It’s a week of fun news from Walt Disney World, with info on new rides, major attraction updates, and the planned reopening of a water park. We have all the photos, info, and thoughts for you below. Plus, we got some very lucky shots . . .
Splish Splash! Blizzard Beach Reopening
Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park is set to reopen on March 7th. Once the park reopens, it will reflect the health and safety protocols implemented throughout WDW.
Disney will conduct temperature screenings prior to park entry, markers will remind guests of proper physical distancing, and face coverings will be required in designated areas. According to Disney’s updated webpage for Blizzard Beach, “Face coverings will not be permitted while experiencing water slides or in the water.”
While guest capacity will be limited, a park reservation will not be required for Blizzard Beach.
Ratatouille France Expansion Now Open… Sort Of
While we await the opening of EPCOT’s newest attraction, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the first area of the France Pavilion expansion has opened up!
The art nouveau metro entrance welcomes guests into the world of Ratatouille.
Here’s our first look at the gorgeous Parisian details. Such a peaceful setting. That’s the Skyliner you see off the right of the image below.
Rue Auguste Gusteau is the pathway that is now open.
There is a wall blocking off access to the expansion’s main area, Allée Des Marchands, where Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Le Crêperie de Paris are located.
Check out that new viewpoint of the Eiffel Tower! The forced-perspective still works well from here.
We’ll have to wait a bit longer to explore the rest! In the meantime, the France pavilion gained new restrooms, the only building currently open in the expansion:
We can thank the refurbishment of the Morocco pavilion restrooms for this little preview, as this seems to be the only reason why the one France expansion pathway opened up!
Magic Kingdom Meanderings
Last week, my fellow MiceChat contributor, Laura Gonzalez, stopped by Magic Kingdom for some park time. She came across all sorts of interesting things…
Inside the Main Street Confectionery, popular treats are now available at all registers to reduce long lines at the one baked goods case:
Anyone up for some window shopping? New Dress Shop dresses, Loungefly backpacks, Dooney & Bourke purses, and ear headbands themed to Disney cats & dogs have made their way to Main Street:
If you’re interested in this merchandise line, be sure to take a look at the full collection below!
Your Favorite Disney Cats and Dogs Claw Their Way Into New Collection
After eight years, Magic Kingdom’s interactive adventure game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom came to an end on Sunday. Leading up to park closure, fans lined up at each of the game portal locations to play their cards one last time:
For more about this charming experience, check out Laura’s adventure with her adorable son Johnny from last year:
Custodial Cast Members continue to make [pavement] magic!
In Frontierland, The Rivers of America started to fill back in after a lengthy refurbishment. Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Belle Riverboat will continue their planned refurbishment through February.
Speaking of refurbishments… In Tomorrowland, the PeopleMover has started moving again for testing.
Though, over the weekend, BlogMickey caught a few of the cars bumping into each other. It’s not clear if this was intentional for recalibration purposes or if this is a safety issue. Normally, Disney would save potentially concerning testing for after hours.
According to Disney’s calendar for the attraction, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover is planned to remain closed through at least March 26th. That means this beloved Blue Line will have been closed for over a year. Let’s hope things get worked out soon. We miss it!
Attraction Updates
Hall of Presidents
The Hall of Presidents closed on the eve of Biden’s inauguration. This happens every time a new President is elected since the attraction always features the current President.
After quietly closing, a Disney spokesperson confirmed a Biden audio-animatronic would be added to the attraction. It is still unclear when the attraction will reopen, or if the show will receive any additional changes.
A sign outside the closed doors confirm the new President preparations:
Perhaps this opening day attraction will return in time for Magic Kingdom’s 50th anniversary in October.
Festival of the Lion King
After a long hiatus, the fan-favorite Festival of the Lion King is set to return to Disney’s Animal Kingdom this summer. We’re excited to celebrate with Simba & friends once again soon, and ecstatic to hear of more Cast Members being called back to work.
Jungle Cruise News
Perhaps the biggest news coming from Disney Parks this week, major updates are in store for the world-famous Jungle Cruise! Including an actual storyline for the ride and show scene updates and replacements.
The ride will swap scenes of native stereotypes with new story scenes about a lost excursion of explorers. The new story and scenes are inspired by legendary Disney Imagineer Marc Davis and being led by an all-star team of current Disney designers, including at least one former Jungle Cruise skipper.
Read more about it below:
UPDATES: New Story Details for Jungle Cruise Attractions at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom
What’s New at Animal Kingdom?
We recently spent some wonderfully uncrowded park time at Animal Kingdom. On our way in, we caught the Osceola Parkway WDW entrance gate mid-facelift! It’s out with the gold and in with the blue in honor of the Magic Kingdom’s 50th anniversary. The colors on the right-hand half of the arch are the new scheme. Many of you will remember that blue and gold was the scheme Disneyland used for their 50th anniversary in 2005 as well.
Approaching Animal Kingdom’s front gate, there weren’t many people within view:
Rainforest Cafe has moved their sign further into the entrance area:
The crowds on this particular weekday were pretty light. Attraction wait times barely rose above 10 minutes, with Flight of Passage capping at 45 minutes. I also feel Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of the easiest parks to maintain proper physical distancing throughout.
Stopping into Island Mercantile, more Mickey & Co. apparel designs have arrived. I’m all in for the nostalgia!
Continuing on in the shop, two huge bays of UP-themed merchandise can be found.
From Kevin and Dug to Grape Soda and Paradise Falls, the collection has really expanded to just about any wearable item.
I also spotted this new cotton polo Lion King shirt, including Animal Kingdom logos:
Newer safari-themed items await your park-hopping wardrobe:
And how sweet is this Explorer Minnie backpack?
And just across the way at Discovery Trading Company, some UP-themed home goods just arrived:
Back out in the park, the Discovery Island Drummers were banging up some catchy beats:
We made our way to Dinoland U.S.A. to check things out…
…And pay a visit to Dr. Seeker, of course.
Currently, only the first and last rows of the Time Rovers are being filled, with one plexiglass shield behind the front row.
In Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama, everything seems to be intact… or is it?
After much speculation, Primeval Whirl was officially announced as “permanently closed” in July 2020; and the coaster’s cars were seen on truck beds leaving WDW property. But the bulk of the attraction is still just sitting there.
While we were taking these photos, a few families even asked us if the ride was open. I don’t think you’d want to with the track looking like this:
This was the only missing portion of the track we could see.
It’s sort of odd to see this now-defunct attraction still sitting in Animal Kingdom, out in plain view. Some pieces are missing, damaged, or starting to show the result of zero maintenance.
What do you think should replace Primeval Whirl? Is a Dinoland revamp on the horizon? What would you like to see happen with this huge and mostly lackluster area of the park?
Onto the best (and now only) DAK coaster! We hopped aboard Expedition Everest for a quick ride.
After all, it was only a 5-minute wait!
And finally, today was a day for BIG cat sightings at Animal Kingdom!
While in Asia, we caught one of the tigers playing in their habitat along the Maharajah Jungle Trek. It’s luck of the draw to find them this active since Tigers can sleep up to 18-20 hours a day!
Over on Kilimanjaro Safaris, this was the most we’ve ever seen of the elusive Cheetah.
While the lounging lions looked effortlessly majestic:
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Let’s Hear From You!
That was a lot of ground to cover in just one week! What are the big news items for you? Looking forward to Ratatouille? Are you ready for water parks to return? What are your thoughts on the Jungle Cruise changes? And what do you think should replace Primeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom?
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