Hi Andrew! Welcome to planDisney! It sounds like you’re getting ready for a wonderful fall vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort! I’m happy to help with your planning!
Of the four Disney Parks, Disney’s Animal Kingdom closes the earliest. All the animals that call the park “home” need to get their rest! The closing times for the Disney Parks do vary. I can also share that the times that are posted months in advance for park hours should be considered “placeholder” times. Often, the operating hours for the parks are updated as we get closer to those particular months. Park hours are always subject to change. I recommend checking the park hours from time to time as you prepare for your visit. Continue to check the hours right up until your visit.
Walt Disney always wanted his rides and attractions kept fresh and updated. He called it being “reimagined.” From time to time, rides and attractions require maintenance and upkeep that requires them to be closed for refurbishment. The best place to find information about confirmed refurbishments is on the Walt Disney World Resort website. When you arrive at the website, type “
Day Calendar” into the search bar. When the new page opens, you will see a section dedicated to each park. At the bottom of the section for each park, click on the heading that states, “Closed for Refurbishment.” You will then see which attractions are temporarily unavailable at the park. You can also search for a particular attraction by name in the search bar. If an attraction is scheduled to be refurbished or temporarily closed, it will be posted on the attraction page.
I don’t see any information currently listed for
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad but I encourage you to check back frequently for updates regarding any refurbishment that might be announced for fall. If it is being refurbished, be sure to head over to the "mountain" on the other side of the park...Space Mountain...for a thrilling ride! Of course, you can also check out Big Thunder Mountain Railroad's newest neighbor...Tiana's Bayou Adventure!
Dreams do come true!
Jonathan