Walt Disney theme parks have an extensive schedule of new construction and refurbishment projects underway that can disrupt a visitor's trip to any given park.
Splash Mountain with a "Song of the South" theme at Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando closed it's doors forever on Jan. 23 for retheming to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, based on the animated feature film "Princess and the Frog," which is expected to open in late 2024. Disneyland's Splash Mountain ride in Anaheim, Calif., has remained opened at last check of the theme park's website on Feb. 28, operating 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the park has not yet revealed a closing date.
DON'T MISS: Disney's California Adventure Brings Back a Popular Attraction
However, Disneyland's website has a note regarding Splash Mountain that states: "An exciting refresh is coming soon! Splash Mountain will undergo a transformation—and will reopen in late 2024 as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a whimsical attraction inspired by The Princess and the Frog."
Splash Mountain Closing Still to Come
Disneyland on Jan. 9 closed its popular Indiana Jones Adventure ride in Adventureland for refurbishment with plans for completion and reopening in the spring of 2023. Disneyland on Feb. 12 said that it would reopen Indiana Jones on March 26, but WDW News Today noted the next day that the calendar for the ride says it will be closed that day and open on March 27.
Disneyland Resort's Mickey's Toontown land, which has been closed since March 9, 2022, and was set to reopen March 8, 2023, will instead open March 19, since Southern California winter storms interfered with the reconstruction and forced a postponement.
It's quite possible that Disneyland is waiting for the reopening of Mickey's Toontown, and maybe Indiana Jones Adventure, before closing Splash Mountain to prevent two major popular rides and a themed land from being closed at the same time.
But it's always good news when a popular ride reopens after a long or short closure. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a fast, gold mine-themed roller coaster-style ride at Disney World's Magic Kingdom, shut down on Jan. 9 for refurbishment for just a few days and already reopened on Jan. 14.
Theme Park Guests Love Water Rides
Theme park visitors are big fans of water rides on warm and hot days, as Comcast's (CMCSA) Universal Orlando Resort's Islands of Adventure features Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges; Six Flags Entertainment (SIX) theme parks have river raft rides, such as White Water Safari at Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif.; and Thunder Canyon at Cedar Fair (FUN) amusement parks.
Disney World's Animal Kingdom has Kali River Rapids to cool off overheated guests. The Animal Kingdom website advertises the ride as: Raft Down a Rip Roaring River.
"Skim across an erupting geyser, drift below a canopy of lush vegetation and be whisked along fast-moving rapids. Graze gushing waterfalls and bedrock amid the raging current. Then, as the harmony of nature is disrupted, you’ll plummet down a dramatic 20-foot slope!" the description states.
Oh, and "You Will Get Wet," it asserts.
Kali River Rapids closed for refurbishment on Jan. 9, 2023, with a reopening date set for March 17, Disney previously reported. But Animal Kingdom surprisingly reopened the ride on Feb. 27, more than two weeks early, BlogMickey reported.
