1/13/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter visited the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Friday the 13th, so get ready for a not-so-spooky look at what’s new in the parks:

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A new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom window has appeared under the Main Street train station

Some new wall art was added to the Town Square Theater queue

Very creative

I think we’re going to see an elephant fly!

There he goes

He seems happy about it

Moving on to Studios

A look at the wait times

The stage is still up in front of the Sorcerers Hat

A pretty long wait for Star Tours

Most of the Muppetvision posters were replaced with posters for  The Muppets

The lenticular Muppets poster was also replaced inside the pre-show area

Osborne Lights are being taken down

Some Narnia props were moved to the Backlot Tour

The Block Party Bash cones are still sitting back here

The old fire truck that used to be located near the exit of Muppetvision 3-D was restored and is now along the Backlot tour route

Some minor changes over at the Magic of Disney Animation

The animation studio theme is being embraced with new signage

There is a campus map as if it were a real studio

Josh Siegel’s 1/15/12 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Josh Siegel visited the Magic Kingdom on Sunday to complete his Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom quest and he took some newsworthy photos from his trip to share with us:

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Pain and Panic disguised as happy woodland creatures

DEFEATED!

Merlin has statues of all of the villains

Hades has another challenge for us…

Chernabog!

Time to rest after defeating all of the villains

Ooooooo, a badge!

Hades isn’t happy

He’s trapped…

All of the Villains are stuck in a snowglobe

Progress on the old Dumbo

Mostly intact still

The Castle Wall waits to grow over this plot

The construction site is still a bit messy

The stroller parking situation is getting bad

Work ont turning the Skyway into a new path and restrooms continues

PLEASE… there will be nowhere to walk…

Land clearing for the new path

Most of the pet cemetery has been moved to accommodate the work

Adam Roth’s 1/20/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot on Friday and has some noteworthy photos to share with us, so let’s take a look:

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One of the rock arches is being rebuilt in the Oasis

Major reconstruction

Could we refurb this please?

This water fits the theme, but it is disgusting…

Waterfalls running at Everest

Is this photo from 1971?

The steam is still working

Well, he moves more than Harold…

The new Disney Vacation Club logo is everywhere now

On to Epcot where the old Alfredo’s facade is being ripped apart in the long-delayed remodeling of Tutto Italia

This makes me want to cry…

The quick serve window is open at Via Napoli to accommodate guests

Mmmmmm…

More and more of these new directional signs showing up in Future World

The Seas mural is being repaired

Sleepy cuttlefish…

I think they sponsor a golf event of some kind… or am I confused? 😉

How different will this look come October?

This board could use a good washing

Cast Members wrote on some props, probably will be replaced in the refurb

The heat chamber is rumored to be leaving

As is the cold chamber

And those robots might actually be turned off permanently

Plenty of the Chevy cars out there now

These diplays aren’t super-new, but they are all Chevy-related

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:

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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

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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:

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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!

Adam Roth’s 1/6/12 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Adam Roth visited the Magic Kingdom yesterday and has a TON of newsworthy photos to share with us (including a lot of New Fantasyland), so let’s take a look:

Work has begun on the new path into Liberty Square from Fantasyland

The path will cut around the Yankee Trader

Walls still up at the Skyway station, soon to be restrooms

Dumbo closes in the original location on January 9th

Plenty of trees planted in New Fantasyland now, these will be staying

The pavement is a bit messy still

Castle wall construction

PROGRESS!

Prince Eric’s castle is coming along nicely

Awww…

Not too bad…

Another look at the Castle Walls

The first interactive queue

A look at Maurice’s Cottage

Work on the new Dumbo queue

The tower that Goofini will crash through is coming along as well

Belle’s Village

Mermaid rock-work

Bonjour Village Gifts

Goodbye old Dumbo…

Although we will see this one again, slightly remodeled for Storybook Circus

The Barnstormer building looks great off in the distance

If you look in the bottom right, you can see the Dumbo title “D” clearly on the new spinner

What a mess!

Hopefully this will be cleaned up and ready to open next month

This area will take a little longer…

More of Belle’s Village

A better look at barnstormer and the top of the new Dumbo

They have practically rebuilt these tents from scratch at this point

The Be Our Guest restaurant building

Work continues on the facade of Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

A lot of construction workers out and about

That’s still one long wall…

Work has shifted into high-speed on Dumbo

Some Storybook Circus pavement is now visible

Back to Under the Sea

Back to Dumbo and Storybook Circus

Maurice’s Cottage, home to Enchanted Tales with Belle

The Castle Wall again

Cement, FINALLY!

Some Haunted Mansion 40th anniversary shirts have been released

Big Thunder Mountain is closing for a 4.5 month refurbishment on Monday


Rumors are that an interactive queue, some new show elements, and a general fix-up will happen over this period

Work pretty much started months ago when the railroad ties were removed

More Main Street facades are being worked on and these will be like this until May. Here is the Bakery

Work continues on the new semi-announced Disney Vacation Club wing at the Grand Floridian

Ads for a special Florida resident pass up outside of the TTC

Go wild today!

Zach Larson’s 1/6/12 WDW Photo Report

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

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Land clearing continues for the Grand Floridian DVC wing

More Main Street U.S.A. facades are going behind tarps, this should be the last batch

A temporary sidewalk ramp installed

Signs point guests around to the meet and greet FASTPASS distribution

Center Street tarps still up

The Bakery is now behind tarps

A temporary cart is also serving some bakery items

Plaza Ice Cream is closed

This facade will be behind tarps soon

Storybook Circus construction

Dumbo is almost ready to roll

The queue seems a bit behind

Dumbo was testing

We’re ready… we’ve been ready…

Belle’s Village

Trees in place, this is most likely where they will be staying

The details on Prince Eric’s castle are visible

The Beast’s Castle, Maurice’s Cottage, and the Castle Wall all in this shot

The path around Yankee Trader is now being constructed

It will put guests right about here

See?

The Madame Leota merchandise cart has moved closer to Columbia Harbor House

The Frontier Trading Post is still behind tarps

Pecos Bill’s is still behind tarps as well

Big Thunder is closing for a few months for major upgrades on the 9th

The queue should be the most radically different thing when it re-opens

The Barnstormer/Great Goofini looks like it is nearing completion

The times guide has been expanded to include the parade route, probably since it will change to a short loop this week as Electrical Parade goes dark for a paving project

Over to Hollywood Studios, where Toluca Legs Turkey Company is back in action…

During PIXAR Pals, an escape route… I mean alternate route is being opened to help guest flow

IT’S DONE! Oh, wrong park…

MUSH! MUSH!

Now on to Epcot

The tip board still works! A new record!

It indicates if FASTPASS is available

Time is almost up…

The pre-show monitors are now flat screens!

More and more cars are getting the Chevy branding

The new directional signage in Future World is color-coded and looks great!

Is it open?

Barely…

Oh, this side has lights…

No visible progress on the upcoming Habit Heroes exhibit

Thanks for the report Zach!

Zach Larson’s 1/10/12 Magic Kingdom Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Zach Larson visited the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday and has some newsworthy photos to share with us, including another look at the new Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom attraction:

Package pick-up on Main Street is under tarps

Christmas decorations are still up…

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is set to test every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday until it officially opens

Zach’s cards

The bakery behind tarps

It looked so real…

While the parlor is closed, you can get pre-packaged ice cream treats

The Main Street bridge is being repaired

Sorcerers window in Fantasyland

Stroller parking is a mess while Fantasyland construction continues

Ariel story

Still not entirely sure how this projection even happens…

Flotsam and Jetsam

Dumbo is now closed and behind walls

The Sunshine Tree Terrace is still behind tarps

Genie in Adventureland

Iago returns to Adventureland attractions… YAY!

These have been here for a while, but a lot of Pirates of the Caribbean movie nods have been added to Tortuga Tavern

Familiar hats…

Blackbeard!

Merlin is on the Jungle Cruise!

Pecos Bill’s facade is still behind tarps

The old menu at Golden Oak Outpost has returned… is it possible that they listened to us?

Frontierland Trading Post behind tarps

Merlin on the Liberty Belle

Princess and the Frog story

This is another one of those surprising windows… how do they do it

Another look at Main Street bridge work

Last look at Christmas decorations

Not surprisingly, all these people who can't read felt they needed to be the first on the launch, despite their actions.

A new sign… but people still don’t read…

An Aerial View of New Fantasyland, The Grand Floridian DVC, and Big Thunder Mountain

Thanks to Scott Keating of www.scottkeating.net, we have an “over-the-walls” aerial view of the consturctiuon going on in New Fantasyland, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the new DVC wing at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa:

The tents from Toontown are basically being rebuilt, but the rest of the Storybook Circus looks like it will make it for Mid-Februaury

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid and the Beauty and the Beast realm are coming along nicely. Foundations for the Seven Dwarf Mine Train are starting to appear

Dumbos are being carefully removed from the old spinner, getting ready for the move

The new Dumbo spinner looks ready to go, and the queue isn’t far behind

The Fantasyland Station is almost done, and the Casey Jr. Roundhouse should be installed soon

The waterways are being carved out under bridges

It looks like a path is appearing slowly in front of Enchanted Tales with Belle

Moving out of the park, land has been cleared for the Grand Floridian DVC addition

The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment has begun, but there isn’t anything to see yet

 

 

Dirk Wallen’s 10/25-26/12 WDW Photo Report

WDWNT Reporter Dirk Wallen visited the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and a few of the resort hotels last week and has some newsworthy photos to share with us from his trip:

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It’s Autumn

Pins available for Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak has a pin

Holiday pins are out

Walls still up near the Haunted Mansion

Tarps up on Columbia Harbor House

The Yankee Trader is still behind tarps

Work continues on the new restrooms in Fantasyland

The Village Haus balcony is still closed, but tarps have started coming down

Looks nice

The souvenir cups from Gaston’s Tavern are also at Village Haus

Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train construction continues

Wow…

Fun “character” apples

Storybook Circus has its own specialty cupcakes

Pete’s Silly Sideshow

Finishing touches keep being added, the eyes on the snakes now have a spinning effect

There is some large construction happening between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom bus loop

At the All-Star Resorts, the lobby has been redecorated with large pictures to replace the old small ones

All-Star Sports

All-Star Music

The game cards at most of the arcades are now Wreck-It Ralph themed

Moving over to Animal Kingdom

Enjoy Camp Minnie-Mickey while you can

Pocohontas and Her Forrest Friends has been closed since September 2008 and is now being used for stroller parking

Beastly Bazaar is closed as it is being turned into a character meet and greet

That’s why we are here…

NO ZEBRAS!

They weren’t out at the time…

Test Track is coming along nicely (as seen from the monorail)

You can see the outline of the two Ts on the canopy

Digging the spot where the sign will go

Not much visible progress by the exit

The Epcot Character Spot is being refurbished

Work continues on the new IBM exhibit in Innoventions

Some Epcot 30th merchandise remains

Christmas merchandise in abundance

Neat…