Dirk Wallen’s 1/11/13 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom earlier today and has some great newsworthy photos to share with us (including our first look at the Big Thunder Mountain interactive queue), so let’s take a look:

More RFID entrances being installed at the Magic Kingdom

Kodak references still up at Town Square Theater

Plenty of Valentine’s Day treats available already

Some of the Hall of Champions facade is behind tarps again

The Adventureland Veranda is behind tarps now

This area next to Aloha Isle is behind tarps now too. We think it might be related to the Adventureland interactive game

Splash Mountain is closed until March

The ride is drained and a lot of the ride has already been ripped up

Seemingly overnight, props have been installed in the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad queue

We can see a lot of things labeled “explosives”

For a queue that has always been pretty bland, it actually looks nice now

FastPass+ kiosk in the queue

A look across the Rivers of America at the new Fantasyland/Liberty Square pathway

The Tangled restrooms are looking great

Looks like they are almost done

No visible progress on Princess Fairytale Hall

The Cheshire Cafe sign is back

A new Walt Disney pin set was released with images of him on luggage

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom now has a mystery pin set

The Magic Kingdom map has changed again and for the first time in my lifetime, it does not have a Kodak logo

PhotoPass now graces the back cover instead of Kodak

Dirk Wallen’s 2/23/13 Walt Disney World Resort Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen takes us to all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks this time around, stopping to check progress on the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train, the Tangled restroom area, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, the Big Thunder Mountain interactive queue, and more! Let’s take a look:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

RFID entrance installation continues at the Studios

The large electronic scrolling sign at Sounds Dangerous is now gone, looks like we can finally officially say the attraction is dead

The new Disney JuniorL Live on Stage debuted a few weeks ago

Doc McStuffins was added to the show

As was Sophia the First

Whoops…

It was up there for some of the show…

The Epcot 30th reveal/conceal pin set came out recently

New Spring pins

85th anniversary of the Plane Crazy short

EASTER DUFFY!

New Muppet shirt

Moving over to Animal Kingdom

Kodak picture spots are still up…

RFID entrances still being installed at Animal Kingdom as well

More Kodak

Hard to believe, but they are still installing the nets at Tree of Life

This is taking forever…

Some areas look completed

Others look like no work has even started

Beastly Bazaar will soon open as the Adventurers Outpost, a Mickey and Minnie meet and greet

The Character Landing will soon host Donald and Daisy, Pooh and Tigger are heading to Camp Minnie-Mickey

Pocahontas has already moved out of Camp Minnie-Mickey

The old theater for Pocahontas and Her Forrest Friends is still stroller parking

Some walls up in Camp Minnie-Mickey

We believe they are installing FastPass+ behind these walls at Theater in the Wild

Moving to Epcot, Flower and Garden Festival preparation is in full swing

Some scrims still up near the Oz playground

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs near Germany

Toy Story characters in the American Adventure

Lady and the Tramp in Italy

All of the booths are up… it’s so weird to see these out so early in the year…

They are giving out seed packets to promote Oz: The Great and Powerful and the festival

The Mission: Space facade is being refurbished, the ride is open still

Don’t try to park at the Polynesian Resort, there is a ton of construction equipment sitting there…

Work continues on The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. There’s some strange tower rising on the right…

Another somewhat similar structure is rising outside the building on the other side

It’s starting to look like the Grand Floridian

Moving to the Magic Kingdom, Main Street Apparel is behind tarps again

Work continues on Princess Fairytale Hall

Work continues on the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train

Work continues on the Tangled restroom area

You can see the tree-stump shaped charging stations gusts can use to charge electronics

Work is nearing completion on the exit of “it’s a small world” that has been behind tarps

Columbia Harbour House is still behind tarps

Work continues on Splash Mountain which is closed until mid-March

More and more progress is being made on the interactive queue at Big Thunder Mountain

I see Marc Davis and Blaine Gibson references…

The detail on the new props is stunning

A nod to Western River Expedition, the attraction originally designed for this space

Most of the work on the mountain looks complete

A few tarps still out there…

This looks like way too much fun…

YES… MUST BLOW STUFF UP!

Rainbow Ridge Mining Town to be Refurbished During Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Update at Disneyland Park

By Erin Glover on the Disney Parks Blog:

“Rainbow

Earlier this month, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland park closed for a major refurbishment that includes all-new track and updates to the mountain itself as well as other visual elements. One area receiving an update will be the Rainbow Ridge Mining Town. Dating back to 1956 and the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train attraction, Rainbow Ridge Mining Town is a classic feature of Frontierland.

When the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment is complete this fall, Rainbow Ridge Mining Town will look very much the same as it always has. It is being refurbished with new materials, but many items from the original area will be reused such as props, signs and select doors, windows and shutters. Several other items are being turned over to the Disney Archives.

“The wildest ride in the wilderness” reopens fall 2013, so hold onto your hats and glasses until then!

Work Continues on “Explosive” Interactive Queue at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

As work continues on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad interactive queue at the Magic Kingdom, we can see more and more of what exactly we can expect while we wait in line. Let’s take a look at the latest progress:

These signs were installed recently

The signs are pretty funny

Signs saying “Explosives” have been added to the large cabinets in the queue

Props that guests can blow-up are being installed on the mountain

I somehow managed to get a closer shot while in a moving train…

I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited to blow things up while I wait to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!

Zach Larson’s 5/7/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Zach Larson visited the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Monday and has a ton of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

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…

VIDEO: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Re-Opens at the Magic Kingdom

After a few months down for refurbishment, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad returned to service at the Magic Kingdom last week. Let’s start with the positive: the entire track was replaced, every square inch of the ride repainted, and many previously broken effects were repaired. The long broken geyser scene looks brand-new with every single opening blasting a tall pillar of water into the sky.

On the other side, the boulder scene during the final lift hill was completely shut down. In short, non-moving rocks were placed where moving boulders once stood. Also, a lot of effects are still missing, but we assume this was in a rush to open on time. As for the interactive queue…. it’s on the way. As you watch our video, you’ll notice large brown crates scattered through the queue along with some new walls and railings. The interactive queue is definitely coming soon, it just hasn’t been installed yet. Take a look for yourself:

Jeff Lukas’ 3/25/12 WDW Photo Report

We welcome Jeff Lukas to the WDWNT team with his first photo report, taking us to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

Work continues on the Bakery facade

Dapper Dans

Fantasyland Woodwind Society

The roof on Prince Eric’s Castle is almost complete

More scaffolding came down at Be Our Guest Restaurant

The Fantasyland Skyway station is completely gone

The queue building at Big Thunder Mountain has been rebuilt for the most part

Work continues on the track

Site looks completely cleared for the Grand Floridian DVC

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

On to Epcot

Story Time is still occupying the former Velcro exhibit in Innoventions

Still closed…

Work continues on the VISION House

Welcome to the Wonders of Flower and Garden Festival Stages and Shopping

Kind of cute…

Still cool

Welcome aboard Jeff!

An Aerial Look at New Fantasyland – March 2012

Courtesy of Scott Keating and scottkeating.net, we once again have some fantastic aerial photos of Fantasyland to share with you:

The base of the old Dumbo is still lingering, guess it isn’t that easy to completely remove…

A lot going on here: The bridge that will serve as the entrance to the Be Our Guest Restaurant is nearing completion, the Mermaid queue entrance is out from behind scaffolding and appears mostly complete with the exception of pavement, and we can now make out a distinguishable footprint for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train

Another angle shows that Gaston’s Tavern is far behind the other buildings in the village

We can now see where the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station is going in Storybook Circus, but what lies beyond it in the tents is mostly a mystery…

Getting away from Fantasyland, the Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment rolls on with most of the queue being rebuilt, all track being replaced, and a visible fresh coat of paint being applied to the entire mountain

Work continues on the DVC wing of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Robert Ashburn’s 1/24/12 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Robert Ashburn visited the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday and has a number of newsworthy photos to share with us, including Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom play-testing and Grand Floridian DVC wing construction, so let’s take a look:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

Work continues on the Main Street Bakery facade

Is this crane for Fantasyland construction? No…

They are fixing a few small things on the Castle

Nice to see maintenance being done after such a short period of time

That is one tall crane

Work continues on the Main Street bridge

Renovations continue inside Plaza Ice Cream

Main Street characters out and about

The Chapeau and some of the Confectionary behind tarps

It is a strange look down Main Street these days

Package Pick-Up/Chamber of Commerce also behind tarps

Time to take a look at the progress on the Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment

Almost every roof is being replaced

Painting the mountain

They sure are friendly!

Some scrims are up to block some of the view

Still plenty to see though

Tumbleweed is practically being rebuilt, as are the lift hills

Another roof being replaced

Workers still up on the Castle

No, it can’t be…

EVERYONE RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

The Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom windows on Main Street have all been installed

Sorcerers play-tests every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday currently

A window under the Train Station

I warned you that more and more Disney Store merchandise is invading the parks…

Many windows now have a permanant floor marking

A look at Robert’s cards

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

Now let’s take a quick look at the construiction progress on the Grand Floridian Disney Vacation Club wing

Nothing to see here yet…

Adam Roth’s 2/2/12 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited the Magic Kingdom on Thursday andf has plenty of newsworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom was testing

Inside the Fire Station

The patches have returned

And you were worried they wouldn’t come back…

Guests are prepared for the adventure while waiting in line

Cards! Oh, they’re on the screen…

The screens are very well hidden

Off we go!

We got cards!

The portal under the train station

Some nice lighting set up

I love when they use backdrops of the land they are in

PONGO!

Cruella

Horace and Jasper

Hades disguised, as usual

An awesome rendering of Main Street

Turns sinister looking

We’re on the move again

I can’t wait to see someone try to buy this painting…

Portal opening

The cameras are really well hidden

This one is pretty well hidden too

Main Street facade work continues

Where are the portals?

Could one be here?

There it is!

Pretty funny

Don’t drink and drive

WE’LL CONTINUE

A crane visible over the park

Some of the displays from the pin station are missing while bridge work continues

Sorcerers can also sign up in Liberty Square

Pavement being worked on in Frontierland

More and more permanent markers showing up

I really love these windows with the opening curtains

More new pavement

Lawrence from Princess and the Frog

Louis the alligator

You have to free Tiana from a snake

Merlin on the Jungle Cruise

The Lion King story

Again, some funny moments to be found

Fighting a hyena

They have been here fo a while, but plenty of Pirates movie references can be found in Tortuga Tavern

More movie details

The color changing fireplace is pretty neat

Sunshine Tree Terrace now has a window

The lighting on the upper portion is pretty nice

Work continues on the new path between Fantasyland and Liberty Square

Less and less trees and shrubs

Some rumors claim that a Tangled play area and a rest area where guests can re-charage electronics is being added in addition to the new restrooms

Work continues on queue changes at Peter Pan’s Flight as they prepare for the new interactive queue

HUGE crane up in New Fantasyland

Work continues on the Castle Walls

Work continues on the new Dumbo queue as Goofy crashes through a tower…

Storybook Circus may very well soft-open by the end of the month

The train station and roundhouse looks great!

More rock-work appearing on Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

The archways extending from the castle look almost finished

Work continues on Belle’s Village

Signage about to go up, either for the restrooms or Ariel’s Grotto meet and greet

Another look at the train station

The new color schemes on the Dumbo uses a lot of pastels for more of a circus feel

Workers up on the station

AWESOME…

Time to battle Maleficent

Still just a sticker in Fantasyland

Here’s a detailed marker

On to the Mermaid story

Pretty funny

Flotsam and Jetsam

The shark from The Little Mermaid

I LOVE Merlin’s window

A new cart has appeared in Tomorrowland, and I must say, I really like the look of it

R2-D2 popcorn bucket available far away from Star Tours

Goofy’s new tower at the Barnstormer

Crane at dusk… I’m sure you want this as a wallpaper

The long murals on the Fantasyland construction walls are back

A far away look at the Skyway area construction

You can clearly see The Haunted Mansion

A lot of dirt on the move

Big Thunder closed for refurbishment

I love this sign

The workers are done for the day

Fantasyland Station

Yummmm

I’m getting hungry…

And for all you Alien Encounter fans…

Enjoy!