PHOTOS: Splash Mountain Reopens with Long Wait Times at the Magic Kingdom Ahead of Re-Theme

Matthew Soberman

PHOTOS: Splash Mountain Reopens with Long Wait Times at the Magic Kingdom Ahead of Re-Theme

Though its days (months?) may be numbered, Splash Mountain reopened at the Magic Kingdom today during cast member previews, to some of the longest waits throughout the entire park.

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Disney has announced that the ride will close at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland to be re-themed to The Princess and the Frog, though no official closing dates have been set.

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In the meantime, Br’er Rabbit still welcomes guests to the ride in the directional signage. If you head in the other direction, however, you’ll find a closed Briar Patch shop.

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Let’s hop in line and check it out! While waits started out non-existent with the opening of the park, they quickly rose to 55 minutes at the peak of the afternoon. At time of publishing, the current wait time is 35 minutes, still the longest wait time at the park.

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If you look closely, you can see social distancing markers on the ground in the queue.

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Do you think Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear are looking for a place to retire to once the ride closes?

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Scaffolding and scrim are up in the area, as seen from the queue.

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In light of new safety precautions, some changes have been made to the attraction. To maintain social distancing, one party is being seated per log.

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In addition, the big splashdown finale has been turned off to reduce the possibility of spreading COVID-19 by contact with water. So you may get wet, but not as wet as before.

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At least Br’er Bear will be able to go out with his tail on.

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How is Br’er Rabbit going to get out of this sticky situation?

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There’s nothing like a big finale… complete with a riverboat!

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When we visited, Splashdown Photos still had an assortment of Splash Mountain merchandise.

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Plexiglas windows have been installed at the cashier counter, with social distancing markings on the floor.

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Even though there’s a different feeling around the area now, guests are still enjoying the attraction before it’s “time to be movin’ along!”

18 thoughts on “PHOTOS: Splash Mountain Reopens with Long Wait Times at the Magic Kingdom Ahead of Re-Theme”

  1. I cannot describe how much I will miss this ride. Makes me so sad that I cannot be on it right now. I really hate that I am already seeing the merchandise bought today on ebay for hundred of dollars. They walked out if the store, put the items on a bench with the bags in the background and are trying to sell them for 500% or more profit. Makes me soooooo mad

  2. Longest wait times in the park….. Really seems like the park goers gate how racist that ride is……. Disgusting they are retheming such a park staple. Walt Disney is turning over in his grave right now…

  3. I like how the only photo of the wait time in the article about long wait times at MK shows Just a 5 minute wait. :)

  4. And yet you all won’t use your platform to report on the growing unrest against the re-theme, including the petition that dwarfs the original demands by nearly 3 times. How odd given you’re reporting on the fandom grabbing for whatever chance they have at this attraction while it remains…

      • Sorry, Tom, but you broke a story that focused on a petition that led to Disney’s decision that is clearly upsetting most fans. Yet you don’t run the story that topples the demands of the first. An alternative from an editorial doesn’t showcase the increasing voices of nearly 75,000 on a single petition. Many fans are feeling overwhelmed, isolated and alone. Imagine what a story about the save splash petition could do? Seems like a good news story and we know Disney watches what y’all post.

        • Start your own blog if you want to forward your own agenda. We also didn’t “break” the petition, it was out there already. Be mad at Disney, not at me. I’m not closing Splash Mountain.

    • @ Tom , a retheme shouldn’t even be happening. WDWNT reported on the P&TF retheme petition, please give that media recognition to the petition to save Splash Mountain as well. #SaveSplashMountain

  5. I believe the construction is up for yearly maintenance :) Word around the street is that this ride won’t be getting changed for awhile. Two years would be the very soonest but it is very unlikely. This is good news for those who love the ride as is :)
     

  6. I find this hilarious. The fact that ride had the longest wait times is a big middle finger to the Disney establishment, but I bet they won’t listen. The 1% outweighs the 99% apparently.

  7. Before they get to doing the re-Imagining … I hope they at least covered up, and shielded from our eyes, all of the racist stuff in this ride. Oh wait, there wasn’t any.

  8. I am excited for the new theming. While Disney did a great job on the original ride, making it fun and distanced from the original movie’s live action scenes, Song of the South is a painful watch. Better to use a positive movie that kids will be familiar with. If WDW does not update, it will become a museum. Walt wanted it to be vital and positive.

  9. The Princess and the Frog need to be in Fantasyland with all of the other princesses. Not in Frontier Land! It doesn’t make sense! Give her her own ride in Fantasyland, if there’s room! 😜

  10. Gutted I will probably never get to ride it again. So disappointed they are getting rid of it and replacing with a cheap re theme that I am sure will not be a ‘briar’ patch on the original.

  11. I wish saner heads would prevail and Disney would reverse it’s decision to retheme the ride.

  12. Splash Mountain must be really “racist” with all this attendance. Ask any Disneyworld/Disneyland fan. I bet Splash Mountain is one of the top 5 attractions of almost everyone. All these people are racists? Very sad the way Disney is handling this.

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