Disney World Wait Times Skyrocket After Splash Mountain Closes Permanently

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Credit: Becky Burkett

Walt Disney World Resort Guests should expect to wait a little longer for their favorite attractions moving forward.

Splash Mountain made its official exit at Magic Kingdom on Sunday, setting a Disney record and making a grand exit that included Disney Cast Members getting the last and final ride on the attraction.

Cinderella Castle Partners statue at Walt Disney World
Credit: Disney

Now, Splash Mountain will be rethemed and turned into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The Princess and the Frog-themed attraction is set to open in late 2024 and will feature the original voices of Princess Naveen (Bruno Campos), Louis the Alligator (Michael Leon Wooley), Mama Odie (Jenifer Lewis), and Princess Tiana (Noni Rose), all who are returning for the attraction.

As the Disney Park attraction closed permanently, however, a huge gap has now been left in Frontierland for the time being until Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens.

An official poster announcing Tiana's Bayou Adventure, opening late 2024.
Credit: Disney Parks Blog

While the effect of wait times won’t be truly felt until later in the spring and summer, we’re already getting a small taste of what these could look like in the future. Magic Kingdom is nowhere near capacity today and crowds are at the lowest point we’ve seen them since early in the fall. 

Still, wait times are beginning to rise with an 85-minute wait registering for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a 60-minute wait to Meet Ariel at Her Grotto, a 65-minute wait for Space Mountain, a 65-minute wait for Peter Pan’s Flight, and a 65-minute wait for Jungle Cruise, just to name a few.

While none of these wait times are out of the ordinary, they are actually up slightly in terms of average and this is only expected to increase as we move into warmer days. As spring break crowds and summer crowds pour into Magic Kingdom, wait times for beloved Disney World attractions are going to rise, potentially to levels we haven’t seen before.

space mountain gift shop
Credit: ITM

During the non-winter months, Splash Mountain typically drew a big crowd. On hot summer days, the log flume ride was one of the more popular attractions and could easily garner a wait time of more than 60 minutes, most of the time higher.

However, with the attraction gone, all of those who would’ve been waiting in line are going to move elsewhere. This, especially in the spring and summer, could present a problem for Disney World Guests hoping their wait times stay low.

Just as we see wait times skyrocket at Disney’s Hollywood Studios when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance goes down for maintenance, the same can be said about what we’ll see at Magic Kingdom on days when the temperature rises with Splash Mountain now gone, though it should still be to a smaller scale just because of the mass of rides the Park holds.

While some hope that the opening of TRON Lightcycle/Run may help keep wait times down, it most likely won’t make a massive impact since the attraction will open with a virtual queue.

It will be interesting to see what the attraction wait times look like at not just Magic Kingdom, but EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom this spring and summer.

What do you think of the wait times rising at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World Resort? Let us know in the comments!

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