Remember those proposed Liberty Square bridge repairs that I wrote about last month? Well, Magic Kingdom management has finally decided to go ahead with this construction project. Which is why they filed the necessary permits last Tuesday.
“So what happens now?,” you ask. “Given the huge number of people that typically visit Disney World during June, July and August … Well, that must mean that this Liberty Square bridge repair project is going to get underway immediately. So that the Magic Kingdom can then be ready to handle the summer crowds. Right?”
Not exactly. You see, WDW officials want most of this repair work to be done during third shift (So that the construction noise won’t then have a negative impact on all those guests who’ll be visiting this theme park during the day) … More importantly, given that the Magic Kingdom has 13 nights of “Mickey’s Pirate & Princess Party” scheduled from April 1st through June 4th … Well, that really complicates this already incredibly complex situation.
To explain: On nights when the Magic Kingdom is open ’til midnight for one of these hard ticket events, that typically means that the very last guest isn’t swept from the park ’til 1 a.m. And then when you factor in all of those days where cast members actually have to start cycling Fantasyland & Tomorrowland attractions at 7 a.m. Just so these rides will then be ready for all the resort guests who show up at the Magic Kingdom at 8 a.m. to take advantage of “Extra Magic Hours” … That only leaves 6 hours during third shift during which any significant repairs can be made to the Liberty Square bridge. Which isn’t nearly enough time.
Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved
And then when you consider the tens of thousands of people who’ll cram into the Magic Kingdom on July 4th to experience Independence Day inside of that theme park … To have the Liberty Square Bridge out of commission over that holiday could be disastrous. At least from a guest-flow point of view.
Which is why (according to my sources, anyway) Disney’s going to attempt to get all of this repair work done from the second week of July through the first week of August. So that the Liberty Square bridge can then be back in place just in time for all those after-hours rehearsals for this year’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween parade.
And speaking of parades … Remember that after-hour test that was held at the Magic Kingdom last month? The one where WDW managers took the three biggest floats from Disney’s “Dreams Come True” parade and then ran them through that theme park at 3 a.m. Just to see if it would actually be possible for these units to follow a new parade route through the Kingdom. Instead of driving around the Hub and then heading into Frontierland via the Liberty Square bridge, this floats hung a right at that bridge between Fantasyland & Tomorrowland and then exited this theme park through the Mickey’s Toontown Fair gate.
Well, now that Magic Kingdom management knows that it’s possible for these units to safely travel along with this alternate parade route, their main concern is the lack of suitable storage space out behind Mickey’s Toontown Fair. Meaning that — after they’d exited the theme park — these floats would then have to sit outside, exposed to the elements for hours. Baking in the hot Orlando sun and / or being soaked by those torrential Central Florida rains.
Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved
And then when you consider that these units couldn’t be moved back to the Magic Kingdom’s float storage barns until after the very last guest had left that theme park for the night … Which meant that the MK janitorial staff would have had to stay off the streets until those parade floats had been driven back through that theme park and then exited via the gate next to the Main Street firehouse … You’re talking about this Liberty Square bridge repair having quite an impact on the Operational side of things at the Magic Kingdom.
Which is why just last week, Magic Kingdom managers held another after-hours test at that park. This time around, they sent all of the “Dreams Come True” units — except for the Castle float — up Main Street and then had them park one by one in the Hub. And with that last unit dropped from the batting order, Disney’s “Dreams Come True” parade actually fit into this space.
Which is why — for several weeks during the Summer of 2008 — Magic Kingdom guests may get to see a very unusual sight. In that the “Dreams Come True” parade could enter that theme park via the Firehouse gate, circle ’round the Plaza, drive up Main Street, circle the Hub, drive back down Main Street, circle ’round the Plaza again and exit via the Firehouse gate.
Mind you, given that “SpectroMagic” is almost three times as long as Disney’s “Dreams Come True” parade is … Well, that would mean that the Magic Kingdom wouldn’t be able to run that nighttime parade while the Liberty Square bridge was being repaired. And running “Dreams Come True” back through that theme park at night really isn’t an option. Given that the floats featured in this daytime parade don’t feature any external lighting.
Copyright 2008 Disney. All Rights Reserved
Now keep in mind that this is the Mouse House that we’re talking about here … Which means that — this time next week — there could be an entirely different plan in place as to how the Magic Kingdom will be handling the Liberty Square bridge repair work. But as of right now, it looks like the bulk of this after-hours construction work will be done in mid-July and early August. So please take that info into consideration if you’re planning on visiting WDW this summer.
Speaking of the Liberty Square bridge … After that last story ran on JHM, there were a number of readers who wrote in to me, asking if it was still safe for their families to cross this Magic Kingdom structure. Let’s let one company insider — who I’ll call Bok — have the last word here:
“To make sure that the Liberty Square bridge will stay up until all of these repairs are completed, Disney’s engineers have really over-compensated. Right now, there’s so much wood and bracing under that bridge, Godzilla himself could jump up & down on the thing and it wouldn’t fall down.
So tell your readers not to worry. As of right now, the Liberty Square bridge is probably the safest thing on all of property.”
Sooo … Any comments on this new Magic Kingdom contingency plans? Which will (in theory, anyway) allow that theme park to run an abridged version of Disney’s “Dreams Come True” parade this summer while the Liberty Square bridge is being repaired.
Your thoughts?