Greetings fellow Rope Droppers,
We've ridden DINOSAUR every visit since our first Walt Disney World trip in 2001, so news of DinoLand's closing hit harder than expected. This week, we're saying a proper goodbye.
Let's head in.
| 1 | DinoLand's last weekend at Animal Kingdom is finally here. |
| 2 | Cinderella Castle's repaint has officially begun. |
| 3 | Frozen Ever After just went dark for animatronic upgrades. |
| 01 | This Week's E-Ticket DinoLand's Final Countdown |
After this Sunday, DinoLand, U.S.A. closes for good at Animal Kingdom. Feb. 1 is the last day to walk through Diggs County.
Starting Feb. 2, the land shuts down entirely for construction on Tropical Americas, the new land bringing an Encanto ride and a full Indiana Jones-style reimagining of DINOSAUR (Attractions Magazine).
For your planning: if you want one last ride, get it in before Sunday closes. Disney hasn't given a reopening timeline for the new DINOSAUR overlay, so treat this as the real goodbye, not a pause.
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1998, as Countdown to Extinction (renamed Dinosaur in 2001) |
| Last day | Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 |
| Coming next | Tropical Americas: an Encanto ride + Indiana Jones-style Dinosaur overlay |
What's your move for DinoLand's last weekend?
And don't sleep on the smaller loss here: DinoLand was home to some of the best character meet-and-greets in the parks, Donald, Daisy, Chip, and Dale included.
| 02 | In the Queue The Best (and Worst) Bites at Festival of the Arts |
We previewed Epcot's Festival of the Arts back in mid-January (widely called Epcot's "do it in one lap" fest), and now that it's in full swing, WDWNT put actual numbers on the menu: a ranked breakdown of this year's best and worst food and drink (WDWNT).
Standouts include the Classic Mojito and the Peppercorn-Crusted Striploin at The Artist's Table, plus the Wild Berry Funnel Cake, each pulling a 7 out of 7. Skip the Polenta Pasticciata and the Sparkling Spectacle Gâteau, both landing near the bottom.
For your planning: Festival of the Arts runs through Feb. 23, so there's still time to build a snack crawl around the winners.
| 03 | Ears to That Shutters Just Followed You Home |
Disney Cruise Line quietly made post-cruise life easier: starting with sailings that ended on or after Jan. 21, U.S. guests can now view, download, and buy their cruise photos for 45 days after disembarking, straight from the Disney Cruise Line Photos website (Disney Cruise Line Blog).
Onboard purchases and downloads still work exactly like they always have. The one catch: buying after you're home costs 15% more than onboard pricing.
| 04 | From Around the Kingdom The Rest of the Rundown |
Harambe Reboot: Harambe Market soft-opens Feb. 2 and goes full-service Feb. 5 at Animal Kingdom, picking up quick-service duty once Restaurantosaurus closes with the rest of DinoLand. Full menu's out already: bacon cheeseburger, harissa chicken wrap, and a Kubwa Cookie that sounds like it needs its own zip code. (BlogMickey)
Castle's New Coat: Cinderella Castle's repaint officially started Jan. 28, the first real step in swapping the 50th-anniversary pink for its classic gray and light blue. We flagged this one a couple weeks back when the calendar first leaked the date, so hi, told-you-so energy. (WDWNT)
Frozen Facelift: Frozen Ever After is closed at EPCOT while Imagineering swaps in new animatronic faces for Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff, based on the look debuting in World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland. No firm reopening date yet, but Disney's aiming for February. (BlogMickey)
Boat's Back Early: Wilderness Lodge's boat dock reopened a week ahead of schedule on Jan. 23, even though the refurbishment (routine maintenance) keeps going through early April. If you're staying lakeside, you get your Magic Kingdom water route back sooner than planned. (WDWNT)
Space Mountain quietly ran a single-rider test on the morning of Jan. 27. No signage, no announcement, just Cast Members at the Lightning Lane entrance pulling solo riders into their own line, with waits clocking in around 12 minutes.
If you could wave a magic wand and give one ride a permanent single-rider line, which would it be? Reply and tell us →
| 05 | That's A Wrap See Ya Real Soon |
That's everything worth knowing this week. DinoLand's had a good, weird, wonderful run, and we're glad we got to send it off with you.
See ya real soon,
Gabe
