Rope Drop: Happy birthday to Tokyo DisneySea
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 over the next seven days.
Happy birthday this week to Tokyo DisneySea, which celebrates its 25th anniversary on Friday. The Tokyo Disney Resort's second gate opened officially on September 4, 2001 and welcomed more than 12 million visitors in 2024, making it the world's seventh-most visited theme park.
We have a couple of big announcements coming up this week for theme park fans. On Wednesday, Dollywood will announce its plans to honor its late Dreamer-in-Chief, Dolly Parton, who passed away from cancer last week. The next day, on September 3, Six Flags Magic Mountain has promoted that it will make an announcement about its new coaster for 2027, which planning documents revealed would be the first installation of the new Vekoma Thrill Glider model.
Also on Thursday, Halloween Horror Nights opens at Universal Studios Hollywood. In case you missed it, here is my coverage from Universal Orlando's 35th HHN, the Infernal Carnival of Nightmares, including walk-through video highlights from all 10 houses. The Hollywood installation will have eight houses, including the same five IP themes as Orlando's.
Next weekend is the Labor Day holiday weekend in the United States, which makes the traditional end of the summer vacation season. However, that season practically ended in early August as schools reopened for the fall. But parks are keeping the party going with Halloween events opening throughout the month, followed by the return of holiday events at many parks.
Planning a trip?
Here are the current refurbishment schedules from Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.
September 8: Indiana Jones Adventure closes at Disneyland, with no reopening date.
September 8-11: Mark Twain Riverboat closes at Disneyland.
September 14: Mad Tea Party closes at Disneyland, with no reopening date.
September 14-16: Tom Sawyer Island closes at Disneyland.
September 15-20: The Untrainable Dragon closes at Universal Epic Universe.
September 21-24: Sailing Ship Columbia closes at Disneyland.
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.
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.
You can find our one-page visitors guides to dozens of top theme parks around the world, including Disneyland, Walt Disney World and the Universal parks at www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews.
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