Dateline Disney World dives headlong into the Magic Kingdom this week. We have plenty of fun for everyone today including an in-depth look at the Mine Train construction and surrounding areas as the New Fantasyland continues towards completion. We also have a look at the new Haunted Mansion entrance. Is the Fastpass addition a good thing? Halloween has just started at the Magic Kingdom and so has Mickey’s Not-so-scary Halloween Party. Want to see some Halloween decorations? Let’s get on it then!
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Welcome to the Magic Kingdom!!
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Before entering the park, here are a few shots of the ever progressing Grand Floridian DVC wing.
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This week was the first set of Halloween parties for the year. I did not attend, but got a few shots of some of the things set up for it.
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Work on the Emporium side of Main Street is now done, and has started over at the Confectionary.
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This facade just got some paint, and looks really, really nice.
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More decorations for the Halloween parties.
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Fall decor is also up in Liberty Square.
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Work is now complete on the entrance to the Haunted Mansion.
[img]http://www.miceshots.com/usr/72/DatelineDisneyWorld09102013-IMG_5484.jpg[/img]
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I’m a little upset with this development. Haunted Mansion is a high capacity ride which doesn’t really need Fastpass. When they tried to add it to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland it was a mess and had to be removed. They still use it for Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland and it just creates a traffic nightmare outside of the queue as guests pile up in the fountain area and in front of the train station in New Orleans Square. The Magic Kingdom’s queue area is small. I sure hope they know what they are doing, but creating a Fastpass for this attraction just seems like they are trying to fix something which isn’t broken. Also, the lattices on the top used to make for really fun photos, and now they are very much obstructed by Fastpass+ signage. Not a fan. What do you all think?
Work continues on the Fantasyland side of Columbia Harbor House.
[img]http://www.miceshots.com/usr/72/DatelineDisneyWorld09102013-IMG_5487.jpg[/img]
The walls came down at the Princess Hug Zone this week as Disney gets ready to open it on the 18th.
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Details.
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I’m happy these crowns stuck around from the Snow White queue.
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The details are looking nice here, but I wish the content would be something a little more desirable for everyone, not just little girls.
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Time for our weekly Mine Train photos.
[img]http://www.miceshots.com/usr/72/DatelineDisneyWorld09102013-IMG_5498.jpg[/img]
Notice the little hut that is being constructed right up near the walls in this shot.
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Beams going above the walls.
[img]http://www.miceshots.com/usr/72/DatelineDisneyWorld09102013-IMG_5503.jpg[/img]
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Low crowds lead to nice photo opportunities.
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Prince Eric’s healthy food stand is now open, and offers some nice things.
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Lovely details in the lights.
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For the sake of research and 90 degree temps, I got a blue raspberry shaved ice. It was a little expensive at over $4, but quite tasty. Though, it wasn’t very filling for the price.
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Back to Mine Train.
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You can see a mine opening at the top here.
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Lots more mesh for rock work. I love rock work, so this is encouraging.
[img]http://www.miceshots.com/usr/72/DatelineDisneyWorld09102013-IMG_5520.jpg[/img]
Crowds were pretty low at 4pm near the Hub!
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This week the update leaves me a little conflicted. While there are beautiful details to notice in the craftsmanship, there are some new developments which I’m not happy about. A Fastpass for Mansion? If it didn’t work for Disneyland, why are they doing it here? The Magic Kingdom’s new Fantasyland will look great when completed, but arguably skews heavily to little girls. At least the blue raspberry shaved ice was refreshing. What do you all think?
SIP AND NIBBLE
It’s never too soon to think about Epcot’s wonderful Food and Wine Festival. If you’ll be in the parks on October 18th, Rixter and Mickey Maxx are putting on another of their wonderful MiceChat events. Dusty, Fishbulb, Monorail Man and all the crew will be there as well. And best of all, the event is free.
They’ve been holding this event for years (long before D23 stole the idea). It’s a leisurely in which we take the time to have a little something to eat and drink from each of the booths around the Food and Wine festival. And since it would be nearly impossible to eat a full item from each stand . . . we share. It’s the secret to making friends and remaining standing at the end of a long but lovely day.
If you’d like to join us for the Sip and Nibble, sign up HERE
WAKEFIELD REPORT
And for your listening pleasure . . . we bring you another of the fun Wakefield Reports from Christ Wakefield and the MicePod:
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If you enjoyed the column, especially the photos, and you want to check out more photos and tutorials on Disney photography, please check out my photo site, [URL=”http://www.DisneyPhotographyBlog.com”]Disney Photography Blog[/URL]. And if you like listening more than reading, you can hear us talk about Disney and photography on my podcast, [URL=”http://www.ISO5571.com”]ISO5571[/URL]
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