It appears some of the elements for the Adventureland interactive game have been installed

This icon should help guests locate the game area

Not sure what this will do

A different icon near this cannon

You can see the cannon aiming at something behind this tarp

Another game area

Looks like there is a skeleton under the water where the Junior Jungle Boats used to be

Another game area being set-up

The Crow’s Nest is still behind walls

We expect this is where the game will begin for guests

Golden Oak Outpost is closed again…

The tower from Tangled visible from Frontierland

Kind of strange…

Work is speeding along on the restrooms on the former Skyway site, rumors still indicate we will see guest charging stations for electronics in this area as well

The tower was installed recently

The Royal Majesty Makers out and about in Fantasyland

Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction continues

The construction walls were updated with the Dwarfs now mimicking the areas they are in

This scene is near Enchanted Tales with Belle

The small Lumiere on the signage now swings his arms back and forth

Looks like another device built by Maurice

More new Mine Train walls

Some new concept art shows off the interactive queue

Looks like fun

The finale scene

Everyone has clocked in, meaning they are working hard on the new attraction

Another look at Mine Train

Some more walls came down revealing a small section of the bridge

A look from the other side

100 minutes for Mermaid… yeah, Fantasyland is a total failure

All of the screen-based wait times signs in the park were themed recently, all of them now match the physical signage now

The back side of Mine Train

Triton’s Treasures is being built and is coming along quickly

Wait for Ariel’s Grotto

Some cool walls you can look through were put up as well

Let’s take a look inside

A lot of work still to be done

This wall is near Winnie-The-Pooh

Near the Mad Tea Party

Another look through the walls

Moving to Downtown Disney, the volcano at Rainforest Cafe is coming along nicely

Splitsville opens December 19th

Curl is also moving to some small space next door to Splitsville

Looks like there is space for another store as well

There’s an outside bar as well

It’s Autumn

Pins available for Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak has a pin

Holiday pins are out

Walls still up near the Haunted Mansion

Tarps up on Columbia Harbor House

The Yankee Trader is still behind tarps

Work continues on the new restrooms in Fantasyland

The Village Haus balcony is still closed, but tarps have started coming down

Looks nice

The souvenir cups from Gaston’s Tavern are also at Village Haus

Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction continues

Wow…

Fun “character” apples

Storybook Circus has its own specialty cupcakes

Pete’s Silly Sideshow

Finishing touches keep being added, the eyes on the snakes now have a spinning effect

There is some large construction happening between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom bus loop

At the All-Star Resorts, the lobby has been redecorated with large pictures to replace the old small ones

All-Star Sports

All-Star Music

The game cards at most of the arcades are now Wreck-It Ralph themed

Moving over to Animal Kingdom

Enjoy Camp Minnie-Mickey while you can

Pocohontas and Her Forrest Friends has been closed since September 2008 and is now being used for stroller parking

Beastly Bazaar is closed as it is being turned into a character meet and greet

That’s why we are here…

NO ZEBRAS!

They weren’t out at the time…

Test Track is coming along nicely (as seen from the monorail)

You can see the outline of the two Ts on the canopy

Digging the spot where the sign will go

Not much visible progress by the exit

The Epcot Character Spot is being refurbished

Work continues on the new IBM exhibit in Innoventions

Some Epcot 30th merchandise remains

Christmas merchandise in abundance

Neat…

Frankenweenie merchandise available in Caribbean Plaza

Still not selling…

A Halloween collectible cup is now available at Sunshine Tree Terrace along with that Orange Bird thing…

Lights on inside Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train

Let’s check out Storybook Circus at night

Still strange…

As they need this path to move consturction items into Mine Train, it may be a long time before you can travel from Circus to Mermaid

The calliope looks great

Look closely

HA

We’re already in Storybook Circus… so this can be confusing…

Another look at Mine Train

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid looks great at night

A great new place to watch fireworks

Gaston’s chair has arrived at Gaston’s Tavern!

Be Our Guest restaurant was open for guests to tour

The lobby

Gorgeous interior

Lots of ordering kiosks for counter service

It’s a scroll

RFID technology like the new room keys will be used in the ordering system

Touch the magic rose thing… you will get a plastic rose “puck” with an RFID chip which you will scan at your table so they know where to bring your food

It will be interesting to see how this works

Menu

Different kiosks look like different items

The ballroom

I assume this is “Be Our Guest” in French

Hopefully we will see more soon

You can see a early carving of the music box from Be Our Guest restaurant in Maurice’s workshop at Enchanted Tales with Belle, since Maurice built it and all…

I love this animatronic so much…

Plenty of Imagineers and construction workers out at Mine Train

The castle walls have been completely revealed

No bushes now

Scuttle is a living character in the Under the Sea queue, so he can interact with guests

He also talks to the crabs

Sleepy…

We think these crabs are going to become beloved

We have to stop here…

PORK SHANK!

and some LeFou’s Brew

Souvenir mug

Still awesome

Yep…

There are books titled for the land in the Magic Kingdom next to the Donald service statue

Some Haunted Mansion wallpaper in the background as well

I don’t think Phil Holmes asked for the tribute, I’m pretty sure it was just a gesture from the Imagineers

This is the souvenir goblet that will also be available at Be Our Guest Restaurant

A lot of decorations in this store

Some work took place of the roof of the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train

Gaston greeting guests in the town

Some filming going on

No more walls over here

Work continues on Princess Fairytale Hall

A look at progress on the old Skyway site

Ummm…

Castle Dreamlights installed

Orange Bird ear hats available in Adventureland

Work continues outside of Magic Carpets of Aladdin

It’s worth mentioning that this attraction goes down for refurbishment in a few days, at which point we expect FastPass Plus to be installed

Some work has been done to the Pirates of the Caribbean queue over the last few months

Some staircases were refurbished

New lighting all around

The new merge point in place

Some work still being done

It is well-themed. It looks like toe fort was damaged in battle

The Crow’s Nest is still behind walls

Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats is gone

Now just stroller parking

Some work still being done

It is believed this all ties into a Jungle Cruise refurbishment happening in 2013

So, we’ve been staring at this thing a lot…

So, here’s what reader Chris Currie believes it is…

 My guess is it is more for people counting than security. The white rectangular box on the left side is whats called a precision stereo camera and is dedicated to people counting. The second device in from the left is an Axis Dome camera, third device in is an outdoor laser measurement device from SICK AG, another Axis Dome camera and then another box style camera.

The two dome cameras are likely used for verifying the data from the precision stereo camera and the laser management device. The box style camera could possibly be used to test people counting analytic’s in a Video Management System.

That sounds about right

But no, it has nothing to do with them using RFID for park entry, this is simply an exit test

We’re exiting… goodbye!

We know New Fantasyland is stunning during the day, but just wait until you see the incredible lighting and ambiance at night. We take a video tour of New Fantasyland at night, including a look inside the stunning ballroom at the Be Our Guest Restaurant, in our latest video:

We begin with a popcorn cart! We know this is what you waited for…

A nearby seating area

One permanent looking wall on the Mine Train side

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Amazing…

The details are stunning

We know…

Cool sign

A full color Ariel on the front of a shipwreck

The backside of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Ariel’s Grotto had a 20 minute wait

Not working yet

Cool sign

Attraction exit for the ride

More Mine Train

The village off in the distance

Bridge to the Be Our Guest Restaurant

This is the Magic Kingdom?

It’s so purty…

The entrance to Be Our Guest Restuarant

This is detail at the Tokyo DisneySea level

Looks like this will be the check-in desk for the restaurant

Mine Train track

Enchanted Tales with Belle got signage

Lumiere Lamp!

The wait time sign is a bird house that looks like their house!

We’ve already seen this…

The backside of Castle Wall

FastPass isn’t running yet, but eventually will be distributed at Mickey’s Philharmagic along with Under the Se: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Another look at Mine Train

Big open path for guests to enter the land today

Stroller parking has to be done outside of the new area for now

We’ll be back in a few…

Work continues on Princess Fairytale Hall

Still there

Little Mermaid merchandise is now available at Sir Mickey’s

DINGLEHOPPERS!

Creepy…

Back to New Fantasyland

Over the bridge again

Amazing tile mosiac

A look across the bridge

Menu is out

Gaston greeting guests

I love this photo…

Let’s eat!

Pork shanks and LeFou’s Brew are the specialty

A look at the menu

Looks better than a turkey leg…

cinnamon bun!

You can wimp out and get your brew in a generic cup…

SHANK!

The interior looks just like the film

Bambi?

Antlers is all of his decorating!

This guy looks down in the dumps…

Antler chandelier

There are antlers made of stained glass…

LeFou is losing

Gaston’s hat

Inside Bonjour Village Gifts

Exclusive merchandise

Gargoyle candle holders and picture frames

There is a tribute to long-tim Magic Kingdom Vice-President Phil Holmes

Lots of hidden references we’ll get to…

Back to Mermaid

I hate to say this, but it reminds me of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea…

Detail!

Speaking of 20,000 Leagues… THE NAUTILUS!

A second hidden Nautilus submarine in the Magic Kingdom, the other is in the tree at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

We love themed pavement

This queue is incredible

This is the interactive queue element

We’ll keep our eyes peeled

I have a feeling we’ll be looking in these windows for something

A Scuttle animatronic in the queue for Scuttle’s Scavenger Hunt

Cool detail

The loading area

Stingrays on the moving walkway

If you want to see the full ride, we have a video available

The ride includes the recent changes to the DCA version, including Ariel’s new hair

Other than a few minor changes, the ride portion is the same

King Triton has a very different beard in this version…

We’ll be back

Exit

Back to Ariel’s Grotto

ARIEL!

The water is a little murky right now

Water features everywhere!

Storybook Circus looms in the distance

The backside of Mine Train

This might be the most beautiful queue ever made

Even with Mine Train not finished, the setting is visually stunning

Scuttle’s footprints in the pavement

We can’t stop looking at it! Apparently the song “Whale of a Tale” is in the area music loop as well…

Event the water fountains are themed…

So, here is the interactive queue element

Through projection technology, you can point out items that shouldn’t be there

The little crabs will pick up and take away the stuff if you point to it

Some old legends about the sea are written on the roof of this rotunda

The mural looks fantastic

No hidden Mr. Limpet figure in Florida…

The audio-animatronic Flotsam and Jetsam weren’t working yet

Awww…

I can’t get over his beard…

Back to Ariel’s Grotto

I love that Gaston gave the statue to the town… of himself…

Even though it wasn’t open, cast members were happy to show off the Be Our Guest menu

A themed tarp under the bridge until work is done on Mine Train

MORE FOOD!

YOU BOUGHT WATER? LEAVE!

This is amazing…

This is my favorite sign ever…

A beautiful restroom building

What a water fountain

The village is intricately detailed

We’ll be looking at this for a while…

So, the hidden details in the Phil Holmes portrait, there is a Magic Lamp, peanuts, and an apple. We assume these are nods to Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, and Dumbo/Storybook Circus

He has a ring to celebrate his 40 years with the Magic Kingdom, and we assume the portrait celebrates him signing off on the New Fantasyland project

There’s a map in the book that includes Mickey’s Toontown (No Fair) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Belle’s Village is right behind the Mermaid queue

Scuttle talks to guests while interactive crabs remove items

Wow…

PHOTO-BOMBED WITH A THUMBS UP? HOW DARE YOU!

Bonjour Village Gifts

The cast member costumes look great

Plenty of Beauty and the Beast merchandise available

Be Our Guest restaurant plates and cups

There is Phil

Gaston’s Tavern shirt!

Another one

Eco-friendly printing

A French book on display

Looks like it is Beauty and the Beast

CHEAP WEAPONS

We end as we started… WITH POPCORN!

Coverage won’t end for New Fantasyland here, we will continue to cover the preview period up until the grand opening of New Fantasyland on December 6th! We still have yet to see the Be Our Guest Restaurant, so stay tuned!

We have over 400 photos coming up shortly, but first enjoy this video of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid from the soft opening of New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom earlier today:

Great chocolate art at the Festival Center at Epcot

It’s dark, but nice to see them use more of the pavilion space

Work continues on Test Track as we race towards December 6th

The IBM Runtime game is now closed inside Innoventions, it opened back in 2008

Rumor is that IBM Smarter Planet is getting some updates

I hope so because it wasn’t really working…

The seating area that was formerly Rockin’ Robots is now walled off as well

Some scaffolding inside

Still nothing going on at the former Segway Central

Habit Heroes is still closed…

The Epcot 30th display remains at MouseGear

What remains of the merchandise is on display

A lot of generic Epcot merchandise has filled in some space

Moving to the Magic Kingdom, the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction is picking up

An Orioles hat… how cute…

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

The now completed Storybook Circus

I love these seats…

That is some fancy lighting for an outside tent…

Let’s go to Pete’s Silly Sideshow!

The calliope is from Disneyland PAris’ Main Street U.S.A.

Reference to a classic Disney animated film by the same name

Into Pete’s mouth!

Meeting Minnie and Daisy

The theming is insane… the walls are labeled for easy construction, insinuating that the Circus moves from town to town

Goofy and Donald

A look up at the ceiling

It’s a tent

PANORAMA!

ANOTHER PANORAMA! AMAZING!

Minnie trains trick Poodles…

It looks much better when Adam doesn’t use the world’s brightest flash…

Awwww…

Daisy

Daisy will see you now!

Looks very “Museum of the Weird” like the Madame Leota cart

Exit

Into Big Top Souvenirs

Very fitting that they sell Popcorns Vinylmation here

Everyone loves this carpet!

The “Under the Big Top” series is also available

My favorite display

A close second is the Penguins cage holding the cold drinks

The strange tiny MousekeEars are also available here

A look at the new food carts in the area

I’m in love with a food cart…

Usual cart food though

So much time and energy spent on such little details

I love the striped curtain for when they are closed

Let’s go back in

Those random doors look themed…

THEY ARE!

GOOFY!

He crashed his motorcycle

Donald is a snake charmer

ANOTHER PANORAMA! ASTOUNDING!

Could have been a sign, but it is a material banner

I wonder if someone could go in that booth…

I hate to say this so soon, but I love Storybook Circus. It is simply 2 small rides, meet and greets, and shopping, but it is so well done. Kudos to Disney on delivering with a land that was rushed in as a replacement in the expansion.

If Storybook Circus is that cool, I can’t wait to see this…

Another new cart near the entrance

Not listed, but they have roasted almonds too

Another look at Mine Train

A look at what will be Princess Fairytale Hall

The former Skyway site which will now be restrooms and maybe something more…

They are still working on Village Haus

Another piece of track should be lowered into place shortly

FastPass+ equipment was simply covered after the tests ended, so it might just be permanent now

Cool popcorn bucket, but it must be pretty easy to spill…

Going back to Epcot, we take a look at Test Track through a rainy monorail window

Well, that was neat… I guess…

Adam got to stuff his face at the Disney Dessert Discovery event as part of the Food and Wine Festival

So much to eat and drink

Live entertainment

FLAMING DOUGHNUTS!

IN 3D!

WOOOOOOOAH!

Fruit? We didn’t come to a dessert event for fruit!

We came for flaming doughnuts!

Gross…

Thank you for the flaming doughnuts! Oh, and all these photos Adam…

Big Top Souvenirs is now open in Storybook Circus

Humphrey the Bear got his billing on Big Top Treats inside

The checkout areas are animal cars from the train

A candy dispenser is disguised as a stand for fire-hoses

Plenty of baked goods available

Drinks are in the Penguin car…

Some new Dumbo merchandise was ready for the opening

The cast costume for Storybook Circus merchandise

The side entrance

The third tent features more seating and FastPass distribution for Dumbo and Barnstormer

The tables outside are pretty neat

They look like the Toy Story ball…

Pete’s Silly Sideshow was still closed

New carts in the middle section

Looks like the mesh mountain will start appearing on Mine Train soon

Water was running on the Mermaid facade

Another new cart by the entrance to Storybook Circus

Another look at Mine Train

More work on the Castle Walls happening

The amount of detail on the wall is insane

Work still being done at the very top

The old Snow White facade is long gone

Work continues on the former Skyway site

We’re still expecting this to be restrooms and a Tangled meet and greet

Rockwork went up quick on the side by the Haunted Mansion

The TVs in the queue for Carousel of Progress were replaced… too bad they just covered the brand with black tape…

If you look close enough, you can see water running on the Be Our Guest facade

Castle Walls are pretty much finished

You can see the track recently installed at Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train

Cute details on the Castle Wall

A closer look at the track

A look back

The Storybook Circus sign is nearing completion

The grass on the top of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid is looking good

A closer look at the Storybook Circus sign

Lights were on in the third tent, which we now expect to have seating and FastPass distribution for Dumbo and Barnstormer

Signage up on Pete’s Silly Sideshow

WE WILL!