RIDES CLOSED FOR MAINTENANCE AND REHAB AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Walt Disney World rides and attractions can be closed for maintenance, rehab, or replacement at any time.
The way I keep up with this is to check the “Refurbishments and Attraction Closures” part of the weekly Walt Disney World Resort Update section of MousePlanet.com.
That said, the most common time for attraction closures is January and early February. For this reason, this site suggests that first time visitors who are unsure whether or not they will ever return should avoid this period.
Why go during a period when some of the best of Walt Disney World may not be available?
For the currently known 2016 winter closures at Disney World, see this.
However, I’ve seen some claims that “only Splash Mountain is closed” during this period, so I went back and analyzed ride closures over the last five years to double check the facts.
The results of this analysis are presented below.
WINTER RIDE CLOSURES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Over the past five years, an average of three rides are closed in January at Walt Disney World. (This figure excludes rides closed for massive rehabs—e.g. a nine month do-over.)
The average number of closures drops sharply as mid-February and the President’s Day Weekend approaches, and continues to drop into March.
See the chart for daily averages (click it to enlarge it.)
Splash Mountain is indeed the most common ride to be closed in this period–it has been closed each of the last five years, for at least five days, and for an average of almost 30 days.
Other attractions closed more than once during the period include Test Track, Buzz Lightyear, the Backlot Tour, and the Liberty Belle riverboat. Other significant attractions closed at least once in winter include Rock N’ Roller Coaster, Kali River Rapids, and Indiana Jones.
There’s not much on this list I’d want to miss…so the advice to first time visitors who may not be able to return remains the same–avoid January and early February!
This advice is reflected in this site’s 2014 weeks to visit, ranked in order.
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99 Comments on "Winter Ride Closures at Walt Disney World"
Where can I find out which rides are closed in February 2015. We are planning on being at Magic Kingdom for 2 days. Which dates do u recommend, we are planning at this point for it to be in the first 2 weeks of Feb.
Hi Dave,
We are considering our first trip to WDW with two small girls (4yo and 1.5yo). Just wondering what the best dates would b for a 7 day trip staying in WDW for a family of 4? We’re driving down from NYC thinking of taking 10-12 days total including drive staying with family along the way. Any recommendations on hotels as well? Thinking budget.
And also, we don’t mind the ride closures – since we have small kids and it’ll be my first time ever, I’m not really sure what I’m missing.
Thanks in advance!
Dee
Hey Bob, thanks! Either the beginning or the end would be best–especially the 11th-13th.
Hi Dave,
Your blog is awesome.
We are coming down the two weeks February 11 thru February 23rd. Unfortunately they are the only days that work for our family. I see you are recommending that we avoid DW during President’s week due to long lines. We are planning three days at the park, which three days would you suggest between February 11 to February 23?
Thanks a bunch!
Thanks Dave for your response!