Disney Made 3 MAJOR Announcements This Week — Including A NEW Opening Date

Wow, wow, wow! It’s been a BUSY week for Disney World!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

There are new lands on the horizon, and we’ve been experiencing a string of closures that (honestly) made us shed some tears. This week, we’ve luckily had some BIG changes that we have been waiting on for what feels like forever.

If you follow Disney news like we do, you know it’s been a busy time in the company. That’s why we’re in the parks almost every single day hunting down changes, updates, and more. This week, the changes were big ones!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Reopening Date

The biggest news of the week goes to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! The Magic Kingdom attraction originally closed in January 2025, and we finally know that it’s going to reopen on May 3rd, 2026. Not only did they confirm the ride was reopening, but Disney also shared that the ride will also be lowering its height requirement to 38 inches instead of 40. That means more kiddos will be able to ride!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Magic Kingdom

This refurbishment was to “keep the attraction in tip-top shape, ready to delight guests who want to ride the rails for years to come.” Along with those general renovations, Disney previously confirmed that Rainbow Caverns will be added, and “shimmering and illuminating iridescent.” This update is a nod to the original Big Thunder Mountain concept art, and it will help tie it into Piston Peak.

©Disney

We have been patiently awaiting this news, and now we have less than a month of waiting left!

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Reopened

Magic Kingdom had a big week because Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin officially reopened on April 8th, 2026! The attraction first closed in August 2025, so this closure wasn’t quite as long.

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin

The attraction added a new scene along with a new character named Buddy! Buddy shows you the ropes of the game and starts the attraction off. The updates also included new ride vehicles, blasters, targets, and more. The ride also had soft opened ahead of the official opening date, so we even got to check it out early!

It’s Buddy!

We were so happy to have this classic attraction back open after months of waiting!

The ULTIMATE GUIDE To Getting Galactic Hero Status on the NEW Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

New Snack Stand Coming To EPCOT

If you’re an EPCOT poutine fan, you might already know that the Refreshment Port near the Canada Pavilion has been closed for refurbishment for a while now. Disney didn’t reveal why or give us any details…until now! This week, Disney confirmed that La Poutinerie is replacing Refreshment Port!

La Poutinerie Concept Art ©Disney

The new spot will be sponsored by Air Canada (yes, the airline), and they’ve shared that it will bring “a Canadian classic with a twist.” They kept the information brief and didn’t reveal an official opening date or new menu. We’re really hoping this doesn’t mean that our previous poutine will be gone forever!

Refreshment Port poutine

This spot also tends to have EPCOT Festival-specific menu items, so we’re really hoping for the best.

Learn More About The EPCOT Restaurant Replacement Here

This week was a fun one in Disney World! We can’t wait to see how these ride changes and the new restaurant will impact the parks. As always, be sure to keep following DFB for more Disney news, updates, and more.

Disney Announces Rule Change for Popular Magic Kingdom Ride

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