Temporary ride closures can be pretty common in Disney World!
Outdoor rides frequently close down for weather issues and sometimes attractions close shortly to deal with technical glitches. On top of that, Disney World schedules refurbishments from time to time to give rides a refresh and perform routine maintenance. Because these kinds of closures are pretty routine, they’re typically not a very big deal, but one scheduled closure in 2022 has caught our attention big time!
Disney World has added Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom to its upcoming list of refurbishments, with a closure scheduled to last more than three months in 2022!
The Disney World website now notes that the popular roller coaster will be closed from January 4th through mid-April. That’s quite a lengthy closure, a bit longer than what we typically see for routine maintenance.
The timing of this closure is a bit unusual, as it will begin just a few months into Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration when attendance levels are expected to be very high. Animal Kingdom will be getting some special features for the 18-month long celebration to draw guests to the park, including a group of Disney Fab 50 character statues, a Beacon of Magic look for the Tree of Life, and a new daytime show, Disney KiteTails.
At the current moment, there are still multiple other attractions that have closed permanently or haven’t reopened in this park. Both the nighttime show Rivers of Light and the Primeval Whirl Ride closed permanently in 2020, and Finding Nemo — The Musical has yet to return since the closure. The park is also lacking in streetmosphere entertainment — prior to the pandemic, the park featured a variety of performers like live bands and acrobats.
Right now, Animal Kingdom has the least rides of the four Disney World parks, and with one of its biggest attractions closed, we’re interested to see how it makes up for the deficit. If any more reopenings are announced before then, we’ll keep you updated.
No changes have been announced yet for the Expedition Everest, but we’ll let you know if Disney shares more details. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates from the parks and online! We’ll be keeping an eye on this refurbishment to find out what’s going on!
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Have you ever been on Expedition Everest? Let us know in the comments!
Natalie says
Could it be…could the Yeti’s time finally have come?!?! 👀
Katherine says
Is it foolish to hope this means they’re finally going to fix the yeti?
DFB Sarah says
Katherine, it’s always good to maintain hope. We’ll update if/when Disney confirms what the work will entail.
Richard+Mercer says
The Yeti will not be fixed. While I am no expert, my guess is that it would require a closure of close to a full year, and a LOT of money!
Terri Amundson says
RunDisney recently announced that the Expedition Everest 5K is on March 31, 2022. I wonder if they plan on having everything finished by then.
Also, an Imagineer once explained, in detail, what it would take to fix the Yeti. Long story short… they’d have to tear down and rebuild the outside of the ride because the structure holding up the Yeti has to be replaced to fix him. And they can’t get to that structure without removing the outside shell of the ride.
George W says
AS l write my complaint l see an ad for Universal Orlando right below me. I had planned to celebrate my 77 birthday there but with all the construction and changes I’m not sure this is a good time or if there ever will be a good time again? In pricing it out , with all the changes and price increases , l think we all will go to Universal . The cost is 1/3 of what disney is charging . For the past 3 + years the railroad is out of service. I see now they think it will 2022 maybe. I guess this is the new Disney with an attitude save a dollar and pay management more ? I sure know its not going to shareholders dividends.
George W Fitton says
l guess Disney doesn’t like complaints anymore ?
Chris Kinney says
The Yeti will never be fixed. Such a shame, the “statue” of the Yeti makes an otherwise great ride feel like a local carnival attraction. Just glad I got to see it move on our trip in 1996!
Arnold Wagner says
We are also long time Disney World fans, coming at least annually, sometimes twice, for a week at a time. WDW was initially truly “Magical”, spotlessly clean, everything functional, happy cast members, uniforms that were crisp and fit, and pricey but valued resort experience. Recently the transparent need to squeeze every last nickel out of a Disney experience, with only verbal reference to maintaining the “Magic” is disheartening. The add-ons of “pay for per ride” (Genie+ and Individual Ride Experience), major time management advance planning in the face of extreme crowd levels, decreased availability of quick service eating, need for 60-day advance planning for sit-down meals, and a general loss of vision of the other-worldly relaxed pace of a family vacation, begin to make WDW look like “just another theme park.” Management execs are incentivized to “hit their numbers”, but the true Magic that is Disney stock in trade is not numbers driven, not high-quality theme park experience driven, but absolutely exceptional beyond expectation experience driven. Please stop the slide from the goal of delivering that exceptional experience.
Carol Sylvester says
I don’t get to Florida often , this is one ride I was really looking forward to riding. Our trip (of course) is 1/5 to 1/12. We are just missing it! I got hoppers because I just don’t think Animal Kingdom is a full day.