A Walt Disney World vacation is no small undertaking. It requires a lot of time and a lot of money and it's the sort of vacation that people can spend months to plan to make sure everything goes just right. Everybody wants to be sure not to miss what's new at Disney World, but you'll also want to make sure that anything on your to-do list is actually open.
Sometimes Disney World rides close without warning due to unforeseen circumstances. More often, however, ride closures are planned well in advance to help prevent those unscheduled shutdowns. The good news there is that you can plan around, or at least be aware of anything that will be closed on your next trip. Here's a look at everything that's currently scheduled to be shutting down in both the near, and far, future.
Upcoming Magic Kingdom Closures
Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant - Closed August 5, 2021 - TBA
When Walt Disney World reopened following the pandemic, due to limited guest capacity, not everything reopened with the parks. One popular eatery that did not reopen was Liberty Square's Columbia House. The building was used for extended queue space for attractions due to social distancing. When Columbia House did reopen in August 2021, the Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant, which had been offering the Columbia House menu, closed. The location has reopened for special dessert party events but has remained closed to normal operations during the day. It's officially still a temporary closure, so we expect it to reopen at some point.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (January 6, 2025 - 2026)
One of Magic Kingdom's E-ticket attractions is getting ready for a major overhaul. Following the end of the holiday season Big Thunder Railroad is set to close on January 6, 2025, and is not expected to reopen until some time in 2026. The exact nature of the work being done is unclear but it doesn't appear the ride will be undergoing any significant theme or design changes.
Astro Orbitor (January 10, 2025 - TBA)
Due to its cool location on the upper level of Tomorrowland, the Astro Orbitor is one of those simple attractions that is still a necessary ride on any visit to Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, that won't be an option for a while, as the attraction closed in mid-January and isn't expected to reopen until the summer or later. Shockingly, the Astro Orbitor has been completely removed from Magic Kingdom as part of the refurbishment.
Hall of Presidents (January 20, 2025 - TBA)
As has become standard practice, when a new President takes office, the Hall of Presidents closes on or around inauguration day in order to begin the transition. It can usually take several months for the new audio-animatronic President to appear. However, since an audio-animatronic Donald Trump already exists after his first term, this transition might be shorter.
Liberty Square Riverboat (TBA)
The Liberty Square Riverboat has been a part of Magic Kingdom for almost as long as the park has been open. However, that era will be coming to an end. At D23 2024 it was announced that new Cars attractions were coming to Frontierland and shortly after it was revealed that they would be part of a massive overhaul of the land. The Rivers of America will be entirely removed, which will mean the end of the Roverboat. Exactly when this will happen has to been confirmed. It could still be years away.
Upcoming Epcot Closures
Test Track (June 17, 2024 - Late Summer 2025)
Epcot's Test track has already undergone one major overhaul in its life, but another is on the way. At the Destination D23 event in 2023, it was revealed that Test Track is set to be completely reimagined. What this new version of the ride will look like, we don't know. All we know is that the transformation is set to begin in mid-June 2024.
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros (January 6 -March 15, 2025)
If you went to Epcot's Mexico pavilion and didn't experience the Gran Fiesta Tour, did you even really go. It's not the flashiest ride but it's always fun and the line usually isn't too long, making it a ride worth doing when you can't. However, you can't right now, and likely won't through mid-March.
Upcoming Disney’s Hollywood Studios Closures
Voyage of the Little Mermaid (March 2020 - Early 2025)
One of the attractions that closed when Disney World did for the global pandemic and never reopened, was the Voyage of The Little Mermaid stage show. For a long time, we assumed the show was permanently closed, despite no official announcement from Disney World. Now we know the show will reopen, as The Little Mermaid - A Musical Adventure, an updated version of the original show, though it won't open until the fall of 2024.
Lightning McQueen Racing Academy - Closed October 8, 2024
The Lightning McQueen Racing Academy, was an animatronic show that only lasted a couple of years, but the show closed down on October 8, 2024. Unlike everything else on this list, the show isn't coming back. Instead, a brand new show, Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After, is set to open in that space starting in the summer of 2025.
Muppet*Vision 3D (Closing June 8, 2025)
The Rock 'N' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (TBA)
Rumors of a retheme of the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster have persisted for years, and it turns out they were ultimately true. Disney World has announced that The Muppets are set to take over the popular music roller coaster. However, an exact date for when the current ride will close has not been announced.
Of all the attractions that are closing to make way for new lands., the most beloved might be Muppet*Vision 3D. The long-running 3D movie was the last Muppet project worked on by Jim Henson. Starting June 8 the entire Grand Avenue area, including the popular PizzeRizzo restaurant will close so work can begin on a new Monsters Inc land. However, there has been talk from Disney about "preserving Muppet*Vision 3D in some way, so we may not have heard the last of this one.
Upcoming Disney's Animal Kingdom Closures
Tree Of Life Theater/It's Tough To Be A Bug (Closing March 17, 2025)
Rumors of a possible Zootopia land at Disney's Animal Kingdom persisted for years, but in the end, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps won't be getting their own land, but they are getting their own show. A Zootopia show is set to replace It's Tough to a Bug inside the Tree of Life theater. The Bug's Life show will give its last performance on March 16 and the new show Zootopia: Better Together is expected to open before the end of the year.
Kali River Rapids (January 6, 2025 - March 2025)
It's pretty standard practice for Disney water rides to undergo refurb after the holiday season and Animal Kingdom's Kali River Rapids shut down like clockwork on January 6. The attraction is planned to reopen in March though an exact date has not been announced.
Dinoland U.S.A. (Closed January 2025, except Dinosaur)
It's been clear ever since Disney's Animal Kingdom shut down and removed Primeval Whirl inside Dinoland U.S.A., without replacing it with anything, that the land was probably on the way out. At the D23 Expo in 2022, it was finally confirmed that Dinoland would be replaced by a Tropical Ameicas land. The new land will include Indiana Jones and Encanto attractions. The work is being done in phases, so while the majority of Dinoland U.S.A. closed in January 2025, the popular Dinosaur attraction is still running, and is expected to remain in operation until sometime in 2026.
Upcoming Disney World Water Parks Closures
Typhoon Lagoon - Closed November 3,2024 - TBA
In November 2024 Disney World's two water parks did their location swap that has become standard practice since the pandemic. Blizzard Beach reopened on November 3 and Typhoon Lagoon reopened. While no official reopen date has been announced, we can expect Typhoon Lagoon to reopen, and Blizzard Beach to close, around March 2025
Other Upcoming Walt Disney World Closures
Garden View Tea Room - Closed March 2020 - TBA
And finally a third location at the Grand Floridian that has remained closed. The Garden View Tea Room has never reopened since the rest of the resort began to do so. However, it is still listed as temporarily close, so one assumes that plans are to reopen it eventually.
Always keep your eyes open as attractions can still go down without notice, even for an extended period, though that's rare at Walt Disney World. It's also possible that a scheduled reopening may be delayed if planned work takes longer than expected. We’ll be keeping this space updated as attractions reopen and new refurbishments are announced.
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