4 Refurbishments Coming Soon to Walt Disney World (October 2019)

Saturday, October 19, 2019 - 06:36

3. Spaceship Earth (Epcot)

Image: Disney

Status: Confirmed

Dates: Spring 2020 - TBA 2021

Spaceship Earth will adjusting its theme away from the history of communication and towards "storytelling", in a landmark reimagining of this ride, which is rumored to reopen sometime in 2021. This attraction is even getting a plussed up name: Spacehip Earth: Our Shared Story, a moniker that was recently confirmed with the opening of the Epcot Experience preview center earlier this year.

This new version of Spaceship Earth will have a new narrator in the form of a story "Light", that will guide guests through this enhanced ride, that will include both familiar scenes with plussed up effects (as you can see above), and new scenes as well. This new character will be present in every scene and will also be speaking to guests throughout the attraction, explaining how storytelling has changed throughout time.

The reimagining of this attraction will be a massive undertaking and though Disney hasn't announced a closing date yet, we'd imagine that guests who want to experience this ride in its original form will probably want to do so before spring 2020, as rumors currently suggest that this attraction will close early next year (after the aforementioned Test Track refurbishment is complete), and will remain shuttered until sometime in 2021, when the new version is expected to open.

4. Walt Disney World Railroad (Magic Kingdom)

Status: Confirmed/Rumored

Dates: December 3, 2018 - Late 2020

The Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed for almost a full year now, and while Disney has not released any updates on the refurbishment of this attraction, recent rumors seem to indicate that it will be another full year at least until this attraction might reopen, as construction on the TRON Roller Coaster in Tomorrowland continues to press on.

Amanda KondolojyView Profile

Managing editor of Theme Park Tourist and dark ride enthusiast. Amanda is a lifelong theme parks fan who lives just outside Orlando. When she’s not booking FastPass+ reservations, standing in a queue or eating the latest specialty cupcake, you can find her watching a Marvel movie, reading a book (probably by Neil Gaiman) or singing along to showtunes in her car. Contact: [email protected]