We’ll take a brief (editor: are they ever?) visit out to Magic Kingdom to check in on some projects and see what’s going on around the world’s most popular theme park.

Previously, we took a look at the Halloween decorations around Main Street. Here’s that post: https://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/a-look-around-magic-kingdoms-halloween-decorations-2016/.

And we took a look at every piece of merchandise currently available thus far for Magic Kingdom’s 45th anniversary in this post: https://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/magic-kingdom-45th-anniversary-merchandise/.

Skipper Canteen recently received a new batch of souvenir cups.

You might remember that they originally looked like this and were only available for a day or two after the restaurant soft opened late last year. The logo apparently rinsed off easily in the dishwasher. Disney ran into similar problems at Jock Lindsey’s, but rectified that by putting a “hand wash only” sticker on each. The current cups are nice quality though they don’t hold much more than ten-or-so ounces of drink and will set you back somewhere between $10 and $14 depending on what you want it filled with.

I wrote a relatively positive review of Skipper Canteen back in February here and have been back a few times since then, in addition to having another reservation on the last night of the Electrical Parade next month. I like Canteen a lot for the overall experience and would rank it as my favorite Magic Kingdom table service dinner. The menu potentially over-promises and under-delivers on some (okay, most) items, but the immersive atmosphere and change-of-pace from the other options at the Park mostly make up for it.

Swiss Family Treehouse was expected to reopen from refurbishment this week, but that has been delayed until “late October.” Vacation ruined.

Work looks to be relatively extensive as the massive scrim still surrounds the attraction.











Wider from the back: https://i2.wp.com/easywdw.com/reports13/swiss_family_refurbishment.jpg

You wonder if they are somehow going to make it wheelchair accessible. Or maybe they are putting a bar in the back.

Waits continue to be extraordinarily low even as we head into October, which is typically a busier month. This is five minutes at Pirates of the Caribbean at 12:30pm – something that would have been common four years ago, but is seldom seen these days.

Looking at wait times over the course of September 23rd, a Mickey’s Party date:

Larger: https://i2.wp.com/easywdw.com/reports13/mk_92316_wait_times.jpg

This is about as low as wait times get at Magic Kingdom with the overall average wait under 20 minutes. That’s a little longer than the early September low of 16 minutes, but it’s more than manageable. Note that even with the lowest crowds of the year, some attractions do still hit 60+ minute peaks, including Enchanted Tales with Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

After a brief detour, we got in line at 12:38pm when the wait time had DOUBLED to ten minutes. I thought this was supposed to be a low crowd time.

I took this picture 13 minutes later. Apparently that glass case in the back is a prop from the fourth movie? “Feels” kind of random.

I would reiterate that lighting enhancements make photography in here a little easier. This would have looked like even more of an orange blob last year.

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room is now letting guests bring food or drink into the theater, so you can stock up on Citrus Swirls or Dole Whips and bring them along. Most indoor theaters don’t allow food and drink.

Speaking of food, Golden Oak Outpost is open from 11am-5pm daily at the moment, which is somewhat surprising.

For $2.99, the fresh, crispy golden waffle fries are a nice snack and just a few steps away from the Pecos Bill toppings bar.

Feels crowded.

The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment continues with walls surrounding the attraction.

I suggest walking up, and in the most serious tone you can muster, ask, “Is this ride closed?”

Dang it Barnabus. At least Star Wars Land is only like four years away.

While the downturn in attendance has been blamed on zika, alligators, terrorism, and the South American economy, it sounds like we have our real culprit.

A healthy 30-minute standby wait for Splash in the heart of the afternoon.

Disney extended the sale of these refillable popcorn buckets that are now “valid for length of stay” rather than officially just being good on the day of purchase.

The program was supposed to end earlier this month but has been extended through the end of October with the strong possibility that we’ll see a new holiday bucket come November.

You can now order the Country Bear Jug with coffee for just $6.99 compared to the fountain beverage price of $9.29. That seems like a steal for one of the more unique souvenir beverage vessels.

By some non-miracle, Diamond Horseshoe is still operating.

The menu changed shortly after the website posted a particularly scathing review: https://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/diamond-horseshoe-table-service-dinner-review/.

I actually went back a couple days after the menu changed to re-review it.

But with the conclusion still being “why would you go here,” I did not get around to writing a second formal review. Maybe if I was starving and it was the apocalypse and fire was raining down and somehow they were having a half price sale I would go back. Maybe.

Some sort of Muppets show is set to debut here in Liberty Square on October 2nd. The current showtimes are expected to be 9:05am, 9:15am, 10:00am, 10:15am, 11:45am, 11:55am, 12:10pm, 1:15pm, 1:25pm, 2:20pm, 3:35pm, 3:45pm, 4:25pm, and 4:35pm. It’s expected that there will be multiple versions/skits, at least some of which must be only a couple of minutes long if the next show is scheduled just ten or fifteen minutes later. We’ll see this Sunday.

The crane continues aiding in the hanging of the Dream Lights, in addition to painting the turrets etc.

The crane does come down each evening, so if you are some sort of heathen trying to get a picture without the Lord of Light, you might try shortly before dusk.

The refurbishment at Haunted Mansion has continued longer than anyone was expecting. Disney’s own Twitter account stated that the scrim would be down by the first Halloween Party, which was of course back on September 2nd. But to be fair the scrim only remains on the lower portion.

New Haunted Mansion merchandise continues to be pumped out at Memento Mori.

These are giclee boxes? Maybe? Individually numbered.

New paintings and such are always being released.

Feels crowded.

it’s a small world had been down for refurbishment for a bit earlier this month and upon reopening saw a lot of problems with the various animatronics.

Those problems have been largely rectified, though a few things here and there still aren’t moving properly. The animatronic boy on the far left is playing an upside down guitar, for example. The sun straight ahead is moving for the first time in years though – the movement of which I have perfectly captured in this still frame. You’re welcome.

You have probably seen online or in person several of the MyMagic+ “StoryMaker” effects that read your MagicBand and display your name in one context or another. Disney has been toying with the technology behind it, which has caused the effects to be intermittently unavailable, as they were on this particular afternoon.

Fortunately(?), this one is working again. Bonsoir, Elliot.

The Princess Elena Royal Welcome is currently scheduled most days at 9:05am, 10am, 12:20pm, and 1:35pm on the Castle Forecourt stage in front of Cinderella Castle.

At the conclusion of that, the Princess takes a stroll through parts of Fantasyland.

While she doesn’t stop to sign autographs or take pictures, a cast member will hand out signed cards alongside her.

Because nobody is really expecting this to happen, plan to arrive a few minutes after the stage show is expected to start. You should be able to get a good look at her both coming and going.

Be Our Guest Restaurant was taking walk-ups for lunch.

Walkways this clear are certainly a welcome sight over the crowds of last fall.

You know there will be a DIS thread complaining about the wall-to-wall crowds and a complete inability to move around the Park.

Disney looks to be replacing the fading signage at Storybook Circus.

At least some of it.

15 minutes at Dumbo with both sides operating, as they should always be in the afternoon.

They are still slow to get the second side operating early in the morning though, which means you can easily wait longer at 9:45am than you would at 2pm. At least on less busy days like this.

The “FuelRod” initiative is expanding with more and more locations to swap the batteries out. I would still favor the purchase of a less expensive portable battery with far more juice, but these are potentially convenient so long as you’re at a theme park that offers them.

You could pick up two of these for less money and come away with about four times as much power as a FuelRod. And because they have more juice, they’ll be a lot nicer to have around after your trip when you’re not passing by Island Mercantile three times over the course of the day.

Chip and Dale continue moving around Magic Kingdom, appearing for a time in Tomorrowland and then Frontierland and now Storybook Circus in the tent in the far back of the area. The location is remote enough that lines are typically under ten minutes long.

Going on 2pm, the posted wait for The Barnstormer is five minutes with a straight shot to the loading platform.

Disney is testing a guest services desk inside the Space Mountain store at the ride exit.

It doesn’t seem to be utilized by a lot of people, perhaps because few know about its existence until they arrive. And even then, you could easily walk past it. People typically have “issues” as they enter or leave the Park, rendering a random location in Tomorrowland largely useless. But they are here for a bit at least.

Disney has rolled out phone cases for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7+:











No word on whether the cases will also protect you from an exploding Samsung Galaxy.

The Buy More…Buy More promotion hasn’t changed.

I have heard that this backpack doesn’t hold up well? $19.95 is surprisingly inexpensive.

Also this tote.

Carousel of Progress continues changing up its signage.

With overwhelming crowds like this, it’s not particularly surprising that Stitch is going seasonal

“To be fair,” about 30 people were headed into one of two theaters, each of which seats 162 guests.

Going seasonal makes a lot of operational sense.

The attraction does actually back up during much busier days.

If the wait for Buzz is 15 minutes, like it is as this picture is being taken, not a whole lot of people are going to be interested.

But when Buzz is 90 and Space is 140, and Tomorrowland Speedway is 70, like it will be over Christmas, you’re going to see a lot more people forced inside.

I admittedly had not been on Stitch in probably a year.

It was both better and worse than I remember.

Amusingly, people that visit Stitch’s Great Escape report having a worse time at Magic Kingdom than people that don’t. I am not sure there is really causation there as anyone that visits Stitch is probably also making a lot more egregious mistakes.

The painting of these rocks continues.

A metallic blue/purple situation.

Painting has since moved across the way to the other side.

I’m not sure what they’re up to with this.

Both sides are sporting a similar look.

Crowds were low enough that you could have waltzed right up to a curbside view of Festival of Fantasy just ten minutes before the Parade steps off in Frontierland.

It would still be about 25 minutes until the Parade materialized on Main Street.

As we head into October, temperatures should dip a bit as crowds will likely increase some. It will be interesting to see whether October becomes “the new July.”