Rope Drop: Thanks for everything Tom

August 2, 2026, 12:10 PM · As the "rope drop" starts a day at theme parks, the Sunday "Rope Drop" post kicks off the week here at Theme Park Insider. Here is what lies ahead for fans at the parks this week.

First, I want to offer our congratulations to Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, who has retired after 47 years with The Walt Disney Company. Tom is the person who wrote the line "if you can dream it, you can do it" for the Horizons attraction at EPCOT that now is attributed widely to Walt Disney. Given all that he has done over the years for Disney and its fans, I would not be surprised to see Tom in the Disney Legends ceremony at the D23 event two years from now.

Elsewhere, today is the final day of operation for ArieForce One and the rest of Fun Spot Atlanta, as well as for Kumba at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Happy 80th birthday tomorrow to Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, which opened August 3, 1946 as Santa Claus Land in Santa Claus, Indiana.

Several theme park companies will be reporting their quarterly earnings during investor calls this week. On Tuesday, United Parks will report, followed by Disney on Wednesday and Six Flags on Thursday. Earlier, Universal reported a soft summer for its U.S. parks. Will that trend also show up at its competitors? We will find out, officially, this week.

It might be hard to believe, but this week brings the official start of the Halloween season for the theme park industry. In Orlando, the 2026 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party starts at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on Friday. Across the country in Southern California, the Midsummer Scream convention kicks off the same day at the Long Beach Convention Center, running through the weekend. Expect an announcement about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood from the event.

Then, one week from today, Disneyland wraps its 70th anniversary celebration, a little over 12 months after the park actually turned 70 years old.

Planning a trip?

Here are the current refurbishment schedules from Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Universal Orlando.

Silly Symphony Swings is closed at Disney California Adventure with no reopening date yet.
Universal's Horror Make-Up Show is closed at Universal Studios Florida. Estimated reopening in winter 2026.
Carousel of Progress is closed at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. New show debuts in 2027.
August 8-20: Haunted Mansion closes at Disneyland for Holiday overlay.
August 16: Last day ever for Fast & Furious - Supercharged at Universal Studios Florida.
September 8: Indiana Jones Adventure and the Mark Twain Riverboat close at Disneyland, with no reopening dates.
September 15-20: The Untrainable Dragon closes at Universal Epic Universe.
October 26: Volcano Bay closes for the season, with a planned return on or before April 1, 2027.
November 20: Jurassic Park River Adventure reopens at Islands of Adventure.
January 4 - February 2, 2027: Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges closes at Islands of Adventure.
January 25 - February 4, 2027: Fyre Drill closes at Universal Epic Universe.
February 8-19, 2027: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey closes at Islands of Adventure.

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