Dinoland & DINOSAUR Closing Dates, Plus Other Big Changes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Walt Disney World has announced closure dates for DINOSAUR and the rest of Dinoland that hasn’t already gone extinct. This explains when the rides, restaurants, shops, and entertainment in this land will permanently close, along with other operational updates in the park, so you can plan final farewell trips. (Updated October 2, 2025.)

Some of these closure details have been covered elsewhere in our 5-Year Construction Plan for Walt Disney World. That offers a regularly-updated rundown of all projects on the horizon, and our expectations as to when closures would occur and when the reimagined replacements or new attractions would open.

This covers the latest on everything we know about the end times for DinoLand USA, when DINOSAUR to go extinct, and so forth. It also covers what Animal Kingdom is going to look like for the next several months to come, as the park makes operational adjustments to accommodate losing one of its (few) marquee rides, a massive restaurant, and more.

Consider subscribing to our free Walt Disney World newsletter, where we’ll share instant updates as soon as they’re announced. To that end, Walt Disney World has shared an updated FAQ, revealing the closure date for DINOSAUR and the rest of Dinoland USA, plus a wide variety of operational updates for the rest of Animal Kingdom.

With that in mind, let’s get diggin’, diggin’ in DinoLand…

Is Anything Being Done for DINOSAUR’s Extinction?

The Dino Institute Shop has a new line of merchandise that features the ride taglines: “It’s fast! It’s a blast! It’s in the past!” and “The future is truly in the past” along with three dinosaurs, including the iconic red Carnotaurus and teal blue Iguanodon from the attraction. This includes a hat, magnet, shirt, keychain, and variety of toys.

This merchandise is not necessarily a ‘countdown to extinction’ product line, but it’s the first time we’ve seen any DINOSAUR merchandise in a while. It has also been insanely popular. The products were released over the summer and have sold out and been restocked several times since. I’ve actually never seen all of these items in person, despite numerous visits to the park.

Given the popularity of this merchandise, we’re hoping for a proper product line of farewell merchandise. Beyond how well this is selling, it’d be practically criminal for Walt Disney World to not take advantage of the ‘Countdown to Extinction’ nod.

Is Anything Being Done On-Ride?

A new PhotoPass on-ride photo has debuted for DINOSAUR as of October 2025! Above is a look at the new photo, which is captured during the ride’s climactic Carnotaurus encounter.

The new DINOSAUR on-ride photo frame features the year, a red Carnotaurus, warning, incoming meteor strike, pterodactyl, and the attraction logo with the tagline “It’s Fast! It’s A Blast! It’s In The Past!” It also includes a couple of Dr. Seeker quotes for good measure.

Given that this frame says “2025” on it, we’re guessing that another version will debut in 2026. Hopefully it’s not just the same frame with a different year. A whole new on-ride photo design would give Walt Disney World diehards another excuse to ride again–and purchase more on-ride photos.

In addition to this, Imagineering recently filed a New Construction Permit for Show Scenes in DINOSAUR (or Maybe Indiana Jones Adventure?), so it’s possible the ride is receiving some TLC for its final send-off!

Is DinoLand still open?

Yes! You don’t even need a Time Rover to visit DinoLand because parts of the area are still currently open until 2026. There’s even the new-ish Eco-Rhythmics entertainment act near the land’s entrance that’s presumably meant to draw guests deeper into the park who are asking this very question.

What’s already closed in DinoLand USA?

To accommodate construction, the first wave of closures happened earlier this year, with TriceraTop Spin, the Fossil Fun Games, and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures running their last day of operations on January 12, 2025.

Basically, the Dino-Rama carnival subsection (the area we hated with the burning passion of a thousand suns) is already closed. The good portion of DinoLand USA (that we like) is still open. Well, minus one huge asset for young families like us.

Most recently, the Boneyard is extinct as of September 2, 2025.

When is DINOSAUR Permanently Closing?

Walt Disney World has officially announced that the closure date for DINOSAUR is February 2, 2026. Meaning the last day to experience the attraction before extinction is February 1, 2026.

This is actually a bit later than expected. It’s one year and a couple weeks after Dino-Rama closed back in January of this year, and we expected a repeat of that with DINOSAUR. This type of major change/closure so often occurs on the second Monday in January because that’s after the holiday season, after schools go back into session, and also after the 2026 Walt Disney World Marathon wraps up. It’s the end of the peak season, and start of the winter season.

In actuality, the closure is occurring after all of that, as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but before the popular Presidents’ Day travel period. There’s really no great explanation for the DINOSAUR closing date. Perhaps they wanted to align it with Groundhog Day or National Tater Tot Day. Who knows.

When is Restaurantosaurus Permanently Closing?

Walt Disney World has also officially announced that Restaurantosaurus will close as of February 2, 2026. Its last day of operations will likewise be February 1, 2026. (The Dino Institute Shop, Restaurantosaurus, and Restaurantosaurus Lounge will all close on this day–no word yet on Trilo-Bites.)

This is good news! We had worried that decreased foot traffic back here, fewer people dining at Restaurantosaurus, and lower utilization of everything else would lead to an earlier closure date. That it’d likely come down to what makes sense from a capacity and crowd-absorbing perspective. It seemed possible that if demand drops below a certain point, that Walt Disney World would opt to close the dining options earlier. This is a company big on saving operating expenses whenever possible.

Now that this February 2, 2026 closing date for Restaurantosaurus has been officially announced, all of that strikes us as highly unlikely. Restaurantosaurus will almost certainly remain open daily between now and then. A seasonal closure or shorter hours during the offseason is theoretically plausible if this corner of the park ends up being a dead zone now that walls are up at the main entrance of Dinoland, but also unlikely.

Good news for fans of the eclectic restaurant! Be sure to stop by Restaurantosaurus and pick up some of the tasty entrees and snacks currently available, like the fan favorite Foot-long Hot Dog with Chili and Cheese, an order of A-Maize-ing Magic Munch Fries, or the S’moresosaurus Shake!

The nearby Dino-Bites Snacks is also still open, where you can pick up an ice cream cookie sandwich or the Dig Dino ice cream sandwich — you can’t go wrong with either snack. Trilo-Bites is also open near the entrance of Dinoland USA, and the Buffalo Chicken Chips are one of our go-to “sleeper snacks.” (Honestly, we think this is the bigger loss than anything on the menu at Restaurantosaurus!)

What About the 76th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party?

With Restaurantosaurus not closing until February, this will likely return. We haven’t been able to 100% confirm this, but have strong reason to believe the 76th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party will be back for its second and final holiday season.

One thing to note here is that Walt Disney World did not mention the 76th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party when announcing the holiday season entertainment offerings. Perhaps this was merely an oversight, but our guess is they had yet to make a decision at that time.

Now that this Restaurantosaurus closing date has been announced, it’s highly likely that the 76th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party will return to the back porch of Restaurantosaurus this Christmas. Same goes for the adorable Chipmunk character costumes, decorations in Dinoland (the portions that are open), etc. Christmas 2025 should be a nice send-off to Dinoland USA!

What Will Happen to the Characters in February?

Walt Disney World has revealed that the current character meet & greets that are part of Donald’s Dino Bash in Dinoland, including Donald and Daisy Ducks as well as Chip & Dale, will be relocated to other areas of Animal Kingdom.

No official details as to locations, but it’s safe to say they won’t be part of Donald’s Dino Bash. Our best guess is that the characters will be dispersed across multiple out of the way locations. It’d be nice if they had unique costumes that fit Animal Kingdom, but we wouldn’t hold our breath on that. Stay tuned for more.

When Will Kali River Rapids Close for Its Annual Refurbishment?

As longtime Walt Disney World fans are no doubt aware, Kali River Rapids closes for an annual refurbishment each winter. As we’ve pointed out in the past, this is equal parts maintenance and demand dipping due to winter weather.

However, Animal Kingdom already has a limited ride roster and will be losing yet another attraction when DINOSAUR goes down. As an offset to this and to ensure the guest experience is preserved to the greatest extent possible during Tropical Americas construction, the Kali River Rapids refurbishment is being moved forward.

Kali River Rapids will close starting October 6, 2025 and is expected to reopen sometime in December 2025. Stay tuned for a specific date in the future.

What About the Fine Food at Restaurantosaurus?

Restaurantosaurus is home to Animal Kingdom’s most family-friendly, crowd-pleasing cuisine.

Staples from its menu will move over to Harambe Market to accommodate guests. In preparation for this change, Harambe Market will close for routine refurbishment in Late 2025 and reopen around the time that Restaurantosaurus closes. No specific dates are known at this time.

Our Commentary

Although February 2, 2026 is a few weeks later than we expected for the closure of DINOSAUR, we would not recommend waiting that long to say your goodbyes to DINOSAUR, regardless. One thing we’ve seen time and time again with ride reimaginings is that, once an attraction is slated for replacement, it stops receiving TLC maintenance. To be sure, Disney will continue doing necessary work on the ride system to ensure it’s safe. But anything non-essential–meaning to the show scenes, lighting, etc–that’s all but over.

DINOSAUR is already notorious for being poorly-maintained (“dinosaur on a stick,” anyone?), and that’s only likely to worsen. With that said, perhaps my pessimism is unfounded. It’s possible that Walt Disney World will want it in its best shape so fans can offer their fond farewells, and we’ve already been surprised by some long-dormant effects that have suddenly started working this year.

Don’t count on that lasting. Hedge your bets by saying your goodbyes ASAP. If Splash Mountain was any indication, you probably don’t want to remember the ride based on its January 2026 condition. (Really hope to be wrong about this, and not trying to be a debbie downer…just being realistic based on plenty of past precedent.)

Beyond that, I don’t love this news about Dinoland staying open through February 1st. Having more time to say goodbye to DINOSAUR might sound like good news on the surface, but this means a tighter timeline for the reimagining into Indiana Jones Adventure.

If you’re a Walt Disney World diehard playing the long game, you should want as much time as possible for that ride redo since it’ll be with us for decades to come. We want Imagineering to have as long as necessary to accomplish a quality reimagining. I expressed similar sentiment with Splash Mountain and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, hoping the latter would open behind schedule as opposed to ahead of it (and now we know how that turned out!).

While I didn’t expect it to happen, I would’ve been thrilled if Walt Disney World had announced that they’re accelerating work in Dinoland, just as happened with the Boneyard, and they were closing the remainder of the land in a few weeks. That would’ve been met by backlash among fans who thought they had more time, so I get why it couldn’t occur. But on the other hand, we’ve now known for two years–since the previous Destination D23–that the countdown to extinction was on for DINOSAUR. There’s been plenty of time to say goodbye.

I also think this takes Tropical Americas opening early off the table. My hope had been that they’d push for a first half of 2027 opening, as Animal Kingdom needs help sooner rather than later. This increases the likelihood of a Christmas 2027 opening for Tropical Americas, which was always the most logical timeframe, anyway.

Another possibility that’s on the table is a phased opening due to the unique circumstances of Animal Kingdom (needing new rides to come online ASAP so guests don’t skip the park). While I don’t necessarily think this is what’ll happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tropical Americas opens in 3 phases.

Although that approach did not go well for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, this is totally different. Again, the big concern with Animal Kingdom is having too few attractions online, as the ride roster of the park is very limited. Walt Disney World is understandably concerned about guests skipping the park entirely if the construction impact is too significant, which is precisely why the park has done a phased closure of Dinoland, is making other operational changes as mitigation, and waiting until Zootopia: Better Zoogether opens before closing anything else.

Animal Kingdom is unlike any other park at Walt Disney World, and simply cannot afford to lose more rides simultaneously. It also needs more beyond just Tropical Americas, which is why we strongly suspect a Lion King attraction will be announced at the 2026 D23 Expo. But that’s another topic for another day!

If you’re wondering how this multi-phase closure and opening would work, it’s because there are also multiple sub-lands or areas within Tropical Americas.

The first is Pueblo Esperanza, the hub in heart of the rainforest that’s name translates to “Village of Hope.” (Some fans have started referring to this whole Tropical Americas project as Pueblo Esperanza–it’s our understanding this name is just for the core community up front. It’s kinda like the new EPCOT, which has a bunch of needless neighborhood names.)

The Pueblo Esperanza community will feature a large hacienda, which will be one of the largest quick-service restaurants at Walt Disney World Resort. It’ll also offer a critter carousel as an attraction. Pueblo Esperanza will replace the Boneyard, TriceraTops Spin, Restaurantosaurus, Dino-Bite Snacks, and (presumably) Trilo-Bites.

After leaving the Pueblo Esperanza, guests can venture deeper into the rainforest to find not one but two signature attractions. To the left is the Encanto magical Madrigal Casita dark ride, which is likely to be a family-friendly Omnimover–perhaps like an Encanto-ized version of Mystic Manor.

The Encanto attraction will replace all of Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama, including all of its carnival games, that big roadside dinosaur, Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures, Donald’s Dino-Bash, and TriceraTop Spin (again–it straddles the Pueblo Esperanza and Encanto areas).

This is the area of Tropical Americas construction where walls have been up since January. We’re expecting the Encanto attraction to go vertical any day now. It’s very close!

Finally, there’s the new Indiana Jones Adventure attraction, which will replace DINOSAUR.

his will be a new twist on IJA that will be different from the existing versions of the attraction at Disneyland in California and Tokyo DisneySea. Both of those are quite different from one another, and this will be the third non-cloned version of the attraction. Obviously, they all bear similarities–but also all tell unique and distinct stories.

In this new adventure at Animal Kingdom, the man with the hat has recently discovered a perfectly preserved Maya temple, and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to explore it. He’s heard rumors about a mythical creature deep within the temple — and he’s got to see it for himself. So, he brings us along on the adventure.

I guess there’s also Dino-Sue and some winding pathways with statues back here, but for the most part, this area is simply being reimagined from DINOSAUR to the third incarnation of Indiana Jones Adventure.

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YOUR THOUGHTS

Surprised that DINOSAUR and Dinoland at Animal Kingdom are staying open through February 1, 2026? Think the Tropical Americas opening will be moved forward or delayed? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!