Virtually three months after closing, nature is beginning to reclaim the Rivers of America, crews attempt to rain the remaining water, development partitions are up, and there’s a flurry of employee exercise in Magic Kingdom. There are a a number of new notable modifications value sharing as Imagineering gears as much as begin on Piston Peak and Villains Land, and we’re going to cowl these right here.
As we beforehand reported, permits have already been filed for the demolition of Tom Sawyer Island. Within the months since that space closed, numerous employees have been noticed on the island, initially with boats transporting objects away. As is generally the case, quite a lot of groups from Operations, Imagineering, and the Walt Disney Archives tag varied objects for reuse, preservation, or resale to collectors.
Whereas we’re positive that the Lopez Bros, Stamos and NPH are all including to their collections because of the closures (joyful for them–however jealous), we’re actually hoping a whole lot of these items receives a brand new lease on life at Lakeshore Lodge, Fort Wilderness, and elsewhere round Walt Disney World. Lakeshore Lodge was as soon as slated to have a Princess and the Frog waterfront restaurant; if that’s nonetheless the plan, docking the riverboat alongside that may be superior.
On this explicit day, I really did spot development crews on Tom Sawyer Island, however wasn’t fast sufficient on the draw with the digicam to seize them in motion. There was additionally a whole lot of seen exercise at Huge Thunder, and I did catch a few of that, as documented under. In any other case, the final couple of months have been uneventful from inside the park.
Work has nonetheless been largely occurring backstage as extra land has been cleared for the laydown yards, as Walt Disney World has ready to empty the Rivers of America. Now we have had glimpses of progress that’s out of visitor view due to aerial pictures, however work of the seen selection has been slow-going from inside the park.
That’s been considerably excellent news for company taking summer time journeys up till faculty beginning going again into session in mid-August. Except for brief sections of development partitions, the views had been fairly much like what you could possibly’ve skilled pre-closure. The water stage had been steadily dropping for causes unknown, nevertheless it wasn’t till pretty lately that Walt Disney World began to actively pump the Rivers of America, revealing the man-made concrete riverbed and monitor beneath.
The most recent improvement, if you wish to name it that, is that Mom Nature has began to reclaim the drained Rivers of America. There are a number of phrases in that sentence that might have air quotes–improvement, Mom Nature, reclaim, and drained. Anyway, let’s have a look:
Rivers of America Refilling, Draining & Dredging
As might be evident from the lighting and sky, the above pictures are literally from a number of completely different visits to Magic Kingdom. Extra astute eyes would possibly discover that the water ranges differ from body to border, which you would possibly assume is due to ongoing draining reducing the degrees. Flawed.
In the previous couple of days, the water stage has really elevated within the “drained” Rivers of America attributable to some pretty intense afternoon storms. Only a few days in the past, there was solely a little bit of standing water within the principally dried-up riverbed. Now the riverboat monitor is near being submerged in spots. Solely one other week like this and the Rivers of America can be refilled!
In fact, the Rivers of America has been actively drained and shortly (hopefully) dredging will start to take away the muck and junk and yuck from at the least the perimeter of the riverbed alongside the waterway. In among the above pictures, it is best to be capable to see tire tracks from autos which have already been within the basin throughout in a single day hours.
We did spot one (1) car within the again half of the river, however have but to see something on the guest-facing facet. That’s presumably on function, at the least till the partitions go up, as Walt Disney World doesn’t need to disregard present requirements utterly. It’s like a quasi-Catch-22 scenario, as they will’t drive right here throughout daytime hours till the partitions are up, however the partitions can’t go up with out heavy tools…and that may’t occur till it stops raining.
Within the meantime, I’m not so positive what we’re seeing now qualifies as “good present,” however once more, there isn’t actually a simple different. The right answer in a rain-free Florida would’ve been doing this all within the span of like per week. Hopefully Mom Nature cooperates quickly, permitting for the remaining draining and dredging to be accomplished so the development partitions might be put in.
Then once more, it does seem that she’s sending Tropical Storm Fernand up alongside the coast, so maybe that is her means of claiming not so quick to Vehicles. Possibly the assistants of Vahle, Iger, and D’Amaro shouldn’t have despatched her boilerplate responses to her well mannered letters expressing disappointment about paving over paradise. Who is aware of.
Now let’s check out the development partitions which can be at present up across the Rivers of America, so you will get an thought of how this seems in-person and impacts the visitor expertise…
Present Development Partitions Round Rivers of America
Development partitions are already up in all places however the waterfront walkway that provides a “shortcut” alongside the parade route between Liberty Sq. and Frontierland. Since that promenade is the biggest stretch and runs parallel to the Frontierland thoroughfare, it’s essentially the most noticeable part–and it’s wall-free.
In any other case, development partitions now prolong from Haunted Mansion to the Liberty Sq. Riverboat touchdown, and once more from the bypass bridge by the Tiana’s Bayou Journey splashdown loop over to Huge Thunder. Assuming the climate cooperates and Tropical Storm Fernando retains monitoring east, it ought to be solely a matter of days earlier than the waterfront walkway begins having partitions added.
Now an replace that’s for the birds…
Fowl Fishing & Foul Fragrances
I’ve been watching the “progress” on the Rivers of America draining for a number of days, however one explicit morning caught me without warning as an enormous variety of birds had been fishing within the riverbed. These fantastic feathered buddies are the true winners on this saga, showcasing the circle of life in full power. Birds eat fish, river will get paved for Vehicles. The circle of life is a freeway, you would possibly say.
Maybe it was as a result of I arrived over right here notably early (I used to be alleged to be rope drop testing on an 8 am park opening day, however ended up being distracted by this and bailed on the plan–oops), however this was the primary I had seen a lot ‘searching’ within the Rivers of America by such all kinds of wildlife.
Now, I do know we’re alleged to be in awe of Mom Nature and all her creatures, yadda yadda yadda. However I’m going to be blunt: most of those birds had been gnarly. Not the same old suspects, both. I’ve visited Walt Disney World for years, so I’m very acquainted with White Ibis, Egret, and Heron. Our neighborhood was as soon as taken over by roaming “herds” of Sandhill Cranes.
A number of the regular Magic Kingdom birds had been current for this activity, however there have been additionally some unfamiliar fowl. I attempted to establish them with the flowery new characteristic on the iPhone, however the identical birds saved being recognized as a number of completely different species. So there’s just one logical conclusion: they’re mutants. It is smart that Walt Disney World would import mutant birds from the Reedy Creek Nuclear Energy Plant to do the heavy lifting, because the cleanup right here is mainly dumpster diving.
They’re most likely consuming simply as a lot rubbish as they’re clams, mussels, and fish. That’s probably not a joke (properly, the nuclear energy plant half is), as I stood right here for quarter-hour watching these fellas fish. They usually had been consuming good. All of the whereas, although, they had been dodging MagicBands, bubble wands, hats, and different particles. I’m positive a few of that will get consumed, sadly.
As you’ll be able to most likely think about, tons of birds, stagnant muck water, fish carcases and different rubbish can result in some foul fragrances. In my time over right here the previous couple of days, there have been occasions when it didn’t odor in any respect and different events when the disagreeable odor was fairly intense!
Right here’s a have a look at morning alongside the previous Rivers of America because the birds fish. I discovered this to be oddly peaceable and enjoyable for those who can, ya know, ignore the underlying circumstances!
At this level, I’m prepared for the partitions to go up. I had my ‘final probability’ to say goodbye and {photograph} the Rivers of America even after Tom Sawyer Island closed however earlier than the waterway was drained. It was good to have a number of extra weeks of the pristine panorama.
However now that even that’s gone, it’s time to fasttrack the demolition and development partitions, at the least to the extent that Mom Nature will enable. I don’t need to sound like a damaged report, however now that it’s crystal clear that this Vehicles venture is going on, we would like it to speed up.
Reduce the period of time there’s development blight in Magic Kingdom, avoiding a repeat of the Big EPCOT Filth Pit fiasco. The longer any venture drags on, the extra seemingly it’s that to be budget-cut or worth engineered into oblivion. The view under is lengthy gone, and what’s left is ugly. There’s no motive for followers to need this slow-rolled anymore.
I nonetheless don’t love this concept (see Why the Rivers of America is Price Saving), nevertheless it’s going to occur and there’s nothing we followers can do to alter the course of this Piston Peak venture besides on the margins. Accordingly, I’d love nothing greater than for the future-former Rivers of America to be unrecognizable by January 2026, and cranes showing on web site to begin vertical development. Get this finished shortly to attenuate the visitor impression and have Piston Peak open ASAP.
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Your Ideas
Ideas on fishing fowl, foul fragrances, or Mom Nature saying “not so quick” to the draining and dredging of the Rivers of America? Prepared for extra partitions to go up and demolition to start in earnest? Mourning the closure of Tom Sawyer Island, Rivers of America, and the Liberty Sq. Riverboat? Did you will have an opportunity to say your goodbyes? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even if you disagree with us—is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!