Disney Is FINALLY Fixing a MISSING Piece of Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom

Y’all…there are so many changes happening in Magic Kingdom that’s it’s HARD to keep up, but we’re trying.

Tomorrowland

For starters, we’re starting to see permits come in for work in the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island locations as Disney prepares to convert that into a Cars expansion in Frontierland (with two NEW rides!). Then, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is getting a MAJOR overhaul and will be closed for the rest of the year. PLUS a NEW Villains land will be going BEHIND Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at some point. That’s not all, though. A classic Tomorrowland attraction, Astro Orbiter, has been getting a bit of a facelift, too. Well, now we’re seeing signs of progress there. Let’s see what’s new!

Astro Orbiter has been closed since January 13th for a refurbishment that is set to be over by summer.

Astro Orbiter

To do that, we noticed that Disney disassembled a large portion of the ride: the planets and ride vehicles were taken from the ride’s main structure, likely to be refurbished in a different location. Per a Cast Member we spoke with, this kind of refurbishment happens to the ride about every ten years. Here’s what Astro Orbiter looked like dismantled.

Astro Orbiter disassembled

However, on a recent visit to Magic Kingdom, we noticed that the ride was being reassembled. Some of the ride’s details in the center are being added back to the main ride structure. Here’s a view of the ride from the PeopleMover.

It’s being put back together!

There’s still a bit more to add to the ride, but this is a sign that the refurbishment could be coming to an end sooner rather than later. However, the ride doesn’t look quite as naked. Yay — PROGRESS!

Closer look

We’ll be keeping an eye on more of the ride’s construction, as well as a reopening date, so stay tuned to DFB for more.

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Is Astro Orbiter a must for you when you visit Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments!