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Credit: Disney A classic Disney ride looks a little different following its grand reopening.
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Disneyland is arguably most famous for its collection of dark rides, which includes classics like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Alice in Wonderland, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and, of course, Peter Pan’s Flight. These core attractions are quintessential parts of the overall Disney experience and, as a result, can be found all across the globe at other Disney parks.
However, Disney also packs quite a punch when it comes to more thrilling adventures. From Space Mountain to Rock ‘n’ Roller Caster, guest have their pick of roller coasters at Disney World and Disneyland.
Perhaps the most iconic coaster of them all is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a ride Disney is currently in the middle of reimagining.
Thunder Mountain closed for a lengthy renovation earlier this year at Walt Disney World in Florida, though its West Coast counterpart just reopened. The experience is pretty much the same as guests might expect, though there’s been one change that fans aren’t too happy with.
As shared on Reddit by TheDisneyScoopGuy, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s waterfall has been replaced with a mister.
Big Thunder Mountain soft opened today and the twin waterfalls have been replaced with a mister
byu/TheDisneyScoopGuy inDisneyland
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The waterfall has long been one of the most iconic parts of he coaster, marking the first true drop of the ride. The water feature is present in multiple versions of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and while it never really gets riders wet, it added a whole lot to the attraction’s setting and ambiance.
The new misters certainly do not give off the same vibe, something fans were quick to pick up on.
“Yeah I feel like this would be a downgrade, bummer,” said one user.
“Please, please tell me this is a “B” mode for when the waterfalls are down,” said another.
“Thanks, I hate it” said another user.
One user theorized why Disney might have made the change. “Tbh it encouraged too many guests to reach their hands out to touch it even though you are explicitly told not to.”
Whether or not this is a permanent change remains to be seen, but fans are quite disappointed by it regardless.
Disneyland’s Big thunder Mountain Railroad closed for refurbishment in September, reopening in early November. Not a whole lot was changed with the ride, aside form technical elements, though the coaster did see the addition of new goat figures.
Walt Disney World’s Thunder Mountain project is an entirely different story. The coaster has been closed for close to a year now, with multiple aspects of the ride being repaired or replaced entirely. The Western-themed roller coaster received a new track earlier this year, with Disney also teasing a redesign of the ride’s first and final scenes.
Walt Disney World states on its website that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will return to the Magic Kingdom with “new magic” sometime in 2026.
Are you glad that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is back open?