WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Long Lost Friends Week was the first big hit from Limited Time Magic in Florida

Scrooge McDuck and Ludwig Von Drake

The Pinocchio gang

Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Prince John, and the Sheriff of Nottingham

Clarabelle & Horace

BIG BAD WOLF!

Instead of sining autographs, guests were given autograph cards

The Cinderella Castle Dreamlights are coming down

Crane up behind the castle

Another crane up and working on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

The queue was fixed up while the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was closed last week

Marie was out in Storybook Circus… this is not a normal occurrence

Sleepy Hollow Refreshments is open while the exterior is being refurbished

Columbia Harbor House is still behind tarps as well

Some strange work going on at the Tomorrowland Speedway

Work continues on The Villas at the Grand Floridian

Looking good!

]]> http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/10701/feed 1 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/10369 http://wdwnewstoday.com/archives/10369#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2012 10:59:11 +0000 wdwntadmin http://wdwnewstoday.com/?p=10369 WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney yesterday and took plenty of newsworthy photos, so let’s take a look at what’s new:

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

Art of disney at Epcot recently was refurbished and is now open once again, now featuring the Castle Collection merchandise

Looks like they just cleaned up the place a bit

They did rearrange some shelves

Work continues to prepare a new entrance at the Seas with Nemo and Friends

This new wave awning replaces the plain umbrellas that had been here

Work continues on a new entrance, presumed to be a new queue for Turtle Talk with Crush

Work continues on what we believe is a DVC booth near Canada

Bistro De Paris is gone…

It will be replaced with a new restaurant from the same company after 30 years at Epcot

The bakery is also being expanded

Construction walls up inside the shop next door

Food and Wine Festival preparations underway

No more Vanity Fair, now the sponsor is Chase

Nice to know that the new patio at Tutto Italia can be enclosed in bad weather

This fountain outside of La Hacienda has been like this for months…

The new exhibit inside the Mexico pavilion seems to be just about finished

Donald was meeting guests inside

The Cool Wash by Test Track is still behind walls

Work continues on Test Track

Heading over to the Magic Kingdom, we can see Grand Floridian DVC construction

AVENGERAIL!

It now advertises the home video release of the film

It turned into a nice day

The Country Bear Jamboree is closing for a few months this week

Some people seem convinced the show will be shortened and some songs will be removed

Shaker says “Probably not”

Trixie would be sad…

Gomer is befuddled

Some people think Big Al will be cut… yeah, OK…

The Yankee Trader is now behind tarps as work continues on the new path and restrooms in Fantasyland

Next-gen FASTPASS looks ready to go at the Haunted Mansion

The store is open during this

A strange structure has risen on the Skyway site which makes these people angry at each-other…

Chubby Moonliner?

I’m not sure what that is supposed to be

Next-gen FASTPASS installed at Peter Pan as well

People like to lean on things

The castle walls are nearing completion

Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train construction

Work continues on Princess Fairytale Hall

Caught someone picking their nose… fantastic!

Just like in the concept art, Prince Eric’s castle is visible just over the mountain

Next-Gen FASTPASS at Winnie the Pooh

More grass appearing on the roof of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Big Top Souvenirs

Next-Gen FASTPASS installed here as well

The presumed Humphrey the Bear counter service location through the trees

Looks like a sign will be installed soon

Another look at the roof grass…

Work continues on the Tomorrowland bridge

And the old Swan Boats dock

Infrastructure for the eventual move to RFID tickets is being installed at the Magic Kingdom entrance

Another look at Grand Floridian construction

Let’s get right to Fantasyland

Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train

More steel rises

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid looms in the distance

The new Winnie the Pooh meet and greet is open, replacing Tigger’s Bouncy Place

Dumbo FASTPASS is running and at Philharmagic’s old machines

Another look at Mine Train

Mermaid rockwork extending down towards Storybook Circus

Big Top Souvenirs

We finally have dueling Dumbos!

Timothy now spins and moves on the sign

Only 30 minutes for stand-by… it’s working…

A large wall has appeared on the Mine Train structure

Back to Dumbo

FASTPASS return will skip the tent queue

Love the magic feather on the clock…

The old Dumbo is back as the new Dumbo! Wait… what?

“Transformers: The Ride was much better!”

No interactive queue today

A photo with two Dumbos? MIND BLOWN!

Disney released some footage of the dueling Dumbos for you to enjoy:

More Mine Train

Big Top Souvenirs

Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station is open

Casey Jr. got fenced in… apparently there were some safety issues with the water and guests climbing in

Other than that, the area looks great!

The animals spin and spray, much nicer than other water play areas

Poor Casey sits in a time out…

The attraction sign is pretty cool too

The backs of the 4 train cars have the years that each WDW park opened – 71, 82, 89, and 98

A nicely themed new merchandise cart sells fitting water-play merchandise

and hats…

This car will be the most popular with the fanboys… they will gather here and tell tales of Horizons

The area behind Casey still needs some work…

This PIXAR short reference was added a few weeks ago

You may recognize this emblem from Town Square Theater

Casey does look pretty great though

He even blinks!

This is always pretty disturbing…

Looking into Mermaid, you can see trees and ship wreckage are now visible

The new Winnie the Pooh meet and greet

Castle Wall construction

Mystery walls still up by the Carousel

Snow White is still closed… and it ain’t reopening anytime soon…

Only visible change is the missing attraction sign which we assume has gone to the archives

Dumbo FASTPASS, that way!

It isn’t going to open, so I’m not sure why he turned around…

If you haven’t exited by now…

Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo now share the Philharmagic FASTPASS distribution

The new signs are cool, and they give you the standby wait for each ride

More Castle Wall work

Vertical construction has begun on the old Skyway area

Looks like Rapunzel’s tower to me

For the nerd in your family, anything on this shelf will do

The Crow’s Nest is closed! The sign is down… it would be a shame to lose one of the park’s oldest shops, formerly sponsored by Kodak…. We’ll keep an eye on this

Wendell!

Not sure what happened here

Skyway construction visible from across the park

Work continues on the Main Street Bakery

I still think this has something to do with Starbucks…

Package Pick-Up still behind tarps as well

As is The Confectionary and the Chapeau

Looks like the Snow White poster is finally down and now Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom has its own poster

Big Thunder Mountain is on the maps now… I can’t remember the last time that happened

Snow White’s Scary Adventures is closed….

Walls go down to Sir Mickey’s

The Seven Dwarfs’ Mine is still open

Speaking of the Seven Dwarfs’, here’s the progress on the Mine Train

The Dumbo marquee was finally installed and the Timothy figure from the old ride is back!

The back of the sign is pretty neat

Work continues on the former Tigger’s Bouncy Place

Rumor is that Winnie the Pooh and Tigger will be doing meet and greets in this new spot

The facade of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid is looking great

More Mine Train

The second Dumbo spinner was testing all week, should be open any day now

Another look at Mermaid

Big Top Souvenirs still under construction

More Mermaid

The new Dumbo sign on a sunnier day…

The hose that the monkey uses to spray guests will go across the entire Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station

Guests have been ripping the handles off of the luggage near the train station

They aren’t doing too well

Some were completely ripped off

Hadn’t see this reference yet

The unlabeled structure next to Pete’s Silly Sideshow is coming along nicely

Pete’s Silly Sideshow progress

Another look at the mystery structure

Some new steel has appeared at the base of the Mine Train

Looks like one of the lower hills

A new stand-by wait sign up at the second dumbo spinner

An arrow was added to the construction walls so it is clearer to guests what is back in Storybook Circus

A day later and a primer coat of paint is going on the new covered area in the Pooh queue

The Castle Walls are coming along quickly

Walls also up near the Carousel

The old Skyway site is still pretty barren

Tarps up at “it’s a small world”

The Main Street Bakery is still behind tarps (I’m starting to think this has something to do with Starbucks moving in)

Facade work continues on the Confectionary and Chapeau

The temporary Tangled meet and greet rolls on

Work was completed on the Main Street bridge

Work on the Princess Merida meet and greet has been completed

A nearby cart has Brave merchandise

I find it hard to believe that they will sell much before the movie is released

I fully expect to get shot with arrows by smaller guests on a regular basis now…

The second Dumbo spinner is rapidly nearing completion

If I were a betting man… and I am…

I’d wager that the second spinner will be open by Memorial Day

The official opening is July, along with the interactive queue

The Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station looks nearly complete

We’re still not entirely sure if the center portion will spin at a slow speed like a roundhouse

98? An Animal Kingdom reference? We think about these things too much…

A look at Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Near the construction of what we assume is a new Pooh meet and greet, a mysterious box has appeared

The Castle Wall is rising…

More scaffolding finally went up on the detailed portion near Village Haus

This steel frame should be covered soon

This side is further along

Some walkway work being done near the Carousel as well

I had to stare at this for a while to realize what I was seeing… this is the view from the Haunted Mansion across the old Skyway site. I assume this will be addressed as construction moves forward.

Construction of the Grand Floridian DVC wing continues

A new parking lot being built across the way

Going up!

Star wars Weekends preparation underway at Studios

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

You can still become an unwanted action figure… ZING!

The Droid Factory recently opened at Tatooine Traders. You can make your own R2 unit toy!

Scott Smith just died

Brave banners up in the Animation Courtyard

Work was completed on the Disney Junior queue

Looks like they just replaced the awning

The same seems to be happening to the meet and greet area

Goodbye Kim…

Work continues on the new, separate Turtle Talk entrance at the Seas

Construction has gone vertical on the Disney Vacation Club wing of the Grand Floridian

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom

There are two of these posters in the tunnel now… not only is it not an attraction… but it has more posters than any others…

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom sign near Town Square Theater

Work continues on the Confectionary and Chapeau facades

Work still going on near the Main Street bridge

This new railing was installed during the work

Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to touch trash-cans?

Still not a whole lot of theme to this walkway between Tomorrowland and Storybook Circus

Work on the water tower at Fantasyland Station is complete

A look from the Barnstormer reveals that the second Dumbo spinner is nearing completion. We can also see the true height of the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train

The mountain of the Mine Train will be pretty tall

The second Dumbo is fully decorated

Workers on top of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

The covered part is the lift hill as the train will roll out of the mountain

Work continues on turning Tigger’s Bouncy Place into something else

Some tarps now up in front of the Castle Wall construction

A second set of walls now makes for a tight passage

They are working on the back end of the Village Haus facade now

It’s still quite a mess back here

Now “it’s a small world” has tarps up

Work continues on the former Skyway site

Next-gen FASTPASS testing at the Haunted Mansion

It will be interesting to see what this looks like when they are done

They were forcing guests down the graveyard side if you weren’t using FASTPASS, but you could still bypass the interactive queue

Work continues on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Everything looks fantastic!

GOAT!

Package Pick-Up still behind tarps

Awesome shot of the Avengerail in action… I hope you’ve seen the movie by now…

A look at the Grand Floridian DVC construction from across the water

They’ve installed a rocky shoreline

Moving over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it looks like the Sorcerer Mickey topiary is on the move again as walls are up

Stage for Star Wars Weekends is going up

Citizens of Hollywood recently had a character shuffle. This is the “new” Mimi Kaboom

Things got heated…

ACTING! BRILLIANT!

I don’t think the security booths are coming back…

Welcome

We’re still letting the memories begin…

Work continues on the Main Street Bakery facade

Tangled characters meeting in Town Square until a new home in Fantasyland is ready

Pillow pets everywhere!

Still funny

Something for the ladies

That’s… different…

The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor is looking great following the refurbishment

Everything looks brand new inside

The Tangled meet and greet is being turned into the home for Merida from Brave

More steel rises for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster

What appears to be a large weathervane appeared on the roof of Maurice’s Cottage, Enchanted Tales with Belle

We just keep moving ours…

The second tent is Storybook Circus is slowly being covered

No more steel frames to see at Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

The Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station is coming along nicely

Just a peek over the walls and we can see Casey in all his glory! This looks fantastic for being just a water play area.

RFID FASTPASS scanner outside the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

The crane, the crane!

Most of the framework for the Castle Walls is standing now

“I wonder what they are building…”

Stroller parking now happening outside of Village Haus

It’s been quite a shuffle the last few years

Some facade work happening on “it’s a small world”

Work continues on the former plot of the Fantasyland Skyway Station

Work is wrapping up on the Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment

Everything out in the queue looks good

Bigger changes are expected for the indoor queue, at the very leas most of it has been rebuilt

I know it’s blurry, but you can see that the railroad ties are back

The new track should be a nice adjustment

Oooooooo….

Booooooooo….

The Robo-News man in Tomorrowland returned to service recently

He looks brand new!

Some new shirts at Philharmagic, I LOVE both of them

This shirt has been around, but still cool!

Center Street looks great as does all of Main Street following the 3 years of facade work that has been going on

Work continues on the facade of the Main Street Bakery

The final eges of the rock-work on Under the sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid are rounded out

Work continues on what we assume will be a new Pooh meet and greet area in the former Tigger bounce area

The old/second Dumbo is taking a while to be installed

The rest of the land is taking shape, including more supports for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train

More of the Castle Wall frame has been erected

The basic shape is all there, so you can really get a feel for the layout of the land now

Over at Hollywood Studios, the queue at Disney Junior: Live on Stage is being repaired

The Splash fountain is back from refurbishment

Work continues on the new facade at the Downtown Disney Rainforest Cafe

I saved the Orange Bird for last… he’s back… and he has an attraction poster while not being an attraction

Yep, he’s on the sign…

AVENGERAIL!

A look from the inside

The jet-black look is pretty sweet

A beautiful day on Main Street U.S.A.

Work continues slowly on the Castle Walls in Fantasyland

Supports for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train have risen

The little details on Prince Eric’s castle are beginning to emerge

The crane is still on site

It looks like they are trying to age the building a little

Looks like the Mine Train will block the view of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Shingles going on the rooftops in Belle’s Village

Work continues on removing the Tigger Bounce area from the Pooh queue

Posters line the construction walls on the way to Storybook Circus

The extended rock-work at Mermaid is still in the early stages

It looks like the Casey Jr. Splash and Soak Station may be on a spinning platform like a roundhouse

Another look at the Mine Train supports

The remainder of the circus is coming along slowly

Another look at the Mermaid facade

There is a slight gap to correct…

Still a lot of walls…

Water level is a little low… and it’s a little green

The Adventureland Veranda was never so popular

A lot of guests want a Dole Whip

A reasonable line for a Sorcerers window? AMAZING!

The Sunshine Tree Terrace is out from behind tarps

The new sign, with a temporary sun on it

Well, it appears the Little Orange Bird is behind the sun…

Wow, they have food now

And the Citrus Swirl is back

I really want to try some of this stuff

AVENGERAIL!

MAY 4th!