2023 & 2024 Disney World Refurbishment Schedule & Ride Closures

Nothing is worse than spending hours upon hours planning your trip to Walt Disney World, only to find out your favorite attraction is under refurbishment. That’s why we created this 2023 & 2024 Disney World Refurbishments and Closure schedule, which will help you know what’s open and what’s closed.

In this post, we will look at all 4 theme parks at Walt Disney World (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) and let you know the refurbishment calendar and which rides are closed in each park.

While it’s always the biggest bummer to go to Walt Disney World and have your favorite attraction closed, at times it happens. Sometimes you can prevent it by looking at the closures schedule and planning your trip for another time, but other times, Disney decides to refurbish attractions at the last minute, without notice.

Why does Disney do refurbishments to rides?

As much as we don’t like them, attraction refurbishments are necessary from time to time. With the millions of people that ride these attractions each year, eventually, they break down and need fixing.

Some of the Disney World ride closures could last a few days, and sometimes they last for months. It all depends on the type of work being done. In the long run, it’s best for these attractions and if they didn’t close from time to time, their lifespan would be much shorter.

So while it’s never fun when you can’t ride certain attractions, they are unavoidable.

Disney’s Magic Kingdom is the centerpiece of Walt Disney World, and there have been numerous refurbishments both big and small over the last few years.

Disney would like to touch up a lot of the older attractions before the festivities begin, but it’s unclear how much is in the budget for big refurbishments. It’s likely we’ll just see a lot of small improvements.

Refurbishments:

• Disney Enchantment – (Returning temporarily in January 2024) – This nighttime show was replaced by Happily Ever After which returned after a 1-year+ hiatus.
• Happily Ever After (NOW OPEN) – This beloved nighttime spectacular is back nightly at the Magic Kingdom after being gone for 18 months.
• Haunted Mansion (NOW OPEN) – This closed for a few days so Imagineers could make some improvements to the attraction. Madame Leota has an updated look and The Mummy has made its return to the graveyard scene. Also the walkway belts were replaced during the loading and unloading section which should give it better reliability. We know the “Hatbox Ghost” character will be added “in late November” but we don’t know if the ride will close temporarily for this addition.
• Liberty Square Riverboat (NOW OPEN) – They normally do a short maintenance once a year.
• Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party (Closed 3/16/20 – TBD)
• Splash Mountain (Closed Permanently on 1/23/23)
• Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant (Closed 8/5/21 – TBD) – The location of this quick service restaurant is often seasonal and used for fireworks show rather than a real restaurant.
• TRON Lightcycle Run – (NOW OPEN)
• Walt Disney World Railroad (NOW OPEN) – The Walt Disney World Railroad has reopened and it has a new loop around the park and a new narration for the attraction. It was closed for 4 full years and it’s great to have it finally back!

Temporary Health & Safety Closures:

• Character Meets (Returned April 18, 2022) – Non-distanced Character Meets are returning throughout Walt Disney World have returned after being temporarily suspended due to new health restrictions. Read our post on Character Meets Coming Back to Disney World for more details.

Coming Soon:

• There are no new openings coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios at this time.

EPCOT

This is the park in Disney World with the most refurbishments at the time, which is understandable considering the massive transformation project EPCOT is currently undergoing.

Have patience, especially when visiting EPCOT park since it’s likely that attraction statuses could change between now and your vacation.

EPCOT is also the park with the most coming attractions, though again that is very much in flux right now since Disney’s huge budget cuts last year, and they aren’t spending as much money as originally planned.

We anticipate many of the park’s attractions to be delayed and the work as a whole to move much slower than thought.

Refurbishments:

• Disney Harmonious (Permanently Closed on April 2, 2023) – This nighttime show will be replaced in December 2023 by Luminous – The Symphony of US. It is temporarily replaced by EPCOT Forever.
• DuckTales World Showcase Adventure (NOW OPEN) – The newest scavenger hunt game with fun missions to complete.
• EPCOT Forever (Returned April 3, 2023) – This nighttime show will temporarily replace Disney Harmonious until the new long-term replacement is ready.
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (NOW OPEN) – The huge E-Ticket attraction based on the Guardians of the Galaxy opened on May 27, 2022.
• Journey Into Imagination (NOW OPEN) – This ride was closed to guests for routine maintenance for one day.
• Moana: Journey of Water (NOW OPEN) – The first attraction in a Disney park based on Disney’s Moana. Cast Member and Annual Passholder previews are currently underway.
• Shiki-Sai Sushi Izakaya (NOW OPEN) – This new sushi restaurant in the Japan pavilion is taking over the space formerly occupied by Tokyo Dining.
• Takumi-Tei (NOW OPEN) – This high-end restaurant reopened on November 23, 2022, after being closed for more than 2 years. It has a brand new menu with two omakase multi-course meals.
• Parking Lot Trams (NOW OPEN) – These recently opened after being closed for more than 3 years.

Temporary Health & Safety Closures:

• Character Meets (Returned April 18, 2022) – Non-distanced Character Meets are returning throughout Walt Disney World have returned after being temporarily suspended due to new health restrictions. Read our post on Character Meets Coming Back to Disney World for more details.
• EPCOT performers throughout World Showcase (Some are back, the rest TBD) – A few of the popular entertainment acts around World Showcase Lagoon are back like music in Canada and the drummers in Japan. We are still waiting for many other acts to return.

Coming Soon:

• New EPCOT Nighttime Show “Luminous” (Opening December 5, 2023) – Disney has announced this new show replacing Disney Harmonious that will be open sometime in 2023.
• Play! Pavilion (Opening TBD, 2025?) – The Play! Pavilion was supposed to open in 2021, but might be delayed until as late as 2024.

Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios just recently went through a ton of new construction and now most projects are being done in other parks. No big refurbishments are scheduled for the time being.

Refurbishments:

• Fantasmic! (NOW OPEN) – This popular nighttime show returned in November 2022 after a long closure of more than 2 years.
• Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple (Closed 3/16/20 – TBD)
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (NOW OPEN) – Reopened from a regular maintenance on May 26, 2023 after a multi-month refurb. No IP change is happening at this time.
• Roundup Rodeo BBQ (NOW OPEN) – The new table service restaurant in Toy Story Land opened on March 23, 2023.
• Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular (Closed 3/16/20 – TBD) – All nighttime spectaculars including fireworks shows are closed right now in Disney World.
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid (Closed 3/16/20 – TBD) – Some have rumored that the Voyage of the Little Mermaid will close for good and be replaced though that hasn’t been confirmed from Disney.
• Parking Lot Trams (NOW OPEN) – These recently opened after being closed for more than 3 years.

Temporary Health & Safety Closures:

• Character Meets (Returned April 18, 2022) – Non-distanced Character Meets are returning throughout Walt Disney World have returned after being temporarily suspended due to new health restrictions. Read our post on Character Meets Coming Back to Disney World for more details.

There are very few refurbishments going on at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and except for the park’s entrance, everything is very quiet.

Refurbishments:

• Dino Diner (Closed 9/15/22 – TBD) – It closed after the announcement for the Animal Kingdom expansion project and it’s not known at this time whether this has closed permanently or if it is coming back.
• Kali River Rapids (NOW OPEN) – Closed for a standard refurbishment during the Winter months and reopened on March 16, 2023.

Temporary Health & Safety Closures:

• Character Meets (Returned April 18, 2022) – Non-distanced Character Meets are returning throughout Walt Disney World have returned after being temporarily suspended due to new health restrictions. Read our post on Character Meets Coming Back to Disney World for more details.
• Primeval Whirl (Closed permanently) – After months of seasonal operation, this ride was closed down permanently. No replacement attraction has been announced yet.
• Rivers of Light – We Are One (Closed permanently) – Canceled and will eventually be replaced with a new show.

Water Parks

Both Disney World Water Parks, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach have been closing on and off since March 2020. Since the reopening in July 2020, only one water park has been open at a time. Each time they reopen one, they close the other. We expect this to continue until staff shortages are adressed.

Blizzard Beach (Closed 3/19/23 – TBD)

• Blizzard Beach just reopened on November 13, 2022, after a long refurbishment and it is reclosing again in March 2023. This is likely routine maintenance. The last time, many small enhancements were made including new “Frozen” themed areas.

Typhoon Lagoon (NOW OPEN)

• This has now reopened from a multi-month refurbishment. Due to an overall staffing shortage, there are not enough employees for two water parks to run simultaneously at this time. Typhoon Lagoon reopened on March 19, 2023, with Disney H2O Glow After Hours events and new treats to enjoy.

General Disney World Water Park Refurbishment Info

• The Walt Disney World water parks run seasonally and are closed often due to the weather. The water parks usually close one at a time from January to March annually for regular maintenance and refurbishments, so one park should always be open.

Make sure you look at this list of Disney World hotel refurbishments before you plan your trip so you know what kind of work is being done at your hotel and if you are ok with it.

Unfortunately, there are also still some hotels in Walt Disney World that are closed, many without reopening dates. We’ll continue to update the list as soon as we have those dates. Read our post on Disney World Hotels after reopening to see all the changes to expect when you go and our Rankings of the Best Disney World Resorts if you are trying to figure out where to stay.

Here is the current list of Walt Disney World Resort Hotel Refurbishments:

Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort

• Fantasia Pool (Closed January 2024 – April 2024)
• Lobby Remodel and Update (NOW OPEN) – The entire lobby is getting updated with a refreshed look and new layout and design similar to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Old Key West Resort.
• Re-Imagined Guest Rooms – Work recently finished on reimagined rooms throughout the entire resort.

Disney’s All-Star Music Resort

• Re-Imagined Guest Rooms (NOW OPEN) – The reimagining of all the guest rooms at All-Star Music was going on when the resort closed and now the rest of the rooms have been upgraded.

Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort (NOW OPEN)

• Re-Imagined Guest Rooms (NOW OPEN) – Like the other 2 All-Star Resorts, the All-Star Sports was scheduled for a re-imagining of all the guest rooms. Work has now been completed.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

• Guest Room Refurbishment (Completion TBD) – Guest rooms at Art of Animation are being lightly upgraded with changes to furniture, carpeting, etc. Work is done on the Cars suites, and now is being done to the Nemo suites, with The Little Mermaid and The Lion King after that.

Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Beach Club Resort

• Lobby Refurbishment (6/20/23 – TBD) – Work has begun on a refurbishment to the lobby. No word on the extent of the refurbishment but there will likely be changes to the check-in area.
• Stormalong Bay (Closing January 2025 – May 2025) – The popular pool area will undergo a five-month refurbishment. This routine refurbishment will include Stormalong Bay, the shipwreck, the lazy river, and waterslide. The Tidal, Admiral, and Dune Cove leisure pools will remain open.

Disney’s Beach Club Villas

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Boardwalk Inn

• Resort-wide Refurbishment (1/10/23 – TBD) – A huge resort-wide refurbishment of the Boardwalk Inn Resort has started including a new lobby design, updated guest rooms, and new dining options.
• Re-Imagined Guest Rooms (NOW OPEN) – The renovation to all of the guest rooms at the BoardWalk Inn on the hotel side have now been completed.
• The Cake Bake Shop (Opening 2024) – This new bakery/table service restaurant is taking the place of the old ESPN Zone restaurant. It will have savory and sweet options and focus on its many decadent dessert options including cakes.
• Boardwalk Deli (NOW OPEN) – The Boardwalk Bakery has closed and is being replaced by a new sandwich shop.
• Carousel Coffee (NOW OPEN) – A new coffee bar has opened near the hotel lobby.
• Trattoria al Forno (NOW OPEN) – This has reopened from a regular refurbishment.

Disney’s Boardwalk Villas

• Re-Imagined Guest Rooms (1/10/23 – TBD) – The renovation to all the DVC Villas at the BoardWalk Inn is still going on at this time.

Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

• No current refurbishments

Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground

• Chuck Wagon Food Truck (NOW OPEN) – This was a short refurbishment.
• The Cabins DVC Remodel (Closed TBD – Opening 2024) – The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness are getting refurbished and will become a separate DVC property.
• Trail’s End Restaurant (NOW OPEN) – Trail’s End Restaurant has converted from a table service restaurant to a marketplace concept with expanded quick service options.

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

• 1900 Park Fare (Closed 3/14/20 – TBD) – This closed with the resort back in 2020 but it hasn’t reopened since.
• Garden Tea Room (Closed 3/14/20 – TBD) – This closed with the resort back in 2020 but it hasn’t reopened since.
• Guest Rooms Update (2022 – TBD) – Guest rooms are being updated with a more modern look and subtle touches of Mary Poppins theming.
• Lobby Refurbishment (2023 – TBD) – The classic Victorian lobby is getting refreshed, yet it will maintain its elegant theming.
• Narcoossee’s (NOW OPEN) – This was closed for a lengthy refurbishment, similar in size and scope to that of Citricos. There are new dining room updates and a refreshed menu.

The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

• Disney Vacation Club Expansion at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. (NOW OPEN) – The Disney Vacation Club has converted 200 villas from existing hotel rooms at the Grand Floridian Resort.

Disney’s Old Key West Resort

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

• Resort-wide Refurbishment (NOW OPEN) – Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort closed for a massive refurbishment and a total refurbishment was done on the Great Ceremonial House, lobby entrance, carport, monorail stations, and more. Guest rooms have been re-themed to Moana.

Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows

• New DVC Tower (Opening TBD, 2024) – Disney is building a new DVC Tower at the Polynesian Resort on the old site of the Spirit of Aloha dinner show.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter (NOW OPEN)

• Doubloon Lagoon Pool (Closed January 2024 – April 2024)

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside (NOW OPEN)

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Riviera Resort

• No current refurbishments

Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa

• High Rock Spring Pool (NOW OPEN)
• On the Rocks Pool Bar (NOW OPEN)

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

• Resort-wide Refurbishment (Completion Date TBD) – The Wilderness Lodge is undergoing a huge refurbishment to all its regular hotel rooms. Some of the rooms are now available as the rest of the refurbishment continues.

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

• Stormalong Bay (Closing January 2025 – May 2025) – The popular pool area will undergo a five-month refurbishment. This routine refurbishment will include Stormalong Bay, the shipwreck, the lazy river, and waterslide. The Tidal, Admiral, and Dune Cove leisure pools will remain open.

Disney Springs

• No current refurbishments.

Permanent Ride Closures

While some attractions close only temporarily, others sadly close permanently. This happens when the ride is no longer deemed popular enough or Disney has other plans for that space, perhaps bringing in a new attraction in its place.

Here is a list of the permanent closures in Disney World in the recent past:

Magic Kingdom

• Disney Enchantment – (Closed 4/2/23)
• The Pirates League – (Closed 3/15/20)
• The Muppets Present…Great Moments in American History – (Closed 1/1/20)
• Splash Mountain – (Closed 1/23/23)
• Stitch’s Great Escape – (Closed 1/6/18)
• Wishes – (Closed 5/11/17)

EPCOT

• Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure – (Closed 2/17/20)
• The Circle of Life – (Closed 2/4/18)
• Disney Harmonious (Closed on 4/2/23)
• Ellen’s Energy Adventure – (Closed 8/13/17)
• EPCOT Forever – (Closed 9/28/21 but reopening in April 2023)
• Illuminations: Reflections of Earth – (Closed 9/30/19)
• Mariachi Cobre Presents… The Story of Coco – (Closed 6/2/20)

Hollywood Studios

• The Disney Society Orchestra and Friends – (Closed 10/4/20)
• Wonderful World of Animation – (Closed 5/13/20)
• Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away – (Closed 2/23/20)
• The Great Movie Ride – (Closed 8/13/17)

Animal Kingdom

• Primeval Whirl – (Closed 3/16/20)
• Rivers of Light: We Are One – (Closed 3/16/20)
• Finding Nemo – The Musical (Closed 3/16/20)

Resorts/Experiences

• Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser – (Closing 9/30/23)

Disney World Seasonal Closures

Some closures in Disney World are seasonal, meaning similar work happens on those rides around the same time each year. Some of this is weather-based, like water parks for example, that are less likely to be popular during the Winter.

Here is a list of Seasonal Refurbishments in Disney World. These dates are estimates based on closures in past years:

• Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park – Closes October to January for general maintenance and seasonal refurbishment.
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park – Closes January to March for general maintenance and seasonal refurbishment.
• Kali River Rapids – Can close anytime from January to March for general maintenance and seasonal refurbishment.
• Jungle Cruise – Usually closes in Late October to Early November for Jingle Cruise holiday overlay; closes in Early January to remove holiday overlay.
• Splash Mountain – This is one of the most refurbished attractions in Disney World. Usually closes in January/February for general maintenance and seasonal refurbishment.

What Season Does Disney Do Refurbishments?

Disney tends to do more refurbishments and ride closures in the “off-season” and when there are fewer people in the parks.

January and February are popular months and are good times to tune up the rides after the holiday season. This is especially true for water attractions like Kali River Rapids, Splash Mountain, or the water parks.

September is another popular month for refurbishments in Disney World since most of the crowds have gone home with the kids back in school. That means it’s a perfect time to fix up attractions needing maintenance.

While going to Disney World during the holidays or the busy season is more crowded, you are also less likely to find your favorite attraction closed for refurbishment at that time, which is a definite advantage.

Rumored Refurbishments

There are many rides in Disney World that NEED refurbishing, some staying the same for decades.

Here is a list of some Disney World attractions that have been rumored to be getting refurbishments and could be closing soon. Most of these haven’t been confirmed by Disney yet, but they are the most likely to close.

Magic Kingdom:

• Big Thunder Mountain – special effects additions
• Walt Disney World Railroad – scene enhancements
• Carousel of Progress – scene change
• It’s a Small World – Disney character addition
• Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
• Astro Orbiter

EPCOT:

• Spaceship Earth – A total overhaul of this attraction was supposed to happen in May 2020, but then was postponed when the parks closed. No new date has been given yet.
• Journey Into Imagination – This has been the most rumored attraction to be getting a refurbishment, yet nothing confirmed from Disney. Many fans are not fans of the current version, but doing something that keeps Figment in the attraction is a must.

Hollywood Studios:

• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – Rumors of a possible theme change away from Aerosmith.
• Tower of Terror – It’s possible new special effects could be added

Animal Kingdom:

• Expedition Everest – We’ve been hearing about fixing the Yeti for years now, but it’s a very complicated task that would take months to do. Not sure that this will ever get done but we can hope.

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about the current list of ride closures and attraction refurbishments at Disney World…

• Which ride are you most disappointed to see close?
• Which rides need refurbishing the most?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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