Main Street U.S.A. hub redevelopment at the Magic Kingdom

[Craigl]

Finally thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!! The continuous redundant chatter of light poles, tunnels, profits, and just plain bs is insanity. This is an update forum on the construction that has been going since the beginning of the new fantasyland expansion. We stop by this particular forum to get updates on CONSTRUCTION UPDATES so we can plan or prepare for ours or our families near future vacation.

 

[erclvrb18]

Finally thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!! The continuous redundant chatter of light poles, tunnels, profits, and just plain bs is insanity. This is an update forum on the construction that has been going since the beginning of the new fantasyland expansion. We stop by this particular forum to get updates on CONSTRUCTION UPDATES so we can plan or prepare for ours or our families near future vacation.

its not like many photos get posted daily plus this is meant to be convo of the general public

 

[betty rose]

It's not the 5 murals on the west side, those have always been visible, however there are more on the east side, buried behind castle stage show support walls that were put up so long ago that people don't notice them. I know more are there, but cannot find any pictures as it's been quite some time that they were hidden. But those big ugly blue wooden walls on the east of the breezeway are not original design.

I would love to see those murals from my faint memory, I thought they were beautiful.

 

[betty rose]

Indeed there are. And Mr. Iger recently asked them to keep digging, and they actually made it to China ... Shanghai.

Guess mom was right. No word on whether the children there are in fact starving or not.

 

[wogwog]

I would love some bench's in shade to rest my old bones

It is nice to have a dream, no matter how little chance of you having it become real.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I would love to see those murals from my faint memory, I thought they were beautiful.

If you're taking about the moziacs in the castle, I just saw them three weeks ago, they are still there and when there is no construction the path through the castle is still wide open. If that's not what you are talking about, I guess I missed something. I'm not sure what you are referring too.

 

[betty rose]

If you're taking about the moziacs in the castle, I just saw them three weeks ago, they are still there and when there is no construction the path through the castle is still wide open. If that's not what you are talking about, I guess I missed something. I'm not sure what you are referring too.

I was referring to the tiles in the path, I guess I've been unlucky and haven't seen them the last two times I was there. Or more, my memory sometimes fails, me.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I was referring to the tiles in the path, I guess I've been unlucky and haven't seen them the last two times I was there. Or more, my memory sometimes fails, me.

I'm talking about the mosiacs on the walls inside the castle passageway. So I guess we aren't talking about the same thing. Sorry, didn't mean to mislead.

 

[Cesar R M]

Then you haven't been in the tunnels to many times. It's kind of hard to not see Mickey or any of the other furs if you are a frequent user of the tunnels.

could be because he was working?
aka he didnt see any fur characters because they were sort of synced to his job?
aka when he's out in the job, the furchars use the utilitors.. when he's free to roam the utilitors.. the furchars are busy on top.

 

[Cesar R M]

There are tunnels at the MK? Really? Are these new?


Seriously though, the Backstage Magic tour they used to have way back in the day was awesome. My brothers and I did it as kids and we got to go in the Utilidors. I'll never forget that tour...I can still see the tunnels vividly in my head. Come to think of it, we did many of those type of tours that don't even exist any more.

the keys to the kingdom tour no longer shows backstage utilitors?

 

[Cesar R M]

It is nice to have a dream, no matter how little chance of you having it become real.

 

[Cesar R M]

If you're taking about the moziacs in the castle, I just saw them three weeks ago, they are still there and when there is no construction the path through the castle is still wide open. If that's not what you are talking about, I guess I missed something. I'm not sure what you are referring too.

they close the castle area for the daily shows, then for when the crane is extended.

so I suppose, currently the path is blocked 90% of the day.

 

[erclvrb18]

could be because he was working?
aka he didnt see any fur characters because they were sort of synced to his job?
aka when he's out in the job, the furchars use the utilitors.. when he's free to roam the utilitors.. the furchars are busy on top.

Yah.. I really did not go in the tunnels any time other than work and i either went right to my break room or to the cafe a few times... other than that... I've gone to the character zoo room a hand full of times.

 

[Goofyernmost]

they close the castle area for the daily shows, then for when the crane is extended.

so I suppose, currently the path is blocked 90% of the day.

Could be, but the crane was there when I was in mid-February and they were using it and I was able to walk through. It probably wasn't open for very long though.

 

[DGracey]

Those darn trees continue to inspire a visceral reaction from so many ...

Why?

Well because friends it's about more than "trees and plants."

More complex than "I like trees" or "I don't like the big trees blocking the castle."

It is about the fundamental design & development of the Magic Kingdom. Period.

I couldn't resist weighing in, because the hub is the most important design feature of the park, full stop. Prior to Disneyland, no one had designed a theme park to radiate out from the centre in such a complex yet simplistic way. In several design books they analyze the hub as a piece of design genius, a central anchor to which the rest of the entire park flows and operates from. It just works. And has been copied in parks the world over ever since.

The new hub so far is looking good. But prior to this we had better than "good." We had outstanding.

I genuinely believe TDO's current effort to deal with capacity in MK led them to evaluate a half hearted attempt for what the hub was intended to be. Current management are making a concerted effort to restore some landscaping to what was once a spectacular central plaza in the world's most visited theme park. Yet for so many - we still need it. The feeling of what once was - and never needed to be destroyed. Seriously, you shouldn't see Tomorrowland from Liberty Square. And we won't even bring up the tree massacre in Town Square. The current Town Square twigs look bare, sad and out of place. The trees they are installing in the new hub will indeed be a big change from the last decade of destruction.

The original hub trees prior to being removed in the early 2000's had 30 beautiful years of growth. They were grand, majestic and fitting for a plaza in front of "an old castle."

I am sentimental enough to want the old hub look and feel back, but pragmatic enough to know that will not happen. The problem with the Disney of today is it has gone from building things visitors never dreamed of or had seen before, to starting to fall short on the basics. Disney Parks needs more visionaries.

But hey - they have record revenue, a sky high stock price and incredible growth quarter after quarter. For me I believe you can be both a visionary and please Wall St. at the same time. The current folk don't feel the same. The current trajectory is hard to defend and hardly worth defending. Shanghai will have the greatest theme park the world has ever seen. And we're here debating trees. Welcome to Disney 2015.

The purists know what the hub means, what it looked like and what it should be.

To have the new trees achieve the same beauty, size and grandeur of what once was - we have to wait another 30 years of growth until the year 2045. But we already TDO will never let them get that far anyway ...

 

[RandySavage]

^Nicely put.

My experience going to DL for the first time was that it felt half-arboretum, half-theme park in the most wonderful ways(Toontown was notable because it lacked the old growth shade trees of the rest of the park). It cemented my feeling that big, old trees are worth their weight in gold with respect to improving a theme park's atmosphere, sense of permanence, authenticity, etc:

source: http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/

To a degree, it's an atmosphere that only time, not money, can provide. MK's town square and hub had that magic once. Maybe if they let these new ones grow, in a couple decades MK will start to have a taste of it again.

 

[DGracey]

^Nicely put.

My experience going to DL for the first time was that it felt half-arboretum, half-theme park in the most wonderful ways(Toontown was notable because it lacked the old growth shade trees of the rest of the park). It cemented my feeling that big, old trees are worth their weight in gold with respect to improving a theme park's atmosphere, sense of permanence, authenticity, etc:

To a degree, it's an atmosphere that only time, not money, can provide. MK's town square and hub had that magic once. Maybe if they let these new ones grow, in a couple decades MK will start to have a taste of it again.

Well said! Wholeheartedly agree. Time will tell ...

 

[betty rose]

I'm talking about the mosiacs on the walls inside the castle passageway. So I guess we aren't talking about the same thing. Sorry, didn't mean to mislead.

No problem. I was not as clear in my message as I should have been.

 

[betty rose]

Those darn trees continue to inspire a visceral reaction from so many ...

Why?

Well because friends it's about more than "trees and plants."

More complex than "I like trees" or "I don't like the big trees blocking the castle."

It is about the fundamental design & development of the Magic Kingdom. Period.

I couldn't resist weighing in, because the hub is the most important design feature of the park, full stop. Prior to Disneyland, no one had designed a theme park to radiate out from the centre in such a complex yet simplistic way. In several design books they analyze the hub as a piece of design genius, a central anchor to which the rest of the entire park flows and operates from. It just works. And has been copied in parks the world over ever since.

The new hub so far is looking good. But prior to this we had better than "good." We had outstanding.

I genuinely believe TDO's current effort to deal with capacity in MK led them to evaluate a half hearted attempt for what the hub was intended to be. Current management are making a concerted effort to restore some landscaping to what was once a spectacular central plaza in the world's most visited theme park. Yet for so many - we still need it. The feeling of what once was - and never needed to be destroyed. Seriously, you shouldn't see Tomorrowland from Liberty Square. And we won't even bring up the tree massacre in Town Square. The current Town Square twigs look bare, sad and out of place. The trees they are installing in the new hub will indeed be a big change from the last decade of destruction.

The original hub trees prior to being removed in the early 2000's had 30 beautiful years of growth. They were grand, majestic and fitting for a plaza in front of "an old castle."

I am sentimental enough to want the old hub look and feel back, but pragmatic enough to know that will not happen. The problem with the Disney of today is it has gone from building things visitors never dreamed of or had seen before, to starting to fall short on the basics. Disney Parks needs more visionaries.

But hey - they have record revenue, a sky high stock price and incredible growth quarter after quarter. For me I believe you can be both a visionary and please Wall St. at the same time. The current folk don't feel the same. The current trajectory is hard to defend and hardly worth defending. Shanghai will have the greatest theme park the world has ever seen. And we're here debating trees. Welcome to Disney 2015.

The purists know what the hub means, what it looked like and what it should be.

To have the new trees achieve the same beauty, size and grandeur of what once was - we have to wait another 30 years of growth until the year 2045. But we already TDO will never let them get that far anyway ...

I won't be around to see that!

 

[betty rose]

^Nicely put.

My experience going to DL for the first time was that it felt half-arboretum, half-theme park in the most wonderful ways(Toontown was notable because it lacked the old growth shade trees of the rest of the park). It cemented my feeling that big, old trees are worth their weight in gold with respect to improving a theme park's atmosphere, sense of permanence, authenticity, etc:

source: http://mintcrocodile.blogspot.com/

To a degree, it's an atmosphere that only time, not money, can provide. MK's town square and hub had that magic once. Maybe if they let these new ones grow, in a couple decades MK will start to have a taste of it again.

What a gorgeous picture. I hardly recognize the place .