Disneyland will close six attractions for seasonal refurbishments just days after the busy Christmas holiday season comes to an end and blocked out Magic Key annual passholders flood back into the Anaheim theme parks.
It’s a Small World, Grizzly River Run, Sailing Ship Columbia and the “World of Color” water show will temporarily close Jan. 7 or 8 as part of Disneyland’s standard refurbishment schedule.
The four new attraction closures join the Astro Orbitor and Mark Twain Riverboat that were already shuttered for refurbishment.
The timing of the attraction closures coincides with the end of the Christmas holiday season at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on Sunday, Jan. 7.
It’s a Small World will be closed Jan. 7-18 to remove the annual seasonal holiday overlay.
Crowds are expected to be thick for Small World during the final few days of the holiday overlay as tourists disappear and passholders return after a two-week blockout.
ALSO SEE: Top 25 for 2024: Best new theme park rides and attractions
The Grizzly River Run will close during the coldest part of the year in typically sunny Southern California when fewer visitors want to get soaked on the water ride.
Grizzly River Run will be out of commission starting Monday, Jan. 8 for a temporary refurbishment that will stretch at least through mid-February.
Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader do battle in a scene projected on to mist screens as part of “World of Color — One” at Disney California Adventure. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The new “World of Color — One” debuted in January 2023 as part of the Disney100 celebration.
The DCA nighttime spectacular will go down for an extended 8-week refurbishment from Jan. 8 through Feb. 29.
The temporary closure of the Sailing Ship Columbia will be short-lived on Jan. 8-11 — and briefly sideline both big ships that ply the Rivers of America.
The Mark Twain Riverboat has been closed for refurbishment since mid-September and will return Feb. 3, according to the Disneyland website.
Scaffolding has surrounded the paddlewheeler docked at Pelican Landing while the riverboat that plays a key role in “Fantasmic” gets a heavy dose of TLC during the nighttime spectacular’s extended downtime.
The Mark Twain Riverboat carries Disney characters down The Rivers of America during Fantasmic! at Disneyland in Anaheim, on Monday, July 17, 2017. Fantasmic! is Disney’s longest-running nighttime show.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“Fantasmic” will return on May 24 after a yearlong hiatus following an inferno that engulfed the show’s audio-animatronic fire-breathing dragon.
Astro Orbitor closed in late November and will undergo refurbishment through Winter 2024.
The rocket spinner ride at the entrance to Tomorrowland in Disneyland is expected to return between mid-February and mid-March.
The latest temporary closures don’t include Splash Mountain — which is undergoing an extensive conversion into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The Critter Country log flume ride is scheduled to reopen with a new “Princess and the Frog” theme late this year.
Related Articles
California travel 2024: 10 hot new hotels, attractions and theme park rides in the Golden State
Top 25 for 2024: Best new theme park rides and attractions
Disneyland chemical spill injures 2 employees
Top theme park moments of 2023
12 places you can’t visit in 2024
Also not on the temporarily “out of order” list are several attractions that never returned following the year-long pandemic closure that shuttered Disneyland and DCA.
Disneyland’s Star Wars Launch Bay and DCA’s Blue Sky Cellar are being used for Imagination Campus — an educational travel workshop that teaches students about the arts and sciences used in Disney theme parks.
The Magic Eye Theater in Tomorrowland remains dark with no upcoming show in the works. The Hyperion Theater in Hollywood Land briefly returned for a summertime run of “Rogers: The Musical” before closing again with nothing planned for the 2,000-seat Broadway caliber venue.
The Fantasyland Theatre will soon shutter when “Tale of the Lion King” ends its run on Jan. 7.
+ There are no comments
Add yours