Last month, we reported that Space Mountain would be closing for refurbishment at Disneyland Park starting September 18. As of today, September 14, a reopening date has been announced.
Space Mountain Refurbishment
Space Mountain will close for what we expect to be general maintenance and refurbishment starting September 18, and is scheduled to reopen on October 26, 2023.
We are hoping this gives crews the opportunity to fix some chronic issues we have seen recently, like the struggling tunnel lighting.
Tunnel Lighting Effect Barely Working
In July, we found that almost all the lights were burnt out in the famous blue light tunnel at the beginning of Space Mountain at Disneyland.
Before taking off into space, guests move through this tunnel as it pulses with blue lights. We took these photos when most of the blue lights are supposed to be illuminated, but barely any of them are in working order.
Just a few lights here and there near the bottom of the tunnel turned on. The coaster had the “Star Wars”-themed Hyperspace Mountain Overlay added earlier this year to celebrate May the 4th, where the effect is turned off completely. Despite the overlay now being long removed and the regular experience restored, this effect is still not operating correctly.
You can see how it should look in our video from 2021 below (skip to 6:00 for the actual ride):
Space Mountain
The original version of Space Mountain opened in 1975 at Magic Kingdom. It proved so popular, Disney constructed other versions at Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Shanghai Disney is the only Disney Resort with no Space Mountain, although they have the original TRON Lightcycle Run.
Each version of the ride is a little different, but they all take guests on a high-speed adventure through the iconic pyramid-like building.
The Parisian version of Space Mountain was originally called De la Terre à la Lune, and was inspired by “From the Earth to the Moon” by Jules Verne.
At both Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, the “Star Wars” Hyperspace Mountain overlay was originally supposed to be temporary but has become permanent.
Tokyo Disneyland recently broke ground on its completely new version of the ride, expected to open in 2027.
Does this temporary closure affect your upcoming trip to Disneyland Park? Will knowing the reopening date help you adjust your plans? Let us know in the comments.
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