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Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station Imports Watery Fun to Storybook Circus

Casey Jr Splash 'N' Soak Station

The Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station has officially opened at the Magic Kingdom and with it arrived a circus of fun to Storybook Circus. The Water Play area contains playful camels (what is it with Imagineering and spitting camels?), monkeys, elephants and giraffes who splash along with guests. Joining Dumbo, the Flying Elephant and Barnstormer featuring Goofy as the Great Goofini in Storybook Circus, Casey Jr. is the most recent phase to open in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland expansion.

I got to spend a few minutes watching my son run through the area and was impressed with the variety of methods for getting wet while exploring Casey Jr. During the hot months it will provide a great way to cool down and during the cold months it will still make a wonderful photo opportunity. There is a big problem with a lack of shade between Casey Jr and the Storybook Circus bathrooms. With the sun beating down it was pretty hot even with the play zone just a few feet away.

The astute observer may have caught that each car has a number on its back. Those numbers, 71, 82, 89, and 98 stand for the opening years of the four Walt Disney World parks. I haven’t yet noticed any Hidden Mickeys, but I thought that was a great tribute.

More photos of the water play area below the jump

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Dumbo Interactive Queue Preview from Storybook Circus

Yesterday I shared some of the changes to the exterior of the new twin-spinner Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction in Storybook Circus, today I’m excited to be sharing some photos of the interior of that attractions. Wait, you say. Why would a spinner have an interior? It’s all part of Imagineering’s plan to make waiting for the ride less painful.

Back when WDI first started talking about the new Dumbo queue they said rather than lining up in a switchbacks, it would be a place where kids could move freely and interact with various elements in the building. Parents would be able to wait comfortably while watching their kids run around. One’s place in line would be held virtually and an announcement would indicate when your boarding group was ready to head to the loading zone.

Looking at these pictures shared by Disney, that vision looks essentially intact. Perhaps it’s a bit more playground / obstacle course than I envisioned.

Also, Disney says that instead of an announcement to tell you when to grab your kid and head to a loading zone, some sort of paging device will be used. Disney has tested out, in theory, how this system will work during some experiments over at Rock-n-Roller Coaster. According to sources, results were mixed. So we’ll keep a close eye on how this is working out once it opens to guests.

Update: Video of the queue ‘in use’ by kids and some background on the project from an Imagineer.

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Storybook Circus Photo Update

I’m back from a whirlwind tour of the Magic Kingdom on Sunday. Managed to sneak in a little Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom with my son, rode a few rides and scoped out changes across the park. And there is a lot to keep track… Read More »Storybook Circus Photo Update

Magic Kingdom Update – New Fantasyland, Storybook Circus, and more

There was a lot to see on my latest walk through the Magic Kingdom. They’re moving at a quick pace now to get ready for a July opening for a few attractions and a ‘holiday’ opening for more of new Fantasyland. The second Dumbo spinner… Read More »Magic Kingdom Update – New Fantasyland, Storybook Circus, and more

New Fantasyland Update – Magic Kingdom Expansion Progress

Took a stroll through the Magic Kingdom over the weekend and discovered that things are really in high gear throughout most of the new Fantasyland expansion project. Here are photos with some of the highlights (all the photos have larger versions if you click on them).

Work is in high gear to get the Casey Jr Soak Zone ready for the summer. Since I took this photo they’ve added even more, including many of the circus animals that will double as water fountains. Also note the landscaping and work on the red tent. Apparently the red-tent will be a meet and greet area featuring Donald, Chip & Dale, Goofy, and similar classic characters..

Although the Dumbo ‘tent’ was once all beautifully painted, they’ve stripped off that finish and started new work on the exterior.

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Magic Kingdom Update – New Fantasyland and more

Time marches on and summer is almost here. That means it’s time for another photo update from the Magic Kingdom. Disney continues making real progress toward opening the rest of Storybook Circus and, hopefully, parts of Fairytale Forest (of whatever they’re calling the new section these days).

It’s a long update today, so let’s get right to it, then, shall we. The Bakery facade remains shrouded along with two buildings in Town Square. I’m glad they’re doing the facade refurbishments, but it has been taking a long time.

Rapunzel is now doing meet & greets next to Town Hall. Her old place near Fantasyland is being converted for the Scottish Princess Merida. I think they should have had a cage match with the winner earning the best location.

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Magic Kingdom Update – Slow Progress in Fantasyland (Part 1)

I always enjoy a nice stroll around the Magic Kingdom, this weekend was no exception. Despite the Easter holiday, crowds were relatively light. Disney was prepared, however. There were lots of extended queues at he ready and extra manager types hanging around.

There’s plenty to see, even though not much progress has been made overall.


Although it’s not the most direct route, I like approaching Storybook Circus via the path near Space Mountain. They’re working on something behind the roundhouse for the Great Goofini trains.


However, the signage on the construction walls leaves something to be desired.


They’ve added the word ‘Water’ and a little bit more aging to the water tower at the station..

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Posters from The Great Goofini

A big thanks to Disney Parks for sharing better quality images of those great posters which are part of the themeing of the Barnstormer featuring Goofy as the Great Goofini coaster in the Storybook Circus area in Magic Kingdom. I love the humor and the… Read More »Posters from The Great Goofini