If you have a Disney World trip on the horizon, it's worth knowing the parks and resorts are juggling a significant number of construction and refurbishment projects heading into August. Disney has signaled that work is either already underway or arriving soon at several hotels, including Saratoga Springs Resort, Fort Wilderness Resort, Yacht and Beach Club Resort, and Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village.
At Magic Kingdom, the Carousel of Progress has been closed since July 6th for a major overhaul that will modernize its scenes and add a new Walt Disney animatronic — with a target reopening sometime in 2027. More significantly, the Rivers of America area, including the Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island, closed permanently on July 7th to make room for a Cars-themed land called Piston Peak National Park, which will bring two brand-new attractions to the park.
Over at Disney's Hollywood Studios, the new Walt Disney Studios area — replacing the former Animation Courtyard — is set to open fully on September 14th, complete with a Magic of Disney Animation experience featuring the return of the Sorcerer Mickey hat, plus a new indoor play area called Drawn to Wonderland. Meanwhile, the former Muppets Courtyard remains walled off as construction continues on Monstropolis, a Monsters, Inc.-themed land that will include a restaurant called Harryhausen's and, based on recent site photos, new theming elements already going up on the old PizzeRizzo building.
At Disney's Animal Kingdom, DinoLand USA has been replaced by the in-progress Tropical Americas land, Pueblo Esperanza, which will eventually feature three new rides including an Indiana Jones attraction and an Encanto-themed experience. A revised permit for the Indiana Jones ride runs through April 2027. In EPCOT, a store in the Germany Pavilion and the La Signature shop in the France Pavilion are both temporarily closed for refurbishment, with no announced reopening dates.
On the resort transportation side, the Sassagoula River Cruise boat service from Old Key West to Disney Springs went offline July 20th and is expected to return in early August, while the boat dock at the Polynesian Village Resort has been out of service since May. This roundup was originally reported by the Disney Food Blog.
