Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has awoken from its slumber. The iconic attraction was closed for a over a year as Imagineering worked on a few scenes and took care of some cosmetic issues, like laying a new track. In this post, we share a few observations after having experienced the reworked Big Thunder!

With the ride not undergoing dramatic changes to the story or layout (more on that below), writing a full review didn’t seem necessary. This is still Big Thunder! Instead, I’ve got 7 thoughts to share about Magic Kingdom’s wild ride. Let’s get to it.

Big Thunder Remains a Classic

First and foremost, it was wonderful to have Big Thunder Mountain Railroad back! The attraction is an integral part of Magic Kingdom’s lineup, offering an exciting family coaster with a little more thrill than Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and a little less than Tron Lightcycle Run or Space Mountain. Not to mention, it’s a better ride than all of those.

I don’t want to step on the next point too much, but more than anything it’s good to have the attraction open and still feeling like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Scooting by the rock spires with the castle off in the distance is a distinctly Magic Kingdom moment. Having a top 5 attraction in the park coming back, better than ever, is a relief after a year without it.

Less Reimagining, More Refurbishment

Unlike other recent projects at Walt Disney World like Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Big Thunder is less of a reimagining. There are parts of the iconic ride that look drastically different but most of it is still the classic Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! This isn’t a surprise, the ride needed some major work done on it before closing and Disney World never came close to saying that this would be a brand new take on Big Thunder.

All of that TLC did go a long ways. Big Thunder is noticeably improved whether you’re concentrating on show scenes, the track or overall look. Just don’t go in expecting a brand new ride, instead expect an enhanced version of the previous iteration.

Living in Color

As far as on ride experience, the amount of color is the most striking change. This isn’t quite a Dorothy travels to Oz moment, since Big Thunder always did well with the desert hues, but it feels like the vibrance has been enhanced exponentially. That starts in Rainbow Caverns, with a brilliant new display under the rockwork. The whole room lights up but stays away from being too gimmicky. Sitting on the right side of the coaster really showcases this.

You can also see the difference in color at night. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was already one of our favorite Disney World attractions at night, now it’s even better! The reds and browns are still the dominant color but there’s more variance in the lighting package at Big Thunder now. Those colors make the wildest ride in the wilderness gorgeous.

The Track is Smooth While Still Being True to the Ride

Speaking of a wild ride, the biggest pushback I’ve seen online against this major refurbishment is that the track is too smooth now. That’s a pretty funny critique now that I’ve written it out but the complaint is coming the track feeling too smooth to earn the ‘wildest ride’ title. Before reopening, Walt Disney World announced that the entire track was redone and the ride could now accommodate anyone 38 inches or taller.

I think this critique is a bit of revisionist history. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has never been a rough ride. Yes, it’s set in the wild west and will toss guests around a little bit. But this has never been confused with the Matterhorn and the back adjustment that mountain gives. The new Big Thunder track is smooth, outside of one section that is purposefully rough, but I didn’t notice a massive difference between the old and the new in this regard.

For Better or Worse, the Story is Clear

This point is probably a post for another day and it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. A few days before the reopening of the ride, the Disney Parks Blog put out the story behind Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom. Explaining the backstory of rides or restaurants has started to become more common place. In the ride’s queue, the story is set up pretty obviously if you’re looking for it.

For the most part, I think this is a good thing. Those that want to know the story can easily access it and dig deeper, those that don’t aren’t likely to search for it in the first place. My hesitation is in how much is laid out for fans. There’s no level of interpretation for guests if you read the Parks Blog story above, it’s all right there.

Theme park attractions have a unique chance to offer lore, story and detail without being overly obvious about it, leaving room for fans to discover, interpret themes and have their own take. I worry that too much explanation will strip away nuance. Again, probably a different post for another day but something to think about. For what it’s worth, Big Thunder Mountain has an exceptional story that the queue and ride showcase.

Popularity & Ride Strategy

I may have overestimated the Big Thunder’s pull a little bit in my Lightning Lane Multi Pass Strategy post. The coaster has been popular since reopening, specifically at rope drop. But the capacity has won out and the ride regularly posts waits under an hour.

Some of that may be due to a lull in Magic Kingdom crowds, with the last few weeks showing lower wait times across the board. Memorial Day Weekend will offer some interesting tests on that. It’s safe to say that Tiana’s will probably hold the top spot in the place to use a tier 1 Lightning Lane over the summer.

As for standby options, I’d wait to go on Big Thunder until the evening. The ride is better at night and the crowds seem to thin out some. We’ll be updating our Magic Kingdom itinerary in the next few weeks to address the change.

Which Big Thunder is the Best?

To be clear, I really like the refurbished Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom. Upgrades were needed and addressed both cosmetically and operationally. With that out of the way, I still prefer Disneyland’s Big Thunder Mountain. That version of the attraction has a story I like more along with great special effects .

Thankfully, this is a case of picking between two things I love. Magic Kingdom’s views while on the ride are unparalleled and I might need to revisit which stateside version is my favorite once the Piston Peak project is done since the MK version has a few extra walls up as well as some views of dirt instead of a beautiful river. I digress. Big Thunder feels like the first step in remaking that section of Magic Kingdom, and it’s a beautifully redone first step.

Have you been on Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain Railroad since it reopened? Let us know your thoughts, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. This site offers discount tickets for those looking! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate