Can you hear us hooting and hollaring? Because we are shouting from the rooftops about the fact that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is finally reopening!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

After over a YEAR of waiting, the popular coaster is finally reopening in Magic Kingdom! Big openings like this one bring about excitement, crowds, and (without a doubt) changes. We’re breaking down some of the new rules and procedures we might see once the ride finally reopens.

In case you missed it, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is finally reopening on May 3rd, 2026. The ride has been closed for a major refurbishment since January 6th, 2025, so this has been a long time coming! Ahead of the attraction’s big reopening, we have been thinking about what new rules and procedures might be in place starting on May 3rd.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The first rule we know that will be in place is that there is a new height requirement! Previously, you had to be 40” tall to check out the wildest ride in the world. Starting on May 3rd, the height requirement has been lowered to 38” tall. Disney confirmed that the changes to the ride allowed them to lower the height requirement, which we think is awesome.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The second procedure that we think will change is how strict they are with Lightning Lanes. Disney’s skip-the-line service, called Lightning Lane Multi Pass, is a paid service that allows you to save time by avoiding long lines. You can select your ride time, and then you have a 1-hour window to skip the line.

Crowds at the Lightning Lane for Big Thunder Mountain before it closed

Typically, if you’re running a little late, the Cast Members will do their best to get you in the line anyway. Now this isn’t a guarantee, but they will always do what they can. When new, popular rides open, though, the crowds swarm, and it makes it harder for Cast Members to get people through the line after their Lightning Lane time formally ends. While we won’t know for sure how strict they’re going to be, we would bet that it will be tight for a little while. Be sure to go during your Lightning Lane window and don’t risk missing it!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Lightning Lane

Another change is one that will be in your planning procedures! When it opens back up, Big Thunder Mountain will be a Tier 1 selection on the Lightning Lane list. That isn’t a change; it was Tier 1 before it closed in 2025. While it’s always been popular, Big Thunder Mountain wasn’t always our number one choice when selecting our first tier in Magic Kingdom, but that will change.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

If you really want to skip the inevitably long lines that will be at Big Thunder Mountain with a Lightning Lane, we would definitely recommend selecting this attraction first. This might be a change to how you select Lightning Lanes, but we feel pretty confident that Big Thunder Mountain’s Lightning Lane times will fill up pretty quickly.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad construction

Speaking of skipping lines, rope drop procedures might change on May 3rd! Any time a ride or new attraction opens, guests love to experience it as soon as possible. We see some seriously long lines during these times, and if you want to avoid them but not pay for Lightning Lanes, you’ll need to change how you rope drop. 

Construction from April 2026

Instead of heading for Tron or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train on May 3rd, you might want to head straight to Big Thunder Mountain. We’re sure the crowds will go with you, but this is one of the best ways to avoid long lines, especially during the middle of the day when it’s the hottest.

Rope Drop crowds at Magic Kingdom

Finally, another new procedure is that there might be a soft opening for the attraction! Heavy on the word might. Recently, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin also reopened in Magic Kingdom, and it’s given us some hints as to what we might expect for Big Thunder Mountain’s reopening.

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

Ahead of its official reopening on April 8th, Buzz Lightyear actually soft-opened for several days leading up to the 8th. Does this mean that Big Thunder Mountain could also open a little early? Well, we aren’t 100% sure. If a ride is ready to test with guests, Disney will open it ahead of time. Sometimes that’s just for Cast Member and Annual Passholder previews, and sometimes that’s for general guests in the park.

Line for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin soft opening

We can’t say for certain if Big Thunder will have a soft opening, but we can hope! We are making sure to keep our eyes peeled ahead of the opening, just in case Disney surprises us. We are seriously excited about these new updates. The big reopening is less than a month away, so hold on tight! We’re almost there! As always, be sure to keep following DisneyFoodBlog for more Disney news, updates, and more.

Disney World Shares Behind-The-Scenes Look at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Changes

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