October 14, 2024, 7:16 PM ·
Wake up the Old Man. It’s time to talk about a year without the wildest ride in the wilderness, at Walt Disney World. In case you missed the news, Walt Disney World announced today that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom will close for an extended refurbishment starting January 6, 2025. The roller coaster is set to return in 2026.This appears to be a major retracking of Thunder, which opened in 1980. Disney also is promising that the ride will return with some “extra magic,” which could be some the effects seen in final tunnel of the Disneyland version.Disney confirmed this summer that it will be removing Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. There’s no date yet for that, but smart money is on that starting well before Thunder returns, meaning that the bulk of the real estate in Frontierland will be disappearing behind construction walls next year, leaving only the new Country Bear Musical Jamboree show and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure as attractions in the land. (The Shootin’ Gallery closed earlier this year.) Elsewhere in the park, Disney is promising a new nighttime parade next summer, Disney Starlight. Around the resort, the reimagined Test Track also should return sometime next summer, which is when the new The Little Mermaid show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios also now is set to debut, along with a new Villains show in the Sunset Showcase.Of course, next year is also the year that rival Universal Orlando up the road opens its new Epic Universe theme park. How will that shake up the Orlando theme park market, given Disney’s emerging plans for the year? Stay tuned for that answer.Planning a Disney visit?If you would like to get in one more trip on Thunder before the refurb, please contact our partner for a free, no-obligation vacation quote.And if you want assistance with planning an Epic Universe vacation, our partner can help you with that, as well.To keep up to date with more theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider’s weekly newsletter.
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