Walt Disney World has formally confirmed a prolonged trip refurbishment of Large Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom, beginning in 2025 and lasting by means of 2026. Right here’s every little thing we learn about this Walt Disney World trip closure, timing for the downtime, our hypothesis about what they may entail, and extra.
First, this Large Thunder Mountain Railroad closure is the third main refurbishment that we first coated months in the past in Magic Kingdom Trip Refurbishment Rumors. It follows the month-plus closure of Peter Pan’s Flight over the summer season, which resulted in a brand new scene with Tiger Lily and different Indians. (Inappropriate, however I believe that scene is very well accomplished and matches the spirit of the attraction.)
Following this, Jungle Cruise closed for a multi-month refurbishment. This challenge was by no means formally introduced, and its precise scope of labor is unknown. At the very least, formally. Disney did file permits with a contractor that does underwater engineering, and Forged Members stationed outdoors the attraction have indicated that the challenge entails solely routine upkeep to the waterway infrastructure. Fairly protected wager that’s what’s taking place. As we coated in our put up about that challenge, Jungle Cruise is now scheduled to reopen early.
The ultimate main refurbishment of the trio is Large Thunder Mountain Railroad. Our suspicion was and is that Walt Disney World was ready for different items of the puzzle–the opposite refurbishments wrapping up in addition to Tiana’s Bayou Journey opening and working reliability–earlier than saying the BTMRR closure. They have been probably backed right into a nook by these timeframes.
Tiana’s Bayou Journey is nonetheless utilizing a digital queue with no signal of it going away anytime quickly. Walt Disney World initially acknowledged that the digital queue would solely be used throughout the “preliminary opening days” of Tiana’s Bayou Journey, and the trip has now been open for a number of months.
The excellent news is that Tiana’s Bayou Journey’s downtime scenario has been enhancing during the last month-plus. The trip nonetheless has downtime (and unhealthy days), but it surely’s nothing like the three+ hours of common each day downtime that the trip was experiencing just about daily over the primary few months. It’s been a lot better because the begin of September.
It’s to the purpose that we now absolutely count on Walt Disney World to retire the digital queue for Tiana’s Bayou Journey earlier than the Large Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment begins. Actually, it wouldn’t shock us to see the VQ retired any day now–particularly with cooler climate proper across the nook. However that’s not the purpose of at the moment’s put up.
Walt Disney World has now introduced that Large Thunder Mountain Railroad will shut for refurbishment on January 6, 2025.
The final day to expertise BTMRR in its present type is January 5, 2025. The wildest trip within the wilderness is deliberate to reopen in 2026 with just a little bit of latest magic.
It’s additionally our understanding that Tiana’s Bayou Journey won’t obtain a Winter 2025 refurbishment, which was customary for Splash Mountain. The attraction continues to be brand-new (or newly-redone), so this is sensible.
Taking BTMRR down for refurbishment on the similar time that the work begins to fill within the Rivers of America and start Vehicles development is sensible.
With that mentioned, one vital factor to notice is that we don’t count on the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, or the Liberty Sq. Riverboat to shut in early 2025. Primarily based on what we’ve heard and the general public allowing course of, these closures are a number of months behind BTMRR, at finest.
For a way more thorough dialogue of once we count on to see these points of interest and areas to completely shut, see When Will Rivers of America & Tom Sawyer Island Shut at Magic Kingdom?
Regardless, work on Vehicles Land is more likely to begin sooner or later earlier than 2026. Having Large Thunder closed whereas filling within the Rivers of America would definitely expedite the method and make development simpler. Not solely that, however there will likely be a path that connects Large Thunder Mountain Railroad and Frontierland with Liberty Sq. and Villains Land, so work on this could start throughout the refurbishment.
The BTMRR year-plus closure has been an open secret for a number of months now–we first reported on it in mid-Could.
After that, Walt Disney World filed a allow for “normal development” at an deal with corresponding with Large Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom. It’s value noting that this allow was filed again in June when the challenge was anticipated to start out at first of August or September on the newest.
There are a few key particulars right here that we will glean from the allow, with the primary being that it has an expiration date of August 8, 2025. The default 1-year timeline isn’t noteworthy, however shorter or longer ones at all times are, as they’re prolonged or lowered purposefully. Which means that there’s a cause for doing so. (With the beginning date of the refurbishment delayed, you may count on that let to be prolonged by 6-8 months.)
On this case, that’s as a result of the work is predicted to take longer than one yr–which aligns with the earlier rumors about this challenge taking up one yr and being vital in scale and scope. Which means it’s not only a routine refurbishment, like BTMRR receives pretty usually. (These usually do not contain development permits of any length.)
It’s our understanding that this refurbishment has a number of transferring items, and the largest is probably going encompassed by that let.
The opposite key element is that the allow is assigned to Coastal Metal, an organization with a variety of experience and expertise, from trip programs to metal fabrication and erection. If that title sounds acquainted, it’s since you most likely simply heard about that contractor for the Check Monitor reimagining, which may even take a few yr.
Outdoors of that reimagining, Coastal Metal has collaborated with Walt Disney World on a number of points of interest. For instance, Coastal Metal labored with Walt Disney World on a variety of initiatives, from the development of Expedition Everest and Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice to Blizzard Seaside, Mickey’s Toontown Truthful, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and TRON Lightcycle Run.
Primarily based on earlier rumors over the course of the final 6 months, it’s our understanding that Large Thunder Mountain Railroad coaster wants a big refurbishment involving substantial work on the trip system and retracking. This long-planned challenge is considered as preventative work that’s essential to increase the helpful lifetime of the curler coaster, guaranteeing the trip’s longevity and operational standing for many years to return.
Whereas the trip has had quite a lot of winter-time closures for a number of weeks to over a month within the final a number of years, the final prolonged closure was in 2016 when Large Thunder Mountain Railroad was down for 4 months within the late summer season and early fall. Previous to that, BTMRR had a number of closures in 2012 for intensive work, set up of the interactive queue, in addition to the Barnabas T. Bullion and Large Thunder Mining Firm backstory.
It’s additionally our understanding that Imagineering has tried to take BTMRR down for multi-month or year-long refurbishments a number of occasions during the last a number of years, however park administration pushed again each time. Because of this, prolonged initiatives that have been beforehand deliberate received truncated into weeklong routine upkeep.
Each model of Large Thunder Mountain Railroad has had intensive closures in recent times–besides Magic Kingdom.
Maybe most instructive is the BTMRR at Disneyland, which closed for a serious renovation in January 2013. This challenge had an analogous scope as what’s rumored for Magic Kingdom, with new trip automobiles, observe alternative, repainting the mountain, and likewise restoring the Rainbow Ridge Mining City.
That was initially scheduled to be accomplished by Fall 2013, but it surely wasn’t accomplished till March 2014. By the point Large Thunder Mountain Railroad did reopen over a yr later, its return got here with a lot fanfare and new options–and a possible “blueprint” for different initiatives of this nature that we’re now probably seeing with Haunted Mansion and Fantasmic at Disneyland. Form of a quasi “Disney Vault” method to excite followers.
I’d count on one thing comparable with the Magic Kingdom model of Large Thunder Mountain Railroad. A closure that lasted 14 months roughly one decade in the past interprets to at the least 18 months when adjusted for development timeline inflation. (A factor I made up, however you understand what I imply–and that it’s an actual Disney phenomenon!)
There’s no approach Walt Disney World goes to shut Large Thunder Mountain Railroad for between a yr and 18 months and never have something marketable to point out for it when the attraction returns. There’ll probably be new raise hill results, nighttime lighting, redone present scenes with Easter eggs and different historic tributes–one thing, something.
Given the fee in money and time, I absolutely imagine they’ll make it rely and this gained’t “simply” be a closure for invisible work that “solely” extends the lifetime of the curler coaster. Walt Disney World has kind of confirmed as a lot with the obscure line about added magic.
With a closure that’s going to final roughly a yr, timing doesn’t make an enormous distinction. In any case, it’s going to be down throughout each week and season, anyway. Not solely that, however Walt Disney World has proven a willingness to shut marquee points of interest at in style occasions of the yr. Look no additional than Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster throughout spring break (twice!), Tower of Terror throughout spring and summer season, and the upcoming Check Monitor closure from summer season by means of at the least the vacation season.
If in any respect potential, it would make sense to get the Large Thunder Mountain Railroad refurbishment accomplished earlier than October 2026. That is purely speculative on our half and lots may change between every now and then–clearly. Nevertheless, we suspect Disney would’ve indicated if the plan have been to have BTMRR again up and working by early or mid-2026. Between the scope of labor on this challenge itself and the filling in of Rivers of America for Vehicles Land, downtime lasting into the second half of 2026 makes full sense.
Summer season crowds usually begin winding down in direction of the top of July and drop off a cliff at first of August. If this can be a year-plus closure, it’s logical to have BTMRR down for the months of August and September twice than it does the months of October by means of December. However in fact, that assumes they’ve a selection and might dictate timing–a daring assumption!
In the end, we’d count on extra reimaginings and refurbishments of this nature for a few causes. The primary is that there was lots of deferred upkeep and proportionately fewer closures in the previous few years on account of pent-up demand and finances cuts. So a number of points of interest are overdue for refurbishments and can most likely get them within the subsequent couple of years.
Second, the cash spigot is about to be turned on for Parks & Resorts, permitting for extra initiatives of this nature to (lastly!) occur. Certain, it’s not as thrilling as brand-new points of interest–and lots of of it’s possible you’ll lament extra rides being closed throughout your trip–however refurbishments are very a lot a necessity for sustaining applicable attraction requirements and guaranteeing that breakdowns don’t proceed to occur at a extra frequent price. So right here’s hoping we see extra on this entrance!
It’ll be fascinating to see whether or not Walt Disney World scrambles to schedule extra temporary refurbishment initiatives in Magic Kingdom between now and January 2025. Whereas this usually wouldn’t be the time for closures, it’s potential that Disney will need to get as many temporary refurbishments out of the best way earlier than Large Thunder goes down for over a yr. We’ll maintain you posted!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider the prolonged trip refurbishment/reimagining of Large Thunder Mountain Railroad? Hope these classics are up to date to make sure their longevity for many years to return? Do any points of interest at Walt Disney World strike you as being prime candidates for trip reimaginings? Do you agree or disagree with our selections? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
