A Popular Disney World Coaster Is CLOSED — Here's What to Ride Instead

If you’re visiting Disney World soon, you need to be PREPARED.

Do you have your Park Pass? Have you made sure you’re taking advantage of the latest hotel deals and discounts? Do you know the ins and outs of Genie+? Have you grabbed all of the dining reservations you need? You might have already checked those off your to-do list already but there’s another thing you might not be expecting that you NEED to know about — ride closures.

Ride closures can be scheduled as part of a designated refurbishment project, but many times, rides can suddenly and unexpectedly close during your trip due to other issues, like technical problems or weather. If you aren’t at least prepared for the idea of that potentially happening to you, the flow of your trip could be seriously impacted.

While we were in Magic Kingdom on April 23rd, we noticed that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed. There was a line of Cast Members standing in front of the ride.

Sometimes ride closures like these will only last a few minutes. But other times, they can last for several hours. Cast Members were unable to say when the ride would reopen.

So if you are in Magic Kingdom while Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is closed (we’ve seen it unexpectedly close pretty frequently), what should you do? Well, if you were looking for the thrill of a coaster, you can head to Space Mountain or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

If you don’t want to stray too far away from Big Thunder Mountain in case it reopens, you could grab a snack at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe or sit in the air conditioning and enjoy Country Bear Jamboree.

Here’s what to do if a ride suddenly closes during your trip:

Check the My Disney Experience app constantly for updates (if a wait time for the ride is displayed, you’ll know the ride has likely reopened)
Ask Cast Members outside of the ride if they know what has happened and if they have a better idea about when the ride might reopen
Come up with a plan “B” in advance in case one of your must-do rides unexpectedly closes
Mentally prepare little ones for potential closures by discussing the possibility at home
Use that closure time to knock other things off of your list, take a break, grab a snack, or otherwise utilize your time in the park!

UPDATE: As of 12:30PM, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has reopened.

We’ll continue to look for more updates and let you know what we find.