Some of Walt Disney World’s most recognizable rides are about to feel very different.Disney has confirmed a wave of seasonal changes across Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the 2026 holiday season. Instead of simply surrounding attractions with decorations, Disney will temporarily replace familiar soundtracks, lighting, jokes, and even portions of certain ride experiences.Nine attractions are getting in on the action, including everything from Space Mountain and Jungle Cruise to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and the recently updated Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.Credit: DisneyThe good news for fans of the regular versions? These aren’t permanent replacements. They are limited-time holiday overlays, and most of the attractions will eventually return to their standard experiences.Still, anyone visiting Walt Disney World over the next few months could find some major differences waiting for them.Magic Kingdom Replaces Five Familiar Experiences for the HolidaysMagic Kingdom accounts for more than half of the attractions receiving seasonal changes.Space Mountain will trade its familiar experience for something much louder and more colorful during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Disney says the coaster will feature high-energy holiday music along with festive lighting inside the normally dark attraction.Tomorrowland Speedway will also transform for the party. The attraction surrounds guests with thousands of lights, futuristic holiday decorations, and a special seasonal soundtrack.Over in Fantasyland, Mad Tea Party will turn into a Christmas party of its own. Guests spinning aboard the attraction will encounter four different combinations of holiday lighting and music.Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is getting a seasonal update as well. Rather than simply presenting its normal comedy show, the monsters will work some holiday humor into the performance.Then there is perhaps the most recognizable holiday transformation of them all.Jungle Cruise will once again become Jingle Cruise. The attraction keeps the basic Jungle Cruise experience intact but replaces many of the familiar jokes with holiday-themed puns and adds seasonal touches throughout the journey.Unlike several of Magic Kingdom’s other seasonal ride experiences, guests won’t need to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to ride Jingle Cruise. The holiday version operates throughout the regular park day as well. Keep in mind that most of the other attraction overlays at Magic Kingdom are restricted to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party only.That brings Magic Kingdom’s total to five attractions receiving temporary holiday replacements.Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Is Getting a New Holiday SoundtrackEPCOT only has two attractions on the list, but one of them is among the biggest rides at Walt Disney World.Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will temporarily ditch its regular six-song soundtrack beginning November 25. Instead, riders will hear one of three randomly selected holiday songs through January 6, 2027.The seasonal lineup includes “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams, “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses.That means songs such as “September,” “Conga,” “Disco Inferno,” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” will temporarily step aside.Disney has tried something similar before. Cosmic Rewind received a holiday soundtrack shortly after opening in 2022, but that version featured an original arrangement that incorporated several Christmas songs. Disney dropped the overlay for 2023.The 2026 version takes a different approach by using three established songs instead.Credit: elisfkc2, FlickrLiving With the Land Brings Back Glimmering GreenhousesThe second EPCOT transformation offers a completely different kind of experience.Living with the Land: Glimmering Greenhouses will return from November 27 through December 30, 2026, coinciding with the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.Instead of replacing the attraction’s educational focus, Glimmering Greenhouses transforms its greenhouse environments with holiday lighting and decorations.It is a much calmer seasonal experience than racing through space to Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but it has become one of EPCOT’s more distinctive holiday offerings.Between Living with the Land and Cosmic Rewind, guests will have two very different holiday ride experiences available at EPCOT this year.And Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting two major transformations of its own.Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets Gets Another Major ChangeRock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets only debuted earlier this year, but Disney is already temporarily replacing parts of its regular experience.Beginning November 4, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: Obligatory Holiday Overlay will take over the attraction and remain through January 6.This isn’t simply a case of Disney adding a Christmas song while guests race through the coaster.The holiday atmosphere begins outside, where seasonal music will play around the attraction’s massive guitar. Inside G-Force Records, The Electric Mayhem will be preparing for a holiday performance, with other Muppets joining the festivities.Once aboard, guests will have a new seasonal set list.The announced songs include “Holiday Road” featuring Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” featuring Jennifer Hudson, “Silver Bells” featuring Cyndi Lauper, and “Little Saint Nick.”That makes the overlay particularly notable because Disney is changing more than the music. Guests who have already experienced the Muppets version of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will have another reason to return just months after its debut.Credit: DisneyAlien Swirling Saucers Gets Its Own Holiday ReplacementToy Story Land is joining the celebration, too.Alien Swirling Saucers recently received an update with Lilypad’s Jams, but Disney is already preparing another temporary change for the attraction.From November 4 through January 6, the ride’s playlist will incorporate four holiday songs: “Deck the Halls,” “Toyland,” “Swirling, Swirling, Saucers,” and “Joy to the Swirl.”The last two tracks were created specifically for the attraction, giving the seasonal update a Toy Story Land spin rather than simply dropping traditional holiday music into the existing experience.Together with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, that gives Disney’s Hollywood Studios two rides with holiday-specific soundtracks this year.Nine Disney World Rides Will Feel Different This Holiday SeasonAdd everything together, and Disney has nine attractions receiving temporary seasonal replacements across three parks: Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Mad Tea Party, Jungle Cruise, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Living with the Land, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, and Alien Swirling Saucers.The scale of the changes varies dramatically.Some attractions are simply receiving new music or lighting. Others get new jokes, decorations, or seasonal scenes. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets goes further by changing elements surrounding the attraction and its holiday concert experience.None of these changes mean Disney is permanently eliminating the regular versions of these rides. Once their respective holiday celebrations end, the attractions are expected to return to their normal formats.But for guests visiting Walt Disney World during the 2026 holiday season, that temporary nature is part of the appeal.These are familiar attractions that many Disney fans have ridden dozens of times, yet for a few weeks, nine of them will offer something they can’t experience during most of the year.The post Walt Disney World To Replace 9 Classic Rides Across 3 Theme Parks appeared first on Inside the Magic.