Refurbishment season is in the air once again in Walt Disney World and this time the popular Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closing for refurbishment. But when exactly is it happening?
In this post, we will talk about the refurbishment planned for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disney’s Magic Kingdom, when it’s happening and what might be included in the project.
(UPDATE 12/15/23): Disney has just scheduled a short refurbishment for Big Thunder Mountain from January 16, 2024, to January 20, 2024, and reopening on January 21, 2024.
Disney has not mentioned what this refurbishment is for, but it appears to be just regular maintenance and not something bigger or adding any additional show elements to enhance the ride.
Rumors of a bigger refurbishment for Big Thunder Mountain have been going around for years, but they have not yet been realized.
Because of budget cuts, however, that project never took place and Big Thunder Mountain is only getting regular maintenance done at this time.
A significant refurbishment to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has been rumored for years now, with the projection mapping explosion sequence already found in Disneyland and Disneyland Paris being the highlight. We’ve been waiting for it to come to Florida, and it looks like we might have to wait longer than the 50th at this point.
It would eventually be nice to see an addition like the one Imagineers planned, and it would bring one of the guests’ favorite attractions up-to-date.
It’s very hard to say right now if a bigger refurbishment will ever happen with all the attraction budget cuts Disney has made since the parks closed down. They have put some of the bigger projects on hold for the time being.
There are many refurbishments currently going on at Walt Disney World. First off, also in the Magic Kingdom, we are constantly learning new info about Splash Mountain transforming into a Princess and the Frog ride and that should be open in late 2024.
Over in Disney’s Animal Kingdom we are getting the regular Kali River Rapids refurbishment in the winter, just like we do every year.
From time to time the transportation systems also need work and the Disney Skyliner will also be closed for refurbishment in January, with it reopening in phases.
Stay tuned here at Ziggy Knows Disney for the latest updates, as we fill you in as soon as we find out more details.
Check out the Full List of Disney World Ride Closures and Refurbishments to see what other projects are going on.
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Your Thoughts
I want to know what you think about a Big Thunder Railroad Mountain refurbishment…
- What modifications would you like to see on the ride?
Let us know in the comments section below!
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My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. I started young when my parents took me to Disney World when I was 18 months old. Little did they know that would be the first of an uncountable number of trips we would take. I have so many amazing memories going to Disney with my family and friends and it has been interwoven into my DNA.
Roger Errington
Thursday 17th of February 2022
going at the end of March what can we do to be ready
Michelle Crean
Saturday 18th of December 2021
My family and I will be visiting Disney World Dec 21 - 29, 2021. I have been trying to find information on percentage of visitors being allowed into parks compared pre-Covid attendance. Do you have any idea?
Ian
Monday 3rd of February 2020
Yup. This SUCKS! My girls LOVE this coaster. We were looking forward to enjoying it after hours as well.
We're going to have a good trip, but thanks for doing RIGHT during our trip that I booked a year ago!
Ziggy
Tuesday 4th of February 2020
Hi Ian, I hear your pain! This has happened to me multiple times with other attractions over the years and it stinks. Unfortunately, there is never a good time to close an attraction and there is some maintenance that has to be done from time to time. I hope you and your girls can make it down again soon when it's finished so they can ride it!
Keri
Monday 3rd of February 2020
Yes this will affect my trip ??♀️ My kids are not going to like this at all !!
Ziggy
Monday 3rd of February 2020
Hi Keri, thanks for the comment! Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. That's the unfortunate part is there is usually some attractions down almost every visit