Greetings from an overcast-turned-sunny day at the Magic Kingdom! We have a plethora of updates to share with you today, from new Loungefly backpacks to an unexpected ongoing attraction closure. Of course, there are plenty of construction projects and other merchandise to check on as well – let’s get into the park and see what’s new.
City Hall, despite now being in its 7th week fully enclosed in scrim, has yet to be completed. Considering how long it’s been since the project started, it could be revealed any day.
One of our amazing finds today is this new Baby Yoda (excuse us, The Child) Pandora charm. We took a bunch of photos and, as Baby Yoda deserves, gave it its own dedicated post which you can view by clicking here.
Another line of merchandise which has taken the parks by storm is the Ink & Paint collection. This coloring place mat was just introduced and includes 6 markers, and we’ve got additional details about this item in its own dedicated post.
Rounding out the trifecta of cute new merchandise, these Disney Dogs and Disney Cats Loungefly backpacks unexpectedly appeared today.
They each come with print patterns featuring some of our favorite four-legged friends from Disney movies. For pricing, location, and of course more pictures, click here for the full post.
This preview for March’s Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction collection went up alongside the Loungefly display, and features items themed after the Mad Tea Party (perhaps better known simply as “The Teacups”). This month’s set is expected to be available on March 21st, and if past sets have been any indication, only the mug and plush will last past the first day.
Around Cinderella Castle, a small army of boom lifts have arrived for the makeover of the castle for the 50th anniversary. We haven’t noticed any exterior changes to the castle just yet, but with these on site it won’t be long before the castle begins to transform.
In Tomorrowland, the refurbishment taking place to the PeopleMover support posts is considerably further along than the castle.
As some posts become hidden behind scaffolding and scrim, others are revealed and await little more than paint and trim finishing.
TRON Lightcycle Run is showing a bit more in the way of developments than what we’ve seen over the last couple weeks, with large supports for the canopy structure starting to gain some serious height. If you’re not familiar with what this attraction will look like once it’s complete, you should head over to our post which shows off some concept art, cast costumes, and ride vehicles.
Alongside the construction of TRON Lightcycle Run, the entirety of the Walt Disney World Railroad track is being replaced. Because the train will run through the attraction, the timing for this refurbishment worked out pretty well.
Within Storybook Circus, these small walls still surround part of a planter near Dumbo The Flying Elephant.
In other Storybook news, water has returned to the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station. While this morning wasn’t the most opportune time for a water playground, it will certainly be appreciated when temperatures heat up.
It’s a small world drifts on with its queue refurbishment. No details were provided as to what’s actually happening behind those walls, but no major changes are expected.
One totally unexpected closure we’ve seen is The Haunted Mansion, which has entered its fourth day of unplanned downtime. There’s been no official word about what manner of spirit has caused the closure.
But hey, not all is grim in Liberty Square. The Columbia Harbor House offers some nice pops of color as the sun begins to come out.
Another pleasant development is the addition of a stone countertop to what was previously a bare metal bar for standing at in the Liberty Square Market eating area.
Adding to our “Country Bears Roaming” series, Big Al was out and about in his signature red vest. Disney has done a pretty good job of rotating the bears’ appearances.
Br’er Rabbit, on the other hand, is very consistent in his appearances in Frontierland now that Splash Mountain has reopened from its refurbishment.
In Adventureland, these walls and scrim recently went up next to Island Supply by Sunglass Hut.
Elsewhere in Adventureland, the operating hours for Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room were not entirely accurate. The attraction generally closes one hour prior to park closing, and a cast member confirmed the sign did not reflect the correct hours.
Outside of the park, work continues at the entrance near the monorail station. Many new walkways and security checkpoints will be added as part of this project. The area pictured here will likely be the bag check for guests using the upcoming walkway from the Grand Floridian.
At the Grand Floridian itself, refurbishment work on the splash pad continues, but appears to be entering its final stages.
The walkway and bridge from the Grand Floridian all have quite a bit more work to go before their completion. Today we see that a lot of new dirt has been trucked in and is being leveled by workers.
At the Transportation and Ticket Center, new pavement is laid and it looks like most of the old coloring from the overhang has been stripped away.
Some of the asphalt appears to have been cleaned up, and the base for a new light pole has been installed.
Finally, more of the walkway from the parking lot to the TTC has been opened up. Eventually, the trams will once again pick up and drop off guests a good deal closer to the monorail station and ferryboat dock than what they currently are.
We hope you enjoyed our walk around the Magic Kingdom, and look forward to having you along on our next tour of the park. For highlights of the most photo-worthy developments within the Walt Disney World Resort, click here and follow WDWNT on Instagram.