September is going to be a very happy month for a number of theme park enthusiasts who have been waiting for their favorite rides to reopen at various parks.
Theme park operators, such as Walt Disney Co. (DIS), Comcast's (CMCSA) Universal Studios and Six Flags Entertainment (SIX), occasionally need to close rides and attractions temporarily for maintenance and repairs, as well as to redecorate for holiday seasons.
Visitors to these parks can be a little disappointed to discover their favorite ride or attraction has been shuttered temporarily, but it's a better situation than a permanent closing. In some cases, a reopening is undetermined because of the circumstances surrounding a closing.
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., was forced to shut down the El Toro roller coaster on Aug. 25 by order of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs after 14 people were injured on with five being sent to a hospital, NJ.com reported. All people taken to the hospital were later released.
Witnesses said that the roller coaster felt like it hit a pothole as many people heard a loud bang and the ride jolted during operation. A pothole is a roller coaster term that describes a separation between the track and the wooden structure. One person reported a neck injury, two had back injuries and two had mouth or tongue injuries, the Department of Community Affairs said.
No reopening date for the ride has been determined. The theme park released a statement: "The ride will remain closed for inspection. Any maintenance and repairs necessary will be completed and the ride will be re-inspected by our engineers, maintenance professionals, our 3rd party independent safety inspectors and the state of NJ prior to re-opening," Theme Park tourist reported.
Disney
Disney is Reopening One of Its Popular Rides
Fans of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion ride in Anaheim, Calif., will be happy when the park reopens the ride in September. The theme park on Aug. 15 closed its Haunted Mansion ride through Sept. 1 as it redecorates the attraction for its return as Haunted Mansion Holiday on Sept. 2. Disneyland's popular ride is being redecorated in its annual Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas theme, which will continue until Jan. 8.
Universal Studios Florida had reportedly planned a closing of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit ride from Aug. 21-25 for a short-term refurbishment, but the park reversed course and decided not to close the ride after all. Universal describes the ride as a towering coaster with a musical twist that climbs to the sky at a 90-degree angle and reaches speeds of 65 mph.
Universal Launches a Soft Opening
Universal Studios Florida closed its Revenge of the Mummy ride on Jan. 7, 2022, for scheduled maintenance. It was set to reopen the ride sometime in summer 2022. Various blogs had been speculating all summer as to when the ride would reopen.
The theme park, however, launched a soft opening of Revenge of the Mummy on Aug. 30, Theme Park Tourist reported, without much fanfare. The soft opening is a technical rehearsal for the ride and would operate intermittently during the day. This could mean the ride might open regularly beginning Sept. 2, which coincides with the opening of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida.
