5 Things to Know About the New Big Thunder Refresh

Big Thunder Mountain is back! After a 16 month closure, Big Thunder opened today to huge crowds and long wait times! We were able to ride a few times and we noted 5 things about the refresh:

1. The new tracks are so much less noisy than the old ones! It’s still a ruckus, but a smaller, less intense ruckus.
2. The ride is smooth! If you were able to ride Big Thunder prior to its closure in January 2025, you’ll remember being jostled around a good bit. There are still a few bumpy spots, but nothing like the old track!
3. The cavern lights when you first leave the station and ascend the mountain are glorious!!! Check out the linked YouTube video (below) we took this morning to see! They’re even better in person.
4. A gold surprise! We assumed the new scene would be the dynamite explosion that Disneyland and Disneyland Paris have! Nope. Have a look and see for yourself.
5. That sudden, very jarring stop when you first pull into the station is gone! You can hear the squeaking breaks, can’t you? That first stop is so much easier now!

We waited 46 minutes with a posted wait of 120 minutes first thing this morning. Thank you to the other Liners who submitted actual wait times today! We are so grateful!

• Liquidice submitted an actual wait of 34 minutes at 10:46am
• rumble submitted an actual wait of 42 minutes at 11:03am
• chails submitted an actual wait of 44 minutes at 11:13am
• doleaddict submitted an actual wait of 66 minutes at 11:35am
• casualrunner submitted an actual wait of 66 minutes at 12:24pm
• Capn_Josh submitted an actual wait of 49 minutes at 1:13pm

The views from the mostly unchanged Big Thunder queue show the Piston Peak construction happening below.

We know it’s going to be a while, but it’s so nice to see things moving.

Want to see the refreshed Big Thunder from our rides this morning? Check out the pov videos here: