Gran Fiesta Tour Closing for Lengthy Refurbishment in Early 2025 at EPCOT

According to the Walt Disney World website, the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride in EPCOT will be closed starting January 6th for refurbishment.


UPDATE: In an updated statement, Walt Disney World has said that Gran Fiesta Tour will reopen March 15th

Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros will close for refurbishment on January 6, 2025, and is expected to reopen on March 15, 2025.


The ride will be closed for more than two months, which signals a significant refurbishment, but certainly not a reimagining of the ride. If the ride were to change themes, it would likely require a closure of a year or more, as we’ve seen with rides such as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and the upcoming Test Track 3.0.

Gran Fiesta Tour

The Gran Fiesta Tour is a slow-moving boat ride in the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT that follows Donald Duck through his adventures in the country. The premise is that Donald Duck goes missing and you’re along for the (slow-moving) journey through various Mexican settings in an attempt to find him with Panchito, the Mexican charro rooster, and José Carioca, the Brazilian parrot.

Inspired by the 1944 Disney film The Three Caballeros, your adventure comes to life against a backdrop of live-action footage, hand-drawn animation, and the jaunty musical score from the movie.

The ride features three animatronics of the birds in the finale scene, and they had some struggles in 2020 and 2021. First, the animatronic for Jose Carioca was removed in July 2020 after falling down. Then, in January 2021, the Donald Duck animatronic was propped up by a box as he started to fail.

One of the most iconic moments for the attraction then happened shortly after when the Donald Duck animatronic was removed and replaced by a memorial. I’m not kidding.

Broken Donald Duck Animatronic Removed from Gran Fiesta Tour at EPCOT, Memorial Installed
Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond
blogmickey.com

Then, all three birds were removed and replaced by flats as Disney took the time to rebuild the audio-animatronics to minimize further issues.

There have been no publicized issues for the audio-animatronics since their rebuild, but a lengthy refurbishment of the attraction is interesting. It’s possible that the entire ride is going to receive a new coat of paint and a refresh, which would certainly take months.

There have been longstanding rumors that Walt Disney World wanted to replace the Gran Fiesta Tour with a Coco-themed boat ride. While Disney did announce that a Coco-themed boat ride was coming to Disney California Adventure, there have been no announcements regarding the Mexico Pavilion at EPCOT. Simply put, a Coco-themed ride would probably be too popular for the space that the Gran Fiesta Tour currently has to work with, making the operations of an attraction a nightmare and likely disqualifying for a reimagining.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!

Have a Story Tip? Contact Us!

Kingdom Destinations Quote

Vacation Planning Assistance

We're excited to partner with Kingdom Destinations to help you plan your next trip to Disney parks and experiences around the world. Kingdom Destinations is a full service travel agency, specializing in Disney destinations. Fill out the form below to schedule a free consultation with one of their professional travel advisors today!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related Articles

Related articles

Following Removal of Astro Orbiter Ride, Large Crane Departs Tomorrowland

A large crane that was used to remove the Astro Orbiter attraction has, itself, been removed from Tomorrowland....

Sebastian’s Bistro Closing for Refurbishment in March

Walt Disney World has announced that Sebastian's Bistro will be closed starting March 24th for a brief refurbishment...

Astro Orbiter Ride Completely Removed During Refurbishment at Magic Kingdom

As Walt Disney World continues its refurbishment of the Astro Orbiter attraction in Tomorrowland, all of the ride...

Dumbo the Flying Elephant Playground Refurbishment Delayed Until Late February

The Dumbo the Flying Elephant queue playground refurbishment that was scheduled to begin today has been delayed until...