The Newly rehabbed “HUB”

After much time behind the construction walls, Disney finally unveiled the newly rehabbed area known as the “Hub” This central location in the middle of the Magic Kingdom was the brainchild of none other than Walt Disney himself. He wanted an area in his new Disneyland where people can access all of the lands easily, and have a centralized “Meeting Point” that no one could miss. Since, all the Magic Kingdom parks have this feature. However, over the years as the attendances have risen dramatically, the area around the Castle was getting a tab bit crowded. Trying to find space to view the fireworks, castle shows and the like became a chore and usually a “First come, First view” posture was the norm.

So, the Imagineers and Disney decided to “Plus” this area, and the result is really beautiful, functional and did not take away from the feel of the original area. The whole hub has new viewing areas with artificial grass, FastPass viewing areas for the fireworks and parades and even the area in front of the castle with the “Partners” statues is getting a facelift. In the new areas are two ornate fountains surrounded by gardens; with the splashing water, it makes one feel a bit cooler and refreshed. All around the fountain areas are pedestals sporting bronze statuettes of Disney characters. The new viewing areas are spacious and have sidewalks crossing through. All in all, the whole area is just open and spacious, just what the doctor ordered.

In addition to the new hub, seating around Casey’s Corner and the Plaza almost doubled. The one big change that helped with additional space was the bridge that crossed the castle moat was expanded both right and left over the moat, now making up the two large viewing areas. Gone is the old Swan boats boarding dock, but remember, Walt never intended his parks to become museums, they were always to evolve and get better. And in this case, Disney did a spectacular job. The only area that is still under construction is the area where the Partners Statues will be. I cannot wait to see how that turns out. So, if you have not yet been to the Magic Kingdom to see this new rehab, enjoy the gaggle of pics I took and you can see for yourself how nice this job turned out!