food IS a theme park
Are you heading to Universal Orlando soon? Now is a great time to visit the resort. Not only do you get to experience the updated Wicked: The Experience, but you can also visit Epic Universe (which is…dare we say…EPIC) and see all the holiday decorations and meet the Grinch.
Hogwarts Express
However, if you plan on visiting Universal Orlando next week and had plans to ride one popular ride, you may just be out of luck: Hogwarts Express will be temporarily closing soon.
Okay, we’ve been there. You plan a trip to Disneyland, only to discover that one of your favorite rides is closed for refurbishment. Granted, we sometimes have a little heads up when Disneyland closes rides, but we’re never entirely sure of when they’ll reopen. Well, that’s not the case with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland
Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad closed in September for a months-long refurbishment. Well, it looks like as of today, the ride has officially reopened.
It’s no fun to get to Disneyland and realize your favorite ride is closed, but it happens. Now, we can’t do much to control ride closures that happen ON THE DAY, whether that’s due to weather or some kind of issue with the ride, but we can give you a heads up on scheduled ride closures, so that’s what we’re going to do.
Indiana Jones Adventure
So if you’re headed to Disneyland in early December, you’ll want to know about this popular ride closure: Indiana Jones Adventure will be closed on December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for refurbishment (probably just routine ride maintenance).
Some people like to be home for the holidays. That’s nice. NOT US! You can catch us celebrating the holidays at Disney World or Universal Orlando. There’s just so much to see and do around the holiday season! So, with the holidays coming up soon, you might be planning a trip to Universal Orlando.
Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando
Like we said, the holidays are a great time to visit Universal, especially with all the fun holiday decorations, the chance to meet The Grinch (a personal favorite meet and greet of ours!), and to enjoy some fun holiday snacks. However, if you are visiting Universal this holiday season, you might need to be aware of some closures at Volcano Bay, Universal’s water park, because it will be closed on 12 select dates in November and December.
Y’all. We have some AMAZING news from EPCOT. Spaceship Earth has soft opened seven days (yep, a whole WEEK!) ahead of its original reopening date.
We’ll admit we’ve been missing hearing Dame Judi Dench’s narration on Spaceship Earth in EPCOT since it’s been closed. The ride closed in August for a refurbishment. Well, Spaceship Earth was not supposed to reopen until October 25th, but y’all, we visited EPCOT today and were met with a lovely surprise: Spaceship Earth has soft opened.
Ride closures for refurbishment or updates are pretty common in Disney World, and right now, several rides are closed. In Magic Kingdom, both Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad are closed to get updates.
Spaceship Earth
Meanwhile, in EPCOT, Spaceship Earth is closed for a refurbishment. The good news is that these closure are temporary, and we now know when Spaceship Earth will reopen — on October 25th. Yes, you’ll soon be able to once again listen to Judi Dench explaining the history of communication to you while riding on what could be one of the most chill rides in Disney World.
If it seems like almost everything is under construction in Disney World…well, it sorta’ is! Magic Kingdom is getting an expansion in Frontierland, a brand new Villains land, and several upgraded rides. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is getting a new attraction in the Tree of Life and a brand new land. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting a revamped area PLUS a brand new land.
Beach Club Resort
Disney World hotels are also getting a lot of updates. Both Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Pop Century Resort are getting new lobbies. Disney’s Beach Club Resort is getting some routine exterior maintenance through 2027. That hotel’s port cochere is currently closed, too, and it looks like it won’t reopen as early as originally thought.
In 2022, Disney World’s ambitious Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which was both a hotel and a Star Wars roleplaying experience, opened for the first time.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
However, the Galactic Starcruiser officially closed its doors in 2023, almost a year later. However, Disney hasn’t abandoned the building that once housed the experience — the company recently shared it would convert the building into office space for Walt Disney Imagineering. In August, Disney filed a permit to begin that conversion for “general construction.” Now, we’re starting to see signs of that construction taking place.
In 2024, I had a really bizarre restaurant experience in Disney World.
Big River Grille
As one of the reporters on our team, I visit restaurants around Disney World frequently to do dining reviews, and in January 2024, I was tasked with going to Big River Grille on the BoardWalk. At the time, this was a rather under-the-radar spot that wasn’t often talked about, so I was eager to experience it for myself. But imagine my surprise when the restaurant shut down within a week of my visit!
Okay, if you’re like us, you’re planning your Disney World vacations WAY in advance…like maybe even two years out (hey, I’m as guilty as anyone, but we ALL need Disney trips to look forward to, right?).
BoardWalk Inn Entrance
So you might be in the process of thinking about your 2027 Disney World trip — trust us, we won’t judge! Well, if you are, you’ll need to know something important about at least one Disney World hotel: Disney’s BoardWalk Inn will have multiple parts of its resort under construction in 2027. In other words, think twice before booking that hotel.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
