Disneyland's Space Mountain to close for a major refurbishment

Aug 11, 2023 in "Disneyland Resort"

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Space Mountain at Disneyland

Posted: Friday August 11, 2023 3:35pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disneyland's Space Mountain will be closed for a lengthy refurbishment next month.

The closure begins September 18, 2023, and will last through mid-Fall 2023.

Space Mountain at Disneyland

Disney has yet to announce the scope of the work, and if it will involve any changes to the ride experience.

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Disneyland/DCADec 09, 2023

Dueling single rail, non-inverting coasters inside that huge building would be fun. They could keep the trains short still and it would probably match the current capacity Whatever they end up doing with that ride, I hope they preserve and enhance the 70s aesthetic

PhroobarDec 08, 2023

The reason it feels rough is because it was not designed with a computer. It is a modified version of the Matterhorn. A new but similar computer designed track would feel smoother. It would be great if Disney did redesign that track but made it single rail. Then again, it wouldn't be much different from Tron.

PiratesMansionDec 08, 2023

My point is that MK Space Mountain is inherently a more aggressive ride than Disneyland's. Thus, even if you were to completely replace all of the track of the MK version, if you kept the exact same track layout, it will still likely 'feel rougher' than DL's even when the hypothetical MK retrack is brand new.

PhroobarDec 08, 2023

The Matterhorn track is built into the mountain. You can't really change it much without rebuilding the mountain. MK Space Mountain can easily be dismantled and a new one installed since it isn't built into the building. They did it for Disneyland.

PiratesMansionDec 07, 2023

SOME of the ride was retracted in 2009. They may well have swapped out other in refurbishments that have happened since, of they did ever happen. THAT SAID, there are limits, IMO, on what a complete retrack can do. WDW Space is an inherently more aggressive ride than its DLR counterpart. So even if the attraction got a complete track replacement, if the layout stays the same, it is unlikely to feel smooth in the same way that the DLR version feels smooth. Much in the same way that if you retracked Matterhorn entirely tomorrow, it would still never be as smooth as something like Big Thunder.

PhroobarDec 07, 2023

When was the last time WDW's Space got a new track?

celluloidDec 07, 2023

Sadly not high enough, like much upkeep needs. For what it is worth, I really love WDW's Space the best against Cali and WDW in terms of thrill and excitement that it feels like it should be. It is just in poor shape. Also for what it is worth, it is still more fun to me than Tron.

Ne'er-Do-Well CadDec 07, 2023

I appreciate MK’s version for how wild and out-of-control it feels, but man, the attraction is really showing its age. I imagine it feels particularly ancient these days sitting right next door to Tron. Not sure where a Space upgrade ranks on the WDW to-do list relative to other essential projects like Beyond Big Thunder or Country Bears Synergy Jamboree.

PiratesMansionDec 06, 2023

BREAKING NEWS: The Hatbox Ghost is coming to WDW's Space Mountain due to guest demand! He will be placed upside down adjacent to the main lift hill, so that he can be viewed by guests from the Peoplemover as well as those on both tracks!

celluloidDec 06, 2023

New projections for Space Mountain Disneyland, which means in ten years, WDW will get a bootlegged levle bad transfer of the media put on a reel to reel for Florida's dome.

Ne'er-Do-Well CadDec 06, 2023

The projections are awesome. They're simple but really go a long way toward making this 1970s ride feel more technologically sophisticated/impressive. They also, surprisingly, don't brighten up the room too much (if at all), unlike (IMO) the Hyperspace Mountain effects. That said, the blue light tunnel and main lift hill lights/swirling projections were completely off during my ride, which was a strange experience.