2024 Disneyland Refurbishment Schedule
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Between Walt Disney’s original Disneyland Park and its sister park, Disney California Adventure, the Disneyland Resort offers its guests more than 90 rides and attractions.
Some were designed and built recently, like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which opened in 2023. Others, like Jungle Cruise, opened with the park all the way back in 1955.
The Disneyland Resort is open all year long and serves thousands of guests on a daily basis. Maintaining and updating these attractions is essential for guest safety and keeping them relevant.
To achieve this, Disney will periodically close attractions throughout the year. It could be for safety improvements, adding new scenes, installing new special effects, or to re-theme the attraction all together.
While these refurbishments are necessary, there’s nothing more disappointing than showing up to the park expecting to jump on your favorite attraction, all to be caught off guard with a closure.
To prevent this disappointment, Disney releases refurbishment related closures 45 days in advance (though there are instances where they occur at the last minute). In this post, I relentlessly keep track of all that information so you don’t have to.
Below, you’ll find the 2024 refurbishment calendar for both parks at the Disneyland Resort. I’ll also sprinkle in information about new restaurant openings in Downtown Disney and information on known projects.
*Pro Tip: Be sure to bookmark/save this post to your device so you can refer to it later. I’m constantly updating it as Disney releases new information.
*Quick Note: If you’re looking to book a vacation to the Disneyland Resort (or Disney World, Disney Cruise, Universal and more) consider tapping/clicking the above image to visit our partners at Get Away Today. Going through them is the same as going directly through Disney only through them, you’ll receive personalized service by Disney experts and receive the absolute best price and any accompanying discounts. By going through Get Away Today, you’ll be getting the best price on your vacation and support our website at the same time.
To see their amazing deals on your favorite destinations, click/tap here (and tell them we said “hi”)
*ALSO…
Knowing which rides are closed is only one part of the equation when planning a trip to Disneyland. Below, we’ve listed a few more of our Disneyland related posts that we think you’d find useful:
“Disneyland Rider Switch: How To Take Advantage of This Little Known Perk”
“Oogie Boogie Bash: Ticket Prices, Event Dates, Villains Grove, and More”
“Disneyland Dining Guide: Mobile Order, Reservations, and More”
Disneyland Park Attraction Closures
Astro Orbitor: Closed November 27th, 2023 - March 28th
Blue Bayou Restaurant: January 7th - January 19th
Critter Country: May 1st - TBD
Disneyland Monorail: March 15th only
Fantasmic: Returning May 24th
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln: April 16 - TBD
Haunted Mansion: January 21st - TBD (I expect it to be down until the Halloween season)
It’s A Small World: January 8th - January 17th (to take down the Christmas overlay)
Magic Happens Parade: Returning February 2nd
Mark Twain Riverboat: September 17th, 2023 - February 24th
Matterhorn Bobsleds: April 15th - April 25
Matterhorn Bobsleds: April 29th - May 2nd
New Orleans Square Train Station: January 28th - TBD
Sailing Ship Columbia: January 8th - January 11th
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: May 1st - TBD
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: Expected to open late 2024
Wondrous Journeys: Returning March 22nd
As far as Disneyland goes, there are a few usual suspects that receive the annual refurb treatment. At the top of that list is Matterhorn Mountain. While nothing has been announced yet, I do expect it to happen at some point.
Another expectation is for Disney to take it easy on refurbs this year, given the fact that both Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain/Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, two massively popular attractions, will be down for the majority of the year.
The former will be going through a huge refresh on its queue and exit areas (in addition to a new gift shop) while the latter is being reimagined into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Fantasyland attractions are workhorses with very minimal downtime (2023 being the exception). Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler’s Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge have yet to see a major refurb since opening in 2019 and I don’t expect that to change in 2024.
Indiana Jones Adventure went through two refurbs in 2023. One for about three months and another for just a few days. I doubt it’ll go through another one this year. A lengthy one, anyway.
So in 2024, I predict just a few, if any, major refurbs on any other attractions. Especially the popular ones. Crowd management has been a major concern of Disney’s top brass in recent years, so I doubt they’ll take another attraction down unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Disney California Adventure Attraction Closures
Beast’s Library: Permanently closed as of December 10th, 2023
Grizzly River Run: January 8th - February 29th
Incredicoaster: March 4th - March 14th
Incredicoaster: April 8th - April 18th
Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: January 22nd - February 8th
Paradise Garden Grill: January 8th - January 21st
Radiator Springs Racers: February 26th - March 1st
Redwood Creek Challenge: March 4th - TBD (rumored to be closed until June)
Rogers: The Musical: Rumored to return Summer 2024
Soarin’ Over CALIFORNIA: Returning March 1st - April 22nd
World of Color: January 8th - January 18th
On the DCA side of things, there were quite a few major refurbs in 2023 that I think will have an impact on 2024 operations. For instance, Radiator Springs Racers, which hadn’t seen a major refurb since opening in 2012, went down in 2023.
I initially didn’t have Radiator Springs Racers on my 2024 refurb bingo card but lone and behold, it was added to the calendar on January 15th. On February 26th, for a - thus far - undetermined amount of time, this fan favorite attraction will go down for a refurb.
This is likely Disney learning its lesson from last year’s debacle, when a few of the ride vehicles starting smoking and catching fire. This lead them to closing the attraction for a semi-lengthy refurb to address the issues that snowballed during its eleven year run without any real downtime.
I predict it’ll be a quick one, likely only two or three days. It may not be in the same park, but there are already TWO mega-popular attractions down at Disneyland Park. Adding another to the list, for an extended amount of time, isn’t something they’re keen on doing unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Grizzly River Run, the park’s sole water-based attraction, is going down for its annual winter refresh. I expect to reopen either at the end of February or sometime in March.
*Edit: Grizzly River Run will reopen on March 1st
In early 2023, WEB Slingers, the Spider-Man attraction in Avengers Campus, was scheduled for a short refurb but was quickly canceled due to the need to take Radiator Springs Racers down. It’s possible we could see it pop up on the 2024 calendar.
There are fewer attractions in DCA versus Disneyland Park, so refurbishments on this side of the resort don’t occur as often. This is partially due to crowd management concerns, but also because the attractions in DCA are newer than those at Disneyland, so they don’t require as much TLC.
Downtown Disney Restaurant Openings + Closures
Clyde’s Hot Chicken: Opening date TBD (they’ve opened a temporary kiosk near the Monorail station)
Din Tai Fung: Opening date TBD
GG’s Chicken Shop: Opening date TBD
Great Maple: Opened November 15th, 2023
Paseo & Centrico: Opening date TBD
Porto’s Bakery & Cafe: Opening date TBD
Seoul Sister: Opening date TBD
Sip and Sonder: Opening date TBD
Tortilla Jo’s: Permanently closing on March 31st
The only new closure in Downtown Disney that is likely in 2024 is Tortilla Jo’s. There’s been no confirmation, but there’s a strong rumor claiming it’ll close sometime in March.
The location Tortilla Jo’s is in now will be the likely new home for Earl of Sandwich (Porto’s Bakery is taking over the space EOS is in now).
When it does close, Disney will likely bulldoze the Tortilla Jo’s building, as it wouldn’t make sense, thematically, for EOS to move into the current space. This way, Earl will finally have its own, custom space.
January Update: Disney announced on January 10th that Tortilla Jo’s will permanently close on March 31st. The attached Taqueria closes April 13th.
Ongoing/Future Projects
In 2024, construction at the resort is expected to be lite. Thus far, there have been no major announcements outside of what we already know.
However, there will be another D23 event this year, where big park project announcements are often made (unless you’re talking about the 2022 event).
The 2022 event was held during the Bob Cheapskate...sorry…Chapek era. It was lackluster, at best. The only real surprise from that event was San Fransokyo in California Adventure.
With Bob Iger back at the helm, I’m holding out hope for bigger announcements at this year’s event. With all that aside, let’s get to the projects we already know about.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
If you haven’t heard of this yet, you must’ve been under a rock. Last May, Splash Mountain was permanently closed to make way for its reimagining into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Construction is well underway, with the former mountain (now resembling more of a hill) adorned in scaffolding and high-visibility vests. The once burnt orange exterior is slowly being overtaken in greenery resembling moss.
Disney still claims a late 2024 opening but honestly, I’m doubtful. The Florida version definitely will, as they’re further along in the process due to closing months sooner than Disneyland’s.
Im not saying it’s impossible. To their credit, they have beefed up the amount of contractors on the project, but it still looks far behind. Hopefully I’m wrong, but an early 2025 opening seems more realistic.
Haunted Mansion Queue
The other major project in Disneyland Park is the expansion of the Haunted Mansion grounds (queue space) and the addition of a mansion-themed gift shop at the attraction’s exit.
The existing queue has become ineffective at containing guests, as it regularly backs into the already congested Magnolia Park (the tree-covered space between mansion and Tiana’s Palace).
To address this issue, Disney plans to expand the queue area in the space formally occupied by the attraction’s FastPass distribution stations. There will be multiple gardens, each themed after Master Gracey, Madame Leota and the one-eyed cat.
Another reason for this expansion is to make the attraction more ADA compliant. Currently, it’s quite inconvenient for those with disabilities to get on and off the attraction.
After the stretching room, you’re forced to squeeze into a small space on the side of the hallway leading to the Doom Buggies. Additionally, you don’t exit the normal way. You’re sent back to the loading station, where you’ll again squeeze through that small space in the hallway and go out again through the congested stretching room.
During the expansion, an ADA elevator is going to be installed near the loading station, allowing guests with mobility issues to enter and exit the attraction through their own entrance/exit, currently known as, ‘The Tomb’. It is located to the side of the current queue area, near the train tracks.
It remains to be seen how they plan to fit a gift shop into the exit area, as it’s a fairly small space. I’m assuming it’ll expand into that small enclave between Haunted Mansion and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Avengers Campus Expansion
I’m beginning to feel like a broken record with this topic, as it’s the third year in a row that I’ve included this on my refurbishment posts and there has been zero progress on this attraction.
The attraction I’m referring to is the highly anticipated Avengers themed simulator. While not confirmed, small details about the attraction were given during the lackluster 2022 D23 parks panel presentation.
It was said that guests would team up with their favorite Avengers to do battle with a new version of Thanos (King Thanos). They even shared art concepts of both King Thanos and the ride vehicle.
Based on the concepts of the ride vehicle and the attractions storyline, this has simulator written all over it. Despite these details, there has been no new construction on it or even a loose idea of when construction would begin.
Personally, I think the reason for the delay is because they keep changing their minds. Disney badly wants to do a simulator, as they’re much easier and cheaper to build than a traditional, highly-themed ride.
Fans, however, are clamoring for an Avengers version of EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy - Cosmic Rewind attraction. It has been proven by many Disney sleuths that there is indeed enough space back there to make it happen.
That said, I do predict that we’ll get a formal announcement about this attraction at D23. From there, I don’t expect ground to break until at least early 2025 and given their current pace on projects, an opening date sometime in 2029, at the earliest, seems likely.
Avatar Experience
This is another project you can classify as, “probably happening, but definitely not for a long time”. Nearly one year ago during an earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Iger made the out-of-nowhere statement that an Avatar “experience” would be coming to the Disneyland Resort.
There were no details provided and when pressed, Iger wouldn’t clarify what he meant by, “experience”. A few days later, an additional statement by Disney stated that this experience would be, “as amazing”, as Animal Kingdom’s ‘Pandora: World of Avatar’.
Since that statement, there hasn’t been any official word from Disney about the subject, nor do I expect to hear one anytime soon. We may get teaser concepts at D23 in August, but that’s about it.
The big question is what, exactly, will it be? Notice the word, “experience”. Iger didn’t use “attraction” or “land”. This tells me that we may be getting some kind of walk-through attraction or something akin to a broadway-style show.
However, if they’re being truthful in their statement that it’ll be, “as amazing”, as Pandora in Florida, then they have to be downplaying it and are planning a Galaxy’s Edge-sized land, right? That’s the hope. In my opinion, anything less just wouldn’t do this franchise justice.
The other burning question is…where? Galaxy’s Edge took up a large chunk of the last of the unused real estate in Disneyland and just by looking at an arial photo of the park, there doesn’t seem to be anything close to that size remaining.
California Adventure is in an even worse predicament as it pertains to space. In that park, the only thing that would make sense is if they re-themed the Grizzly Peak area of the park into Pandora. That would likely mean both the Grizzly River Run and Soarin’ attractions would either need to be outright replaced or receive an awkward re-skin.
In my opinion, this project likely won’t see the light of day unless Disney’s rezoning plans in their DisneylandForward campaign are approved by Anaheim officials. If so, they’ll have a size-able chunk of space across Disneyland Drive to expand both DCA and Disneyland Park (as well as Downtown Disney).
This is the only way I can see them bringing a Pandora-style land to the resort. Without getting these zoning plans approved, we’re likely going to have to settle for a re-themed Grizzly Peak in DCA or a walk-through attraction in the Innovations building in Tomorrowland.
Downtown Disney + Resort Hotel Projects
In addition to the parks, Disney is currently in the midst of bringing new dining and entertainment options to their on-property hotels and Downtown Disney district.
For starters, the former Paradise Pier Hotel will complete its transition into Pixar Place Hotel on January 30th. This transition includes a brand new restaurant, Great Maple, which has already opened.
A few months ago, Disney opened another new eatery called The Palm Springs Bar, which is located on the ground level of the hotel’s new The Villas Tower. This is in addition to a new lounge in the space formally occupied by the shuttered Steakhouse 55.
Throughout Downtown Disney, construction is still well underway. A number of new restaurants are coming to the district in 2024. These include:
A food hall style building called, “Parkside Market”. The restaurants that’ll make-up this market are, “Seoul Sister”, “Sip and Sonder”, “GG’s Chicken Shop”, and a yet-to-be-named second story bar.
“Din Tai Fung”
“Paseo”
“Centrico”
“Clyde’s Hot Chicken”
“Porto’s Bakery and Cafe”
There hasn’t been official word from Disney but based purely on the description of the upcoming Parkside Market, it sounds like they’ve finally found a use for the former ESPN building.
While their permanent location hasn’t opened yet, Clyde’s Hot Chicken has opened a kiosk near the Monorail station. During our last visit we tried their “Hot as Cluck” fried chicken and it was so, so good. They’ll for sure be a popular spot.
As far as when all this construction will be complete, late 2024 is the current favorite timeline. Although I can see some of it bleeding over into early 2025 (namely the food hall).
