Credit: DisneyWhen Guests visit Walt Disney World, they often expect to experience magic, but being evacuated from an entire land is usually not part of the dream.
Evacuations often happen at attractions at Walt Disney World. At times, a Guest may be on the Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom, for example, when the ride breaks down, and the only way to safely remove the Guests is to evacuate them. Maintenance issues tend to be the big culprit for these breakdowns. Still, in other cases, there have been more severe issues, such as a small fire causing all Guests inside Cinderella Castle dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table to evacuate.
When Guests take a look at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it often gives off a feeling that the building is “towering” over you.
From the moment Guests enter Sunset Boulevard, The Hollywood Tower Hotel seems like a massive dark figure that you are pulled toward, framed perfectly with the billboard and aesthetic that Sunset Boulevard has to offer. Guests are convincingly immersed in The Twilight Zone with terror from the queue to the pre-show to the attraction itself.
Today, WFTV9, a local Orlando news station, published a report that stated that the Reedy Creek Fire Department had to rescue 28 Guests from Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It was originally reported that the riders were stuck for 45 minutes before the firefighters had to assist in their evacuation. We did say evacuations were common, but ones that need firefighters are not.
The page in which WFTV reported this has since been taken down, so it is unclear as to why it was reported in the first place if incorrect (we can however, still see the URL referencing the original story). That being said, the ride is in operation, and it seems that no matter what happened, all Guests are safe.
Scott Gustin (@scottgustin) reported, “The reports about guests being rescued on the Tower of Terror at WDW are inaccurate. The ride went down – and it was a normal ride evacuation. The evacuation was handled by Cast Members. Fire dept. not involved. Ride was down from 2:41 to 4:07 p.m. and has since reopened.”
The reports about guests being rescued on the Tower of Terror at WDW are inaccurate. The ride went down – and it was a normal ride evacuation. The evacuation was handled by Cast Members. Fire dept. not involved. Ride was down from 2:41 to 4:07 p.m. and has since reopened.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) August 18, 2023
Evacuations at Walt Disney World
As we stated at the top of this article, evacuations at Disney are things that we tend to see often, especially if it is just a singular attraction. Most recently, TRON Lightcycle / Run was evacuated at Magic Kingdom. All Guests were evacuated at the sound of a siren.
Other EPCOT attractions have been known to break down, including the newest ride, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. An evacuation can indeed occur at any attraction at Disney World and often is not a cause for concern to Guests. When Guests are evacuated, they will receive a Multiple Experiences pass allowing them to enter the Lightning Lane of another attraction. The ride which was evacuated will likely temporarily close for maintenance and often returns to regular operations later in the day.
Recently, at EPCOT, a sudden evacuation caused Guests to be evacuated from multiple attractions and an entire land.
Have you ever been evacuated from a ride? Let us know in the comments!
If you are planning on visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can get ready to enter the movies! Walk down Sunset Boulevard and see the looking Tower of Terror attraction with Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith right next door. The Chinese Theater is now home to the new attraction, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. If you love shows, get ready to enjoy Beauty and Beast – Live on Stage, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Indiana Jones™ Epic Stunt Spectacular! and more. Head into the wild west with Toy Story Land. Ride Slinky Dog Dash, and dine at the newly added Roundup Rodeo BBQ. Then blast to a galaxy far, far away in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, where you can meet Rey, Stormtroopers, Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, and more. Ride Rise of the Resistance and make your own lightsaber! At night, enjoy Mickey’s dreams as you enter the world of Fantasmic! For more Disney information, information on Disney Genie+, and to look at booking a vacation, the Walt Disney World website is a perfect one-stop shop for all things Mickey Mouse.