Disney World Will Be a Different Place From January 23

With one Disney World and one Universal park shut down and the worst yet to come, when can the Central Florida parks be expected to resume normal operations?

Central Florida is currently being hit with cold weather. Following a short arctic snap, a potent cold front will sweep across the Sunshine State starting Friday, January 19, leaving local Floridians and tourists shut out of some theme parks and needing jackets to enjoy the day.

So, with a wind chill advisory put in place this past Wednesday morning affecting multiple counties, including Orange County, and low temperatures reported for Friday and Saturday –with the coldest of the winter season coming Sunday–when will the weather turn back around? Well, all signs point to January 23.

“In the coming days, beyond January 23, indications are that the polar jet stream will strengthen and send the frigid air back to Canada,” reports Click Orlando. “At the same time, high pressure looks to build over the southwest Atlantic and Caribbean, which will help pump in warmer air.”

According to the outlet, this change in weather should result in temperatures not only returning to normal Florida temperatures “but will likely swing back into the other direction, with above-average temperatures.” This means that guests heading to the Walt Disney World Resort can expect a more enjoyable and warmer experience (hopefully) from January 23, with all parks presumably open!

Presently, both the Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort have major shutdowns. At the former, Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park is closed from January 17 through January 21 inclusive. This has changed in the last few hours, as the initially reported closure was on January 17, 18, 20, and 21, with a 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. opening for the Disney park listed for Saturday, January 19.

Similarly, Universal’s Volcano Bay Water Theme Park is also closed January 17-18 inclusive, but–at the time of publication–is scheduled to open on January 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m.

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Being in Florida, the popular theme parks (Disney World is more popular than the White House, according to one survey) are subject to changes and closures due to the weather. From a recent tornado watch to the annual Hurricane season, it’s not all sunshine in the Sunshine State. That said, this news of a warmer climate returning will be welcomed by guests visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth this winter season.

While Disney’s Blizzard Beach is an ad-hoc closure caused by the weather, Disney is also using this cooler time of year to perform routine maintenance on rides resort-wide. In Magic Kingdom, Frontierland is currently a ghost town due to the closure of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which coincides with the lengthy closure and refurbishment of Splash Mountain that will eventually become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Across the way at EPCOT, Frozen Ever After will close for one day beginning January 24, and at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Kali River Rapids is closed through March at the former, while at the latter, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is closed indefinitely. The official Walt Disney World Website has the coaster listed as opening in the summer of 2024.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. While there are closures abound, or at least that’s how it feels, Disney made large changes to their operation at the top of the year. Commencing January 9, the theme park reservation system and park hopping choice became obsolete for most ticket types, meaning, for the first time in a long time, guests can move freely throughout the resort without any constraints.

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Disney’s Blizzard Beach is expected to reopen on Monday, January 22. Disney World’s other water park, Typhoon Lagoon, is still closed indefinitely. But, if all else faces, there’s always Disney Springs.

Are you hoping the warmer weather returns to Central Florida soon? Do you think the cold weather changes your Disney experience? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!