Theme park fans hoping to ride Jurassic Park River Adventure at Universal's Islands of Adventure before the holidays will need to wait a little longer. After originally announcing a reopening date of November 20, Universal has pushed that date back to just before Christmas.

Refurbishment Extended by Nearly a Month

Jurassic Park River Adventure closed on January 5, 2026, for a nearly year-long refurbishment. While seasonal winter closures are common for water rides, the extended downtime was warranted by several broken effects and aging infrastructure on the ride, which originally opened in 1999.

Universal had initially set November 20 as the target reopening date — right at the start of the busy holiday season. However, the Universal Orlando website recently updated the attraction's page with a new timeline:

Jurassic Park River Adventure is temporarily closed due to scheduled maintenance and will now reopen on December 17, 2026.

No reason was given for the nearly month-long extension to the refurbishment schedule.

Aerial photos taken during the closure have offered a glimpse at the extensive work underway, including a track replacement and new roofing on the attraction.

About Jurassic Park River Adventure

Jurassic Park River Adventure is part of the Jurassic Park area of Islands of Adventure, which also includes Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Pteranodon Flyers, the Camp Jurassic playground, Jurassic Park Discovery Center, and Raptor Encounter.

The Islands of Adventure version of the ride is actually the second of its kind — opening three years after the original 1996 attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. That Hollywood version was revamped in 2018 to become Jurassic World: The Ride. A third version of the ride opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2001.

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