Over the past few months, there has been a whole lot of construction progress around Disney World!

We’ve seen brand new shops open, restaurants debut, and tons of attractions have received a fresh coat of paint leading up to the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary. And, now that we’re only a few weeks away from the big party, we’ve got even more to share — so, let’s dive right in!

Magic Kingdom

Tomorrowland

Last month, Disney announced that FastPass+ would be discontinued in the parks and that they would instead be introducing two new PAID FastPass options called Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection. The new services have yet to roll out, but Disney has slowly been removing all remaining signs of FastPass+ in the parks. We’ve seen more Lightning Lane (aka the new FastPass lines) signs installed…

…and even some FastPass+ kiosks have been removed.

Now, there are still some remnants around the park, including lots of FastPass kiosks that have yet to be taken out, so there’s a bit more to go. And, we’re still waiting on a date that Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections will become available, so stay tuned to DFB for the latest!

Splash Mountain

A few small refurbishments wrapped up this week in Disney World too. Over at Splash Mountain, we noticed that all of the scaffolding had been taken down from the exterior. Here’s what it looked like before…

…and here it is now.

Disney has shared quite a few details about the new Princess and The Frog theme coming to the attraction, however, these refurbishments seen recently were not related to the reimagining of the ride.

Be Our Guest Restaurant

And, the other refurbishment that wrapped up was over at Be Our Guest Restaurant in New Fantasyland. There had been quite a bit of scaffolding up near the Beast’s castle and on the rocks…

…but now all of that has been removed.

There aren’t any big changes to the area here, so it was likely just some repainting leading up to the 50th anniversary.

TRON: Lightcycle Run

One construction project that isn’t set to wrap up by the 50th anniversary is the new roller coaster in Magic Kingdom, TRON: Lightcycle Run. And, while we won’t be racing on lightcycles on October 1st, this week we noticed that many of the cranes that usually sit on the construction site were being used as crews continue to work on the outdoor canopy.

For now, there’s still no word on when the attraction may debut, but we’ll continue to keep an eye out!

EPCOT

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Speaking of construction projects that will be ongoing after October 1st, we also took a ride on the EPCOT monorail and caught a peek at the new attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The ride itself is all indoors, but we’ve been watching as the entrance area slowly takes shape! Here’s what it looked like the last time we checked in…

…and here it is this week!

There’s quite a bit more cement out there so maybe we’ll get to see the beginnings of the Xandarian ship that will sit out front soon!

Disney has yet to share any details about when this new roller coaster may open in EPCOT, but we may still have a little while to go based on what we’re seeing outside.

Harmonious

Back in World Showcase, Disney is preparing for the debut of the brand new fireworks show — Harmonious. We’ve been tracking the big barges that are located in World Showcase Lagoon since they arrived earlier this year and when we passed by recently we spotted a construction crane out on the water with crews working on the showpieces.

But, we’re only a few days away from seeing these big boys in action out on the water, as the show will have its grand opening on September 29th! 

Here’s How to See Disney World’s 2 New Fireworks Shows From Home!

World Showcase

On our way around the country pavilions, we also noticed that new construction walls had popped up between the Morocco and France Pavilions. Previously, this area was blocked off by some tall bushes, but now there’s no chance of getting a peek inside.

It’s not clear exactly what Disney is working on here, but we’ll keep you updated!

Space 220

And, after a LONG wait, construction on the brand new restaurant in EPCOT, Space 220, has wrapped up and the spot officially opened on Monday, September 20th! Of course, we were there to check it all out, so you can come along inside with us, learn all about the must-have space eats, and get the latest on how to secure your reservation.

Currently, Space 220 reservations are open for dates after September 27th (though they’ve quickly become hard to find) and guests visiting before this date can walk up to the restaurant day-of to get a reservation.

Click HERE for Our FULL Review of Lunch at Space 220!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

There hasn’t been too much construction going on at Disney’s Hollywood Studios recently, but this week there was a BIG change over at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (literally!). Now guests hopping on the high-speed roller coaster will find scaffolding in front of the giant guitar out front of the building.

Disney hasn’t shared exactly what’s going on behind the construction tarps, but it likely is just getting some sprucing up in time for October.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Discovery River Amphitheater

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we spotted even more progress over at the Discovery River Amphitheater for the new daytime show, Disney KiteTails. Out on the water, the platforms continue to take shape with the structures looking more and more hut-like each day…

…and at the entrance of the theater, there are TONS of new character kites hanging up above!

The new show will feature performers flying kites that represent various Disney characters and out on the water giant 3D kites of even more characters will fly high.

DinoLand, U.S.A.

This week, we also noticed that some construction walls had popped up around Restaurantosaurus (though the Quick Service restaurant does remain open for guests).

And, it looks like Disney is finally getting to removing the closed attraction, Primeval Whirl. We had spotted new construction walls here last week, but now we’re starting to see some of the ride tracks being broken down.

Disney hasn’t shared any plans for what could be replacing the attraction once it’s officially “extinct,” but we’ll keep an eye out!

And, that’s a wrap on this week’s construction update! With the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary approaching so soon, there’s probably a lot more progress to come in the next few days (plus lots of NEW things will open up!). So, be sure that you’re staying tuned to DFB for everything you need to know before heading into the parks!

Click HERE For ALL the Rides and Hotels That Will Be CLOSED in September in Disney World!

Are you heading to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary? Let us know in the comments!