Very exciting news was announced today by the Disney Parks Blog of the return of our beloved classic Rivers of America attractions! Since it’s closing last year to make way for the new Star Wars land coming in 2019, all of the attractions that took place on the river have not been in operation while the river was drained and rerouted. It’s been a long wait, but we are so happy to see these favorites coming back:
June 16th – tomorrow! – Pirates’ Lair on Tom Sawyer Island…
will reopen much to our delight! This island is a rare section of the park where you can just let your kids be free to run, explore, and touch everything! We have truly missed having this little gem available over the last year and a half. It’s often an escape from crowds and noise and heat with so much shade from the trees, and the atmosphere is completely beautiful. Apparently, the only major change guests might notice is that the graveyard which used to be located at the back of the island is no longer there.
Then on July 17th, to celebrate Disneyland’s 62nd anniversary, “Fantasmic!”…
will resume it’s nightly show schedule with a few brilliant changes. New mist screens, state-of-the-art projection technology, and a few new show scenes inspired by “Aladdin”, “The Lion King”, have been added to update this 25 year old nighttime spectacular. We can’t wait to see what new “visions fantastic” this 2.0 version has to offer!
And finally on July 29th, the Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes…
will reopen to guests who would like to take a trip along the updated Rivers of America! There will be new sights to take in along the journey including waterfalls, rock formations, forests, and wildlife that embody the natural scenery found at the four American rivers on which this attraction is based (the Mississippi, Columbia, Missouri, and Rio Grande). We are very curious to see exactly what changes have been made to the shape of the Rivers of America and how the Star Wars land will fit into the footprint of the park.
