalk Bar–above the Brown Derby) both having opened months ago. Animal Kingdom is last up.
Work on the Adventureland Bridge is now finished, and is looking good.
Finally, we’ll end on a really positive note…
The Cinderella Castle Dream Lights are going up! Okay, so perhaps not great news for everyone, but we absolutely love Christmas season at Walt Disney World, and I’m ready for it–and cooler weather–to be here.
November and December are, without a doubt, our two favorite months of the year in the parks. There are pockets of lower crowds and weather that’s just as good, but none have the same atmosphere as the holiday season. We’ll see you at the start of the Christmas season for our next update!
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Your Thoughts
Thoughts or insights about current construction projects in Magic Kingdom? Debating whether to spend your spare $33,000 on Club 33…or on 5,280 churros? Excited for Christmas season at Walt Disney World? 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!
Tom,
When do you foresee a trip to WDW unobstructed by construction? It looks to be at least 2022 before EPCOT is done with their Spaceship Earth reno. Just curious as we enjoy going, but I’m a huge fan of John Hench’s views on purity of theming. Cranes and walls can really mess with this.
Also, glad to see Haunted Mansion’s foliage trim. Looks great!
Thanks a lot tom, Great post.
Cant wait for our magic kingdom vacation this year!
After riding Tron in Shanghai, I’m so excited for Florida to get this attraction. It really is that good – particularly at night. However, we didn’t wait more than 10 minuntes for it in Shanghai, and at night it was usually a walk-on. For some strange reason I don’t foresee that being the case in Florida….ever……..
A couple of things….
That is an Articulated Dump Truck playing King of the dirt pile in your photo.
I am truly disappointed in the lengthy closure of the riverboat. I understand that additional issues were found that needed to be repaired, but it seems like that whole section of Frontierland has been closed for so long.
Lots and lots of MK changes, with closures, updates. Disney does a great job in upkeep and maintenance. They make vacationing there such that you really need to begin planning 9-12 months out, so one would think that they could plan their updates, closures, etc. that far out as well, rather than a 2-4 week notice.
Minor rant/tantrum over.
I just got back from Disney and I absolutely agree with your assessment on the crowds. We were there the 30th – 6th. The first couple days were great, but then crowds got crazy.
We followed your advice and picked Tuesday to go to MNSSHP hoping for lite crowds, but it was the complete opposite. Watching the Hocus Pocus show was a struggle. I had to hold my 8 year old in my lap like an infant throughout the whole show so she could have a halfway decent view.
We went to Epcot on Saturday and it was a mob scene in World Showcase for Food and Wine. I guess this is to be expected with all the locals drinking and eating around the world, but still.
I’ll third that. Just stayed from 9/25 – 10/7.
First half – mellow
Second half – zoo
Same for us – we arrived on 10/3 and were tricked into thinking it might not be so bad over the holiday weekend. By the time we left yesterday, we had pledged to never again visit over Columbus Day weekend.
Completely agree, we were there 9/29-10/6, first part of the week was nice and relatively low crowds…by Thursday and the rest of the trip super crowded. We attended MNSSHP on Tuesday as well and it was unenjoyable due to the crowds. It was great last year at the same time, but not this year at all.
I just got back from Disney and I absolutely agree with your assessment on the crowds. We were there the 30th – 6th. The first couple days were great, but then crowds got crazy.
We followed your advice and picked Tuesday to go to MNSSHP hoping for lite crowds, but it was the complete opposite. Watching the Hocus Pocus show was a struggle. I had to hold my 8 year old in my lap like an infant throughout the whole show so she could have a halfway decent view.
We went to Epcot on Saturday and it was a mob scene in World Showcase for Food and Wine. I guess this is to be expected with all the locals drinking and eating around the world, but still.
I so agree about the lack of shade in Hollywood studios. WE also ultimately gave up and left the park over the heat. We hopped to Magic Kingdom and learned an even bigger problem with Hollywood Studios. They moved the buses before building any sort of shelter to get there. IT was like walking. a mile on the surface of the sun then baking in an oven while waiting for the bus. Only enter by bus early and otherwise only enter or leave via the boats to Epcot.
I have Mobility issues and use a scooter. It wasn’t quite as bad for me but for my family it was horrendous. Between the rain and the puddles it was rough going we may just skip it the next visit. We are annual pass holders and feel taken advantage of because of the difficulties of travel! We left MK and were directed to use the buses to return to our car in the parking lot. Fortunately we were able to board first yet we still had to deal with the dirty looks! The driver was very kind to us.
We’ve done that too! I thought we would cook to death waiting for the bus.
Thank you for sharing the Haunted Mansion photos! These are the little things I love to hear about, but living in Philly and making it down once a year, I wouldn’t normally see!
I’m an engineer and I see lots of plausible reasons why they might have to shut down the railroad for the current construction. There could be utilities that need to be built and/or relocated beneath the track. There could be drainage culverts that need to be installed due to new drainage patterns that the ride will influence. They could also be moving machinery around that is dangerously close to the track and needs proper clearance. I think unless you have personal knowledge about the construction plans, it’s impossible to speculate on timetables, need for certain actions, etc.
For the first time ever I find myself celebrating the removal of trees at Magic Kingdom. The Haunted Mansion looks glorious.
Thank you so much for sharing.
The start of Christmas season A.K.A November 8th.
“Debating whether to spend your spare $33,000 on Club 33…or on 5,280 churros?”
LOL! That is a hard decision…depends which one of my kids you ask but I think it’d be a split answer in my house.
Thanks for all the construction updates, Tom! We’re going for our anual trip – the week after Thanksgiving – and being able to see everything “first hand” before we go is great!
Going at the end of January and my brother will be soooo bummed the speedway will be closed during our visit. He wanted to share this experience with his kids.
My fav part of Disney is hearing the train whistle in the morning and it stinks that it going down. Does anyone know maybe if train will be parked and still using the whistle? I asked Disney and they said to ask when it down. Just thinking if anyone heard anything.
I’m not happy about all the construction at the same time! It seems every park has major construction going onâ€â™€ï¸. I’m especially unhappy with the studios and the quick build of toy story land . It gave me an instant headache and is the hottest of any park ever. I didn’t enjoy the lack of shade and the design was so crowded you can’t get in or out. You should be able to get out 2 ways what if there is a fire where are you not going to be trampled???.
In fairness, there isn’t any major construction at Animal Kingdom, and the big projects at Magic Kingdom and Epcot that are currently underway are almost entirely outside the prior boundaries of their respective parks.
Totally agree on Disney’s Hollywood Studios, though. Even with Toy Story Land, that park is still a mess, and debuting a new land without proper shade (and rain cover) is inexcusable in Florida.
And how on earth are they going to manage they crowds come SWGE? Entrance via a narrow tunnel!!!! Are they mad? People were fainting and dropping like flies at rope drop for Avatar last summer. GE is going to be carnage.
We said the same thing about the lack of shade- we left the line for saucers because we couldn’t handle it, then left the food line for the same reason. Ultimately left the park.
I completely agree. We just got back from Hollywood Studios and it was, well, miserable. We scored a Slinky Dog FastPass+ but the Standby line was 170 minutes and those people were literally baking in the sun.
I was also concerned about the one and only exit out of Toy Story Land. It needs to connect with something somehow–hopefully it will when construction is complete.
We went to Fantasmic and the littlest member of our party was nearly trampled leaving after a pop-up rain storm. We had our eyes on him at all times, but he was literally pushed to the top by grown adults afraid of the rain. By the time we physically got to him, he was hysterical. It was kind of a letdown for a great trip, but at least he was safe.