I will never forget walking into Tomorrowland and seeing an empty spot where Astro Orbiter used to be in Magic Kingdom. Well, maybe it wasn’t what I saw, but what I didn’t see, and that was the ENTIRE attraction. During a recent refurbishment of the spinning ride, they removed the entire thing from the top of the PeopleMover before returning it to its normal spot. It was weird.
Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland
Well, another refurbishment has been announced for Astro Orbiter, but luckily, this closure is much shorter than last time.
Astro Orbiter will be closed from January 5th to 7th next year and will reopen on January 8th. Only three days this year! Thank goodness! In 2025, it was a six month refurbishment, so this is much smaller.
Astro Orbiter
Planned refurbishments are very common across Disney World attractions, and from most popular attractions to ones that never have a wait, they all need a little love every now and again to keep them running smoothly. Since the 2025 refurbishment was so long and thorough, we’re a little surprised it’s also going for another fix, but at least it’s only a few days. The ride originally opened in 1994 when Tomorrowland was going through an overhaul.
When it was totally missing
In Magic Kingdom, it feels like Tomorrowland is going through another overhaul. TRON Lightcycle / Run opened in 2023, and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin went through an 8-month refurbishment which started in August 2025. It reopened in April this year with new blasters, ride vehicles, and targets.
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin is BACK!
The Carousel of Progress is now going under a major overhaul and is set to reopen in Spring 2027. They’re changing up all the scenes to new decades, and while fans were originally nervous about the changes, many have been speaking out about how excited they are for the update. Disney Imagineering has taken great care with the ride’s history, and we’re thrilled to see the new changes.
©Disney
Now, if you’re in a total mood for spinning rides (which we understand), there are two more that you can check out while in Magic Kingdom. Dumbo the Flying Elephant is one of the most iconic and perfect for your child’s first ride and the best photos. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is another classic, and you can even catch Aladdin and Jasmine riding sometimes, which feels very magical.
Pluto taking a ride on Dumbo
In the meantime, keep following Disney Food Blog for more Disney news, plus tips and tricks for the best vacation ever. We have everything you need to plan your next Disney World trip right here at DFB.
DISNEY RELEASES SNEAK PEEK AT CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS MAKEOVER
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