Are you REALLY prepared for 2023 in Disney World?

We’ve got some big opening dates coming up, like the TRON Lightcycle Run, Roundup Rodeo BBQ, and the completion of the EPCOT transformation. But unfortunately, there will also be some closures. We already know about a lot of them, and we’re here with the FULL list for 2023 so far!

The easiest way to sort out this list is to go by location, so let’s head to each park and the resorts and see what we’ve got so far!

Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World Railroad

Let’s start things out with a classic Magic Kingdom ride that has been closed for a WHILE — the Walt Disney World Railroad. It closed back in 2018 when construction was starting on the TRON Lightcycle Run coaster in Tomorrowland. Now that the coaster is close to completion, we’ve seen the railroad tracks completed and testing begin on the train.

Disney hasn’t announced a reopening date yet, but we’re hoping that it’ll come soon. We can’t wait to ride around Magic Kingdom again!

TRON Lightcycle Run

And speaking of TRON Lightcycle Run, it’s not ready to open quite yet! The ride should officially start taking guests sometime in spring 2023, but a specific date hasn’t been announced.

Until then, you can watch construction progress (and possibly ride testing!) from the PeopleMover in Tomorrowland. It gives a great view!

Splash Mountain

The biggest closure in 2023 will be Splash Mountain in Frontierland. This ride is closing permanently on January 23rd, 2023 to make way for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

The retheme of the ride will bring characters from Princess and the Frog, along with new music, new animatronics, and a new storyline. The new ride isn’t expected to open until 2024, so this attraction will be closed for a while.

Read all about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure here! 

50th Anniversary Celebrations

Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebrations officially end on March 31st, 2023. For 18 months, Disney gave us special entertainment, snacks, merchandise, and more, but it’s unclear what things will go “back to normal” at the end of the anniversary.

Will the 50th Anniversary cavalcade remain, or will we get the old ones back? Will we still get to watch Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire? We’ll have to wait and see what comes next, but there are likely to be some entertainment changes. Do note, however, that 2023 kicks off The Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary and celebrations and new merchandise will be found at the parks and resorts.

Disney Enchantment

And speaking of entertainment changes, one thing that we KNOW is happening is that Disney Enchantment will be ending. The fireworks show arrived for the 50th Anniversary and it will be departing in 2023. At the D23 Expo, Disney announced that the “Happily Ever After” song would be returning in the next fireworks show.

However, Disney didn’t make it clear whether or not we’d get the Happily Ever After fireworks show back in all its glory from pre-anniversary. They also haven’t shared a closing date for Enchantment. Stay tuned for more details as we get them!

Other Offerings

• Enchanted Tales With Belle — currently home to a meet-and-greet with Belle, but the show is not operating at this time.
• Citizens of Main Street
• Main Street Trolley Show
• Meet Ariel at her Grotto
• Meet Alice at the Mad Tea Party
• Meeting Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Side Show — Disney has confirmed that this Meet-and-Greet will return at a to-be-announced date, and you may currently find characters appearing outside of the Pete’s Silly Sideshow building!

• Meet Gaston near his Tavern
• Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater
• Once Upon a Time
• Agrabah Bazaar
• Casey Jr. RailRoad Mercantile
• Briar Patch
• Main Street Chamber of Commerce (Package Pickup)
• Tomorrowland Terrace — currently only open for dessert parties, not as a full restaurant.

EPCOT

Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana

Next up we’ve got EPCOT, where Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana is in progress! This new walkthrough attraction should be completed before the end of 2023, and we’ve seen some significant updates with construction recently.

We don’t have an opening date or season just yet, but we’ll be eyeing this one all year long to see the construction details and learn all about what we should expect.

Read MORE about this new attraction coming to Disney World here! 

Most of World Celebration

And we have to mention the rest of the construction in the middle of the park as well! A large portion of World Celebration is a work in progress, as Disney adds new gardens, CommuniCore Hall, CommuniCore Plaza, and Dreamers Point.

This massive project should also be completed before the end of 2023. Some parts are moving along faster than others, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled for updates.

Harmonious

Like Disney Enchantment, Harmonious was introduced for the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World. And sadly, this fireworks show is leaving as well. Disney announced at the D23 Expo that it will be replaced with a new show for the 100th Anniversary of The Walt Disney Company.

No opening date for the new show or closing date for Harmonious has been announced yet. The 100th Anniversary is officially on October 16th, 2023, but celebrations will begin as early as January 1st.

Restaurant Marrakesh

One thing that has been closed since the reopening of the parks is Restaurant Marrakesh in the Morocco Pavilion. In the past few years, it has been used as everything from a relaxation station to a lounge, but the dining location hasn’t yet returned to its former glory.

We’ll be on the lookout for an opening date for the table service spot that formerly had authentic Moroccan food and a belly dancer for entertainment. For now, you’ll have to check out Spice Road Table instead.

Tokyo Dining

Another EPCOT restaurant will be closed for a large portion of the year. In the Japan Pavilion, Tokyo Dining is currently undergoing a large refurbishment after its reopening in 2021.

The restaurant will not reopen until summer 2023, but there’s good news — Takumi-Tei recently reopened in the Japan Pavilion, so you might want to try dining there instead.

Other Offerings

• The Brass Bazaar
• Casablanca Carpets
• Der Teddybar
• El Ranchito de Norte
• Marketplace in the Medina
• Mitsukoshi Kiosk
• Village Traders
• Cool Wash — currently under construction.

• Jeweled Dragon Acrobats (China)
• Meet Ralph inside ImagineWorks at Epcot (you CAN, however, meet Vanellope!)
• Serveur Amusant (France)
• Viva Mexico (Mexico)
• Tangierine Cafe — currently being used as a food booth at EPCOT festivals.

Hollywood Studios

Roundup Rodeo BBQ

Moving on to Hollywood Studios, let’s talk about the NEW restaurant coming to Toy Story Land. Roundup Rodeo BBQ is currently under construction, and its opening was recently delayed to spring 2023.

The new table service spot will serve barbecue fare, and the theming looks pretty incredible! We can’t wait to step inside and try it out a few months into the year.

Learn everything we know about Roundup Rodeo BBQ here! 

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

What’s going on with Voyage of the Little Mermaid in Hollywood Studios? It seems to currently be the red-headed (pun intended!) step-child of the park. The show has been quietly closed since the reopening, with no information mentioned about it in over two years.

Will it reopen in 2023? Only time will tell. But with this show and the gift shop next to it currently closed, it makes Animation Courtyard seem a bit like a ghost town.

Other Offerings

• Citizens of Hollywood
• Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple
• Meet the Incredibles at Pixar Place
• Disney Studio Store
• Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost
• It’s A Wonderful Shop

• Launch Bay Cargo
• Stage 1 Company Store
• Neighborhood Bakery
• Star Wars Launch Bay Theater
• Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

Animal Kingdom

The Outpost Shop

In Animal Kingdom, one big thing has remained pretty obviously closed since the pandemic, and that’s The Outpost Shop outside of the park. This gift shop used to be home to a variety of souvenirs, but it has been blocked off for a while now.

We’ll be interested to see if it opens in 2023, but with possible staffing issues, it might not be a high priority.

Other Offerings

• Meet Pocahontas on Discovery Island Trails — Look for Pocahontas (and sometimes Meeko, too!) on Animal Kingdom Flotillas sailing throughout the day!
• Meet Russell and Dug at Discovery Island — Look for Russel and Dug on the NEW Adventure Flotilla!
• Meet Timon and Rafiki at Discovery Island — Look for Timon and Rafiki on Animal Kingdom Flotillas sailing throughout the day!
• Pandora Drummers – Swotu Waya

• Pandora Rangers
• Tiffins Cart
• Colors of Mo’Ara
• Restaurantosaurus Burgers & Sundaes
• Yak & Yeti Quality Beverages

Disney Springs

Summer House on the Lake

Outside the parks, we have a few things happening at Disney Springs. Coming in 2023 is Summer House on the Lake, a new restaurant that will be located on the West Side of the shopping and dining complex.

We’ve seen concept art for the dining spot and we can make some guesses as to what will be served based on other Summer House locations, but we don’t have much concrete information yet.

Learn more about this new Disney Springs restaurant here! 

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique finally reopened in Magic Kingdom in 2022, but the other two locations are still mysteriously closed. The Disney Springs shop was said to be opening “at a later date” but that date hasn’t yet been revealed.

For now, it looks like you’ll have to take your kiddos to the theme park to get those makeovers!

Other Disney World Closures

Typhoon Lagoon Water Park

Ever since the water parks first reopened, we’ve been in this back-and-forth game with Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. When one opens, the other one immediately closes. Currently, Blizzard Beach is open, which means that Typhoon Lagoon is closed right now.

No reopening date has been announced for Typhoon Lagoon, and it’s not yet clear if Blizzard Beach will remain open when Typhoon Lagoon operates again. We’ll have to wait and see what the calendar says.

Disney Resorts

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

Finally, let’s talk about the Disney World resorts. At the Grand Floridian, we’ve got a few closures to mention. 1900 Park Fare has been closed since the pandemic, with no reopening date in sight currently.

The Garden View Tea Room is also unavailable at this time, and as we mentioned above, the third Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique location is closed as well. Here’s to hoping those things return in 2023!

Disney’s BoardWalk Inn

There are some big restaurant changes happening at BoardWalk Inn currently! ESPN Club has closed down and it will soon be replaced with The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers. There’s no official opening date for the new restaurant yet, but it’s expected in 2023.

Inside the hotel lobby, a gift shop has closed to make way for Carousel Coffee, which will serve coffee, tea, and pastries, including Joffrey’s Coffee options.

It’s set to open soon, but no date or timeline has been given.

You can see what will be served at the new coffee spot here! 

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Finally, we need to mention the Polynesian Resort, where a new DVC building is currently under construction. In order to make way for this building, the Spirit of Aloha dinner show building was demolished earlier in 2022.

We will continue to update this post throughout 2023 as things reopen and as more new offerings are announced!

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The post Everything That Will Be CLOSED in Disney World in 2023 first appeared on the disney food blog.