food IS a theme park
Disneyland’s “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” may soon fall temporarily silent.
Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland
While Disney has yet to make an official announcement, a look at the Disneyland park calendar indicates that the Frontierland staple, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, will be closing for refurbishment early next month.
Okay, there is a LOT of construction happening in Disney World. In the parks, Magic Kingdom is getting a new expansion and a new land, plus two rides are getting updated. In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, an area is getting updated, and a new land is being constructed. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a new land is on the way. Yep, there are construction walls EVERYWHERE.
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney World hotels are also undergoing quite a bit of construction right now. In fact, recently, a total of FOUR hotels have announced closures due to refurbishment and construction work.
It’s been a wild year for Disney World — and not just because of the weather.
Liberty Square Riverboat
Between long-standing attractions quietly disappearing and entire areas of the parks shutting down, 2025 is shaping up to be a year of BIG changes. And if you’ve been planning your upcoming trip thinking your old favorites will still be there… we’re here to help you adjust expectations. These are the major permanent closures that hit Disney World this year — and yeah, some of them definitely stung. Let’s get into it.
So you know how the holiday season is one of the most busiest seasons for Disney World? Well, in Disneyland, one of the busiest seasons is Halloween Time, which happens this year from August 22nd through October 31st.
Storybook Land Canal Boats
That’s because Disneyland goes ALL out for Halloween. Both parks get decorations and Oogie Boogie Bash has become something of a legend, which is why tickets generally sell out fast for it. Then there are the TONS of Halloween snacks that arrive throughout the resort, so yes, people flock to Disneyland for Halloween. If you’re one of those people, though, you’re going to need to know about some ride closures that are also happening during that time.
We don’t want you to be caught off guard by closures at Disney World! Especially since a popular Magic Kingdom attraction is being added to the closure list this week.
Magic Kingdom
It can be easy to lose track of all the closure announcements recently, but we are here to help! We don’t want any disappointed kiddos (or adults) due to not knowing about a planned ride closure. Let’s take a look at what is closed this week!
Sure, Star Wars fans can visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland to get their fill of all things Star Wars. But there’s also a way to have some legit Star Wars fun in Tomorrowland, too, through the Star Tours ride. After all, this ride was the FIRST Star Wars attraction in Disneyland.
Star Tours
However, Star Tours closed on June 30th for refurbishment (aka probably some much-needed maintenance) and has remained closed since then. However, we think the Disneyland calendar just unveiled the reopening date for Star Tours: September 5th.
OK. We’ll say it: we hate the sight of scaffolding, construction walls, and hard hats at Disney World. Yes, we know that the end result is worth the temporary eyesore, but nothing wrecks a view quite like a big old crane, right? Who remembers when Cinderella Castle looked like THIS back in 2020?
Cinderella Castle Construction from 2020
Now, there are two things you should know about me. 1.) I know more about Disney World than the average person, including a weird knowledge of Disney construction projects and permit schedules. 2.) I often wish Disney World projects had a more… expedited timeline. Things tend to take a long time. In fact, we just checked in at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort, and if you didn’t know, that resort is under construction. How’s it lookin’ over there? I’m so glad you asked!
There is a lot happening at Disney World right now, and we don’t want you to be caught off guard by closures!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
There have been lots of closure announcements, so it can be easy to lose track of what will be closed and when. But, we are here to help! We are rounding up everything that will be closed in Disney World this week so you know exactly what to plan for!
Just a few days ago, a popular Magic Kingdom attraction went under refurbishment for a short period of time, with a set reopening date of July 26th.
There she is!
So we headed to the park bright and early to check out the ride to see what had changed…and found that it wasn’t open just yet. We thought it was just a minor delay, but let’s just say, we’ve since been proven VERY wrong.
Magic Kingdom is supposed to be the most magical place on Earth… but right now, it’s got some not-so-magical issues.
Lots of changes!
There are some closures and changes happening that could seriously impact your trip — especially if you’re visiting with little ones or you’ve got your heart set on certain rides. A few iconic attractions are shutting down for years, and some are gone for good. So if you’re heading to Magic Kingdom soon, here are the biggest problems you’ll want to know about ahead of time.
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