As part of a big summer news drop (that included some deals we covered here), Walt Disney World provided some updates on when some new / updated / refurbished attractions will be opening. No need for more preamble—here are the dates, with commentary to follow:
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (Magic Kingdom) reopens April 8
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Magic Kingdom) reopens early May
Soarin’ Around the World (EPCOT) closed starting May 14 (last day May 13)
Soarin’ Across America (EPCOT) debuts May 26
Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! (Hollywood Studios) debuts May 26
Bluey’s Wild World (Animal Kingdom) debuts May 26
Three of these announcements can be pretty quickly discussed:
The updated Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is looking like it’ll be a real hit, and we’re excited to see it finally reopen, having been closed since August. The ride was much in need of updates (and we say that as a family that absolutely loves it). April 8 is cleanly within the “spring 2026” reopening timeframe we were initially given.
Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live! is a show that already exists at Disney California Adventure. Notably, it will be the first part of The Walt Disney Studios Lot—the Animation Courtyard replacement at Hollywood Studios—to open. With it, the courtyard itself will open. The Magic of Disney Animation, which will include Olaf Draws!, will open later in the summer.
Bluey’s Wild World takes over Conservation Station. What most interests me about this is just crowd management. On the one hand, Animal Kingdom should see lower crowds this year as Dinoland USA is gone and many families are eagerly awaiting Tropical Americas. But if those small crowds converge on the relatively low-capacity Wildlife Express Train to go see Bluey, it might get messy.
Now, onto the more interesting matters…
What Is Spring? Is A Soft Opening an Opening? And When Do Two Rights Make a Wrong?
One surprise here is that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Magic Kingdom) won’t reopen until early May. While technically still spring—the season Big Thunder was set to open—early May is after spring break season and closer to Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of summer vacation season in the United States.
Still, it’s not shocking that a ride that was closed for over a year for a major refurbishment, in a park with a lot of work ongoing, is opening a bit later than we might have initially estimated.
But we also have to point out the opening date for Soarin’ Across America (EPCOT) diverges from what Disney previously advertised. Disney originally said it would open “by Memorial Day”, which is Monday, May 25. It now is set to open Tuesday, May 26. This date, which you see twice more on that above list, is the kickoff of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER—Disney World’s summer…celebration? themed season? event?
I’m guessing there are a few guests who were scheduled to fly home on Memorial Day, expecting to get to see Soarin’ Across America before that because the ride had been advertised as opening by Memorial Day. We always remind you that all attractions and shows are subject to availability—ultimately, you can’t be 100% sure anything will be available the day you visit. Insofar as we all just have to let some things go, it’s best to let this one go. With that said…
At the risk of making a mountain out of a molehill, I’m a little disappointed by this decision. It’s clearly a decision—there’s no way they couldn’t get the ride open a single day earlier. And it’s a decision to overtly stick it to guests—or at least guest expectations, as we’ll see—as part of a marketing strategy built around this May 26 date (which is chosen specifically to get guests to visit after the popular Memorial Day weekend).
That said, with any attraction debut / re-opening, there’s a chance for a soft opening, and I think it’s pretty likely in this case for at least a few reasons. This is pure speculation on my part (I don’t really care for speculating, but it serves an argumentative purpose here), but here are some relevant factors:
The holiday weekend will have high crowds, so increased ride capacity will be particularly helpful for the park as a whole.
Keeping May 26 as the “official” date allows the ride to stay off Lightning Lane Multi Pass for the weekend, which allows greater standby capacity.
Maybe some people will grin and say, “that Walt Disney, he keeps his word!” when the ride “opens” “by” Memorial Day.
Both Frozen Ever After (EPCOT) and Test Track 3.0 (EPCOT) recently soft opened following not-minor and major refurbishments, respectively.
A gap between Soarin’ films isn’t operationally necessary (see Disney California Adventure’s frequent swaps, including the July 2 debut of Soarin’ Across America after Soarin’ Over California ends July 1).
Of course, the 12 days of closure of EPCOT’s Soarin’ will probably be for more than just a film changeover. Any attraction can use refurbishment work every so often. But the balance of these factors suggests we’ll see the ride soft open before May 26.
Would a soft open mollify my criticism at all? It’s true that significantly fewer people are impacted if the ride is actually operating by the date Disney said the ride would be operating (Memorial Day). Maybe a few people actually change their plans because of this, but I have to concede that soft opening by Memorial Day leaves me with little to complain about.
But then we’re in the position of saying it’s okay because they’re just intentionally toying with people’s expectations. If anything, I’d find it a bit more gross and gamey to do that. If you say a ride will be open by a specific date, and you can open the ride by that specific date, then it’s not cool to play around with guests’ expectations just for the sake of marketing or crowd management. (FWIW, yes, I think seasonal deadlines, like “spring 2026”, are different).
I want to wave my hands and say “C’mon, you know these things are always subject to change! And it’s only one day!” But that combination of very reasonable points is worse than the sum of its parts.
How are you managing these uncertain times?
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