Hello, and welcome to Dateline Disney World! This week, we have a ton of photos and items to show you from the Magic Kingdom, including the reopening of the world famous Jungle Cruise after its lengthy refurbishment. We have almost 70 photos this week, so sit back and enjoy.

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Welcome to the Magic Kingdom

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The RFID turnstiles are almost complete.

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The same work that happened at the Emporium to remove the curb is now happening at the Confectionery.

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The castle may look normal from afar, but the Dream Lights have all been put in place. Yes folks, Christmas is just around the corner!

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This area in Adventureland finally came out from behind the walls and it is looking nice and clean. No changes either, still a seating area.

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At the Haunted Mansion, my favorite attraction signs still have yet to return. Starting to lose hope on that one.

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Columbia Harbor House’s exterior refurbishment is finally fully complete, both on the Liberty Square and Fantasyland sides.

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Near where the old restrooms by Peter Pan were is now this really nice mural where Pan meets guests.

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I heard some rumblings of adding Disney characters to WDW’s it’s a small world this week. Stay tuned to see if this one comes true. Would you like to see familiar characters added to this attraction as they have been at Disneyland and Hong Kong?

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Peter Pan’s Flight and Pinocchio Village Haus both have refurbishments going on.

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Long lines at the Princess Hug Zone.

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Time for Mine Train photos for the week. As you can see here, the mountain is actually seeing lots of progress every week now. That leads me to believe the last few months were heavy on the interior work.

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I know Disney is catching a lot of snark about this project, but I am still looking forward to its completion. It’ll be great to get rid of those walls, and I think the scenery will be beautiful and make for great photos.

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Wouldn’t it be nice if the Diamond Horseshoe was open more than just a few times a year?

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Lastly, this week the Jungle Cruise reopened after a lengthy refurbishment. I’ll let the photos do the majority of the talking, but it reminded me a whole lot of the recent Splash Mountain refurb. There were effects working that I either didn’t know existed or forgot about because it had been so long. Everything got a nice fresh coat of paint, and I was pretty happy with it.

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It appears that some of the foliage was cut back, and there was a lot of mist in the opening scene. Fantastic.

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Lots of fresh paint here.

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The tires were actually spinning on the Jeep, which I didn’t know was supposed to be a working effect.

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In a time where there are lots of questionable things done at Disney, it really brings me great joy to report on great things like this. The classic WDW attractions are just as important, if not more so, than the new things and changes, so it is really nice to see Disney respect them and give them the love they deserve. It may be a long time coming, but I’d much rather have the attraction be in tip top shape now than it still be in a bad state. Kudos, Disney.

I think we’ll wrap up on that positive note this week. How do you feel about the Mine Train progress? Happy about the Jungle Cruise being restored to its former glory? Let us know in the comments!!

I’d also like to introduce you to the MicePod’s Windows to the Magic Podcast, which broadcasts amazing stereo from the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World on alternating weeks. This week is a Magic Kingdom show that we’d like to share. For the best experience, put on a headset, you’ll be glad you did:

WINDOW TO THE MAGIC PODCAST AT WALT DISNEY WORLD!

Jeremiah takes you along as he enters The Magic Kingdom for the very first time as a Florida resident and shares his thoughts and feelings as he surveys his new domain!



Direct Link | iTunes

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If you enjoyed the column, especially the photos, and you want to check out more photos and tutorials on Disney photography, please check out my photo site, [URL=”http://www.DisneyPhotographyBlog.com”]Disney Photography Blog[/URL]. And if you like listening more than reading, you can hear us talk about Disney and photography on my podcast, [URL=”http://www.ISO5571.com”]ISO5571[/URL]

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