On April 21, we went to Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney. A lot of changes had been made in since we were at Disney World the last time.
These banners had been added to Town Square Theater:
The scrims on the Confectionery had been partially rolled up and it’s looking great! Easter displays were in the windows.
The back of the castle is still being worked on:
Through the trees, we were able to see the exterior work of Beast’s castle. I was very excited. 🙂
My brother and I rode Dumbo and got a look at what’s going on in the expansion area.
More progress has been made on the ‘wall’ in Storybook Circus:
I had heard that Beast’s castle was visible from the Astro Orbiter. I had never ridden the Astro Orbiter so I figured now was a good time to do so. It was a gorgeous view from the platform!
We went back to the Haunted Mansion and finally got to see the new interactive queue. Click here to see the image gallery of the queue. Disney really did a great job with it.
When you first enter the interactive queue, there is a set of busts of a family. Beginning with Uncle Jacob (middle bust), read the epitaphs to figure out who killed who.
The bride’s engagement ring is in the pavement. It’s been thrown to the ground like it was trash .
Be sure to touch the cat on the Decomposing Composer’s Crypt.
The Hitchhiking Ghosts’ effects were back. The video is a little dark but it should give you the general idea of what goes on. We liked the new effect and heard other guests saying they did too.
We made our way over to Pirates of the Caribbean and some ‘On Stranger Tides’ pictures can been seen near the ride’s exit:
We noticed there is a new sign out at Tortuga Tavern with Angelica, the new character from ‘On Stranger Tides’, on it:
Angelica was greeting guests just over the Adventureland bridge:
The temporary bridge to Adventureland had been removed:
Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny were greeting guests near City Hall. This area had been under scrims the last time I was there so I was glad to see it was open.
We went in Curtain Call Collectibles (in Town Square Theater) to have a look around. The Mary Poppins dress being sewn together was new:
The work on the porch for Tony’s has been completed:
After lunch, we went to Downtown Disney. The renovated Lego Store is open and the displays on the exterior of the store are awesome.
The interior of the Lego Store was more spacious but had less displays than they used to.
The temporary tent for the Lego Store is still up near Once Upon a Toy but it is closed:
Marketplace Fun Finds is now open. It’s not entirely a discount shop- there are some items there that have been discounted/deals but there are some current merchandise items there that are under $10, under $20, etc. It’s more of a bargain store. It’s all well marked.
LittleMissMatched is now in its new location:
The Pooh and friends photo-op has been moved back to its original spot:
Outside Pin Traders, chalk artists were drawing Simba and Nala:
The Harley Davidson store is still open in its spot on Pleasure Island:
Harley Davidson will be moving to LittleMissMatched’s old location on the West Side this summer:
The walls were down around the exterior of the AMC Theatre’s Dine-In area but it doesn’t open until May.
The Times Guides have a coupon for 25% off dining at select locations attached to them:
The Times Guides also have information on how to receive real-time updates while you’re at the parks. I signed up for the text messages at 11 AM this morning and my first update didn’t come in until 7:30 PM.
That’s it for this update. Have a great day! 🙂
Does anyone know if the castle renovations will be done by August? We’re going in Aug. and we have reservations to eat there, and I’ve read it’s kind of dark and dreary inside now with the back closed off. I can’t imagine dreariness in Cinderella’s castle! I’m sure it was an exaggeration but I still hope they are done by the time we arrive! 🙂 Thanks for any input
ASHLEY:
Disney has not said when the exterior work on the castle will be completed. Hopefully it shouldn’t be too much longer.
so with so much renovation going on, we kind of have a choice. We’re flying back from overseas in late 2011 to go back to living in the states. I really, really want to see what they do with the fantasyland expansion and all, but we’ve considered going to disneyworld while we wait for a house (yay, military housing! lol). If you could ONLY go at the end of 2011 or ONLY at the end of 2012, which would you do, and why? Because we’re leaning toward the end of 2012 when so much of the renovation will be done and over with.
Which isn’t to say the parks don’t have a TON to offer, still, but we’re a little too broke to go twice. lol
ASHLEY:
Wow… that’s a very tough call. If I could only go once, I would probably have to say the end of 2012 is when I would go since some of Fantasyland is expected to be done then.
Good luck with your move back to the States! You’ll have a fabulous time at Disney World whenever you decide to go. 🙂
Sweet! I’m checking out that text thing now. Nice way to have a little bit of Disney while at home, right?
Thank you so much for the updates! We were just there mid-April but missed the engagement ring at the Haunted Mansion. Your pics put a huge smile on my face and a little voice in my brain telling me it is time to start planning another trip. I can not get enough of WDW. Keep up the great work!
love the new lego’s…. we will be there in oct… looking forward to taking my 2 year old, he will be 3 then to see it. i am also looking forward to WPE again. thanks for all the wonderful photos.
Ashley
I am lovin’ your blogs! I was wondering about Little Miss Matched as I opened your blog and, Lo and Behold, you read my mind! I was so happy to see that it is still there. Isn’t there a T-shirt place that you can design your own? We are heading down in Sept. (after 4 long years w/o Disney). Here is hoping that we will not die of heat exhaustion. We have always traveled 1st or 2nd week in May. Can’t wait til your next blog!
Thanks so much!
ASHLEY:
There is a store you can design your own t-shirt- it’s called Design-A-Tee. It’s located near the Disney’s Days of Christmas store and Art of Disney at Downtown Disney.
Hope you have a fabulous time at Disney in September! Thanks for reading. 🙂
Ashley, thanks for making me feel like i am there even though i am 18 hours away! Great job!
I Love all your blogs im not going back to Disney until next spring/summer im hoping that most of the work will be complete. My family and I want to stay at the new resort cannot wait for updates on that. The new lego display looks wonderful can not wait for more!!!!!
Hi Ashley, It’s been pleasure reading your blogs!! Your starting to become a habit, I find myself looking for your updates regularly 🙂 I think it’s time Deb gives you your own dedicated blog space 😉 Thanks for sharing!!
Was there in February and I have to say I am absolutely amazed at what has happened in a few short months.
Will be back in the beginning of December, can not wait to see how much is accomplished then.
Have been going to Disney 2 and 3 times a year an was going to skip Disney in 2012, but I just might have to change my mind
Thank yoy Ashley for the updates and very lovely photos. The photos are so clear and sharp looking…what camera do you use?
ASHLEY:
Hi, Cathy. I use a Canon PowerShot SX30IS. I love it. 🙂
What exactly is the Beast’s castle? Does anyone know when it’s going to open up?
AllEars: It’s the Beauty and the Beast Restaurant that will be opening in Phase 1 of the new Magic Kingdom Fantasyland opens in 2012.
Thanks for the wonderful update! I felt like I was walking around with you!!
Are the paw prints still on the sidewalk outside Tony’s?
Thanks in advance 🙂
ASHLEY:
Yes, they are still on the sidewalk. 🙂
Thank you for this entry, it brought happiness into a cloudy morning at home!
I just love all of your blogs. I was wondering if you noticed if the little cartoon theater in exposition hall was closed due to the new meet & greet? Thanks for all of your great updates.
ASHLEY:
The cartoon theater is, unfortunately, closed.