Moat drained around Cinderella Castle in preparation for the removal of the 50th decor at Magic Kingdom

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Moat draining at Cinderella Castle - April 10 2023

Posted: Monday April 10, 2023 9:24am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The moat surrounding Cinderella Castle Magic Kingdom is being drained ahead of work starting on the removal of the 50th decor from the castle.

Moat draining at Cinderella Castle - April 10 2023

Two dams have been set up, one on the Liberty Square side, and one on the Tomorrowland side.

Moat draining at Cinderella Castle - April 10 2023

Most of the water is now drained from the moat, but no cranes are yet in position.

Moat draining at Cinderella Castle - April 10 2023

The 50th medallion was removed at the start of the month following the conclusion of Walt Disney World's 50th celebration at the end of March.

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LittleBuford3 days ago

I loved it! Watched it three times during my trip this summer.

ToTBellHop3 days ago

Way to end your celebration with class and optimism toward the future.

Sir_Cliff3 days ago

Definitely had the same impression. I'm kind of curious to understand what made Dream and Shine Brighter hit just the right spot. I'm normally not a big fan of the castle shows featuring the characters, but this one just felt like pure joy. I suppose a lot of credit needs to go to the performers, who were fantastic.

Disney Analyst3 days ago

The 50th could never.

NotCalledBob3 days ago

I'd take Natacha for next Chair of DPEP over Ken or Jeff.

SpectroMan933 days ago

After visiting this past June, it was very apparent how much more heartfelt and vibrant Disneyland Paris’ 30th was than Walt Disney World’s 50th. Paris did an incredible job at centering the celebration on meaningful experiences for their guests. I’ve never experienced so much joy at a park as I had watching Dream and Shine Brighter. And Disney D-Light was just pure magic. Paris felt grateful and genuinely appreciative of the guests that have entered the gates over the last 30 years. Disney World made it very apparent that they just wanted our money.

Sir_Cliff3 days ago

Another particularly nice touch:

Sir_Cliff3 days ago

I think the main problem was that everything they did was so passionless. The new fireworks show felt like a lazy version of the previous one, the songs seemed like pandering AI-produced generic Disney songs, etc.

TTA943 days ago

If only MK could have drones 🙄.

Squishy3 days ago

WDW is currently planning the Diamond celebration just for the plans to get all budget cut last minute

Sir_Cliff3 days ago

Today was the end of Disneyland Paris' 30th anniversary celebration, which provided another stark comparison with WDW's 50th in that they gave it a very big send off and it looks like the crowds showed up to celebrate. It seemed like they started packing up WDW's 50th before it even finished! One nice touch was a short extra tag after the Disney Dream's fireworks show to farewell the celebration:

Bocabear12 days ago

I don't mind them staying, I just think unless the repainting is necessary because they are in bad shape, then sure, repaint them, but don't change the color just because the 50th promo is over... The park has hit it's 50th milestone... that is wonderful and doesn't necessarily need to go away. The statues are fine in gold.... I would rather that budget go to repainting the castle and removing it's "Sunburn Pink"... That is more of a reminder of the 50th than gold painted statues....

James Alucobond13 days ago

It’s paint. If they stay, they have to be painted regularly anyway, and painting them is honestly probably cheaper than removing them and reworking the landscaping.