Goodbye to MK Welcome Show

[cer]

Y'all so sad to hear they are doing away with the rope drop show at MK in front of the train.

Now they are going to allow people to enter early and proceed all the way onto Main Street before park opening to shop and get their Starbucks etc and then do an opening show at the stage in front of the castle.

I can see how logistically this will work well as far as moving people into the park safely, but I looooove that train whistle bringing in all the characters and the music and just the whole thing.

"Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!"

So sad!:(:(:(

This change will be happening (if I remember correctly) on Jan 9.

[VWL Mom]

Oh no, that's my favorite! :(

[PopPhan]

This may well be a stop-gap measure while the trains are in rehab. We shall see if this is permanent....

[MrPeetrie]

On our last three trips, I had planned at least one day to attempt to see this show. On each trip, that got cut out. Now, I won't have a chance to see it. So sad.

[brad192]

On my first couple of trips back in the '70's this was the way they did it. Main Street was open for about an hour before rope drop, and you could get as far as the hub where CM's were "standing guard" at each spoke with a rope (go figure) across the path. There was a brief announcement with Disney music & then the ropes were literally dropped & the stampede of guests thundered down each path to start their fun Disney day.

[Figment!]

Thanks for the heads-up, Carrie!

Here's the official announcement for those interested:




Beginning January 9, guests will be allowed to enter the Main Street, U.S.A. area of the park even earlier than the park’s scheduled opening time. This will allow guests time to savor the charm of Main Street, U.S.A., enjoy breakfast or a warm drink at the Main Street Bakery featuring Starbucks. Then promptly at opening, a new welcome show will officially open the park for the day on the Castle Forecourt Stage. A Royal Herald will appear to deliver a proclamation and welcome a few familiar characters to the stage, officially opening the park so “the magic can begin!”

[eeyoremom]

Any idea how early they will let people in? We always plan an early breakfast at Chrystal Palace and love having main street to ourselves. I suppose that will change and many more will be on the streeet, unless they don't allow other people in that early. We usually try for as close to 8 as possible.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I'm wondering if this is because of the Train refurb ... and then depending on feedback/how it goes we'll have to see if it becomes the new norm, or if they go back.

[cer]

This may well be a stop-gap measure while the trains are in rehab. We shall see if this is permanent....

Fingers crossed.

[cer]

On my first couple of trips back in the '70's this was the way they did it. Main Street was open for about an hour before rope drop, and you could get as far as the hub where CM's were "standing guard" at each spoke with a rope (go figure) across the path. There was a brief announcement with Disney music & then the ropes were literally dropped & the stampede of guests thundered down each path to start their fun Disney day.

I did not know this....

[cer]

I can see how this would manage park guests more efficiently at opening. I am sure the shops (assuming the shops will be open) and eateries and the opportunity to get the coveted Main Street and Castle pictures are going to absorb a number of people who are not in a hurry to get in line at 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, etc.

I'm just going to miss that Welcome from the train area. :train:

Very good points made about the train refurbishment. It will be interesting to see if this change is permanent...

[Speedy1998]

On my first couple of trips back in the '70's this was the way they did it. Main Street was open for about an hour before rope drop, and you could get as far as the hub where CM's were "standing guard" at each spoke with a rope (go figure) across the path. There was a brief announcement with Disney music & then the ropes were literally dropped & the stampede of guests thundered down each path to start their fun Disney day.

I remember them doing it this way as late as the 90's. Last time I saw this, the announcement came and then they played Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah as people ran towards there favorite attraction.

[Polynesian Dweller]

I'm wondering if this is because of the Train refurb ... and then depending on feedback/how it goes we'll have to see if it becomes the new norm, or if they go back.

The reports are that this is permanent.

[merciantinkerbell]

( sarcasm on) Good. ( sarcasm off) It always made me cry as I was so happy to be back "home" and a 40+ year old woman in tears because she's so happy is embarrassing for us all!

[brad192]

Now that I'm thinking about it, this will probably kill one of my favorite things to do each trip. I always loved to be there for the morning opening celebration, and then I parked myself at the end of the train station "traffic circle" & watched as the guests arrived, rounded the corner, and got their first view of Cinderella Castle. I usually just stood there about 10-15 minutes and watched people's reactions when they saw that Disney icon. It's really quite entertaining! A lot of smiles, open-mouthed wonder, etc. Heck, once I even saw a grandmother in a wheelchair stand up & applaud! A great way to start my day at MK!

[mechanic]

The cynic in me,says it's all about more store time. The practical side says it will be more efficient.

[#1donaldfan]

I'm sure it's about us opening our wallets instead of being rushed toward a ride. The more time we have to wander around before being ushered to a ride is the potential of us spending our cash. I will miss the show, gosh, we've seen that show since my kids were tiny and they are all grown now ... but .... I did not like to way rope drop has been done since the appearance of the mine train, it's a terrible mad dash full of kid's arms being pulled from the sockets and calves being run over by rushing strollers .... maybe this will help some of that ??

[PeterPan]

I, like thousands, LOVED the opening show gathered around the Mickey Flower Portrait. What a crying shame it's going away. On the other hand, we can hope the new "show" will be something wonderful, too. I hope the Main Street Troupe will continue to enchant us with "The Trolley Song" up and down Main Street. The are delightful.

[villavic]

Any idea how early they will let people in?

I ask the same. January schedule says MK opens 9am (I'm going on jan 25). Will Main St. be open at 8am? Is it worth to be early for a complete/decent breakfast, or do you guys suggest to take a good breakfast at the hotel anyway?

[Figment!]

Let the Magic Begin is a new welcome show at the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage. The 5 minute show stars Mickey Mouse and Fairy Godmother who start the new day at the Magic Kingdom with a little dose of magic. Mickey is joined on stage by Minnie and an enchanting ensemble including Aladdin, Alice, Chip & Dale, Belle, Elena, Jasmine, Mary Poppins, Merida, Pluto, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Tiana. The show is scheduled to start most mornings at 8:55 am on days with a 9:00 am park open.

Guests may now shop and dine along Main Street USA beginning at 8:00 am on days with a 9:00 am park opening. Individual rope drops are held at each land entrance at the time of park opening.

[PirateLover]

I LOVED the welcome show. Went out of our way to catch it every trip because it was just so magical. I watched the new show online and it is entirely lackluster. I hope they improve it. I have a feeling that this has a lot to do with security measures as much as it has to do with anything else.... the train show will not be back.

[MrPeetrie]

Earlier, I replied how sad I was to see this go away before I ever got a chance to see it. I told my wife what was happening and she said, "Breakfast and shopping in the Magic Kingdom before it opens? How was this a bad thing again?" I can see the $$ coming right out of my wallet already.

[Figment!]

Here is the publicity video with a short preview of the show:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFiTk9d3TmY

[azcavalier]

Yes, we will miss the train show as well. I watched a live stream of the first new welcome show, and found it to be very anti-climactic. With the old show and the people singing and dancing, waiting for the train, and you're looking for that first sight of steam...and then the train rolls in. So cool.

My hope is that they'll improve the new show. I am, however, in favor of letting people in to Main Street. My wife loves to pin trade, but she also wants to be at the 7DMT ride early as well. That meant that she was speed-trading down Main Street on our way to the ride. This way we can window shop, trade, relax, etc as we make our way up to the Castle area.

I also like that it appears that they will be opening ALL of the lands at opening. So you can get your Adventureland or Frontierland fix earlier in the day.

[IloveJack]

Well, now I'm that much more happy that I took the time to get a picture of our kids in front of the castle in an empty park three weeks ago. We almost decided not to do it because Disney opened early and the park had people in it, but we sat and waited.
On a positive note, I'm hoping this helps with the major crowd issues caused by bag check, metal detectors, and gates in such close proximity.

[Fastpasssteve]

I am glad the original version is safely loaded up on YouTube. You can watch any number of recordings. I often do in between visits.