CONFIRMED: Full List of Disney World Ride Closures in August 2024

If you’re visiting Walt Disney World in August, you NEED this info.

Refurbishments and ride closures for maintenance are a fact of life at Walt Disney World and have been since the resort opened over 50 years ago. Unfortunately, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever take a trip to the “Most Magical Place on Earth” when every ride is operational. However, it’s always better to at least know about any scheduled closures beforehand, as opposed to once you arrive. 

These are the currently scheduled and confirmed Walt Disney World ride closures for August of 2024. 

Peter Pan’s Flight

Probably the most devastating closure — at least for those of a certain age group — is that of Peter Pan’s Flight. The definitive Fantasyland dark ride remains one of the most popular rides in the Magic Kingdom, as evidenced by the fact that it often has the second-highest average wait time in the whole park.

The ride will be closing for about a month and a half, beginning on July 8th with a scheduled reopening of August 21st. While Disney has not made any specific comment on the ride’s downtime, a construction permit was filed by Disney Imagineering in May. Generally, these types of permits are reserved for elements that guests will be able to see. The contractor for the project is InterAmerica Stage, Inc. which specializes in stage rigging and machinery, further pointing to work on guest-facing elements of the ride. 

Test Track

EPCOT’s Test Track closed for refurbishment on June 17th, and will be closed through August… and much longer than that. While Disney has been relatively tight-lipped about specifics, the pieces of concept art they’ve raised show some massive changes. First off, the outdoor facade of the attraction appears like it will look quite different.

The second piece of concept art implies brand-new show scenes. This jives with several rumors indicating that Disney will be integrating some homages, if not more, of Test Track’s processor World of Motion into the ride. 

Test Track is expected to reopen in the spring of 2025, though no official opening date has been announced. 

Voyage of The Little Mermaid 

We would understand if you’d debate this being a “refurbishment” project vs a closure and replacement, but in the end, it’s a bit of semantics. The Voyage of the Little Mermaid live show has been closed since the COVID pandemic shut down Walt Disney World in 2020. 

In 2023, Disney confirmed that the original show would not be returning. Instead, a new interpretation of the show that features “stunning new set pieces, cutting-edge effects, and a bold new design that captures Ariel’s imagination and emotions through her unique view of the world around her” will be coming to the space.

The new show, which features a hybrid of mo-cap, puppetry, and live performers will feature several songs including  “Part of Your World,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and “Kiss the Girl”.” The show is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.

Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise will be temporarily closing starting on August 26th at Magic Kingdom for a refurbishment. The Disney World calendar shows the ride is closed through at least September, but it should be up again before the holidays, when it gets a holiday overlay theme.

In addition to these confirmed closures, there’s a MASSIVE rumored one on the horizon. On June 14th, 2024, Disney filed a permit for general construction on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The permit features a specific expiration date of August 8th, 2025, which indicates a longer project than the automatic year period most permits come with. The permit cites Coastal Steel Inc. as the contractor for the work, which further indicates a large-scale project as the firm refers to itself as “a leader in steel erection” including ride systems and roller coasters. Nothing has been announced so far, but given the timeline, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Big Thunder Mountain close sometime around August.

While there’s nothing you can do if these scheduled refurbishment closures interfere with your vacation, it’s best to know about them beforehand and plan accordingly. Stay tuned to AllEars for further Walt Disney World ride closure updates. 

4 (!!!) Disney Attractions Will Be Closing for Refurbishment SOON

Are you going to miss any of these attractions on a Disney World trip this summer? Let us know in the comments below. 

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