Hundreds of Disney Guests Evacuate in Terror as Fire Fills Luxury Hotel Overnight

in Walt Disney World

An image of a majestic, fairy-tale castle complete with towers, spires, and detailed architecture. Inset on the left is a round image of a brightly lit, grand resort building at dusk, surrounded by water and lush greenery. The castle stands under a cloudy sky.

Credit: Inside the Magic

When guests visit Walt Disney World, they typically expect a magical vacation, but that is, sadly, not always the case.

A luxurious hotel at twilight with illuminated windows, featuring a large outdoor swimming pool surrounded by palm trees and lounge chairs.
Credit: Disney

While Disney is well-equipped in dealing with emergency scenarios, it can certainly be nerve-racking for guests.

At Walt Disney World Resort, guests have almost everything they need at their fingertips, thanks to My Disney Experience. The resort features four incredible theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT, as well as two water parks: Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon and the currently closed Disney’s Blizzard Beach. Additionally, Disney Springs offers even more attractions.

Guests can also enjoy over 25 resorts on the property, golf, mini-golf, the ESPN Wide World of Sports, and much more. The resort is so expansive it’s comparable in size to San Francisco, functioning like its own city.

When booking a Disney World hotel, guests can choose from three tiers:

  • Value Resorts
  • Moderate Resorts
  • Deluxe Resorts

Each tier offers a variety of themed hotels, such as Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. All resort guests receive complimentary transportation to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, Blizzard Beach (when open), and Typhoon Lagoon by bus. Some resorts also offer monorail service and Disney’s Skyliner service.

Skyliner in operation over Caribbean Beach
Credit: The Family Vacation Guide

Staying at a Disney resort means immersing in the Disney experience. Guests are closer to the theme parks and have access to delicious restaurants like ‘Ohana and Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera. The highly themed pools at the resorts feel like water parks just steps from your room. However, this convenience comes at a premium price.

Even the least expensive hotels on Disney property tend to be more expensive than comparable hotels just outside the gates. With these higher prices, Disney ensures their hotels maintain high standards of cleanliness and safety.

There have been several reports of evacuations due to fire alarms at Disney resorts.

One notable incident occurred at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, where emergency alarms and flashing lights woke guests in Building 6 of the 1970s section around 3:30 a.m. on a Sunday in 2023.

Hundreds of guests evacuated their rooms, some rushing to the front desk for assistance. After about ten minutes, first responders arrived and checked each floor with Disney Security Cast Members. The alarm was silenced, and guests returned to their rooms after fifteen to twenty minutes. Disney did not disclose the cause of the alarm.

A brightly colored, retro-themed popular hotel at Disney World features large decorative flowers and peace signs on its walls. A giant red yo-yo structure stands prominently beside it. The building’s vibrant hues of yellow, orange, and green are set against a blue sky and trees, embodying a lively charm.
Credit: Inside the Magic

Another guest recently shared their experience of a fire alarm going off at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort. This was the second evacuation at Jambo House within a month.

On September 8, 2023, a guest reported being evacuated from Jambo House with poor communication from the hotel staff. Guests were evacuated from the zebra trail and gathered near the pool and The Mara while alarms rang for approximately 20 minutes before a security guard gave the all-clear.

Following this evacuation, another incident at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort woke thousands of guests at 2:30 a.m.

These are a few examples of fire alarms and evacuations that do take place at Disney from time to time. Typically, there is no real threat, but that does not mean that guests can treat the alarm as nothing.

Now, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort has had to evacuate guests immediately.

Kate shared a video in what appears to be Gran Destino, the tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, with fire alarms going off. Kate and the other guests then proceeded to leave the hotel lobby area through a back set of steps.

According to Sophie, a guest at the hotel, there was a fire at the resort, and some guests had to run down 16 flights of stairs to escape.

It appears that this evacuation happened yesterday evening, and at the moment, it has not been stated if there were any injuries, where the fire was exactly located, and if there was any damage done to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.

Another guest, Jay, said, “I need a shirt that says “I Survived the Coronado Springs Resort Fire of 2024”!”

When Jay was asked what had happened, Jay replied that the alarm had gone off and that the hotel guests had been evacuated without a detailed explanation. It appears that the hotel operations are running smoothly today, despite the fire.

Have you ever been evacuated off of a ride or out of a building while at Disney World? 

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