2024 Disney World Refurbishment Calendar
This Walt Disney World ride refurbishment calendar lists the closure schedule for 2024 at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom. Attractions close for routine maintenance, safety upgrades, improvements, and reimaginings. (Updated March 15, 2024.)
While no one wants attraction downtime during their trip to Walt Disney World, refurbishments are necessary to keep the rides looking good (and safe!) for future visitors. Usually, there are only a handful of simultaneous closures, plus new attractions being built. Note that the list below includes several refurbishments that have either been scheduled last-minute, extended, or are longer than normal.
If you’re visiting Walt Disney World now, the good news is that refurbishment ‘season’ has wrapped up in time for the start of Spring Break, which is one of the peak travel times. The bad news is that Walt Disney World has not been doing nearly enough preventative maintenance or ride refurbishments during the off-season over the last few years, so you can expect plenty of unplanned downtime due to breakdowns. Here’s a rundown of what to expect the next few months in terms of planned attraction closures at Walt Disney World…
There’s also a lot of construction occurring, albeit not nearly as much as even a few years ago. However, that massively understates the current closures and impact of construction on visitors to Walt Disney World throughout the remainder of the year. Speaking of which, if you’re looking for opening dates rather than closures (and reopenings) to existing attractions, see the Disney Parks Project Timeline for 2024 & Beyond. That covers both the official opening dates, plus our predictions about what’ll likely be delayed.
If you want all of the latest updates on attraction closures and ride refurbishments–subscribe to our free Walt Disney World email newsletter. We also share other news and on-the-ground reports from the parks, when discounts are released, and much more.
Here is the current schedule of Walt Disney World refurbishments to attractions, when the closure starts, and when the refurbishment will conclude, updated as of March 15, 2024:
Animal Kingdom
- DINOSAUR – TBD closure date (likely late 2024 or early 2025)
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug – TBD closure date
- Kali River Rapids – Reopened early!
- Primeval Whirl – Permanently closed & demolished
The only “real” refurbishment on the calendar was Kali River Rapids, which was closed for its routine winter refurbishment for the last two months. As always, this is as much as story of low-demand due to weather and crowds as it is needed maintenance.
The good news is that’s past tense and Kali River Rapids reopened early. The bad news is that it wasn’t by much, and not in time for the start of this week’s 10/10 crowd levels. As we noted when the refurbishment started: “Kali River Rapids often returns ahead of schedule if weather allows and demand dictates. Given that Spring Break starts early this year, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it reopen at least one week before that–assuming the weather cooperates.”
While demand did dictate, weather didn’t exactly cooperate. With chilly weather again in the forecast next week, Kali River Rapids probably won’t be popular next week, either. (Note that you will get wet on Kali River Rapids–don’t make the mistake of assuming Disney controls the soak-factor on colder days. Not with this ride!)
Beyond that, a Zootopia Tree of Life Show is replacing It’s Tough to Be a Bug at some point in the future–likely sometime in 2024.
What else is next for Animal Kingdom is unclear. Primeval Whirl permanently closed and the company has confirmed that what’s currently Dino-Rama is the next big expansion site at Walt Disney World. They’ve also officially announced that the replacement will be the Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom.
What’s still not 100% confirmed is what this area will feature. Walt Disney World has teased Encanto and Indiana Jones concepts that are supposedly just “under consideration.” It’s our understanding that they’re a done deal, but other recent official projects have been cancelled even after construction started. DINOSAUR being converted to Indiana Jones Adventure is almost a sure thing, and we anticipate it closing either late this year or early in 2025.
Magic Kingdom
- Country Bear Jamboree – Reopens in Summer 2024
- Splash Mountain – Permanently closed
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – Opening in Summer 2024
All of the winter ride refurbishments at Magic Kingdom are now finished, and those attractions have reopened. Currently, the two attractions closed in Frontierland are reimaginings. Country Bear Jamboree is being transformed into Country Bear Musical Jamboree. An exact reopening date is currently unknown, but the attraction will come back in Summer 2024. This makes sense–Walt Disney World probably wants to get it done before Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens.
Our expectation is that some of the changes could occur overnight, but the Audio Animatronics also need TLC. Honestly, it could last several months–the longer, the better. The attraction could use a fair amount of love.
Also underway is the reimagining of Splash Mountain into a new ride based on The Princess and the Frog. Imagineering has wasted no time in beginning the transformation into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and the new mountain is quickly taking shape.
Construction walls are up around Chick-A-Pin Hill and construction workers can be observed on and around the attraction working on the overhaul. The transformation timeline is an aggressive one, and but Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has made significant progress in the last several months.
In fact, Walt Disney World just announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will open in Summer 2024. As discussed in that post, our prediction is that it debuts in mid-to-late June 2024. Whether Country Bear Musical Jamboree opens at the same time remains to be seen.
EPCOT
- CommuniCore Hall & Plaza – Opens in 2024
- Luminous: The Symphony of Us – Now showing!
- Moana’s Journey of Water – Now open!
- Test Track – TBD closure date
- World Celebration – Now open!
After 4 long years of construction walls around the center of the park, World Celebration is now open. Along with it, Moana’s Journey of Water has debuted. However, walls are still up around CommuniCore Hall & Plaza, which is slated to open in 2024. It might debut for the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival, but our bet is that it opens for a brand-new summer event.
Back in World Showcase Lagoon, Luminous: The Symphony of Us has now debuted. This is EPCOT’s new permanent nighttime spectacular, replacing the temporary EPCOT Forever and Harmonious before that.
Looking forward, Test Track is going to be reimagined again, but no date is set for that closure. In fact, it may not even occur in 2024. Beyond that, Spaceship Earth is long overdue for track and ride system maintenance, and that would necessitate a multi-month (if not year-plus) closure. Journey into Imagination is also about a decade overdue for a redo, but there’s no word that’s on the horizon, either.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple – Permanently Ended
- Star Wars: Galactic Spectacular – Permanently Ended
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – Closed now through Summer 2024
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid – Reopens in Fall 2024
Two very big additions to this schedule. The first is that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is Closing for Multi-Month Refurbishment in 2024. That covers everything we know about the likely end date and the scope of the project.
Walt Disney World also has announced that Voyage of the Little Mermaid won’t be returning. At least, not by the same name. A reimagined version of that stage show is coming in Fall 2024 and will be renamed to “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.”
Outside Theme Parks
- Typhoon Lagoon Water Park – Reopens on March 17, 2024
- Blizzard Beach Water Park – Closes on March 16, 2024
- Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort – Permanently Closed
The big update here is Typhoon Lagoon will reopen and Blizzard Beach will close March 16/17, 2024. This is a standard seasonal closure, and happens every single year due to a lack of demand during the colder time of year. The big question is whether both will operate simultaneously in Summer 2024. Our guess, unfortunately, is that they will not.
Otherwise, the attraction closures above are pretty straight-forward. To the extent that specific dates are not yet listed, those will be updated once Walt Disney World provides precise start and/or end dates.
In addition to scheduled attraction refurbs, unscheduled downtime can also occur during a visit. This usually only occurs for a few hours at a time, so if you find an attraction is closed during your vacation and it’s not listed below, it’s likely a temporary closure that will last (at most) for a few hours. Check with nearby Cast Members to confirm.
For resort work, please see our 2024 Walt Disney World Hotel Construction & Refurbishments. If you are worried that any of resort hotel renovations will impact your stay, here’s a general rule to keep in mind: room refurbishments rarely impact hotel stays. These occur in specific clusters, and you’ll rarely notice the work being done.
Now, here’s a bit of my philosophy concerning refurbishments…
General Thoughts on Refurbishments
When news comes out about any refurbishment, my immediate reaction is always, “this is great–it means they’re actually doing something to the attraction!” My mind races with the possibilities of how attractions could be improved or plussed by Walt Disney Imagineering. Even though we might miss it on our next Walt Disney World visit, I’m always excited.
In reading feedback from others, I’ve discovered this perspective puts me in the minority. Others online fume about this, and how it would alter or impact their vacation plans. The saying “vacation ruined” has attained near-meme status among some fans, and that felt apt for some of the complaints. I can understand the perspective. Assessing the scope of the refurbishment in advance, scheduling liberal refurbishment dates, and opening early (under-promising and over-delivering) is always preferable to the alternative.
I can also understand that there’s other pent-up frustration at play here, ranging from radio-silence on projects to Walt Disney World’s tardiness in releasing park hours while expecting guests to plan several months in advance. Neither of these moves by Disney, among others, are defensible. At best, this communication is poor guest service. At worst, it’s demonstrative of a contemptible attitude towards guests.
However, I remain of the mindset that this refurbishment extension–and other current refurbishments–is potentially a good thing. Among the most vocal fans upset about the extension are those who are like me: guests who visit Walt Disney World at least every-other year. We are playing the ‘long’ fandom game.
From my perspective, investing in the long-term quality of an attraction is far more important than the temporary satisfaction I’ll get out of riding it on my next visit. I get excited when thinking about ways rides could be plussed, improving the experience for years to come. This is why it always perplexes me when regulars contend that their vacation will be ruined because their favorite attraction will be closed.
If it’s your favorite attraction and you’re active in the Disney fan community, that means you’ve been to Walt Disney World before and probably will visit again. It would thus stand to reason that you would want something you love to get the TLC it deserves, and continue to improve.
DINOSAUR works as a good example here. This attraction used to be called Countdown to Extinction (“CTX”) before an ill-advised movie tie-in was added. During that era, DINOSAUR had a litany of additional effects, many of its AAs had greater functionality, and the attraction was, as a whole, more impressive.
If you are a long-term fan, would you rather experience DINOSAUR every single year with 66% of the effects working, or every single year minus one with 95% of the effects working? For me, the answer to that is easy. I’ll take a superior long term experience every time. (That this is even a legitimate question for long-time fans speaks to the ‘instant gratification’ nature of things today, but that’s well beyond the scope of this post.)
Beyond that, there’s the much more compelling justification for regular refurbishments: they are essential for the safety of attractions. While we think of these attractions as all fun and games that offer a safe sense of exhilaration, that’s when they are properly maintained.
It’s unpleasant to think about, but there have been several preventable deaths in the history of Disney’s parks. During a dark era of Disneyland history, improper maintenance was the cause of death on Big Thunder Mountain (thankfully, Paul Pressler’s reign of terror is over). Years of neglect at Disneyland Paris have led to incidents of injury that could be attributed to a lack of maintenance (again, this has been addressed).
This is not meant to scare anyone or provoke an emotional reaction; the fact is that Disney’s worldwide safety record is sterling as compared to other park operators. It’s still important to remember that these fun, ‘magical’ places also exist in the real world and use a lot of potentially dangerous elements if safety is not viewed as key. (Or, in Disney’s case, one of the “Five Keys.”)
When it comes to maintenance that is not essential to the safe operation of an attraction, we are left to contemplate what amount of show quality should be accepted. If following a strict Nunisian practitioner of the Four Keys, show is another paramount consideration, and it should always be 100%. This is nice corporate propaganda, but I think the practical reality is that 100% is an unworkably high threshold in many circumstances.
I think we have seen this play out with Expedition Everest. Fans joke about the “Disco Yeti” and lament the fact that this jaw-dropping Audio Animatronics figure has not worked in nearly a decade. There are numerous theories as to why the Yeti hasn’t been fixed; what each of these share is that there are large-scale problems and no quick fixes.
Fixing the Yeti will require a closure of at least 6 months, and be quite expensive. The working Yeti is truly a magnificent sight to behold (and one most of you probably haven’t seen in A-mode unless you rode over a decade ago), but the attraction is still impressive with the Disco Yeti. At this point, it’s likely that Disney has determined the closure would take too long, cost too much, and the improvement would not be worth the investment.
There’s also the reality that Animal Kingdom is lacking in rides. Even after the opening of Pandora – World of Avatar, the park still is heavy on shows and animal exhibits and light on rides. Taking one of the park’s flagship rides down for 6 months to a year to fix one Audio Animatronics figure that guests see for 1-2 seconds might not be worth the sacrifice.
As a staunch proponent of show quality, I have a difficult time accepting the same argument for any attraction in Magic Kingdom, a park with a veritable “mountain range” and diverse slate of other attractions. In fact, the same goes for every castle park. These parks have enough attractions to pick up the slack if 1-2 attractions have to be taken offline simultaneously without ruining any vacations.
Guests are understandably concerned when it appears an inordinate number of attractions are closing during their vacation. Walt Disney World vacations are not cheap and are often once in a lifetime experiences. First-timers certainly do not want to miss out on experiences about which they’ve read extensive hype.
However, the problem with a “not during my vacation” attitude like this is that it’s always going to be someone’s (or tens of thousands of someones) vacation. If attractions with show quality issues don’t close for refurbishments for fear of some guests during a time-limited window missing out, all guests in perpetuity are going to have a lesser experience.
Running an attraction with broken effects is only going to compound problems, and eventually a single broken effect will turn into myriad broken effects. Imagine this scenario park-wide, played out to its natural consequences. That’s not exactly what I’d call the “Disney Difference.”
Again, DINOSAUR is a good example here. If it’s your first visit and you experience DINOSAUR with 66% of the effects working, you won’t know what you’re missing. Riding it will, no doubt, be superior to not riding it. However, I’m guessing your satisfaction rating of the attraction wouldn’t be nearly as high, and you might question why so many people love the attraction, and why Disney was lazy with so much empty, dark space. (Or, perhaps you won’t: if you only ever eat dog food, you won’t know what you’re missing in a nice steak.)
The thing is, if Disney would not close DINOSAUR during your vacation so you don’t miss out on it, chances are that they would extend the same “courtesy” for other guests, and it would be standard operating procedure to never close anything during anyone’s vacation.
The end result of this would be a park full of “66% attractions” and first-timers would be left wondering why there was so much hype about Walt Disney World, in the first place. If you’re reading this as a lifelong fan, consider the possibility that you wouldn’t have become a lifelong fan if this were actually Disney’s modus operandi. (In fact, I’d argue that Walt Disney World is trending in this direction, dragging its feet on several necessary refurbishments, with the inaction being predicated upon short term guest satisfaction or cost-savings.)
This might sound like we’re applying ‘heavy’ Rawlsian theory to the lighthearted topic of theme parks, but philosophy isn’t worth a damn if it can’t be applied to theme parks. 😉
A lot of this might seem like an effort to absolve Disney of blame when it comes to refurbishments, but this is not the case. Disney has brought a lot of the guest unrest concerning refurbishments upon itself. The first issue is that Disney has numerous parks that have opened in the last two decades with incomplete slates of attractions, making it difficult to justify taking attractions offline for refurbishment. So step one, a wholly impractical step at this point, would be to open theme parks that are complete on day one.
Failing that, Disney could avoid a lot of the guest backlash concerning refurbishments if they would schedule more 3-4 day refurbishments of attractions to proactively address problems with preventative maintenance. Although this would not totally negate the need for extended refurbishments, it would improve show quality across the board and help avoid a lot of situations where attractions have to abruptly close because they are in dire need of maintenance. Moreover, a 3-4 day refurbishment is shorter than the duration of most vacations, allowing tourists to effectively plan around the refurbishment.
In this case, both parties planning ahead would prevent those “vacation ruined!” complaints. Don’t worry, Disney, we fans are resilient: we’ll still find something else to complain about. 😉
Joking aside, I realize that’s a tough line to draw between an excusable refurbishment and a frustratingly irritating one. Even if you subscribe to the some degree of the ‘philosophy’ I’m advancing, there is no bright-line rule. It’s still going to amount to a value judgment about what should ‘trigger’ a need for refurbishment, how many attractions should be down simultaneously across Walt Disney World, and what times of year are ideal for which refurbishments.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Any questions about the current refurbishments at Walt Disney World? What do you think about refurbishments at the Disney Parks? Are you more concerned about an improved long-term experience, or do you think “not during my vacation!”? Where do you draw the line? Any other factors you think are worth considering? As mentioned, we think this is a conversation, so please share your ‘refurbishment philosophy’, or any other thoughts or questions you have, in the comments!
What about Magic Kingdoms railway? Personally, I think it’s inexcusable for it to be down as long as it’s been.
Agreed!
We always start our day in the Magic Kingdom by going on the railway. I am very disappointed that it is still closed.
Do you know anything about Moana at all?
Thanks
Well that is closed for safety reasons due to it’s proximity to the construction of the Tron Light Cycle Run. With so much steel being lifted into place it is too much of a risk to have the train passing through an active construction site. Hopefully once construction shifts too the interior of the attraction the train will reopen.
Henry, it’s poor planning. They haven’t been hoisting steel for a long time, and when they do need to do more to finish the canopy, it’s better to do temporary closures instead. With more than 20 years in construction, all I can say is that this lengthy closure is ridiculous. When I worked for Kiewit we had a saying about the 7 Ps, Proper Prior Planning Prevents P&^# Poor Performance. I know they are replacing much of the track at this time, but that should’ve been done prior to or during the whole park closure. The section near Big Thunder was all pulled up in January when we were there. My brother and I could’ve replaced the entire loop by ourselves by now…
It’s probably the lawyers that are making them keep things closed out of fear of a construction accident.
No, not lawyers. Poor planning. When we do construction scheduling, we look at risks and how to mitigate those while performing the work as quickly as feasible. The longer you stay on a project site, the less profit you make. Safety is paramount of course, but hoisting items with a crane is a routine procedure and always planned out. Most of my work is now in health care facilities versus bridges and highways, and our biggest concern is patient safety and infection control. You might be surprised the lengths we go to in trying to prevent simple dust migration as that is a major vector for infections. There’s no legitimate reason for this extended closure. I can’t believe Park Operations isn’t pushing hard to get this done and the railroad reopened. Just hearing the train whistle is part of the experience in the park!
Well the ultimate decision is in the hands of the park’s E.H.S. (Environmental Health and Safety) people. For those of us who work in industrial settings know that EHS has the ultimate say on what happens when it comes to site safety. The only one that can override them is God himself. Unfortunately no matter how much we want the tracks reopened, it is up to them to make the determination on when it is safe in their eyes to reopen the tracks.
Very well said Tom regarding Hall of Presidents! I share your perspective on this attraction.
Oh and I agree with you Tom regarding eliminating the speaking roles of current presidents. I have always felt it was a mistake to do that from the very beginning.
Hotel refurbishments rarely effect resort stays…….We stayed at Riverside in 2019 while they were doing their refurbishment. We were in a building that was actively being painted DAILY while we we there. Cherry pickers right outside our room daily. Wet paint everywhere. Stair access blocked due to wet paint. Ugh!!! Not my favorite visit or stay at WDW. My advice? Stay somewhere else if a resort is undergoing a refurbishment.
You think it wouldn’t be polarizing to eliminate a duly elected president from having a speaking role In the hall of Presidents? After what we have just witnessed on January 6, I’d prefer the former President be removed from it altogether, but the thing is that’s MY opinion. It doesn’t translate to everyone and it shouldn’t. I’m pretty certain that anyone going into the hall of presidents will have former or current presidents they don’t agree with, but the beauty of it is still never lost. And anyone that can’t deal with that probably shouldn’t be going into an attraction that honors this country anyway.
Oh, so you were there on the 6th and saw something, or thought you did? ridiculousness notwithstanding, having a sitting president speak has always and likely always will be controversial. At any given time, 50% of the US citizens visiting will be dissatisfied with it no matter what. Whether you or I or anyone thinks he was duly-elected or not is irrelevant. The idea was to remove this bit of controversy by discontinuing the practice. It should’ve been done 12 years ago, but it’s not too late.
Hear Hear Mrnico, love it when sanity speaks and not screeching Karens…
Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but you listed the following:
Primeval Whirl — Permanently Closed
Rivers of Light — Permanently Ended
Does that mean they are done and never coming back, or is this a Covid thing?
I’m planning a Sept 2021 trip and loved Primeval Whirl and have never seen Rivers of Light.
Now that AK is open late, will there be a replacement nighttime show?
Thanks
They are gone forever. In fact I believe PW is about to be taken down.
Alan,
I’m from NYC but had been visiting WDW 2-3 times a year for about 5 years now. Only last January did I watch Rivers of Light for the first time and then only because I’d done everything else I wanted to do. While pretty, it was just too much of the same thing for too long. I hope it makes you feel better to hear you’re not missing much.
when do you foresee Splash Mountain closing for refurbishment. This is mine and my family’s favourite ride and we would actually amend a booking to avoid travelling to the USA from the UK when it was closed… currently booked for December 21 (Covid allowing)… thoughts?
Refurbs are usually done in winter on wet rides. If you’re asking about the planned ruination of Splash, hopefully never!
My guess is 2023 after the anniversary of the park is complete so ride volume can continue.
I was there at the beginning of January, and a worker told me that they do not have a date picked out to shut Splash Mountain down to change the theme. However, this (manager-looking) worker said that he doesn’t think they will close it down to start this process for another 2 years at least. They have so many different projects going on that they need to finish first, and he didn’t even seem confident that they would continue on with this plan to change the theme of splash mountain. More than likely, you should be able to see Splash Mountain December 21, 2021. I rode it 6 times when I went because its one of my favorite too, and you never truly know when the last time you’ll be able to ride will be. Good luck! I hope you get to ride it when you’re there!
In regards to refurbishments, you say, “Even though we might miss it on our next Walt Disney World visit, I’m always excited.” While ‘excited’ is not always the word that comes to my mind when something will be refurbed, I get what you’re saying. And you’re right – they’ve got to fix/change/plus attractions some time; it can’t always be convenient for everyone.
But keep in mind that you (and I – who visits WDW just about every year) speak from an extremely privileged position; you know (as much as anyone can know anything) you’ll see said attraction in its new incarnation. Most people probably won’t be able to make a return trip.
Should Disney just never close attractions? Exactly! They should wave the Fairy Godmother’s wand and make it all happen overnight. (Music playing: “A dream is a wish your heart makes…) But really, of course that’s not feasible – but it is reasonable for people to be truly upset that it’s happening during their Magical Day(s)…
Correct! But they should’ve been going 24/7 on maintenance and minor work during the closure.
I don’t know if Disney have an answer on how to best handle maintenance of rides — But putting out cardboard cutouts as Tom posted in his EPCOT Report for Three Caballeros Audio Animatronics in the finale of Gran Fiesta Tour – inexusable.
What’s the tipping point running the ride with cardboard cutouts or shut it down
The Great Movie Ride was my favorite and was the highlight of my Hollywood Studios visits. The theme was a perfect fit for the park and was well done. The new replacement is a herky-jerky loud mess that I won’t ride again. I appreciate new technology, but this ride has no substance, just flash. I miss the Backlot Tour and Superstar Television. In my opinion, those were the Hollywood Studios glory days. If you aren’t a big Star Wars fan, there’s not much for you at HS.
I agree with everything you’ve said here.
I agree with most of your points although I like MMRR. I wish it was added somewhere else at DHS without removing GMR.
I agree about Hollywood Studios and I love Star Wars but removing the Great Movie Ride was a real loss.
Don’t forget stunt spectacular. That is gone too! So sad as I’m not big Star Wars fan.
I totally agree Hollywood Studios used to be cool to go to , have traveled to DW every year for 15 years , and the changes at Hollywood are just sad , 1st thing you don’t see , the Sorcerer’s hat , replaced with a stage for Star Wars, Backlot Tours never got old , neither did Lights Motor Action, along with the street murals ,, all gone to make room for Star Wars,, I like Star Wars but come on already,,
And yes Great Movie Ride was also great haven’t been in MMRR yet (covid closure) last year but will in April yes they could have put it elsewhere
One more thing I’ve noticed missing the past couple of years
STREET PERFORMERS ,, ????? where are they they were the best
Given that some people plan to vist 2/3 years ahead if travelling from the UK plus the need to book in advance which park you are visiting it is annoying that some rides are down with little forward notice.
Would it be more user friendly to close the parks for a month during low season and do ‘routine’ maintenance? Sure it would not be popular with Disney Management but visitors would have a better experience and it would restore faith that Disney value their customers.
I believe the loss revenue would be too dramatic to even consider. Fact is people will get over it and just a fact of life when considering machines. Ideally they time out construction as optimal as possible which they already do by pushing some projects into seasons based on popularity.
It’s a good thought in theory, but while some minor refurbishments could be completed in a month, larger more extensive work like fixing the Yeti or the proposed changes to Splash Mountain, could take 6 months to a year to complete. There’s no way Disney could stay closed that long. And as Matthew said, people may gripe, but they’ll get over it.
If they’d been smart and pushed a lot of deferred and routine maintenance during the full closure, we’d have most attractions running very well for the next decade. Especially having the WDWRR tracks replaced. Very poor planning.
Mrnico, I so agree!!! I was hoping they’d go crazy on refurbishments and construction work and just power through all the big fixes and additions. I’m sure finances were the driving factor against that as construction crews were deemed essential, but how cool would it have been to come back and have all the bi stuff like the castle painted, Tron done, Guardians done, Epcot spine done… I’m guessing that would have been a major financial mistake given how long this has gone on, but it sure would have been cool!
Well that’s the thing. They had plenty of cash resources, and it would’ve been cheaper because things could be done faster without guests in the parks. Plus, with the continued effects of covidosis, building materials are going up all over the nation. Labor is likely to go up some too.
Would have been great if they could have refurbed many during the shutdown, but Unions probably killed those plans even if they did exist…
Regarding the railroad at Magic Kingdom… I believe that had to be closed due to construction on the Tron Light Cycle attraction. It was also closed for almost two years while Splash Mountain was under construction. During that time they built new stations in Frontierland and added the station in the Big Top Circus area.
Amy, while yes they needed to close the RR for a short time due to the Tron construction, there is zero need for it to still be closed. It’s terrible planning. Yes, I’ve been in heavy construction for 25 years. There was mention of a slight track alteration there, but that should’ve been done a long time ago. And then they would want clearance while cranes were hoisting the track sections and such the tracks, also done already. While any full-scale railroad project is heavy duty work, this time frame is crazy. At DL they moved track and built a huge trestle for it in less time. By now, they could’ve replaced ALL of the track in the system and put up scrim walls to screen the view at Tron construction. That’s just project management. I worked on two projects in Denver where we built 25 miles of new 4 lane divided toll highway through farm land and something like 86 new bridges in four years. I worked at MK when Splash opened in 92, but I don’t recall how long the RR was closed before that.
Sorcerers was an amazingly fun middle of the day game to beat the crowds. I’ll miss it. It was also big with adults/kids with autism so that will be a huge blow and really sad to those individuals who had a passion for it.
I’m sad muppet HOP isn’t happening. You’re right and it’s hyper partisan. We only see it when a president we like is speaking.
It would be cool if they made a Biden robot but have Kamala the speaking role. Or is that too partisan? Be kind of nice to have a female voice talking about opportunities for once.
No, that would not be cool at all. It would be beyond ridiculous! Having Mickey’s voice would be much better than that.
I vote for Mickey’s Voice Hahahahah!!
I saw that Stitch’s Great Escape is marked as permanently closed. It was an alright attraction, but I absolutely LOVED the Alien Encounter attraction that was replaced by Stitch…..I never understood that move! Alien Encounter was awesome and gave me a thrilling scare. Hope that Disney replaces Stitch with something along the Alien Encounter attraction.
I also enjoyed Alien Encounter! I “heard” some people thought it was too scary for children
Americans are a selfish lot.
Whenever you visit the Tokyo Disneyland Resort, there will be one major attraction in each park closed for refurbishment, and this happens all year round. The result of this is that when the attractions are open, they run mostly without problem.
In Tokyo you never see the type of constant maintenance failures you do in US parks, with several E tickets often breaking down on the same day.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been to Epcot and have not been able to ride Test Track because it keeps breaking down, or visited Disneyland and Indy is down multiple times a day. You just don’t see that in Tokyo.
The Japanese understand the long term need to maintain the attractions, and don’t have a tantrum when an attraction is closed during their visit. Americans are just the opposite. They don’t care about the long term–they want everything operating for their visit NOW NOW NOW. It’s a terrible attitude that leads to constant breakdowns.
I think comparing parkgoers in Tokyo to US Disneyworld/land is ridiculous. If you live in Japan, you can easily travel multiple times every year there and get to ride what you want at some point, while the average “selfish lot” as you say here in America may be able to afford to go once every 3 years with their families due to the costs. I have been lucky enough to go 5 times in my 53 years of life and consider myself very fortunate. But for those that are making this trip every few years or even a once in a lifetime experience, I would want everything attraction up and running. If that makes me selfish and I get upset because I can’t experience something, than so be it (I’m not allowed to be upset?) And it will soon pass when I move to the next attraction. The parks will cater to their guests and give out fast passes when rides break down, so I guess the selfish lot still wins in the end. Cheers!
We love the Hall of Presidents! I am so happy it is not closing for good. Watching the show always makes me proud to be an American despite whomever holds the office.
Thanks again for a great post. I also love Hall of Presidents. I see where you’re coming from in eliminating the speaking role of the current President, but I disagree. Disney always seems to focus on the positive and I think they’ve done a good job with that approach when it comes to HOP. Being a Progressive, I was very curious to see how Disney would handle the Trump Presidency. We got to see it a few months ago and I was really impressed. Instead of being polarizing, I think it actually helped me understand what people like(d) about Trump. It obviously didn’t change my mind about the man, but it did help me see the points of view of others a little better. Please no political replies! This was just meant to express an opinion on HOP.
Being a conservative, I trust they won’t denigrate President Trump and elevate Joe Biden.
Assuming they don’t overhaul the show, Trump will join all the other past presidents in the role call, where they’ll call his name and he’ll nod or something. Biden will now get a little speech, just like Trump had. So I don’t know if you’d consider that denigration and elevation, but that’s likely what will happen.
This may have been answered or discussed in another newsletter, so forgive me if it has. But why would they permanently close “River of Lights” when it was such a new attraction? Well, not new, new but you know what I mean.
Thanks in advance,
kara
I liked RoL but I guess there were some critical show elements that never worked properly therefore many people found the show boring
Here is my thoughts on people feeling like their vacation is ruined because an attraction is down during their vacation. I travel from IL and get to WDW about once a year. While we were there on our June 2016 trip our MK had bad weather and therefore Wishes and the Electrical Parade were cancelled. We probably should have gone back to MK another night but we didn’t have hoppers and didn’t want to skip the other parks (my parents were with us and they hadn’t been to WDW in years). But that night was our last chance to see both Wishes and the Electrical Parade as by our trip in 2017 it was cancelled. Or a more recent example, not exactly due to a refurbishment but same idea. We did one day at MK in December. We chose not to play Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom (which my older daughter loves and my younger daughter had never played) because we only had one day at the park. We made the assumption that we would play in March when we were spending a week at Disney. Little did we know that Sorcerer’s would end in January.
It’s truly sad. As mentioned, it’s a fun game that does allow one to become unburied in their favorite electronic. I even went as far as to get my cards signed by the characters if all possible. This will truly be missed from this Disney fan.
I like it when they incorporate tech into the parks, but only when they do it in an easter-egg type way. For example, love the interactive features in Pandora, or the “Do not pull rope” (with the “not” crossed through) near Indiana Jones. Although I did like sorcerers, we never did it much because it was such a time suck–had to trek back to the front of the park for cards, then walk all over the park in the heat waiting your turn at each spot, progressing through a pre-scripted path. Much nicer to have something “magical” happen on a whim that I can do with my kids just passing by.
We will miss Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. It was great to do something on a whim and not be committed to a time, especially for kids. I dislike the micro-managed times of pre-covid Fast Pass and Dining Reservations and Rope Drop, and we always look for things to do on our own time at our own pace to balance the fast pace necessary at the parks for the ‘must-do’ attractions. Glad we experienced it over the years and have a nice collection of cards.
Yes, it seems one thing after another is being cut. Does anyone remember “Back Lot Tours”? That was a great one. How about “Lights, Motors, Action”? How about “Great Movie Ride”? And that wonderful “Osborne’s Family Christmas”…? It’s been years since the first two got cut – and it took them forever to add some new rides in their place. I love Disney but it just seem to be worth it to go to Hollywood Studios any longer.
I meant “it just doesn’t seem to be worth it to go to Hollywood Studios any long… sorry for the type-o
Back Lot Tours was awesome … so was Lights, Motor, Action (both with Herbie and McQueen).
Those we’re all great experiences!
Those were all great experiences! (Sorry for autocorrect.) I loved The Back Lot Tour.
The “Great Movie Ride” was old and stale and I’m glad they replaced it with Mickey’s Runaway Railroad. I’ve been on it several times.. and it was great!