Virtually three months after closing, nature is beginning to reclaim the Rivers of America, crews attempt to rain the remaining water, building partitions are up, and there’s a flurry of employee exercise in Magic Kingdom. There are a a couple 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 gadgets away. As is often the case, a wide range of groups from Operations, Imagineering, and the Walt Disney Archives tag varied gadgets for reuse, preservation, or resale to collectors.
Whereas we’re certain that the Lopez Bros, Stamos and NPH are all including to their collections on account of the closures (joyful for them–however jealous), we’re actually hoping loads 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 will be superior.
On this explicit day, I truly did spot building crews on Tom Sawyer Island, however wasn’t fast sufficient on the draw with the digicam to seize them in motion. There was additionally loads 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. We now 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 visitors taking summer season journeys up till college beginning going again into session in mid-August. Apart from quick sections of building partitions, the views had been fairly much like what you would’ve skilled pre-closure. The water stage had been progressively 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 observe 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 would 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 couple of totally different visits to Magic Kingdom. Extra astute eyes may discover that the water ranges differ from body to border, which you may assume is due to ongoing draining decreasing the degrees. Fallacious.
In the previous couple of days, the water stage has truly 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 observe is near being submerged in spots. Solely one other week like this and the Rivers of America will probably be refilled!
Truly, the Rivers of America has been actively drained and shortly (hopefully) dredging will start to take away the muck and junk and yuck from a minimum of the perimeter of the riverbed alongside the waterway. In a number of the above pictures, it’s best to be capable of 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 aspect. That’s presumably on objective, a minimum of till the partitions go up, as Walt Disney World doesn’t wish to disregard present requirements utterly. It’s like a quasi-Catch-22 scenario, as they’ll’t drive right here throughout daytime hours till the partitions are up, however the partitions can’t go up with out heavy gear…and that may’t occur till it stops raining.
Within the meantime, I’m not so certain what we’re seeing now qualifies as “good present,” however once more, there isn’t actually a simple various. The proper answer in a rain-free Florida would’ve been doing this all within the span of like every 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 manner of claiming not so quick to Automobiles. Perhaps 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 are at present up across the Rivers of America, so you may get an concept of how this seems to be 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 gives 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 probably the most noticeable part–and it’s wall-free.
In any other case, building 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 needs 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 couple of days, however one explicit morning caught me unexpectedly as an enormous variety of birds had been fishing within the riverbed. These fantastic feathered associates are the actual winners on this saga, showcasing the circle of life in full power. Birds eat fish, river will get paved for Automobiles. The circle of life is a freeway, you may say.
Maybe it was as a result of I arrived over right here significantly early (I used to be purported 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 purported 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 standard 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 process, however there have been additionally some unfamiliar fowl. I attempted to establish them with the flamboyant new characteristic on the iPhone, however the identical birds saved being recognized as a couple of totally different species. So there’s just one logical conclusion: they’re mutants. It is sensible 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 not likely a joke (properly, the nuclear energy plant half is), as I stood right here for a very good quarter-hour watching these fellas fish. And so they had been consuming good. All of the whereas, although, they had been dodging MagicBands, bubble wands, hats, and different particles. I’m certain 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 take a look at morning alongside the previous Rivers of America because the birds fish. I discovered this to be oddly peaceable and enjoyable in case you 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 couple of extra weeks of the pristine panorama.
However now that even that’s gone, it’s time to fasttrack the demolition and building partitions, a minimum of to the extent that Mom Nature will enable. I don’t wish to sound like a damaged file, however now that it’s crystal clear that this Automobiles mission is occurring, we wish it to speed up.
Reduce the period of time there’s building blight in Magic Kingdom, avoiding a repeat of the Big EPCOT Dust Pit fiasco. The longer any mission drags on, the extra probably 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 Value Saving), nevertheless it’s going to occur and there’s nothing we followers can do to vary the course of this Piston Peak mission 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 website to start vertical building. Get this executed shortly to attenuate the visitor impression and have Piston Peak open ASAP.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about motels on our Walt Disney World Accommodations Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To save cash on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every thing you must know!
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’ve an opportunity to say your goodbyes? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help 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!
