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14 Days Left for Space Mountain: Disney Park Bans Most Guests From Final Ride
One Disney theme park has blocked most guests from the final day of Space Mountain.
Disney attractions don’t get much more iconic than Space Mountain. First opened at Walt Disney World Resort in 1975, the high-speed indoor roller coaster – which simulates a journey through outer space – has become a hallmark of Disney’s castle parks, with all but one (Shanghai Disneyland) boasting its own version of the attraction.
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The second iteration of Space Mountain opened at Disneyland Resort in 1977, with other versions subsequently debuting at Tokyo Disneyland (1983), Disneyland Paris (1995), and Hong Kong Disneyland (2005).
Each follows a similar theme, but some locations have tweaked their Space Mountains over the years. At Disneyland Resort, for example, the entire ride closed for a two-year renovation in 2003 after the onboard audio system weighed down the ride vehicles, structurally compromising the track.
In 2015, the ride was also given a temporary Star Wars overlay (known as “Hyperspace Mountain”), which has come and gone over the years and has also been added to the versions in Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland on a more long-term basis.
An even bigger transformation is on the way to Tokyo Disneyland. On July 31, 2024 – AKA in two weeks – Space Mountain will take its final flight at Tokyo Disneyland. As the park first announced in 2022, the ride is closing and being demolished to make way for a reimagined take on the ride (rumored to be called “Space Mountain Earthrise”).
Tokyo Disney Resort has already started preparing its guests for the final farewell. Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition” launched in April, offering exclusive merchandise and photo opportunities to commemorate the ride’s legacy and closure.
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The park has also announced how guests can bid farewell on the attraction’s final day. Tokyo Disney Resort opened an official lottery for a chance to ride Space Mountain on July 31. Visitors to the resort in May and early June could enter to join one of 250 groups of 500 people who will be among the last to experience the attraction.
However, unless you were one of this lottery’s lucky winners, guests may have trouble saying goodbye to Space Mountain on its final day.
Tokyo Disney Resort has updated the ride’s page on the website to inform guests that on July 31, only those with a Tokyo Disney Resort 40th Anniversary Priority Pass will be allowed to experience the thrill ride.
While this service is free, it is extremely limited. A Priority Pass is secured through the Tokyo Disney Resort App once in the park, giving guests a timeslot to return to certain attractions, similar to a Lightning Lane.
It’s currently utilized for the newest attractions in Tokyo DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs and can (and does) run out early into the day, depending on demand – of which there is plenty for the resort’s newest rides, with guests arriving at 2 a.m. to ensure they’re among the first in the park as soon as it opens.
Considering Space Mountain’s legacy, it’s not unlikely that there will be similar demand to say goodbye to the attraction on its final day. The reality is that many guests will likely be blocked from the ride on its final day as a result of this decision. So, if you are in the park and want to enjoy one final ride, we recommend arriving as early as possible to secure your slot.
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Even if you don’t manage to secure a last ride on Space Mountain, there are plenty of other exciting attractions to keep you occupied at Tokyo Disney Resort.
Across Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, guests can find classic rides such as Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania, and “it’s a small world” (which will welcome a temporary Marvel overlay next year), as well as features unique to Tokyo, such as Journey to the Center of the Earth and Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage.
Soon, the resort will also expand into cruise ships. As was announced earlier this month, Tokyo Disney Resort’s owner, the Oriental Land Company, signed a licensing deal with The Walt Disney Company to operate its own version of the Disney Cruise Line in Japan, starting in early 2029.
Do you think other Disney theme parks should update their versions of Space Mountain?
