Refurbishment Update & Test Track Plans

As a reminder, Thunder Mountain Railroad (Magic Kingdom) is now closed for a pretty significant refurbishment. It is expected to re-open on May 28.  Dumbo the Flying Elephant (MK) is also now closed in order to move the existing Dumbo to the new location of the "new and improved" Dumbo that will be twice its current size. The new Dumbo will re-open on February 18.

A few other closures worth noting:

• House of Innoventions (Epcot) remains closed and is expected to reopen on May 15 with a new sponsor.


• The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (MK) is closed until March 28.


• Fantasmic! (Disney's Hollywood Studios) is dark until February 13.


• Tutto Italia Ristorante (Epcot) is closed until May 1.


• Typhoon Lagoon is closed for winter refurbishment until March 18.


• The Grand Floridian Spa is closed to accomodate work on the new DVC villas. It will reopen around June of 2013.


• The beach at the Polynesian Resort is closed for "sand renourishment" until January 17.

In other big news, Disney has confirmed that General Motors will renew its sponsorship of Test Track (Epcot) and that the attraction will undergo a lengthy refurbishment beginning in April. There are some unique elements in the works, as evidenced in this excerpt from the Disney press release:

As part of the re-imagining, the Future World attraction will feature a sleek new “Chevrolet Design Center at Epcot” immersing Guests in the fascinating world of automotive design. Amid upbeat music, engaging media, dramatic lighting and a collection of Chevrolet concept cars and model vehicles, guests themselves will become automotive designers – and peer into the future of personal transportation in the process.

At interactive design and styling workstations, Guests will be able to create their own custom concept vehicles. The adventure will then shift into high gear as Guests buckle into their 6-person “SimCar” ride vehicle and put their design through its paces on the exhilarating hills, switchbacks and straight-aways of the Test Track circuit.

You can read the press release in its entirety here.

Refurbishment Update

I have a few refurbishments to tell you about. First, the Liberty Belle Riverboat (Liberty Square, Magic Kingdom) will take a two-day refurbishment beginning today. It should be back to normal operations by Friday. Next, the Voyage of the Little Mermaid (Disney's Hollywood Studios) will be out of commission from August 15 through September 4. (Let's hope they stick to the schedule, as my little mermaids will be very disappointed if this attraction is still closed when we visit in mid-September!)

Finally, the water parks. Blizzard Beach will be closed for its yearly refurbishmment beginning October 30, and it set to reopen by December 4. Typhoon Lagoon will then close on December 4 and will reopen by March 18. (Why would anyone want to go to a water park--even in Florida--during those months? Seriously, I need at least 90 degrees to even consider it.)

That's about all for now. Expect more winter refurbishments to be announced in the coming weeks.