Hello from an extra magical Magic Kingdom! We had an exciting day here, and we have lots to show you, so let’s get started!
A lot of things are different this year from what they have been in the past, but we got a little bit of classic Pixie Dust today as Magic Kingdom was transformed overnight from Halloween into Christmas. Wreaths replaced Mickey pumpkins, the classic giant Christmas tree now stands at the head of Main Street USA, and garlands festoon every shop front. It certainly lifted our spirits to see such a beautiful sight!
After admiring all the new decorations, we checked in on a few ongoing construction projects. The top most roofs of “it’s a small world” are visible above the colorful scrim wall blocking the majority of the attraction from view, and we could see that those roofs are being resurfaced.
The Rivers of America are almost completely drained now, leaving the track for the Riverboat completely out of the water and visible to guests.
The saga continues with a particular framed image in the entrances to the Magic Kingdom. When the parks reopened, the poster for “Happily Ever After” the nighttime fireworks show was removed and replaced with a Health and Safety Reminders poster. That poster has now been replaced with this Sunshine Tree Terrace poster, featuring Orange Bird. This framed poster can be seen in both entrance tunnels to the Magic Kingdom.
The Fantasyland Station of the Walt Disney World Railroad, which has been closed to guests while the Railroad is closed for refurbishment, has had social distancing markers installed and is being used as an overflow queue area for The Barnstormer during busy times of the day.
We noticed that a number of doors at the Emporium that have remained closed—and, in some instances, locked—were open today. We also noticed that unlike everywhere else in Walt Disney World, there was not a Cast Member at every door counting guests as they entered or exited the building.
We spoke with a Cast Member about what we were seeing and were told that cameras had been installed above each door and were counting guests as they entered or exited the building. Today was the first day the cameras were in use, and other shops in Magic Kingdom would be having their cameras installed after the trial run at the Emporium. Cast Members were now free to return to other work within the store until capacity within the building was reached, at which time the Cast Members would take over from the cameras until the number of guests dropped and no longer needed to be managed.
The popular “Jingle Cruise” overlay to the classic Jungle Cruise ride began today, to the surprise and delight of fans everywhere. With announcements traditionally being made in advance, preparing fans for this temporary holiday overlay, we were surprised to see this appear without warning.
We saw the Dapper Dans perform today from the Train Station, and were so pleased to hear their classic material return to the park for the first time since the parks reopened in July 2020. For a full video of their performance today, visit our YouTube channel here.
While it may be Christmas out on Main Street, USA, it’s still Halloween in the cold case at the Confectionery. We’re not complaining, since we love all these treats, but the juxtaposition of holidays did make us giggle!
Christmas merchandise hasn’t made its way into the Emporium just yet, but it’s certainly found its way to Star Traders! We found a full stock of Loungefly mini backpacks, Spirit Jerseys, and gingerbread ears there, plus lots of other new, fun pieces from this year’s Christmas line that we just might have to buy.
The popular Forest Friends Loungefly backpack was in stock at the Magic Kingdom today. We found a few on hand at Uptown Jewelers, as well as Star Traders.
We found this fun pink polka dot bow metal keychain today, and think it would look perfect on your next Loungefly mini backpack. We found this keychain at Star Traders for $9.99.
With the weather cooling off for the next few days, we think this Spirit Jersey has arrived just in time. The bottom half is white sherpa, and the top half is sweatshirt material. We found this snuggly piece at the Emporium for $79.99.
If sherpa isn’t really your thing, but you’d like to show of your fandom pride, we found just the Spirit Jersey for you today. Featuring an adorable Ewok on the front hem, this “Endor” Spirit Jersey is available at the Emporium for $69.99.
We found new metal “no touch” keychains at Box Office Gifts in a variety of prints for those wishing to limit their touch-based interactions with things like door handles and touch screens. These heavy duty metal keychains will allow you to manipulate those things without touching them, keeping your hands clean, and letting you show your favorite character while you’re at it.
A new “I Collect” Limited Edition pin is now available in Walt Disney World. This edition of the pin features Disney Pets.
We found this pin at Frontierland Trading Co for $17.99.
We found two new phone cases and two matching magnets available in the MaDe kiosk in Tomorrowland Light & Power Co today featuring holiday designs. The first phone case was this one featuring Baby Groot wearing a Santa hat.
The matching magnet features Baby Groot and the phrase “Season’s Grootings”.
The next set features Groot and Rocket with a stack of presents and the phrase “Season’s Grootings”.
The matching magnet is identical to the phone case. Phone cases start at $29.99 and magnets are $14.99.
We had a wonderful day at the Magic Kingdom, and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us. Have a magical day!