Howdy! Today was a somber day, to say the least. The weather was cold and cloudy. Disney’s Animal Kingdom closed Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama, and there were even more walls up in Magic Kingdom.
Good Morning from Disney’s Animal Kingdom
It is the Monday post-Run Disney Marathon Weekend, and the crowds have shrunk. It was a cold and cloudy day today which set the somber mood for all the closures and refurbishments throughout the property.
Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama CLOSED
It is surreal to see a part of my childhood blocked off and closed permanently. I knew it was coming obviously, but it is still so wild to see happen. For now the Fossil Fun Games and Triceratops Spin are blocked with shrubs, but there are walls ready to be erected soon.
Seeing the sign at the back of Chester & Hester’s with a sticker for removal on his nose is heartbreaking. I hope he ends up with the right collector. Who knows? Maybe he will end up in the museum one day at the WDWNT Studio.
Abdim’s Storks and Pocahontas Moment
I snuck behind The Tree of Life to check in on the Abdim’s Storks who were sleeping in this morning when all of the sudden Pocahontas was standing next to me peering over the barrier at the storks. As always, Pocahontas was lovely, and her wonderful attendant snapped this cute pic of her holding my hand.
The best character interactions are always the unexpected ones that feel natural. It makes total sense to me that Pocahontas would be walking around The Tree of Life checking in on the creatures.
Polynesian Pitstop
I left Disney’s Animal Kingdom so early that the 10 a.m. park hopping busses weren’t running yet. I hopped the first Magic Kingdom resort bus I saw and ended up at the Polynesian, which was perfect because the boat goes directly from the Polynesian to the Magic Kingdom.
And look at that timing? Does it get better than seeing your Disney Transport pulling up at the same time as you? I really don’t know a sweeter feeling in the parks.
Good Morning from Magic Kingdom
Let us never forget the time we had to wait till 2 p.m. to park hop, a weird time for sure. There wasn’t much difference in crowd levels at the Magic Kingdom. Obviously it was busier than Animal Kingdom, but nothing crazy.
Main Street U.S.A. Train Station Walls
I boarded the train on Main Street U.S.A. to check on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the progress construction crews have made since my visit on Friday. I was stunned to be face-to-face with a wall in the center staircase entrance of the Train Station. I am sure this is just a light refurbishment like we saw at the City Hall Restrooms at the end of last year.
I noticed a few construction workers focussed in on the bottom side of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It looked like they were focused on the tracks, which makes sense given that’s a huge point of this refurbishment.
Dooney & Bourke Valentine’s Ear Headband – $198.00
In Uptown Jewelers on Main Street U.S.A. I found the cutest Valentine Ear Headband. This Dooney & Bourke ear headband is available for $198.00 with a matching purse for $298.00.
Have you ever invested in a designer Disney ear headband? Let me know in the comments below. I may be guilty of owning one or two, but certainly not three, yet.
New Bedazzled Shirts and Spirit Jersey
I spotted these four iconic characters totally bedazzled on four new adult sized shirts in the Emporium. Mickey Mouse on a red shirt, Minnie Mouse on a white shirt, Donald Duck on a light blue shirt, and Daisy on a pink shirt. Each is available for $44.99 each.
I also spotted a new all black Walt Disney World Spirit Jersey available for $79.99. I love the simplicity of the design, but I hate the pricetag for a shirt as comfy as they are.
Emporium Walls
The Emporium has blocked off a good portion of their shop for refurbishments. Again, like the other refurbishments we have seen across property likely this is just a floor, paint or other easy touch up like we have seen. As always stay tuned to our website and we will let you know what changes.
Adventureland Void
When I was in the Swiss Family Treehouse checking on the status of that refurbishment, no updates by the way, I noticed this blank concrete and then I noticed the scrim wrapped around the little chimney. I don’t know what happened here but I would love to know what you think might be going on in the comments below.
Liberty Belle River Boat
This has been one of my favorite assignments as a reporter, riding the Liberty Belle River Boat. While I was riding a few Country Bears waved to me and the other passengers along the way. Then I saw the crane over Big Thunder Mountain Railroad lift what I beleive to be part of the track. This picture does no justice be sure to visit our websites for updates.
The crew at the back of the mountain had made lots of progress since Friday. The track was almost completely gone from this section.
Tomorrowland Walls
I know you think I’m joking, but I’m not that clever with AI Technology yet. There are more refurbishment walls up in Tomorrowland. This section is located at the exit of the Peoplemover and the Lunching Pad seating area just outside the entrance of Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger Spin. It’s a lot that’s all I have to say. It’s giving me a little flashback to when New Fantasyland was under construction. Luckily these are much more temporary.
Marathon Monday
There is a tradition for the Run Disney marathon runners to take pictures with their medals the following Monday after the races are over. This is a little peak as to what that looks like if you think you may be interested in joining the marathon madness.
Congratulations to the runners they deserve some nice shots with their medals in the hub.
Back to Dinoland U.S.A.
I, yet again, had perfect timing with the Animal Kingdom bus and arrived at the exact same time as it did to the bus stop. I noticed in my walk back in that the braille map had been taped over… you could still feel the area of Dinoland they taped so I don’t know how effective that is but I digress.
I also noticed that the caricature artists still hadn’t arrived to their kiosk in Dinoland at around 3 p.m. I wonder if they have left their kiosk for extinction. Nothing much had changed over Chester & Hester’s. A few white trucks were parked in front of the the empty building carrying more supplies to build walls to replace the bushes.
I don’t think we will start to see many changes until Wednesday or Thursday.
I hope you enjoyed our day of park hopping between Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. There is a lot of construction work between both parks. Honestly, there is a lot of construction all over Walt Disney World.
Would you recommend someone visit the parks as they currently are with all the resorts and parks in various states of refurbishment? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I would tell someone visiting for the first time or once in a lifetime to holdoff until at least this summer.
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