In surprise to no one Disney has apparently confirmed the rumor that a cast memo had the closure announcement of three attractions: Stitch’s Great Escape, Primeval Whirl and the night-time Rivers of Light show.
Scott Gustin on Twitter posted:
Disney confirms Primeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom, Stitch’s Great Escape at Magic Kingdom and Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom are permanently closed. pic.twitter.com/dapOGOlbWt
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 16, 2020
He got confirmation from Disney as well:
Just FYI – I confirmed the news with Disney. I have not seen the memo that apparently went out to Cast Members, but I assume it does not include any additional information.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) July 16, 2020
I don’t think anyone is surprised by this. Stitch’s Great Escape is pretty much stroller parking and has been closed for quite awhile. Primeval Whirl has been problematic for years and has recently been removed from the Animal Kingdom Guide Maps.
Rivers of Light has been scaled back previously and it was rumored to be headed for a replacement anyway. Again, not much of a surprise here. Plus they aren’t running these kind of night-time shows right now due to the social distancing/physical distancing guidelines. With the pandemic still happening, it’s unlikely we will see a lot of guidelines lifted for quite awhile.
We’ve been reporting that we fully expect cuts and changes due to the financial hit the company took when the parks, cruise line, and movie industry had to close down. I expect a lot more closures or postponements coming. Yesterday we got word that both the Spaceship Earth refurbishment and new Mary Poppins ride were postponed.
What I’m worrying about is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover. It was down before the closure and it’s still down. I also fear for the Carousel of Progress as it really hasn’t progressed since the turn of the century.
I am sure there will be more cuts coming.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: Scott Gustin on Twitter, John S.
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