Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Discussion Thread

Seriously fantastic courage! Incredible stuff. I need to get back there to experience all this. And I hope they continue to bring attractions new light like they are doing here and with Test Track.

If there is one thing we have learned is that Disney never "throws anything away" and I'm sure we'll see it come back in some "shape" or "form" in the near future!

 

*COUGH* Avatar *COUGH*

That's probably why the flying dragon thing sounds familiar to me. Wasn't there a rumor a few months ago talking about some flying creature that could be seen in the new Avatar area?

It amazes at how something like that is possible today.

In regards to the dragon, it has been confirmed that this was a one-time appearance (for now) but the technology will likely be used elsewhere.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/the-daily-disney/os-disney-fantasyland-dragon-20121206,0,3233261.story

A dragon that soared above Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland on Wednesday night isn't scheduled to make a return trip, Walt Disney Imagineering officials said Thursday.

 

The red beast, which appeared to be of a fire-breathing species, flapped high above Beast's Castle during a Fantasyland grand-opening party attended by government officials, cast members, media members and other dignitaries and Disney World guests.

 

It approached from the Adventureland side of the park, then circled over the new section of Fantasyland. He could roar and move his head back and forth.

 

Disney officials would not comment about just how this creature worked.

 

"What do you mean? It's a dragon. What are you talking about?" joked Chris Beatty, creative director for the Fantasyland expansion project.

 

"All I'll say is Imagineers are always trying new things and new technologies to bring stories to life. And the dragon was just sort of a little sneak peek into some of our technology and new things we're trying," Beatty said.

 

The dragon's appearance was only for one night "at this point," an Imagineering spokesman said Thursday.

 

"So, deep in the future, you may see more things like that," Beatty said.

Thanks for the great update, Robb - so much more entertaining than the Disney park fansites! Now just to figure out when I can fit in a trip to Orlando... 2015 maybe?

That play area for the Dumbo ride is probably the smartest thing Disney has done in a long long time....

I was tasked with taking my 2 year old nephew the last time we were there, Yikes

That play area for the Dumbo ride is probably the smartest thing Disney has done in a long long time....

 

I was tasked with taking my 2 year old nephew the last time we were there, Yikes

My family did a real smart thing in June -- got the younger cousins hooked on the flying carpets instead! Walk-ons and re-rides until they were all spun out.

^Always been amused by Dumbo's popularity. The vast majority of children (including myself still) are not familiar with Dumbo as an actual character. Sure, I've some my research before but these little kids are awfully attached to a simple ride about a character they don't know, when a similar ride exists in the same park with characters they should know more about. I don't know, I guess flying elephants are cool. I'm glad Disney has been working interactivity in all their lines; Soarin', Space Mountain, Whinnie the Poo, and now Dumbo.

On a side note, SFGAdv has a *very* similar attraction at their park which is not nearly as well received, obviously. I just found it funny when I was there, is all.

^Always been amused by Dumbo's popularity. The vast majority of children (including myself still) are not familiar with Dumbo as an actual character. Sure, I've some my research before but these little kids are awfully attached to a simple ride about a character they don't know, when a similar ride exists in the same park with characters they should know more about. I don't know, I guess flying elephants are cool. I'm glad Disney has been working interactivity in all their lines; Soarin', Space Mountain, Whinnie the Poo, and now Dumbo.

 

On a side note, SFGAdv has a *very* similar attraction at their park which is not nearly as well received, obviously. I just found it funny when I was there, is all.

I'll try and simplify what I think you're overlooking.

A) Yes, flying elephants are cool.

B) It's a classic ride. Simple, all ages can ride, and.....

C) Many of the adults who are standing in that line with a child probably have memories of riding it as a child themselves. Pardon the pun, but it's the circle of life.

D) There's actually three of these type of rides in the same park.

C) Many of the adults who are standing in that line with a child probably have memories of riding it as a child themselves. Pardon the pun, but it's the circle of life.

I just appreciated the indoor air conditioned place to wait! I don't really care about the ride at all and Kristen preferred the play area to the ride!

^^^I totally agree, well said! I was just saying the kids aren't riding it because they love Dumbo, it's because it is sort of an 'icon' at the park like you said. The play area looked pretty great; I know the Whinnie Pooh one was sweet. On my trip with my high school band this past may, one of my friends was using the percussion to put on a show of sorts. It was a bit against what Disney probably had in mind. Amusing, nonetheless.

For those who have been, is the Dumbo play area similar to the ACME Factories located at numerous Six Flags parks?

I can't wait for my Orlando trip next year!

-New Fantasyland

-Transformers

-Harry Potter

-Antarctica

One price… multiple thrills… take home all the memories!

 

NEW! Disney Attractions+ now available at Walt Disney World® and Disneyland® Resorts.

With Attractions+ you can take home all your Attraction images, taken within a 14 day visit to the parks, for $44.95.

How does it work?

 

1. RIDE: Ride one of the participating Attractions

 

2. ASSOCIATE: Present your Attractions+ card at the Attraction Imaging Sales Center within 24 hours of riding to associate your photo

 

3. CLAIM: Visit DisneyPhotoPass.com and enter the ID on the back of the card.

 

4. DOWNLOAD: Go to “My Downloads” to access your Attractions+ photo downloads.

 

Disney Attractions+ is available for purchase at any of the participating Attractions.

 

Walt Disney World Participating Attractions: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Test Track

Soooooo, this is separate from Photopass+ then? I thought this was supposed to be rolled into one card..

Photopass+ includes both Photopass and Attractions+

Yesterday I had the chance to visit the Magic Kingdom for the first time in a few weeks and a lot has changed since then. NextGen tech is springing up throughout the parks and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train coaster's construction is moving at a rapid pace.

Let's take a look!

Behind construction walls for a while, the new RFID turnstiles have debuted for use by resort guests with an RFID-enabled Key to the World card. Depending on the day, guests without a Key to the World might be allowed in using handheld ticket scanners.

These sure beat the old turnstiles!

And they look great too!

Well this is different!

The second lift hill for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been installed!

When complete, this coaster will hug the terrain (artificial and terraformed) like no other.

It is really looking great so far!

Cresting the top of the hill...

The backside of the coaster faces Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid.

And here's where the station will be.

Not much working taking place on this side of the coaster yet.

The Princess Fairytale Hall is set to open next year.

In the space of the former Fantasyland Skyway station are the new Tangled themed restaurants, rumored to also feature charging stations for guests with electronics to enjoy.

This portion of the Columbia Harbor House building is now themed, something that wasn't the case a few weeks ago.

Rapunzel's tower is also highly visible from both Fantasyland and Liberty Square.

What a view!

It looks like there will be a bit of seating space when the area is complete.

The Art of Disney On Demand kiosks now offer the ability to order prints of concept art currently featured at the new Realms of Fantasy exhibit at Disneyland's Disney Gallery.

One such piece of art depicts a portion of the queue for Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid with a show element that didn't make the cut.

Kodak will be exiting the Disney Parks at the beginning of the new year after opting not to renew their longstanding sponsorship agreement with the company.

It won't be presented by Kodak anymore...

Inside FastPass+ readers have been installed in the queue for the Mickey Mouse meet & greet.

Waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments are always a great choice!

The new streetmosphere performers in New Fantasyland and Storybook Circus are pretty great!

The Barnstormer is equipped and ready for FastPass+... And it has a 90 minute wait.

The Giggle Gang drew quite a crowd outside of the entrance to Storybook Circus.

I really enjoyed the show!

Over in Gaston's Tavern a new Patisserie display for fresh croissants is at the counter.

Gaston's has also begun to serve hot chocolate (in the souvenir mugs).

Some new details have been added behind the counter.

Eigerbock = Bob Iger

Anyone care to explain the reference?

How about this one?

Staggs Ale = Tom Staggs

LeFou's Brew is so good!

This is the best New Fantasyland shirt yet!

Over in Adventureland props and thematic elements for a new interactive game have sprung up.

Markings will indicate the station you are visiting, presumably on a map similar to the one you receive when participating in Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

Some elements are still being installed...

While others look to be complete.

This one looks interesting...

It appears that the guests will trigger a pirate skeleton to rise from the water.

The former Crow's Nest Kodak shop is rumored to become the signup location for this new interactive game.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin has also added its FastPass+ equipment.

More streetmosphere found just inside of the castle walls between Fantasyland and New Fantasyland.

These games that have been popping up at MK, and at Aulani and on the ships seems really cool. I haven't been able to try one yet. Hopefully the team that works on these will do a project in California Adventure or Disneyland. Also I would think Animal Kingdom would be perfect for something like that.

The fact that there is no barricade or whatever at the entrance now just seems super odd to me. I know there are other parks like Hershey that don't have any turnstiles, but parks without something to keep people from running though are pretty uncommon. if they don't think it's a security issue to not have them, then the reason that they did have them must have purely been for counting attendance. It makes we wonder why the old ticket system wasn't capable of that, or if it was, why they felt the need to have them in the past.

Awesome report. Really looking forward to all the next gen stuff. FastPass+ may have we staying on property every now and then, unless they make it available as an upcharge. I really need to try one of those waffle sandwiches!

Nice pics of the improvements at MK. So is that LeFou's Brew available in a non-souvenir mug? It looks like it from your pic.

So 2 things:

1. The Mine Coaster is looking wayyyy more impressive than I thought it would be when I first saw the concept. I was expecting a Barnstormer-esque type of coaster. Basic with some theming around (albeit better than Barnstormer, but you get the idea), but this is by far becoming much more of a D-ticket, possibly even an E-ticket sort of attraction rather than the C level I had originally expected it to be at.

2. I love these games they have at the park. I think the Phineas and Ferb one at Epcot seemed the coolest (probably because of my deep seeded childhood fantasy of being a secret agent), but all of theme add so much more to the experience of the park, especially for parents and kids who need a break from standing in lines all day. I really hope we see these sort of things come to Disneyland, cause we all know that resort could use some diversions from long lines.

Blunderbusse Beer: Refers to the weapon that Gaston carries. The blunderbuss was an early musket. The second refers to the three blondes in the movie who were drooling all over themselves for Gaston. I am sad that I know this information.

Great update of all the new creations that are happening at MK.

As a former CP, I worked at the Main Entrance at Animal Kingdom as a Park Greeter. The new entrance at MK I find very interesting. I think it is brilliant. It allows the guests who are spending the most money on property the easiest and fastest way to enter the park. And those who are staying at the hotels and using the World Keys are not cheating the system. They are your good customers that you want to keep happy. Taking out the turnstiles allows families with strollers and people on wheels easier access into the park, instead of ramming the gates. Plus it would make it easier on the Park Greeter, because they would not have to worry about opening and closing a rod-iron gate. You wouldn't believe the number of times a person in a scooter lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the gates.

The new technology looks great. It has theming, simplicity, and style all packaged into the design. I wonder how it works. I see they possess the finger scan, but where is the indicator signal that it is a valid ticket? I see some holes. Does it make a sound to indicate yes or no? Does it have a light?

Also, are the old turnstiles still there?

My next point is that I love they are adding the interactive scavenger hunt game to MK. Yes, I do agree that the game will be great at DAK. I did not know that Disney changed Epcot's game from Kim Possible to Fineas and Ferb. The re-theming kinda makes sense because Fineas and Ferb is more recent and more popular, but kinda does not make sense because Fineas and Ferb are not secret agents. I can understand if Harry the Platypus is the main character and everyone else are side characters.

The Mickey heads make a sound and light up green for valid or blue for problems.

I'm thinking the "Trois Blondes" written on the barrel is for the 3 blonde girls (triplets?) in the Beauty and the Beast movie. I believe they carry those water jug things during one of the musical parts at the beginning of the movie when Gaston is singing.