A Christmas Miracle: Walt Disney World Railroad Reopens With NEW Narration!
Walt Disney World Railroad will reopen this holiday season at Magic Kingdom with an all-new narration and more. It’s an early Festivus and/or Christmas miracle (probably both–sorry, but this one took two miracles). In this post, we’ll share the official announcement and offer commentary about the return of the trains.
In case you missed it, Walt Disney World Railroad is “temporarily” closed for the construction of TRON Lightcycle Run in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. Heck, it’s entirely possible that you’ve been visiting for several years and didn’t realize that was a working train station at the front of the park, as it’s been entirely ornamental since December 3, 2018.
That’s when the Walt Disney World Railroad closed, which was still early in the construction of the upcoming roller coaster. Even at that time, it was pretty clear at that the railroad didn’t need to close. TRON construction could’ve occurred in such a way that the railroad closure occurred in a later stage of the project. It was almost certainly an operational cost-savings to not run the trains for a couple of years.
Of course, we all know how that played out. TRON Lightcycle Run opening “in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary” turned into opening in Spring 2023. [Insert another “It’s been 84 years…” meme] Thankfully, the current opening timeframe for TRON Lightcycle Run should actually hold this time.
We’re hoping to know on Christmas morning, and are also hoping that the “Spring 2023” opening of TRON Lightcycle Run is actually earlier than expected. Okay, perhaps that’s overly optimistic–and it sure seems like we’re out of Christmas miracles given today’s Walt Disney World Railroad news. Speaking of which, here’s the official announcement from Walt Disney World…
Cast members and Imagineers are celebrating a moment of nostalgia at Magic Kingdom this week as we prepare to welcome guests aboard the Walt Disney World Railroad once again for the holiday season. This opening-day attraction returns with a completely refreshed track looping the park, and another new surprise for fans and first-comers alike.
Not only did this historic train undergo track updates and maintenance—as 100-year-old vintage steam trains do—the creative minds at Walt Disney Imagineering also seized this moment to revisit the narration and introduce an all-new voice to bring guests into the beloved stories they encounter as they travel from one magical land to the next.
“The familiar whistle of its steam engine will be complemented by exciting new sounds and voices,” the team of Imagineers shared. “A new conductor has assumed the role, carrying on the long tradition of warm welcomes and amusing anecdotes while adding fresh commentary and story to the journey.”
The creative voiceover process is as detailed as the train operation itself, and it all starts with our conductor. For these meticulously restored steam trains, we know the scenic grand circle tour must be guided by a voice our guests can envision and resonate with. Someone who grew up on Main Street, U.S.A., dreaming of the day they’d be on the railroad.
They’ve now achieved that dream, and they know everyone and everything at Magic Kingdom … an unofficial mayor of sorts. This conductor is humble, genial, and knowledgeable, and he’s eager to help passengers of these iconic steam trains get to their destinations around the park he loves so dearly.
While our conductor points you to the familiar sights on your left and right, we embrace what makes Magic Kingdom a place unlike any other, where you can escape into completely new worlds and celebrate with characters you love. This legacy attraction now holds true the very nostalgia of opening day and blends it with the wonder of new adventures, immersing you into story after story as it loops around the park. You may even encounter a character or two along the way!
We are delighted to share Walt Disney’s love of trains with the world once again, taking guests for the iconic grand circle tour of Magic Kingdom this holiday season. And before your own travels, we are honored to welcome aboard our Magic Kingdom cast members as the very first to experience this historic moment starting today, waving to guests during special Cast Member tours around the park.
December 23, 2022 Update: After being closed for 1,481 days (but who’s counting?!), the Walt Disney World Railroad officially reopened from “refurbishment” today. Aside from the new narration (which could’ve been swapped out overnight), not much has changed.
This is unsurprising. As indicated above, and reinforced by the air quotes, this prolonged closure was not out of necessity, but largely out of operational cost-savings. To be sure, a closure would’ve been necessary at some point due to the construction of TRON Lightcycle Run–but it could’ve occurred much later during construction. Like the upcoming roller coaster, this closure was dragged out way longer than necessary.
In terms of commentary, we are excited. There are few attractions we enjoy as much as transportation ones. Without question, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover is what we ride most in Magic Kingdom. Part of that is for TRON Lightcycle Run construction photos, but even without that, it would be our #1 by a wide margin.
Since the Walt Disney World Railroad closed, we’ve been getting our fix at Disneyland and have done that railroad more than normal. Originally, my hope was that the Magic Kingdom counterpart would use the Universe of Energy dinosaurs to add similar scenery. Sadly, that has not happened–a truly squandered opportunity, if you ask me. I probably would’ve complained about that had the Walt Disney World Railroad reopened in mid-2020. At this point, I’m just elated to have it back.
I also don’t have any strong reaction to the new narration (yet). If I’m being honest, I don’t even fully remember the previous narration. Doing countless grand circle tours at the other castle parks since the WDWRR closed has probably blurred together memories of different dialogue.
One thing I will say is that narration is incredibly important on transportation attractions, as it can carry the ride when there’s not much to see. Consequently, Disney fans often hold a lot of nostalgia for the version they first heard–or the one that existed during formative trips. Swapping out narrations overnight is difficult as a result, as fans will often by upset about losing the familiar–even if the new one is just as good.
Walt Disney World Railroad won’t suffer from that problem as much, given that no one has experienced it in over 4 years. Memories of the old narration won’t be as fresh!
Beyond that, Imagineering is very cognizant of the historical significance of the railroad given Walt Disney’s love of trains. Accordingly, I would expect a disproportionate amount of talent working on this relatively small project–and probably a large number of people who are likewise passionate about the railroad and maintaining its integrity and significance.
Operationally, it makes sense to open the Walt Disney World Railroad now. In fact, I’ve been expecting this announcement pretty much every day since the week before Thanksgiving, when ops started getting really serious about testing and training Cast Members at the stations themselves. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that the WDWRR would open soon at that point, since Disney was paying for full staffing and operations, or close to it.
The Walt Disney World Railroad will be critical in providing needed capacity to Magic Kingdom during the busiest weeks of the year–basically every day between now and January 9, 2023. More capacity means selling more tickets, which is Walt Disney World’s rationale for bringing back the railroad before TRON Lightcycle Run opens.
Ultimately, the return of the Walt Disney World Railroad is great–but overdue–news. We’ve heard from many WDW fans who have watched your children grow up, aging into and out of (debatable) prime “train age” during the closure. That has been really sad to hear, but I have good news for you.
You never truly age out of “train age.” It’s like Santa Claus. So long as you hold a special place in your heart and want to believe (or some sentimental schmaltz like that), trains are always magical. Hallmark should really make a holiday movie about that. Seriously, though. I’m in my late 30s and still get giddy about trains, have visited a half-dozen different railroad museums, and absolutely love riding the rails. A certain type of their magic might wear off, but trains truly transcend age.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of this news? Excited that the Walt Disney World Railroad is reopening this year? Have you ever experienced the WDWRR, or has it been down ever since you started visiting? Happy that your kids will finally get to experience the joy of trains? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!
We happened to be at MK on 12/23. We were ELATED to finally get to ride the train! We had no idea it was going to be available until we walked in and asked if they were allowing people to ride. It was awesome.
Side note: my 15 year old son will most likely never outgrow his love of trains.
We’re here today (Friday, Dec 23), and they’ve been blowing the train whistle all day. My husband just said he sees people in line for it – I think it just reopened!
My stepsister’s boyfriend is in that conductor photo and I can say, he is PUMPED!!! He’s so excited the trains are coming back. He did it before the closure and was doing other things at WDW until they called him back to the trains.
wish I could be there for this exciting return !
just being able to not have to walk back to the front of the park while exhausted is such a blessing )
wish I could be there for this exciting return
just being able to not have to walk back to the front of the park while exhausted is such a blessing
I’ve never done the railroad- maybe if it’s completed by our next visit we will try.
I remember there in the destination d23 last year somebody said there would be new “surprises” for the railroad when it opens. I wonder if those are still a thing or were cut. I guess we’ll see
Have u been to the train museum in Pennsylvanisa? Bonus it’s not far from the Dunder Miflin offices.
Would love it to be Walt doing the narration but maybe it’s Tom Hanks
Dinosaurs by the new tracks around Tron would havre been FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!
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Probably just a tease but that description sounds like Walt will be doing the narration.
Let’s just say, I won’t believe it until I am actually on it. They did not give us an actual date and just give a random “holiday season.” Notice they don’t say “this” holiday season, which is almost over anyways and even if they had given an actual date that doesn’t mean much either. Look at The American Adventure. It has missed it’s announced reopening date twice now with no opening in sight. What’s going on over there anyways? Maybe Mark Twain and Ben Franklin are striking for better wages!
They’re doing Cast Member previews right now, as I type this. Given that, I would imagine it opens to the public between sometime later today and Christmas Eve.
The return of the Steam Trains is great news since the park needs more attraction capacity. I rode the Disneyland Paris train in October and was pleasantly surprised that they were only loading and unloading the train from the Main Street Station. This makes for a much more pleasant experience as you don’t have to squeeze in more passengers at stops in Frontierland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Here is a link to my video: https://youtu.be/kRGR9uarqrg
lol, i’ve been posting the 84 years gif on every post about the railroad for months
My wife and I rode on the last circuit before closing and hope to ride the first trip around when it reopens.
I plan to put that last ride on youtube eventually. I have been coming to WDW since the first year they opened and now have about 80 gbs. of video and photos to publish. Massive effort to digitize pre-1977
videos and photos and to upscale to modern levels. So far I put a few up including Francis The Talking Robot , The Cirikli , and a few of the Epcot live entertainments. I am currently working on The Aviators and Die Couchies.
My wife and road the last ride back in 2018 as well! Hoping we can make it for the grand reopening!!
The problem is we don’t have a definitive date. We could go every day until they reopen but……
Disney has put blackout dates in place for Military Discount users. We have been DVC members since prior to the opening date of Old Key West.
We have reservations in place for April for my greatgranddaughters 8th birthday. But Keesler Air Force Base has just told us that our reservation dates are blacked out for exactly the same period of time in regard to using our Military Discount and we will be required to pay full price. Full price for a family of six??? I’m beginning to wonder ig DVC membership is worth it anymore. When you tell a little girl she will be at Disney World for her birthday and that you have your resort reserved. But then Disney makes this unpatriotic change in price for Military.
I keep hoping they have secretly added dioramas! But I know it’s not happening
Hi, do we have an actual date for the train ?