There are just a few weeks before Walt Disney World kicks off its 50th anniversary. The parks are putting finishing touches to make everything EARidescent in time for the October 1st celebration. Today we’re taking a look around three of the parks to check in on construction updates, crowd levels, and much more. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so let’s start with our first park…
Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom is getting ready for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” WDW’s 50th anniversary. Between the installation of the Lightning Lane signs for the FastPass+ replacement program, reopenings of Tortuga Tavern and Big Top Souvenirs, plus with the continued construction around the park, there’s lots of interesting things to see (yes, we’ll take a look at Tron!). Here’s the latest from Magic Kingdom…
50th Anniversary Decorations
A new Mickey floral display and 50th-anniversary banner greetd guests in front of the Train Station. The station is also now completely unwrapped from its refurbishment. We love seeing it back to its former glory without all the construction walls and scrims. 
50th-anniversary banners have also been put up around the entrance of the park. The banners have an EARidescent sparkle that really catches the light. 
While these new details are small in the grand scheme of the 50th celebration, they help set a mood. The big things for the major anniversary will be the launch of new nightly spectaculars and the decorations added to Cinderella Castle.
One of the things we’re most looking forward to for the 50th anniversary are all the brand-new nighttime spectaculars occurring in each park. In Magic Kingdom the new show is called Enchantment. This show has an original song, You Are The Magic, that was composed by GRAMMY Winner Philip Lawrence (who is a former WDW Cast Member!). Here’s a behind the scenes look at the recording process:
For more about WDW’s 50th anniversary, take a look at the article below explaining what’s still ahead.
UPDATED! Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary New Shows, Merchandise, and Sparkle
Lightning Lane Signage
If you’ve been following Disney Parks news lately, you know that there are major changes coming to how the parks will operate. Disney Genie and Genie+ are set to upend how a normal day in the park will look for a guest. And one of those changes is the addition of Lightning Lane. Around Magic Kingdom, FastPass+ signs have been transitioning into the new Lightning Lane signs. At the moment, the attractions that have been updated are the ones where the old logo could easily be covered with a sicker. Other attractions, like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Haunted Mansion, still have their FastPass+ signs for now.
Some attraction FastPass+ signs have been replaced with blank stickers coverings. The two we noticed were Space Mountain and Fairytale Hall (which has not yet re-opened). We’re still trying to figure out which Lightning Lane rides will be included with Genie+ and which will be offered via the extra cost Lightning Lane. Disney confusingly named both versions of Lightning Lane the same thing. If they have Genie and Genie+, shouldn’t the extra-extra cost Lightning Lane be Lightning+ (or something like that)?
Newly Reopened Food
Looking at desserts first, Big Top Souvenirs has reopened. Located in the back of Fantasyland, the store offers sweets, treats, and slushies.
With the Confectionary still closed on Main Street, the Magic Kingdom has been missing its bakery sweets. Luckily, with the reopening of Big Top Souvenirs, you can now find sugary goodies in the park again. Here’s a look in the display case: 
While the store is called Big Top Souvenirs, there are surprisingly few souvenirs to be found. The primary focus is on pre-packaged treats and the bakery case. 
The walls of the Big Top are lined with displays that look like circus trains. We were told that the curtains would be removed in time for the 50th. I guess we will have to wait and see what surprises are in store. 
Speaking of food, Tortuga Tavern has also reopened with a new menu. While the location is open only for lunch, it is nice to see more food options become available.
Here you can find pulled pork sandwiches, hot dogs, turkey legs, and this Peanut Butter, Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, and Banana Sandwich. All entrees are served with house-made chips.
Magic Kingdom Construction
On the construction front, the amount of scaffolding on the facade of Splash Mountain has grown. There are no visible changes that we can see yet. The attraction will be undergoing a massive overhaul to gain a Princess & the Frog theme. 
More scaffolding is up around Belle’s castle. It’s not the prettiest sight, so hopefully the work can be accomplished quickly. 
Finally, the Tron construction continues to move slowly. The Fantasyland Train Station is still without any track which has been removed to make way for the Tron ride and construction. Looking at the back of Tron you can see the train tracks laying where the new track will go.
From Tomorrowland, a ride on the People Mover gives a good vantage point to see just how far the construction has come, though, it still has quite a ways to go before it’s finished. 
Taking a closer look, we noticed something sitting on the track, almost looking like pieces of a large erector set. The majority of the outdoor track remains covered, so this contraption isn’t going down the track anytime soon. 
Epcot
Now that we’ve made it through Magic Kingdom, let’s head onto our second park, Epcot!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Preview
The newest attraction at WDW is set to launch on October 1st as part of the 50th anniversary. My family was lucky enough to get entry to the France Pavilion expansion and Ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure with the Passholder Previews over the weekend. Here’s a quick look at the new ride.
The fountain is the centerpiece of the new area. The details are what make it truly special. I love seeing all the rats because you don’t necessarily see them at first, like the ones holding the bottles of champagne. 
The sewer covers include an image of the scene where Remy makes his way to the city of Paris through the sewer system. 
My son, Johnny, enjoyed trying out Skinner’s scooter and Colette’s motorbike. 
We didn’t get to experience La Crêperie de Paris. But being a crêpe fan, I cannot wait to try them when they officially open on October 1st.
While the expansion area is nice, I have to say I was expecting more. I wanted my son Johnny to feel a part of the movie as he walked through the expanded area. And for a kid who has learned—and loves to— look for the special touches, the hidden Mickey’s, the character references, the magic, he didn’t see it. We’re hoping that the area grows on him.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, however, did meet everyone’s expectations. Johnny really enjoyed the ride. His favorite part was “the broom room.” The 4-D effects put you in the experience. And unlike Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, where I feel everything moves around you so fast it’s hard to keep up, Ratatouille moves with you, making you an actual participant in what is happening on the ride. I can see it quickly becoming a must-ride, especially for those with younger kids. And since the attraction doesn’t have a height limit, that’s a real possibility!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure begins on the rooftops of Paris, and follows Remy through his adventures in Gusteau’s kitchen, ending in the garden dining with Remy’s clients, the other rats.
The France Pavilion expansion and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure officially open on October 1, 2021. For all the details of the France pavilion expansion, including some of those tempting crêpes and more of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, check out our preview article from last week:
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
We’ve made it to the last part of our WDW Update! Although the 50th celebration isn’t quite as grandiose here as other WDW parks, there’s still a lot to take in. We had some… difficulties during our visit, but that always gives us something to write about!
Crowds
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, crowds were on the high side but overall manageable over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Wait times for the more popular attractions waivered between 45 to 65 minutes for the most part.
In the morning, Star Tours had a posted 5-minute wait in the morning but got up to 35 minutes midday before dropping back to just 5 minutes again in the evening.
Around the rest of the park, waits were decently long. Not horrific like the summers a few years ago, but enough to make us question if an attraction is really worth the wait.
Beauty and the Beat Returns
Over on Sunset Boulevard, the Beauty and the Beast stage show recently resumed performances several times daily. It’s great to finally have this “tale as old as time” back, giving guests some much-needed live entertainment back in the park.
There is still quite a bit of entertainment that has not returned to the park. But we’ll take what we can get. With DHS having so little to do in comparison to the other parks, the entertainment is what sets it apart. .
More Lightning Lane Signage
As we mentioned earlier, the resort is in the middle of changing all the Fastpass+ queue entrance signs to Lightning Lane. Similar to Magic Kingdom, several attractions seem to have the new signage installed, though we noticed a few attractions that still have the Fastpass+ signage up.
Rise of the Resistance Woes
Over at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, Rise of the Resistance continues to experience frequent breakdowns… sometimes multiple times in a day. We managed to get boarding group 87 in the 7:00am opportunity, but our group wasn’t called until around 3:30pm. While in the queue, the ride broke down not once, but twice, causing long delays (thankfully the majority of the queue is indoors with air conditioning. When we visited, it was a very hot day with temperatures reaching around 90º). By the time we finally got off the ride, it was 5:30, meaning two whole hours had passed since we first entered the queue at 3:30. At park closing, they had only gotten through around group 165, so it was unfortunately not a good day for Rise of the Resistance…
This & That
Keystone Clothiers had some Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings merchandise out.
The Trolley Café Starbucks location had some cute Halloween-themed treats available – a spooky ghost cupcake and pumpkin mousse.
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Let’s Hear From You
With so much happening around the Walt Disney World resort, it seems like they’ll be cutting it close to the 50th anniversary. What do you think of the transition of FastPass+ signs to Lightning Lane? Will you be riding through Gusteau’s restaurant on October 1st or waiting it out? What entertainment offering do you think they should bring back to Disney Holywood Studios? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Editor’s note: We would like to thank MiceChat authors Laura Gonzalez and Amy VanderBoogert for their contributions in making this WDW Update possible!
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