Disney Animal Kingdom Ride Closing For Annual Refurbishment Early This Year

We are always on the lookout for new Walt Disney World ride closures to ensure our readers are not surprised when they arrive. Walt Disney World will periodically close certain rides for maintenance throughout the year to ensure they are running properly.

Some ride closures at Walt Disney World happen on a predictable basis, and this attraction is closing as part of its annual refurbishment that takes place during the winter months… but a bit earlier than normal.

READ MORE – These 10 Disney Rides Have Changed Dramatically Since Their Opening

New Animal Kingdom Closure Added to Refurbishment List

Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom will begin its annual refurbishment on October 6, 2025, and is scheduled to reopen in December. There is no official reopening date shared yet, but the goal likely is to reopen Kali River Rapids before DINOSAUR closes permanently on February 2, 2026. This is why this refurbishment is taking place earlier than usual to make sure that two attractions won't be closed at the same time.

Animal Kingdom already has fewer attractions than the other Walt Disney World theme parks and the least number of Lightning Lanes available. Disney does not want to have two attractions closed at the same time since the closure of DINOSAUR will already impact crowds and push guests away from that side of the park. As Kali River Rapids is located right near DinoLand, it would essentially create a tumbleweed situation on that side of the park if both were closed at the same time.

Wait times for water rides traditionally drop during the winter months, so this is the typical time of year that we see Kali River Rapids close for its annual refurbishment. You can see the exact dates that we have for all of these closures in our Walt Disney World refurbishments guide.

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While Walt Disney World is warm year-round, temperatures do drop in the winter months, and not as many guests will be enjoying the water experiences. This is the perfect time to update water rides since the demand is already low during these months.

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