Disney and Universal both close down popular parks

While the theme park mecca of Orlando is associated by many with year-long sunshine, the Central Florida city is actually going through a wave of unusually cold weather.

After the start of 2026 began with a winter blast, the Orlando area is once again under a freeze warning as temperatures are expected to fall into the twenties (-6 Celsius) over the weekend starting on Jan. 31.

Such temperatures do not exactly create a pleasant environment in which to splash around in a water park and Disney has kept Typhoon Lagoon closed for a larger part of January — on its website, the resort states that the park will be open during normal of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on January 30 before closing again for the next three days into February.

What is happening with Typhoon Lagoon and Volcano Bay

As the park already operates on a seasonal basis until Feb. 14, the prolonged closures eat into the time that fans of the water rides at this particular park can experience them before Typhoon Lagoon closes for the next six months (every year, Disney closes it down in mid-February to refurbish it while opening up Blizzard Beach).

Fellow theme park giant Universal has also closed down its Volcano Bay water park for two days on Jan. 28 and 29 due to cold weather; while the website currently marks it ready to reopen to regular hours of Jan. 30, another closure could be put in place at the last minute should there be another cold snap.

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"Universal Volcano Bay will be closed Wednesday, January 28, and Thursday, January 29, due to inclement weather," the theme park posted on X and Facebook. "For updates, call 407-817-8317 or stay tuned to our social channels."

While Universal does not have the same system of alternating water parks for half the year as Disney, Volcano Bay is also scheduled for a five-month closure between October 2026 and March 2027 as the park goes through an extensive renovation and what the resort described as a "full overhaul of the park's complex water systems."

These other Disney and Universal rides are shutting down in 2026

Amid the need for routine renovations and removal of holiday decorations, Disneyland in California also closed 11 rides like "Haunted Mansion" and "Galaxy's Edge" on a staggered schedule throughout January and February.

At Disney World, the "Frozen Ever After" ride at Epcot is currently closed for refurbishment until February while the "DINOSAUR" ride at Animal Kingdom is closing permanently on Feb. 2 to make room for a new "India(BHARAT)na Jones" ride.

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Universal's "Hogwarts Express" is also closed between Feb. 9 and 26, while the "Jurassic Park River Adventure" splash ride is also currently shut down for a prolonged refurbishment expected to last until November 2027.

Meanwhile, Disneyland Paris is preparing to open the new Disney World of Adventure on March 29. The former Walt Disney Studios added to Disneyland Paris in 2002 has gone through a massive renovation to include lands inspired by newer movies and a central "Frozen" c

With annual passholders granted some slots for early access on weekends throughout March, some fans reported refreshing the site for hours as any slots released by Disney continue to get snapped up within seconds.

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