Jurassic Park River Adventure Now Stays Closed Through December 16, Nearly Four Weeks Later Than Universal First Planned

The T. rex is no longer scheduled to be back for Thanksgiving. Universal Orlando's own Temporary Closures list now shows Jurassic Park River Adventure at Islands of Adventure closed from January 5, 2026 to December 16, 2026.

That is 27 days later than the original plan. By September 2025, Universal's closure calendar had the ride down from January 5 through November 19, 2026, and WDW News Today reported days before the closure began that it would be back open on November 20, "if the refurbishment isn't extended or doesn't end early." It has now been extended.

The splashdown at Jurassic Park River Adventure, before the 2026 closure (photo from 2012). Photo: Loadmaster (David R. Tribble), via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

How the new date surfaced

We found no announcement from Universal. The X account AllCentralFlorida posted a screenshot of the Temporary Closures section of Universal's Theme Park Hours page late on Thursday, October 8, writing that the refurbishment "was pushed from November 19, 2026 to December 16th, 2026." Inside the Magic wrote the change up on Friday morning, and TouringPlans now lists the ride as scheduled to reopen "Around December 16, 2026."

We could not load Universal's page ourselves (universalorlando.com does not render for automated readers), so the screenshot below is the primary record here. We also found no press release about the change on Universal's media site.

Universal's Temporary Closures list, as captured on October 8. Screenshot: AllCentralFlorida on X

Is December 16 the last day closed or the first day back?

The listing does not say. Read it the way the old window was read, where "through November 19" meant a November 20 return, and December 16 would be the final day of the closure. Inside the Magic and TouringPlans both frame December 16 as the reopening date. Until Universal says otherwise, plan on the ride being down through at least December 16, and check the ride's status before you go.

Either way, a ride that has been closed since January 5 will have been out for nearly the whole year. The refurbishment has included work on the ride's dinosaurs, which we looked at in June.

The Jurassic Park River Adventure entrance at Islands of Adventure. Image: Universal, via Inside the Magic

A December splashdown

The new date puts the ride's return in the cooler part of the year, a point Inside the Magic raised as well. And the wet stuff keeps rotating: the same closure list shows another Islands of Adventure water ride, Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges, closed from January 4 to February 2, 2027.

Elsewhere on the list, Hogwarts Express is out on November 4, 2026 only, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey has a February 8 to 19, 2027 window, and over at Epic Universe, Fyre Drill shows January 25 to February 4, 2027.

Were you counting on a November ride, and does a December splashdown still sound like fun?

Sources

• AllCentralFlorida on X, screenshot of the Universal Orlando Temporary Closures list
• Inside the Magic, Universal Shares Update After Deciding to Close 'Jurassic Park' Ride in Orlando
• TouringPlans, Jurassic Park River Adventure
• WDW News Today, Year-Long Jurassic Park River Adventure Closure Begins in a Few Days
• Attractions Magazine, Jurassic Park River Adventure closing for most of 2026 at Universal Islands of Adventure

Image credits: Loadmaster (David R. Tribble), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (splashdown); AllCentralFlorida on X (closure list screenshot); Universal, via Inside the Magic (entrance sign).