Cinderella Castle got a little harder to navigate on Monday as Walt Disney World Resort installed new construction walls in Fantasyland, blocking off a portion of the area surrounding Magic Kingdom Park's most recognizable landmark.
New Barriers Behind the Castle
According to WDWNT, light-blue construction walls appeared on April 6 along the left side of the back of Cinderella Castle, near the entrance to Cinderella's Royal Table and the Sir Mickey's store. Magic Kingdom Park guests heading to the Table-Service restaurant can still get there, but will need to navigate around the plywood barriers.
The construction has also created some congestion near Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The entrance remains accessible, though the barriers make it harder to spot, and the queue for guests waiting to meet the Fairy Godmother after their makeover is more cramped than usual, with the walls eating into the surrounding space.
One path is blocked entirely. The walkway connecting Tomorrowland and the Magic Kingdom hub to the back of Cinderella Castle — near the Mirabel meet-and-greet — is now closed off by rolling planters, taking Cinderella's Wishing Well completely out of reach. Guests looking to access the back of the castle and Fantasyland from that direction will need to reroute through the bridge near Liberty Square, or cut through Tomorrowland or Liberty Square.
Part of Cinderella Castle's Ongoing Makeover
The new barriers are almost certainly tied to the repainting project Walt Disney World Resort announced last year. Crews have been working since January to swap out the Magic Kingdom Park icon's pink-and-gold 50th anniversary palette for a more classic blue-and-gray look, and much of the main building has already made the transition. Attached structures and select roof sections are still in progress.
Disney has said the full transformation will wrap up at some point this year, but hasn't committed to a specific completion date.
Has the Cinderella Castle repainting project impacted your Magic Kingdom Park visit? Share your story with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
