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Credit: Inside the MagicWhen guests book a Walt Disney World vacation in the summer, they expect the possibility of a closure or two, especially during hurricane season. However, what has happened at the Walt Disney World Resort over the past two weekends could not have been expected or prevented.
Related: ‘Dirty Rain’ Shuts Down Disney World
Last weekend, nearly every outdoor ride and attraction at Disney World was closed due to an influx of “dirty rain” in Central Florida. The “Dirty rain” was a combination of moist air in Central Florida and a Saharan Dust cloud, which left traces of dust over every surface it touched.
Guests were furious as nearly half of the rides at the Magic Kingdom were closed on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and into the evening. Disney does not give refunds due to weather, so guests had to make the most of it, only going on indoor rides.
Related: Centers for Disease Control Issues Dire Warning For Anyone Heading to Walt Disney World
As if last weekend wasn’t bad enough, the Walt Disney World Resort saw a second round of closures this weekend due to a torrential rain storm that dropped one to three inches of rain an hour on Central Florida.
Once again, nearly half the rides at Magic Kingdom were shuttered, including all outdoor attractions. With a limited number of rides available, those that remained open saw wait times of over an hour.
However, the issues weren’t limited to indoor rides. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railroad, Slinky Dog, and Star Tours were down simultaneously.
At EPCOT, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Soarin’ Around the World, Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth were down.
Crowds were also complaining about the availability of Disney World’s new Lightning Lane passes, which makes this situation even worse. After the rain passes and most of these rides reopen every Disney Park will have a backlog of Lightning Lane guests looking to use the passes they missed while the rides were down.
Guests complained that when they tried to get Lightning Lane passes for the same day, very few were available, and most rides were completely sold out by 1 p.m.
Good morning! High rain chances in Central Florida today with scattered storms this afternoon. Storms will be slow moving which could produce a quick 1-3" of rain in a short amount of time and cause flooding, hence we're watching for impact weather 2pm-7pm#wesh #weather #flwx pic.twitter.com/YxqgIMBvFY
— Cam Tran WESH (@CamTranTV) July 28, 2024
This storm closure and last weekend’s aren’t helping what has turned out to be a prolonged slump at Walt Disney World. Reports indicate that this has been the slowest summer since before the Pandemic.
With Disney World experiencing so many outage days this early in the summer, you wonder what will happen when hurricane season ramps up again in August.
What has your experience been like during Disney World’s massive storms?