Hello from a beautiful day at the Magic Kingdom! We were excited to start a fun-filled holiday weekend here, and see what new things we could find. Let’s get started!
Of course, we had to check in on the latest glow-up project going on in Walt Disney World—the Magic Kingdom Toll Plaza refurbishment.
Not much has changed since yesterday, but we did notice that more subtle hints of purple have been added, and some blue has been added to the arch above the letter “W”.
Just outside of the park gate, the new Resort Boat Launch structure closest to the park was having its roof canvas installed this morning.
The temporary walkway which connected the new Grand Floridian walkway and the Resort Monorail is being removed in record time. The Grand Floridian walkway will ultimately connect with the new Resort Boat Launch area.
In other construction news, additional scrims have been added to the already impressive array at “it’s a small world”. The turrets are now almost completely blocked from view.
We checked in on the progress over at TRON Lightcycle Run and found that the gate to the construction zone had been left open. We got a bit of a peek at the area behind the gate and the cement structure which has been recently worked on near the gate.
Themed refurbishment signs have gone up surrounding Tom Sawyer Island in Frontierland. Be sure to follow WDWNT for continuing coverage of this project.
The restrooms over by Casey’s Corner have had their concrete walkways scored, meaning this area is to be repaved soon. The area in front of First Aid and the Baby Care Center was also scored. We’re not sure when this project will start, but we imagine it will start soon.
There’s finally another Quick Service food option in the Magic Kingdom! The Lunching Pad reopened today, with two fan-favorite snacks on the menu. We were very excited to have our first cream cheese stuffed pretzel since the parks reopened, and it was even better than we remembered. For more pictures and information, see our article here.
We also noticed that, like at other parks like EPCOT where certain food options are weekends-only, Fridays have become official “weekend” days, and Friar’s Nook, Westward Ho Refreshments, and the Spring Roll Cart were all open today.
Heading into a holiday weekend seems to have brought out the crowds, and made the lines for attractions stretch further than normal. The line for Haunted Mansion began across from the Frontier Trading Post, and looped through the loading zone for the Riverboat, as well as both docks.
The line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad began on the bridge leading to the ride, and looped through the load zone for the ferry for Tom Sawyer Island.
The most impressive sight was these two dueling attraction queues—Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean. The lines had to be looped back on themselves to clear the path for Cavalcades to come through the gate.
We found another way to show your love of Halloween and of Marvel with this magnet. It’s available through the MaDe kiosk in Tomorrowland Light & Power Co for $14.99.
On our way out of the park, we saw a new sign warning guests of repercussions should they not properly wear an approved face mask in the park. We appreciate everything that Walt Disney World is doing to keep their Cast Members and Guest safe by enforcing these safety protocols.
We had a great day the Magic Kingdom, and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us. Have a magical day!
Love the new refurbishments so far! It’s funny, I haven’t thought much about Tom Sawyer’s Island in regards to the new park updates, but would sure love to see one there as well! (Now thinking of it, I would be down for a new live action movie of Tom Sawyer)
Excited to see what they are doing with Small World!
As for lines – sigh – fast passes are the obvious solution to keeping people distanced and moving. Not sure why this hasn’t occurred to the powers that be – seems like a no brainier.
Loving MK in all of its holiday glory!