One of the biggest Disney stories of the last couple of years was the announcement of a Princess and the Frog ride replacing Splash Mountain but since this announcement, Disney has revealed very little about this project.
So it was time for an update on what is known about the project, and what is not known about the project. Most specifically, to look at when splash mountain will be closing at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Now the first question, when will two versions of Splash Mountain close?
Both versions just recently got a refurbishment, the first refurbishment they've gotten since the parks reopened from the pandemic. So what does this mean? The longest that Splash Mountain has ever gone without a refurbishment is two years, but on average the ride really goes into refurbishment once every year. This refurbishment is almost certainly going to be the last refurbishment that this version of Splash Mountain gets, so the next closure will end up being the permanent one.
That then puts the very latest closing for Splash Mountain as being in early winter 2024 for both versions of Splash Mountain. However, it is more than likely that the closure is going to come before that, and that both will close at roughly the same time.
So when's this gonna happen. This will probably have to do with a couple of events at Walt Disney World. The first is the Walt Disney World 50th anniversary celebration. This is set to go until March 2023, and it would be surprising to see Splash Mountain close at the Magic Kingdom during the main months of the celebration. It could maybe close prior to the end of the celebration, potentially in January as by then the celebration will be winding down, but almost certainly not in 2022. That would put the earliest potential closure in January of 2023. This would place the closing of Splash Mountain sometime between winter 2023 and winter 2024.
This would also go along with another major development at the Magic Kingdom, that being the opening of Tron. Assuming Tron opens by this time, its opening would allow Disney the chance to close down a major ride like Splash Mountain.
A 2023 closing also makes sense for Disneyland. Disneyland is also set to get a new ride in roughly this time frame, that ride being the Disneyland clone of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. Similarly once this opens it could allow Disney the chance to close down a major ride like Splash Mountain, especially because in Disneyland this not only means that Runaway Railway is opening but that the entirety of Toontown is reopening alongside it including all of its attractions and shops. For a small landlocked park like Disneyland, this is incredibly important if they are going to be closing a people-eating attraction like Splash Mountain.
Beyond this, the question still remains of if this closure will mean the railroads at Walt Disney World and Disneyland need to close for this, which could complicate the refurbishment.
Follow Theme Parks and Entertainment on Twitter
Comments
Post a Comment