Here’s What Disney Has Changed at Magic Kingdom
Over the past few weeks, MickeyBlog has updated you about all the differences at the various theme parks.
We’ve covered EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
So, there’s only one place left to discuss, but it’s probably the one that matters the most.
Here are all the park changes at Magic Kingdom, the most popular theme park in the world.
Entering the Park
Among the four Walt Disney World theme parks, the entrance procedures at Magic Kingdom have changed the least.
You must pass a temperature test before you can proceed to the entrance kiosks.
Should you fail to pass, a cast member will escort you to a cooling area. There, you’ll sit for a few minutes before retaking your temperature.
These precautions are in place due to Coronavirus. A fever of 100.4 degrees or higher indicates potential infection.
Since high-touch areas also pose problems, Disney has disabled the fingerprint scanners at the entrance kiosks.
A tap of your Magic Band on the pad or a scan of your ticket will validate your admission. So, Disney has actually streamlined the process.
You may wonder about transportation to and from the park. Well, everything is running as usual.
If you drive, you can park your car at the Transportation and Ticket Center then ride the monorail to the park. You can take a ferry boat, too.
The one thing to understand is that lines form roughly an hour before the park opens. Disney does what it can, but not everyone honors social distancing.
Some frequent visitors prefer to arrive a few minutes after the park opens. It’s less crowded then, and you avoid the social anxieties prevalent today.
The drawback to this approach comes down to park time. Magic Kingdom’s operating hours border on the lowest in history.
You may prefer to trade a few minutes of pre-entry stress for more time in the parks.
Restaurant Closures
Nearly 21 million people visited Magic Kingdom in calendar 2019. That’s an average of more than 57,000 people each day.
During the pandemic, those numbers are…lower. With fewer guests than usual in attendance, park officials have trimmed down some offerings.
Specifically, some restaurants and stores haven’t reopened with the park, and a few of them are quite popular.
I think most people expected places like The Crystal Palace and Cinderella’s Royal Table to remain closed for now.
Disney must discourage personal character interactions during the pandemic. And buffets are a huge no-no, too.
However, you can’t eat at Columbia Harbour House or Casey’s Corner at the moment, either.
Park officials don’t deem the dining demand significant enough to operate all its Quick Service eateries. So, some biggies are off the menu this summer.
Here’s the current list of closed restaurants at Magic Kingdom:
- Casey’s Corner
- Cheshire Cafe
- Cinderella’s Royal Table
- Columbia Harbour House
- Cool Ship
- The Crystal Palace
- The Diamond Horseshoe
- The Friar’s Nook
- Gaston’s Tavern
- Golden Oak Outpost
- The Lunching Pad
- Plaza Ice Cream Parlor
- Prince Eric’s Village Market
- Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant
- Tortuga Tavern
- Westward Ho
Obviously, some of these establishments are seasonal, while others feature limited menus during the best of circumstances.
So, a lot of them probably aren’t in your regular rotation. You should understand that you may need to walk a bit longer to grab a bite, though.
Magic Kingdom is wonderful, and some people would go so far as to say better than ever due to the lack of crowds.
Realistically, Disney has had to make some concessions that could cause frequent visitors to feel a bit disoriented.
Magic Kingdom Attractions
When you visit Magic Kingdom, you’re primarily there for the rides. On this front, I have spectacular news.
Much of what you love at the park is readily available. Disney has closed some attractions, but only one of them is surprising.
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover won’t reopen until November, although that’s due to technical issues.
Before the pandemic began, the ride closed after smoke arose from the escalator area.
Somehow, the PeopleMover returned within the day. However, people understood that something went wrong. Disney’s fixing that now.
The most significant pandemic-related closure is Enchanted Tales with Belle, a walkthrough experience in tight quarters. So, that one’s perfectly understandable.
Otherwise, the things you might miss are fireworks shows and parades, which we’ll discuss in the next section.
Of course, park officials have modified some attractions during the pandemic.
The Stretching Room at Haunted Mansion has become more of a walking room.
When you enter, everything has already stretched. You’ll notice the full pictures if you glance up, but you’re already in line for the ride.
So, you may just walk through without looking that way.
Virtually all interactive line queue elements will remain disabled until the pandemic ends.
This modification impacts The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Haunted Mansion the most.
However, some lines look different for other reasons. At places like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney has constructed plexiglass windows.
These barriers prevent the spread of airborne disease, thereby protecting guests from Coronavirus.
You should know that some guests find this roller coaster’s line queue somewhat hot right now.
Since the barriers restrict airflow, they prevent some of the air-conditioning, too.
Magic Kingdom Amenities
Okay, the fireworks aren’t around right now, and the parades can’t run, either.
Similarly, character interactions would endanger cast members and park guests alike.
Disney park officials found a few stopgap solutions, though.
MickeyBlog’s Facebook live streams have shown quick-hitter parades, which Disney calls Cavalcades.
Imagine one or two floats parading down Main Street, U.S.A., and you’ll get the right idea.
Characters ride these floats, which adds an element of surprise. You’ll hear the Cavalcade long before you see it, but you won’t know who is on it.
You should expect the same Disney favorites that you’d get at a regular character interaction.
Sometimes, Disney Princesses will participate in the Cavalcades, but it may be Mickey and Minnie instead. You just never know!
Beyond the Cavalcades, characters appear in other unexpected places, too. Some of them hang out at the railroad station right by the entrance.
You can’t approach them, of course, but they’ll yell at you from a safe distance.
Speaking of yelling, the Evil Stepsisters sometimes lord over guests at Cinderella Castle. They’ll toss a few catty remarks your way.
The beauty of these social engagements is that they’re frequent enough to keep your day exciting.
However, you don’t need to disrupt other plans to watch them.
Frequent park guests know that everyone starts to loiter about 30 minutes before a parade or fireworks presentation.
This guest behavior creates bottlenecks and reduces the odds that you’ll have a great view of the proceedings.
With Cavalcades and other interactions, you’ll somehow receive a more intimate experience, even though you’re honoring social distancing.
You’ll feel like the entire show is just for you.
Overall, Magic Kingdom has modified several of its experiences while closing others in the short term. But a park visit will still include plenty of Magical moments.