Welcome to The Most Magical Place on Earth! It’s a bit of an unusual day at the Magic Kingdom, not merely because of COVID-19 related adjustments, but today we have Tropical Storm Isaias to deal with as well. Let’s see how the weather will impact our day in the park.
At the Transportation and Ticket Center, tent walls have been secured in advance of a windy day. The weather was still quite nice early on in the day, though, as the blue skies indicate.
Immediately after our arrival into the park, it looked like we had partly cloudy skies and a nice breeze to greet us. Not a single poncho was in sight!
However, as soon as we turned our gaze East over the Town Square Theater, it was clear that it would be a rough morning.
Thankfully, we were able to duck inside before the skies opened, and were welcomed by a new line of The Nightmare Before Christmas plush!
We didn’t make it far into Tomorrowland before we received some of the worst effects of Tropical Storm Isaias for the day. The rain came down pretty hard for quite a while, soaking the park and many of its guests (us included). Thankfully, we knew to bring a raincoat since we’ve tracked the storm moving in over the past few days.
The rain (mostly) let up after about 30 minutes, and we made it over to a gloomy Storybook Circus. You’ll notice that the banners are still up like normal – very few preparatory changes were made to the park, indicating that Disney felt the effects of the storm would not be particularly severe.
From Storybook Circus, we took a look at TRON Lightcycle Run. The project site was quiet today, with work presumably being called off for the day due to the anticipated inclement weather.
Heading into Fantasyland, we found that the Evil Stepsisters are reliable if nothing else, as they didn’t throw a fit about the weather and instead set up shop at Princess Fairytale Hall – though they did throw fits about nearly everything else. We even have a video of their antics over on YouTube.
Moving onto Liberty Square, we were delighted to find this 2020 light-up Christmas ornament at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe.
At Splash Mountain in Frontierland, we observed a delightful change – the water cannon that launches water as logs complete the largest drop of the attraction has been souped-up a bit. Water that was barely reaching passing logs over the last few weeks is now dropping tropical storm-like amounts of water onto guests. It might not be pleasant if you’re inside the log, but for those of us not riding, it’s our own Laughin’ Place.
As the morning progressed, the weather improved greatly. The sun came back out and a nice breeze kept things relatively cool. Guests took this opportunity to enjoy many of the outdoor attractions.
They also took to the Liberty Belle for a leisurely ride around the Rivers of America.
In Adventureland, it allowed for some water art that didn’t immediately evaporate.
Outside of Plaza del Sol Caribe Bazaar, a.k.a. the “Pirates gift shop”, some work seems to be taking place as this box structure has gone up.
It appears that the interior could use some work too, as there are some serious water leaks.
The break in the rain also gave us a chance to check out the painting progress on Cinderella Castle. Work seems to be nearly complete, though the large lifts still inhabit the moat at the moment.
In the early afternoon, rain did return (though not as heavy as it was in the morning), which called for the Rainy Day Cavalcade to make an appearance instead of the usual Character Cavalcades.
Performers donned their rain coats and boots, and the characters themselves took shelter inside different methods of Disney transportation.
Again, though, the rain moved on and only the sunshine and wind remained. This talented cast member handled her balloons with confidence, despite the wind.
Other character appearances adjusted throughout the day, as the Evil Stepsisters who took shelter at Princess Fairytale Hall earlier moved back to their usual perch on the back of Cinderella Castle.
Rounding out our day, the Rainy Day Cavalcade made way for the usual Character Cavalcades including Tinkerbell and Merida, allowing guests their (somewhat) up close and personal interactions with their favorite characters.
Thanks for joining us during our day of varied weather and fun changes within the Magic Kingdom. To stay up to date on everything new at Walt Disney World and Disney parks around the world, click here and follow @WDWNT on Twitter.