Good afternoon from Magic Kingdom, where we’re hanging out in Frontierland. After enjoying Jessie’s Roundup, we walked outside the Diamond Horseshoe to notice the first section of boardwalk in Frontierland had been closed off to guests. This is just the first part of a multi-phase closure that will eventually see the entire length of boardwalk […]

Jessie’s Roundup has officially opened at the Diamond Horseshoe in Magic Kingdom, arriving ahead of the official Cool Kids’ Summer start date of May 26, 2026. The Toy Story-themed activation runs through September 8, 2026, giving families a full summer of games, dancing, and yodeling alongside some of Andy’s favorite characters. Jessie’s Roundup Brings Toy […]

Good morning from Magic Kingdom, where the Big Al’s merchandise kiosk is being prepared for demolition in Frontierland. Following the closure of the location yesterday, construction walls now surround the kiosk as crews prepare to demolish the structure. Here’s a look at the latest work, along with a rundown of how we got here. Big […]

Earlier today, we made our way back to Magic Kingdom to ride the newly reopened Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! Instead of capturing the attraction and the improvements Disney World made to the ride, we had a slightly different goal. This time, we’re back to take a look at the newly revealed vantage points of the […]

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is back open at Magic Kingdom, and we’ve had the opportunity to ride a couple of times so far. In this article, I want to highlight the top five improvements made to the attraction during its 16-month refurbishment. From all-new roller coaster tracks to subtle updates to the storyline, the Magic […]

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is currently closed on its reopening day after a fire extinguisher appeared to be used on the track of the load/unload area. Here’s what we know. Fire Shuts Down Big Thunder Mountain Railroad As you can see in the photo below, a Cast Member is utilizing a fire extinguisher on the […]

Good morning from Magic Kingdom, where Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is now open! Today is the first time that the attraction has been open to guests since it closed on January 6, 2025. During the 16-month refurbishment, Disney fully replaced the entire length of roller coaster track and added some new magic to the Magic […]

Tomorrow, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens after a 16-month refurbishment. During the closure, teams not only replaced the entire length of roller coaster track, but they also added some new magic. While we’ve covered a lot of what’s new and what to expect when The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness reopens, Disney offered a refresher […]

Good afternoon from Magic Kingdom, where the construction walls in front of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad have been removed. This is the final major hurdle for the possibility of a soft opening for The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness. In this article, we’ll take a look at the recent change at the attraction’s entrance, followed […]

When Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens on May 3rd at Magic Kingdom, the classic attraction will feel brand new. Disney has embarked on a 16-month mountain-top to cavern-deep refurbishment that included a full replacement of the roller coaster track, along with the addition of some new magic. In an interview with media today, Imagineer Dan […]

After more than three months of speculation, the Frontierland kiosks that we reported were slated to be removed have received closing dates at Magic Kingdom. Both Big Al’s merchandise kiosk, and the Westward Ho snack kiosk have received closing dates, according to the Walt Disney World website. Here’s the latest! Frontierland Kiosk Receive Closing Dates […]

As part of some last-minute work to get Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ready for a May 3rd reopening, crews are getting ready to cut up some newly installed pavement in front of the attraction’s entrance. We’ve been tracking the work a bit during our recent visits to Magic Kingdom, including the installation and then removal […]

Earlier today, we visited Magic Kingdom, where construction walls continue to expand in Frontierland. The construction walls, while new, are not unexpected. It’s all part of a plan that we’ve been tracking since late January, and a rumor that we published at the time that said that three Frontierland locations would be closing. Here’s the […]

A new behind-the-scenes video from Walt Disney Imagineering offers the irresistible and unlikely opportunity for a baseball pun when describing updates to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. As we were watching ongoing testing this morning during our visit to Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney Imagineering was posting a behind-the-scenes video of work that they’ve done to enhance […]

Good morning from Magic Kingdom, where Big Thunder Mountain Railroad continues to be put through its paces ahead of a May 3rd opening. This morning, we saw multiple trains dispatching at full-speed intervals, some with Cast Members riding on board. This escalation of continuous testing bodes well for not only the targeted May 3rd reopening […]

While visiting Magic Kingdom earlier today, we stopped by Frontierland to check out the latest progress on the Piston Peak National Park construction site. While the first signs of work popped up in mid-January, it wouldn’t be until a couple of weeks later that we’d report that the work was for a stream along the […]

Good afternoon from Magic Kingdom, where we spotted Cast Members riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ahead of its May 3rd reopening. The fact that Cast Members are riding the attraction is a big milestone as Disney prepares to reopen the popular roller coaster following a full track rebuild. Here’s the latest! Cast Members Begin Riding […]

Walt Disney World has updated its Lightning Lane website to mention Big Thunder Mountain Railroad once again. The attraction will reopen on May 3rd after some 16 months of refurbishment to fully replace the roller coaster track and add some new magic to the ride. Here’s the latest info. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Returns as […]

As Walt Disney World prepares to reopen Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom, new construction walls have arrived. The new construction walls will actually be the walls that separate the walkways around Big Thunder from the Piston Peak National Park construction site. We recently made it out to Magic Kingdom to take a look […]

We’ve got some new aerial photos of the Piston Peak National Park construction site thanks to friend of the site Bioreconstruct. The new photos showcase the ongoing construction of a retaining wall that will define the water feature that will wind along the southern perimeter of the new area. Here’s a look at the latest […]

Guests visiting Magic Kingdom will start to see some concrete rising over the construction walls surrounding the former Rivers of America. The sprawling construction site is part of a half-decade effort to create a new Villains Land, and a Cars-themed expansion to Frontierland called Piston Peak National Park. It’s this Cars-themed construction site that we’ll […]

New aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct offer our best look yet at the ongoing work taking place in Piston Peak National Park. The early work, which we have been exclusively reporting is for a water feature, now includes vertical retaining walls. Here’s a look at the Cars-themed Piston Peak National Park construction […]

As crews continue shaping the northwest corner of Magic Kingdom for the largest park expansion ever, tons and tons (and tons) of dirt has been moved from a backstage area to Villains Land. The work is part of the grading needing to be completed before Disney can begin pouring attraction building foundations. We made it […]

Good afternoon from Magic Kingdom, where we spotted some new construction walls while walking through Frontierland. The new construction walls likely signal an imminent expansion of the Piston Peak National Park construction site. This is part of an ongoing story that could include the removal of the Westward Ho and Big Al’s kiosk. Here’s the […]

As part of the ongoing refurbishment of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, new pavement is now visible in front of the attraction. The construction walls have been pushed back, showcasing the new themed pavement at the attraction’s entrance. Here’s a look around, and a look back at what the pavement used to look like. New Themed […]

We have an update on the rumor that started right here on BlogMickey.com about the removal of three kiosks in Frontierland. Back in January, we published a rumor about the removal of three Frontierland kiosks as construction of the nearby Piston Peak National Park is expected to expand. Since then, we’ve been keeping an eye […]

Walt Disney World has announced a closing date for The Diamond Horseshoe restaurant at Magic Kingdom. The closure will be temporary as the space transforms into a Toy Story-themed activation for the Summer. Here’s the latest! The Diamond Horseshoe Closing for Toy Story Overlay The Diamond Horseshoe, a table-service dining venue in Magic Kingdom, will […]

A little less than a month after we wrote a rumor saying that multiple Frontierland locations would be closing at Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World has filed permits for each of the locations at risk. The permits don’t offer a ton of insight as to the nature of the work, but we believe that the […]

New aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct offer the best look yet at foundation work taking place in the Cars-themed Piston Peak National Park at Magic Kingdom. We got a first look at the foundation work earlier this month, but it was only a sneak peek. Now, the new aerial photos provide the […]

While visiting Magic Kingdom recently, we tried to get a sneak peek at the work taking place in the former Rivers of America basin for a new Cars-themed area called Piston Peak National Park. We rode Tiana’s Bayou Adventure for an elevated view of the work, and then got a sneak peek showing how much […]