Walt Disney World’s Enchanted Tiki Room Shutting Down? Company Responds To Rumors

The Walt Disney Company has responded to rumors that the decades-old Enchanted Tiki Room attraction is shutting down, Yahoo Entertainment reports.

Last week, Disney travel blog, Walt Disney World News Today, reported that the nearly 50-year-old Adventureland attraction is being shuttered. In its place, said the rumors, will be a new, Moana-themed attraction, to help celebrate the Magic Kingdom’s upcoming 50th birthday. The blog cited unnamed sources familiar with the company.

The Walt Disney Company rarely responds to rumors, but in this seemingly-exceptional case, the company did opt to comment in a clear and unambiguous manner: the aged attraction is not shutting down. Disney Parks editorial content director, Thomas Smith, made it clear that the attraction is staying open in a pun-filled and tongue-in-cheek statement.

“A little birdie told us there are some rumors flying around about our beloved Tiki birds at Walt Disney World Resort. We’re sorry that our fans are being fed incorrect information by unscrupulous sources. While ‘toucan’ play at that game, we deal in facts here at the Disney Parks Blog,” he wrote.

This is the second time in a matter of days that a rumor has surfaced of a popular, if aged, Magic Kingdom attraction being shut down to make way for something bigger and better. At the end of June, as WDW Magic reports, rumors surfaced that the Country Bear Jamboree, over in Frontierland, was going to be shuttered to make way for a Toy Story-themed attraction. Alas, that rumor was false as well.

“Y’all come up and see me some time, ya hear?” There’s a queue gathered for the first showing of the Country Bear Jamboree! #SaveTheJamboree pic.twitter.com/W3k45U7EPy

— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) June 25, 2019

These rumors seemed to resonate with readers for a few reasons. For one thing, the Magic Kingdom, which opened on October 1, 1971, is nearing its 50th anniversary. And The Enchanted Tiki Room and the Country Bear Jamboree are both exactly as old as the park, as they were both present for its opening. Both attractions rely on the same 1960s technology, and both could legitimately be considered somewhat stale.

However, the biggest reason these rumors make sense is because, all across Walt Disney World, in all corners of the Florida resort, there are closures, expansions, refurbishments and all manner of other upgrades going on. Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park has seen the addition of two whole new sections (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which will open later this year, and Toy Story Land, which opened earlier this year). Epcot’s Future World is getting a long-overdue face lift. New attractions are being built left and right, as are new resort hotels and a new gondola system to ferry guests hither and yon.

But even amidst all of these changes, some things are considered classics, and apparently must remain so. That means that Country Bear Jamboree and The Enchanted Tiki Room are unlikely to be going anywhere.