A Universal Orlando vacation can change pretty quickly when one of your favorite rides lands on the refurbishment calendar.
Guests planning trips for early 2027 now have two more dates to consider. Universal Orlando has scheduled temporary closures for two attractions at Islands of Adventure, with one going offline for nearly a month and another disappearing from the lineup for almost two weeks.
Neither attraction is closing permanently, but the timing could still have a major impact on some vacations.
A Popular Water Ride Is Closing for Nearly a Month
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges will be the first of the two attractions to temporarily close.
The Islands of Adventure water ride is scheduled to shut down on January 4, 2027, and remain closed through February 2, 2027.
That’s a significant stretch for anyone visiting during January.
However, the timing isn’t particularly unusual for a water attraction. Universal commonly uses the colder portion of the year to perform maintenance on rides where getting wet is a major part of the experience. Fewer guests may be interested in walking around the park soaked when Central Florida temperatures are cooler.
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges certainly qualifies as a ride where getting wet is difficult to avoid.
For guests who love the attraction, though, the reason behind the closure probably won’t make it any less disappointing. Anyone visiting for most of January should expect to leave this one off their Islands of Adventure itinerary.
The current schedule calls for the attraction to become available again after February 2.
Another Closure Follows Days Later
Once Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges finishes its scheduled closure, Universal won’t wait long before taking another attraction offline.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey will temporarily close beginning February 8, 2027. Universal currently has the attraction scheduled to remain unavailable through February 19.
This closure isn’t nearly as long as the one affecting Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, but it could still create headaches for guests.
A vacation lasting several days could easily fall entirely within that refurbishment window.
That’s especially important for guests who consider Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey one of their top priorities at Islands of Adventure.
What This Means for 2027 Trips
The biggest takeaway is simple: check your dates.
Guests visiting from January 4 through February 2 should plan for Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges to be unavailable. Those traveling from February 8 through February 19 should prepare for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to be closed.
Interestingly, the closures don’t currently overlap.
There are a few days separating the scheduled end of the first refurbishment from the beginning of the second. That creates a small window in early February when both attractions could be operating, assuming the announced schedules remain unchanged.
Knowing about refurbishments before arriving can make vacation planning considerably easier. Guests with flexible schedules could potentially choose different dates if one of these attractions is particularly important to them.
Those who can’t change their vacation can at least arrive knowing what to expect.
That’s far better than walking toward a favorite ride on the first day of your trip and discovering a refurbishment sign waiting outside.
For now, these are two more closures that early 2027 Universal Orlando visitors will want to keep in mind as they put together their Islands of Adventure plans.
