If you’re planning a trip to Disney World this summer, one popular Magic Kingdom ride could be opening soon (fingers crossed)!

It has been a year of ride closures at Disney World as Disney prepares for many big changes in the future. The closures have been taking up so many headlines that the opening of this Magic Kingdom ride has gone under the radar. We think a popular ride could be opening very soon, and we have good reason to think that!

You may have noticed we’ve been covering the progress of Astro Orbiter since it closed in January 2025 (we just miss it, ok?!). From the whole ride missing, to slow but steady work being done, we are READY for this ride to return to Tomorrowland. Nearly half a year later, it looks like the end is in sight!

We know what you’re thinking. Is there an official opening date? To that we say, no…BUT we recently went to Magic Kingdom and saw something promising. There were Cast Members testing the ride. This is not a drill; the ride is active and moving! 

We don’t know about you, but this ride is finally looking complete to us. After six months, the attraction is looking back to its normal self. You could see how good it looked from the ground, but we had to get on the PeopleMover to get an even better view! We could see the ride in full motion, looking better than ever. We also noticed that the ride sounded a lot quieter than before — though note they weren’t moving the rockets up and down.

It looks like Cast Members have been testing the ride on and off for a few days now, so we feel like we’re so close to its reopening. We’re not the only eager Disney fans! We spotted other guests at the park, wondering if it was back up and running. In fact, a Cast Member had to stand at the bottom of the ride near the elevator to let them know the ride is still closed.

But when one door (re)opens, another one closes.  The Astro Orbiter will be reopening, but Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square River Boat will be permanently closing. With the new Cars-themed land coming, Magic Kingdom is reworking that area of Frontierland. The Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, and the Liberty Square Riverboat will be permanently closing on July 7th, making the last day of operation July 6th.

Lots of changes continue to be underway at the Magic Kingdom, so there’s lots to look out for. We’re thinking we should be getting an opening date announcement for Astro Orbiter soon, so we’ll keep an eye out. Make sure to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for all the latest Disney news and updates.

2025 Dates You Should Know If You’re a Disney World Fan