It was a rainy day at the Magic Kingdom yesterday, but we stuck it out and had a lot of fun in the late summer crowds. The plaza/hub refurbishment is continuing, but most of the focus now is on Cinderella Castle and nearby garden areas.… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction Update – Towers Revealed
Time for another check on the major construction project impacting the very center of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. So far they’ve completed new dining pavilions, beautiful gardens for to fastpass for fireworks, and added new very handy pathways to route traffic away from the… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction Update – June 2015
There’s been a lot of progress around the Magic Kingdom’s Plaza / Hub since our last update. Disney has also released new concept art detailing what the hub of the Magic Kingdom will look like when construction is complete. For now, the Partners Statue is… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction Update – May 2015
The Hub, or Central Plaza, of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is in the middle of a major makeover that will bring a lush garden like setting with more room for viewing parades and fireworks. There will also be new permanent stage lighting and control… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction Update – April 2015
The Plaza (or Hub) at the Magic Kingdom is undergoing a major renovation. When it’s down you’ll experience a more garden-like setting with much better crowd control opportunities. Early signals from Disney indicated work on the hub to be done in phases, but they’ve started working on the center of the plaza and show areas in the front of the castle while the new viewing garden areas are not yet complete. That’s good news as it means the project will probably be finished earlier.
In the meantime, we have Walt Disney’s Partner Statue in a box and temporary structures all over the place. That’s in addition to the walls and construction that was already making the hub a bit of an eyesore. Judge for yourself, but it’s definitely on the shy side of magical right now.
The end result of this construction will be a wider area leading from Main Street to the Hub. There will be two garden areas that can be used for fireworks viewing parties, expanded outside seating for Casey’s Jr and some much needed seating for the Ice Cream Palace and Starbucks. Plus the performance area in front of the castle will get a much needed tech upgrade.
Can’t watch the video? We’ve got photos below the jump:
Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Construction picks up pace – January 2015 Update
The Plaza (or Hub) at the Magic Kingdom is undergoing a major renovation in order to improve guest flow during the busy show and parade times. We’re back with another look at the progress made so far. We had two updates in September, but we actually skipped October. So there’s been quite a bit of progress since we last checked in.
The side closer to Crystal Palace is closer to completion. You can start to see where the viewing area/garden area will take shape as well a the new path that will lead from near Crystal Palace into the hub. The Tomorrowland Terrace side is a bit further behind, and there’s more work to be done as they also have to build a new seating area in front of the Plaza Restaurant.
The end result of this construction will be a wider area leading from Main Street to the Hub. There will be two garden areas that can be used for fireworks viewing parties, expanded outside seating for Casey’s Jr and some much needed seating for the Ice Cream Palace and Starbucks.
Continue the tour below:Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza Improvement – November 2014 Construction Update
We are back with another look at the progress on the Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub expansion project. The total makeover will be completed in phases, with phase one being a widening of the bridge from Main Street to the Hub. This will allow Disney to hold viewing parties for parades and fireworks.
Subsequent phases will add a second ring of walkways around the hub allowing for easier pedestrian flow during the parades and fireworks, a more garden like feel to the hub, and a slight upgrade to the performance stage in front of the castle.
As part of this update, I’ve also included a look at changes going on backstage. Disney is in the process of lightly themeing the backstage alley that is used for heavy traffic periods to route guests behind Main Street. You can see how they’ve begun to color some of the facades.
If you can’t watch the short video above, there is a gallery of photos below the jump:
As was announced in February, the Magic Kingdom’s central Plaza (aka the hub) is undergoing a major improvement project. It will increase walk-ability and flow from a guest perspective and give Disney a few areas that they can use for dedicated parade or fireworks viewing.… Read More »Magic Kingdom Plaza / Hub Improvement – September 2014 Construction Update