EPCOT Resort Location Shutting Down in the New Year, Disney Confirms

The Walt Disney World Resort will temporarily lose one of its EPCOT locations in the first month of 2025.

Disney World, Central Florida’s prime location for Disney enthusiasts, has an abundance of experiences, attractions, and themed offerings. As the crown jewel of the Disney Experiences empire, Disney World, while popular, is also scrutinized more than other parks like Disneyland Resort and Disneyland Paris.

With millions of guests visiting each year, Disney World is always trying to refresh its offering through attraction rethemes, land upheavals, and routine refurbishments. The biggest changes coming to Disney World in the next few years will be the large expansion of Magic Kingdom Park, with the addition of the Cars franchise and the Disney Villains, as well as the DinoLand U.S.A. retheme at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

While those developments are the splashiest of Disney World’s changes, the day-to-day operation of the theme parks, including scheduled closures, continues as normal. In January 2025, Disney will shut down its fan-favorite Topolino’s Terrace restaurant at the Disney Riviera Resort.

Located in the EPCOT resort area of Walt Disney World, the Disney Riviera is one of Disney’s deluxe accommodations. As such, the Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera restaurant is a premium location where guests can dine during their vacation.

Like many of Disney World’s table restaurants, Topolino’s Terrace offers multiple dining experiences. At this location, two options are available for guests: the Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends and the Signature Dining dinner experience. The latter requires guests to follow a dress code and includes “elevated French- and Italian-inspired cuisine” (per the official Disney World website).

However, for those venturing to Disney World in early 2025, Topolino’s Terrace will be closed for refurbishment. The Disney World website confirms that the location will be unavailable for just under two weeks. “From January 12 through January 25, 2025, Topolino’s Terrace—Flavors of the Riviera will be closed for refurbishment,” the site’s closure notice reads.

There is currently no word on what the refurbishment will entail, but as it is a relatively short closure compared to some other planned 2025 refurbs, chances are it won’t be anything major.

January won’t just see Topolino’s Terrace shuttered for updates as multiple other experiences are also closing down–some for good. On January 6, 2025, Magic Kingdom Park will lose Big Thunder Mountain Railroad for over a year. Disney says it will be adding a little bit of new magic to the classic coaster and will reopen the Frontierland ride sometime in 2026.

On the permanent closure front, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will lose multiple locations on January 13, 2025. Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures, TriceraTop Spin, and Fossil Fun Games will all permanently close next year as Disney begins its DinoLand transformation.

As teased at D23 Expo 2022 and Destination D23 2023 and confirmed at this year’s D23 Expo, Disney World will close its DinoLand area and bring a new land—the Pueblo Esperanza, inspired by the Tropical Americas—to the Animal Kingdom theme park.

Slated to open in 2027, the Tropical Americas-themed area will feature two signature attractions themed to the Encanto and Indiana Jones franchises. In addition, the Pueblo Esperanza will also include numerous supplementary experiences that will bring this new land to life.

One thing is clear: the Walt Disney World Resort is going through an immense state of evolution. As the House of Mouse wrangles with the Epic Universe shadow looming over the Central Florida theme park landscape, will these new experiences, refurbishments, and permanent closures be enough to keep fans baited to the world’s most visited resort?

Do you have plans to visit Topolino’s Terrace next January? How do you feel about it closing down? Let Disney Fanatic know in the comments down below!