The never-ending construction, renovations and refurbishments underway at Walt Disney theme parks can interrupt a guest's visit and lead to missed opportunities from closed rides and attractions.
This year, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., has temporarily closed and reopened several fan favorite rides over time. In Fantasyland, the Peter Pan's Flight, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland rides all closed down during a peak season on the same day June 5 and were all reopened by June 29. But Alice in Wonderland closed down again on July 5 for more reconditioning before opening again.
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Next door to Disneyland at California Adventure, Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure closed for a short period beginning on June 5 and reopening June 8. On July 5, the Disneyland Monorail closed for a makeover, but has since reopened, and California Adventure's Soarin' Around The World shut its doors on July 5 for refurbishment and has reopened.
Splash Mountain at Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando closed on Jan. 23, 2023, while the same ride closed May 31, 2023, at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. Neither ride is listed among the theme parks' Attractions and Entertainment listings as they no longer exist. Both rides are being rethemed as Tiana's Bayou Adventure and will reopen sometime in 2024.
Iconic Mark Twain Riverboat closed for refurbishment
Currently the iconic Mark Twain Riverboat, which sails on Rivers of America in Frontierland in Disneyland, is closed for refurbishment, but no reopening date is listed on the Attractions and Entertainment webpage.
Tarzan's Treehouse in Adventureland at Disneyland closed in September 2021 for refurbishment and retheming and remained covered from public view for over two years. For many months, the theme park's guests speculated on what might be happening behind the scaffolding and opaque scrims that were wrapped around the treehouse.
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Swiss Robinson Treehouse reopens
Disney in November 2022 said that the rethemed treehouse would pay tribute to the original treehouse that Walt Disney and the Imagineers built in 1962 for the hit movie "Swiss Family Robinson." In October, the scaffoldings and scrims finally came down around the attraction to reveal a refurbished "Adventureland Treehouse, inspired by Walt Disney's Swiss Family Robinson." The attraction, which first opened in 1962 as the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, officially reopened on Nov. 10 to allow guests to again climb to the treetops above Adventureland, according to the DisneyParks website.
Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland also continue to feature the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse attraction. The Disneyland version of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, however, closed in 1999 and was transformed into Tarzan's Treehouse that same year.
For those who never explored the original treehouse, the tree’s boughs now support the Swiss Family mother’s music den, the sons’ nature room and the daughter’s astronomer’s loft. On the ground floor is a kitchen and dining room, plus the father’s art studio that display hand-drawn sketches and paintings of each room.
Adjacent to the stairwell is the home’s waterwheel, which is powered by a nearby small brook. The family created a pulley system to deliver water from the stream high up into the tree, generating the energy needed to activate many of their gadgets and inventions.
The highest part of the home features the daughter’s room that provides a clear view of the night sky for her study of astronomy with her many telescopes. The mother’s room consists of musical instruments including a harp, lute, guitar and organ, which she plays. The twin brothers' has a large collection of plants and animals, all living in harmony with one another.
