Splash Mountain will be closed starting Jan. 23, 2023 until 2024

[Orsino]

Thank you for this. We arrive just before it closes so I switched park reservations to MK. I'm guessing they will be gone shortly, so getting the heads up here early was nice.
Might end up changing it all back, but at least we can think about it instead of getting shut out. Originally we were planning 23 Jan as the first MK day.

 

[Jennasis]

We were on the ride at the bottom of the drop today when I got the news. Made that last trip even more special.

 

[matt and beth]

Ride needs work but not excited for the Tiana version. I loved Uncle Remus

 

[afwdwfan]

That’s disappointing… going in March and was hoping to be able to ride it one last time. Haven’t had a chance to get back since they announced the change. This was a family favorite.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Wish there was a way to bottle the smell of the interior sections of the ride in the summer...a mixture of bromine and air conditioning and must and whatever other intangible yet distinct odors those inside water rides give off.

 

[gmi3804]

Wish there was a way to bottle the smell of the interior sections of the ride in the summer...a mixture of bromine and air conditioning and must and whatever other intangible yet distinct odors those inside water rides give off.

Those rubber pads in front of the riders were always nasty-smelling. They stunk like musty towels that didn't dry enough. I always felt filthy getting off that ride.

 

[WalkingintheFog]

Darn! Going in Nov 2023. Always looked forward to Splash mountain! Haven‘t been to Florida since Nov 2016, and was so looking forward to some of my faves!
crazy how much has changed since then!

 

[RealBlast3]

Well....Tiana's theme and music sound like it could be a great ride.

If they don't use 'Almost There' as you near the end of the ride at some point, it will be one of the biggest missed opportunities ever!

 

[StarLime]

I didn’t know the name was getting changed too. It’s no longer going to be called Splash Mountain?

 

[CarolynFH]

I didn’t know the name was getting changed too. It’s no longer going to be called Splash Mountain?

No, it's "Tiana's Bayou Adventure" or something similar. Although the name could change before opening, it won't be Splash Mountain.

 

[RoyandWalt]

Rode it on Thursday, front row, full splash effect for what will turn out to be our final ride. I did notice many things not working.

 

[DavidNYC]

We happen to be there that weekend so are planning on closing out our evening at Splash Mountain. I'm curious as to what to expect! Wonder how many of us are going to try to get online at 9:59!

 

[DavidNYC]

Rode it on Thursday, front row, full splash effect for what will turn out to be our final ride. I did notice many things not working.

The jumping waters have not been working when we've been on it for longer than I can remember . . . a few other minor things as well but that's the one that always jumps out at me (or I guess doesn't jump out at me . . .)

 

[RoyandWalt]

That and no Brer Rabbit hopping with his nap sack was very obvious to me.

 

[Smugpugmug]

That and no Brer Rabbit hopping with his nap sack was very obvious to me.

I haven't seen that animatronic working in years. Even when they do "fix" it, there's always something wrong with it. You can see it hunched over in the corner if you sit on the left side of the boat. Reportedly it costs too much to fix it, so they don't bother most of the time.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

With this retheme a go, couldn’t Magic Kingdom at least merge their Liberty Square and Frontierland areas into one, either called "Americana", "Rivers of America", or "Countryland"? Problem solved.

 

[Jwaire]

They've known since 2018 (2017?) that they were going to replace it. That's why there's been very little maintenance done on the attraction.

After Shanghai, Iger and Weiss had a team of Imagineers (including legacy) and inclusivity experts led by Carmen Smith visit Disneyland and Walt Disney World to comb through every single attraction, store, water park, hotel, etc. to "update" for modern standards. Legacy Imagineer Doris Hardoon (Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, The Land pavilion, EPCOT, etc.) recently stated that they finished Walt Disney World right before the pandemic.

The committee came up with a proposal and it seems to be being implemented now. Obviously, Splash Mountain and Jungle Cruise were on the list, but I do wonder if that's how Snow White (at Disneyland) got updated too.

If they're going to do all the attractions—I'm sure Peter Pan and Country Bears are next. Tiki Room? Tom Sawyer's Island? The list goes on.

 

[ccchild]

They've known since 2018 (2017?) that they were going to replace it. That's why there's been very little maintenance done on the attraction.

After Shanghai, Iger and Weiss had a team of Imagineers (including legacy) and inclusivity experts led by Carmen Smith visit Disneyland and Walt Disney World to comb through every single attraction, store, water park, hotel, etc. to "update" for modern standards. Legacy Imagineer Doris Hardoon (Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, The Land pavilion, EPCOT, etc.) recently stated that they finished Walt Disney World right before the pandemic.

The committee came up with a proposal and it seems to be being implemented now. Obviously, Splash Mountain and Jungle Cruise were on the list, but I do wonder if that's how Snow White (at Disneyland) got updated too.

If they're going to do all the attractions—I'm sure Peter Pan and Country Bears are next. Tiki Room? Tom Sawyer's Island? The list goes on.

Interesting. Do you know why Snow White would have been flagged?

It's pretty shocking that that scene in Peter Pan has managed to stick around as long as it has. Wouldn't require a massive overhaul to get rid of it. (It's also shocking that a joke about shooting children is still in Country Bears, although not directly inclusivity-related.)

 

[Jwaire]

Interesting. Do you know why Snow White would have been flagged?

It's pretty shocking that that scene in Peter Pan has managed to stick around as long as it has. Wouldn't require a massive overhaul to get rid of it. (It's also shocking that a joke about shooting children is still in Country Bears, although not directly inclusivity-related.)

I don’t know, but would assume this committee was looking at all inclusivity including being child friendly—so changing the name and a few scenes in Snow White made it more inviting and less scary.

You can hear her talk briefly about the committee at the tail end of her 2 hour interview on The Progress City podcast.

She said some attractions just needed a few things changed. So it sounds like they were mindful of the importance of nostalgia and how precious some of these older attractions are.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-progress-city-radio-hour/id357374525?i=1000589001562

I love Country Bears, but it’s got to be on the chopping block completely or they’re going to completely redo it. Peter Pan is an easy fix like Snow White.

I also wonder about the future of the Poly? And if that’s not the reason we are seeing so many changes there. They recently renovated Kona and in the press release mentioned how it was now more authentic, etc.

 

[Seeker615]

Bummed this classic ride will be gone. If they needed a redo I think a Pocahontas themed ride would be a better fit then a Tiana ride. Tiana should have a presence over in liberty Square or something really cool at Port Orleans.