Carousel of Progress Closing for Reimagining Until 2027
After announcing a new Walt Disney Audio Animatronics being added to Carousel of Progress during last year’s Destination D23, Walt Disney World has finally announced a closing date for the classic Magic Kingdom attraction. On top of that, they’ve revealed that the project is a fully-fledged reimagining or refresh, with all-new show scenes due to a decade shift. Here’s the closing date, reopening timeline and other details, along with our commentary about why the last-minute notice is frustrating.
Prior to today, it was radio silence from Walt Disney World about the Carousel of Progress changes since last August. The project was a conspicuous omission from Walt Disney World’s 2026 calendar, which listed almost everything else happening this year. It hasn’t had any refurbishment warnings, updates, or even a passing mention.
This led some to speculate that the Carousel of Progress reimagining was further into the future than originally thought. That Imagineering needed more time to fine tune the look of the Walt Disney Audio Animatronics likeness, details hadn’t been sorted out about the other enhancements, etc.
Basically, that the reveal had been made early in order to announce the project in front of the hometown Florida crowd instead of at D23 Expo, but it was actually a 2027 or 2028 project. This wouldn’t have been shocking, as the same thing happened with the multiple projects from the last Destination D23 slate. The difference was that Imagineering was just starting to ramp up back then, whereas they’ve kicked into high gear now.
Well, we finally have details and details about the Carousel of Progress updates, and as it turns out, it sort of is a 2027 project. At least, in terms of opening. And more likely than not, the delay in making an announcement was due to the project growing in scale and scope from its previous Walt Disney Audio Animatronics introduction into something bigger and (hopefully) better.
Here’s the timeline for Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress to close and reopen…
Carousel of Progress Closing Date
To prepare for the next version of this ever-progressing attraction, the Carousel of Progress will be temporarily unavailable beginning July 6, 2026.
The last day to experience the current incarnation of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress will be July 5, 2026.
Between the CoP closure and three days of fireworks, Independence Day weekend will be a distinctly patriotic time to visit Walt Disney World. This was already one of our favorite weeks, with low crowds expected, but this just sweetens the deal (in a bittersweet sort of way).
Carousel of Progress Reopening Predictions
Imagineering expects Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress to reopen in 2027.
Walt Disney World has not provided an opening date or even a season. It is exceedingly difficult to estimate or reverse-engineer a reopening date based on recent projects, which have been all over the place.
One thing we have seen in the last year is Walt Disney Imagineering work more efficiently and expeditiously. From the outside looking in, it appears that pre-closing prepwork and project management has improved, allowing for minimal downtime.
The most notable recent example of this is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, which was closed for less than three months for its reimagining from Aerosmith. (Excepting the pre-show, which was closed for roughly six months.) During that shorter timeline, the queue was entirely updated, on-ride elements were refreshed, Audio Animatronics were added to the finale, and more.
Other projects, including Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Walt Disney Studios Courtyard, and even Big Thunder Mountain Railroad took longer, but were larger endeavors. Again, it’s impossible to estimate based on this imperfect precedent, but our expectation is that this is a year-long project.
My guess is that Walt Disney World will aim for a Summer 2027 opening if at all possible. At the later end of the spectrum, Magic Kingdom’s October 1, 2027 anniversary strikes me as realistic. Other notable dates are April 22nd and October 17th, the start and end of the 1964-1965 World’s Fair, which would put the opening after Easter or around Fall Break.
No Notice for Fan Farewells
One thing that really bugs me about the timeline for the Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress reimagining is the lack of notice. As is patently obvious to even Walt Disney World based on the delicate handling of the announcement, this is a classic attraction with a loyal fan following.
As an international tourist destination, Walt Disney World really needs to get better about providing more notice of ride closures. This applies to refurbishments, but even more so to permanent closures or reimaginings. Carousel of Progress most definitely qualifies as the latter. However you might categorize it, the version of the attraction that exists today will be gone forever once Carousel of Progress reopens in 2027.
This closure is not due to urgent maintenance. It isn’t the kind of project that couldn’t have been foreseen or scheduled months ago. Walt Disney World, Imagineering, and other teams have been working on this for months–if not years–and have known for a while that it was going to receive a large-scale refresh starting this summer.
We have zero issue with ride refurbishments and reimaginings at Walt Disney World. To the contrary, we are very much in favor of them. There’s a pervasive sense among fans that nothing should be closed during their trip, and the saying “vacation ruined” has attained near-meme status among some fans.
Frankly, this is a bit absurd. Fans demand stellar maintenance and the highest of show standards, but also no ride closures during their trip. Those perspectives are impossible to reconcile. In our view, it’s better to have several scheduled ride closures as opposed to a bunch of random downtime due to deferred maintenance.
As before, this lack of notice is frustrating. There have been way too many last minute closures announced by Walt Disney World over the last year that are impossible to plan around since guests have already locked in their travel dates–not to mention dining reservations, Lightning Lanes, and so forth. For a company that prides itself in exceptional guest service, this is not the way to go about ride downtime.
This is doubly true when it comes to saying goodbyes to classic attractions. With a little over one month’s notice before this version of the attraction closes for good, most non-locals won’t have a chance to take trips down to Walt Disney World for a farewell ride. (This is triply true right now, with skyrocketing fuel prices making last-minute flights particularly prohibitive.)
The same thing happened last year with MuppetVision and the Rivers of America. Those closures were handled the wrong way.
By contrast, Walt Disney World telegraphed the extinction of DINOSAUR years in advance, and likewise made abundantly clear when Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith would retire.
Going forward, I would propose to Walt Disney World a formula for providing advance notice.
If it’s a permanent closure or anything that could be reasonably construed as rising to the level of a reimagining, the requisite notice is at least one week for every year that version of the attraction has been in existence. Since this version of Carousel of Progress has been around since 1993, it would require notice approximately 33 weeks in advance.
If it’s a routine refurbishment, the necessary notice is at least one week for every day of downtime, not to exceed 6 months’ notice. Meaning that a brief 3-day closure would only require 3 weeks’ notice, whereas a 3-month closure would require 6 months’ notice.
This doesn’t need to be perfect. Even a closing season is superior to absolutely nothing at all. It’s especially frustrating here because fans were led to believe during last year’s Destination D23 that the most consequential change to Carousel of Progress would be the new Walt Disney Audio Animatronics introduction.
If the only thing changing were the plussing of the introduction, no special send-off would be needed. There was always the possibility of an updated finale, but even that was far from a sure thing. Now, we’re learning that this is a fully-fledged reimagining that warrants a fan farewell.
Walt Disney World seems averse to adequate notice for reasons beyond me. I assume it’s because they want to avoid closing days being spectacles, and like making announcements strategically on their own timeline. No matter what the excuse, it’s insufficient.
Walt Disney World has developed a fervent fan following over the years, especially as the legions of Disney Vacation Club Members and out-of-state Annual Passholders have exploded. Giving the WDW diehards a chance to say their goodbyes isn’t just the right thing to do. It helps offer closure to the closure and reduces resentment.
Disney is never going to be able to fully control the narrative or massage the messaging on this stuff. The sooner they recognize that, the better, because this last-minute approach is actively counterproductive. Not only that, but out of state saying their goodbyes means people booking trips, hotel rooms, and spending money on-site.
Heck, Walt Disney World could even capitalize via merchandising, which is something Tokyo Disney Resort does exceedingly well with its “[Insert Ride] Forever!” lines. Nothing quite as distinctly Disney as monetizing memories and nostalgia of something that’s (soon to be) extinct!
Carousel of Progress Past Updates
As noted above, there’s no clear precedent for the reimagining timeline on Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, which is largely because this version has been stuck in the past since 1993. That’s over three decades ago, and projects were done differently back then. That was also a less consequential update than the one being made in 2026-2027.
With that said, this is not the first time Imagineers have updated Carousel of Progress in recent years. Walt Disney World made a minor but meaningful refresh to the finale a few years ago, which mostly involved changing the wardrobes and hairstyles of the Audio Animatronics, along with a few updates to the set.
The goal of that was making the “futuristic” finale feel less stuck in the 1990s, and it at least partially succeeded. In addition to modernizing Carousel of Progress, a bunch of great easter eggs and nods to Disney history were also added–including things like Patricia’s “Progress Tech – School of Urban Planning” sweatshirt (a nod to Walt Disney’s Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), John’s “My Food Rocks” apron (a nod to the defunct EPCOT Center stage show), slippers featuring the Bill Justice silly reindeer, and more.
The finale scene still isn’t perfect, but we love it. There’s still a VR video game, but not a current one–one closer to Virtual Boy (remember that?). There script still contains words like “laserdisc” and “carphone.” There are other elements of the smart home–but not a modern-day one–that feel quaint.
While these changes would’ve been nice, it was clearly a “no dough” refresh. Enter the upcoming changes that appear they’ll have a very healthy budget (“lotsa dough,” or whatever the opposite of “no dough” is).
Frankly, I hope some of these and other quips from the current “future” and other scenes in Carousel of Progress are reprised in the new version. If Imagineering can find ways to work laserdisc players and carphones into the 1980s or perhaps even Y2K scenes, that would be a fun nod back to the past.
Ultimately, we have mixed emotions about the reimagining of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, and the timeline for its closure that won’t allow the legions of diehard Walt Disney World fans ample time to say their goodbyes. As shared elsewhere, we’re ‘cautiously apprehensive’ about the project, and hopeful that a team of passionate Imagineers guided by Walt Disney’s original vision and intent for the attraction can deliver a loving modernization for new generations to enjoy.
One thing about which I do not have mixed feelings is the ongoing overhaul of Tomorrowland, which continues to occur in phases. It now seems that Carousel of Progress is the next piece of this particular puzzle, following up the success of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and various placemaking projects. Here’s hoping that this continues to occur over the next few years, culminating in the repurposing or replacement of Tomorrowland Speedway and Monsters Laugh Floor once Piston Peak and Monstropolis open in 2028 and 2029.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about the new decades coming to the Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom? Thoughts on the closing timeline or lack of notice being given to diehard Walt Disney World fans? Any hopes for additional updates or an overarching reimagining of the Tomorrowland? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Yeah, this one needed fair warning. Completely by coincidence, I opted to do MK on July 5th on our upcoming trip and have a ton of stuff booked that day so I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to. But CoP was on our must-do list, and now I feel like I need to show up in top form to help represent DTB. Guess it’s time for my own Martha costume…
AHHH. I am happy they are giving the CoP some much needed updating. But I am gutted that I won’t see the turn of the century scenes again.
The kids and I will hopefully have decades ahead of us to quote some of the hilarious, ridiculous (sexist) lines from the delightful deleted scenes. My heart is breaking a bit.
Sure the week before and after July 4 bring in enough traffic. The closure should not have been until first week of August when kids in the US are mostly back to school. As per usual, the company is completely clueless. The fans and paying customer are clearly not priority.
I’m not bothered by the timing of the closure itself, both because summer is slow and since we don’t know the timeline. If closing it in July versus August is the difference between opening in October 2027 versus November 2027, the earlier closing date obviously makes sense. Last July was the third slowest month of the year based on wait times data.
How is this the priority update over Journey into Imagination???????
Disney just gave the middle finger to the fans. Again.
Exactly!!!
They need to decide if they want guests emotionally invested or not.
gutting and reimagining timeless classics shouldn’t be a thing. given Disney’s overwhelmingly negative track record on things like this for like….the last couple of decades…. the only logical things to feel here is cycnism.
Yup. And this isn’t just a popular attraction, it goes back to the beginning and the 1964 World’s Fair! It’s one of Walt’s babies.
They could easily update portions of it and still keep some the early advancements like electricity and indoor plumbing, that would certainly have a greater impact when contrasting more recent technological advances. It doesn’t have to stay within the characters’ life span for the last scene. It doesn’t have to be a zero sum, it can be both. Besides, now the new opening with “Walt” in his office in the 1960s won’t make sense because almost the whole ride will be the distant future.
I understand your frustration regarding the lack of lead time on change announcements, but I suspect we’re moving towards a future of shorter lead times vs. longer. The months and years of negative speculation and cynicism surrounding seemingly every change now can hardly be considered a positive for the brand, so I could align with the thinking that it’s sometimes better just to make a change and move on. At least then the focus will be on the end result, for better or worse.
I am relieved to get one more 360 spin before it closes in July. I do agree with you that a longer time between announcement and closure would have been the right thing to do. But since it has been around since ’64, perhaps it should have received a 62-week timeframe!
All that aside, I am genuinely looking forward to this reimagining. It sounds like they will be putting some real TLC and $$$$ into this project. I can foresee Imagineers having a lot of fun with Easter eggs. Perhaps old-timey photos in the living room from the original decades seen in the attraction. Nods to the scripts as you mentioned above. Perhaps the 1969 scene will show something about the Florida Project. (Side note, it would have been fun for the first scene to be from 1971-even if that would make me feel ancient- but perhaps that would be too meta.)
I feel like in recent visits, I have seen more people taking the 360 spin (and not just to nap!). This attraction was certainly busy on the 50th anniversary date itself. I hope we will see those levels again in these final weeks. All this to say, there are many who love this attraction, and I hope it will gain younger fans who’ll appreciate it for the next 62 years and on.
I might show up for the final day but I won’t bother with the new one. While I’m all for new things and reimagines, completely gutting the show is too far and it will be outdated almost immediately if we’re doing 1999 and “the future” and sticking to that 20-ish year gap. Why not go 1920s, so you can keep the old 1920s scene, 1960s, 2000 new years’ eve, and 2040 or so? Then you have a nice, long time to update the Carousel again.
Between this, the senseless plans of Tropical Americas, and so many other poorly thought out additions and changes lately, my trips are getting far shorter. That’s great for my bank account but it feels like I’m in a 1970s Disney slump.
Where is our renaissance?
I first rode Carousel of Progress when I was 12 in 1964 at the Worlds Fair. It was love at first sight. I would only experience that feeling one other time, in August 1972, when I first saw Carolyn in college.
She of course needed quite a few more viewings.
Those 5 Disney rides were the closest I ever came to Disneyland.
They made such an impression that decades later I bought the 5 cd boxed set Disney at the Worlds Fair. Highly recommended.
This August will be the first time I don’t ride CoP. But I’m not sad. It’s time for another revision and I’m really excited about the Walt Disney animatronics opening which will be an amazing improvement.
My one hope is that they keep my longtime favorite Jean Shepard as the narrator and lead voice. I understand they may want some new actor that people know but I’d argue that A Christmas Story is such a classic fan favorite that Jean Shepard’s voice is still well known and fits perfectly with CoP.
Thanks to AI his voice can be easily duplicated for new dialogue.
Looking forward to it’s return in 2027 and wishing Tom best wishes in covering Banana Ball this weekend!
“Let’s Go Bananas.”
believe it or not we just booked our October 2026 trip yesterday. The Carousel is my special need grandsons and mine favorite attraction. It would have been nice to have been given a little more notice so as to not have gotten his hopes up so high for seeing it again.
Like you mentioned, a major closing for such an iconic ride should be close to a year advance notice.
Glad I saw this on my last trip a year ago. It will be gone and not reopened for my next.
I agree, we’ve had far more time to bid farewell to the Monsters Inc ride in California, which is a fun ride, but not nearly as iconic.
So sad! I’m going July 27th and now regret that choice. Last time I was there was the day the preshow for Aerosmith suddenly disappeared. That, too, was incredibly disappointing, but I’m am excited about the Muppets.
This is my favorite attraction. Like Sarah, I teared up thinking about the current version going away. Thankfully we have a trip planned the first week of July and I’ll get to experience it one more time.
I don’t understand why they close these rides down in the middle of summer, when it’s their busiest times? Right after the holidays, in January/February, would seem to be a better time, when it’s slower and all the parties and festivals aren’t going on. This is one of our favorite attractions when we visit Disney and now we have to rethink our trip this October.
Actually, summer is now not nearly as busy as Jan/Feb anymore. It’s slower in the summer than pretty much any other time of year, especially the end of August. There’s never a good time for an attraction to go down, but with Buzz and BTM both back, it’s time. Not that CoP is a big “eater” of crowds – though it should be! I’m going to miss the old version but happy it’s getting the attention it deserves.