Space Mountain Ceases Operations Indefinitely, Guests Trapped in Ride

in Disneyland Resort

Space Mountain at Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park at night

Credit: Disney

Space Mountain closed for an indefinite refurbishment just days after guests were lost in the indoor roller coaster building.

On Monday, Disneyland Resort closed its Space Mountain attraction for a scheduled maintenance period. The Tomorrowland ride is expected to reopen in September, but The Walt Disney Company hasn’t announced an official reopening date. Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain isn’t said to return after this refurbishment.

Last month, Tokyo Disney Resort permanently closed its version of Space Mountain. Tokyo Disneyland guests enjoyed one last journey into the galaxy on July 31, 2024. The attraction is expected to reopen as “Space Mountain Earthrise” in 2027, and construction has already begun.

Tokyo Disneyland Tomorrowland Plaza and Space Mountain Rework Night-time concept art
Credit: Disney

Related: Splash Mountain to “Reopen” Summer 2024 After Controversy

Days before Disneyland Park shut down Space Mountain, dozens of guests shared a “bizarre” experience waiting for the ride. Redditor u/bobowilliams explained that they and other Disney Parks guests got “lost” in the iconic Tomorrowland building at rope-drop.

“My daughter and I went right to Space Mountain for early entry and got into the building at around 7:35 or so,” the Disney Park guest began. “People were shuffling through the empty line, and all of a sudden we were outside, on what I think was the 2nd floor. We (10 of us or so?) all started looking at each other, knowing it didn’t seem right… I rode Space Mountain for early entry two days earlier and definitely didn’t go that way.”

The situation worsened quickly as dozens of other guests rushed to rope-drop Space Mountain.

Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland park in California
Credit: Disney

“More and more people kept coming in behind this and it dawned on us that they did something wrong when they set up the line, and nobody knew where to go,” the Redditor continued. “We started backtracking, and there were people going both ways in the corridors. Turned around again, and by this point we were all totally disoriented.”

Related: Hong Kong Disneyland Changes Operations for the Whole Summer, New Details Revealed

Panicked guests started jumping over stanchions and chains in the queue. No one could find a Disney cast member to help. They were trapped.

A group of people are riding a roller coaster in a dark environment with colorful light streaks creating a sense of motion and excitement. The passengers appear thrilled, with some screaming and others smiling as they hold onto the safety bar, enjoying the iconic Disney experience on Space Mountain.
Credit: Disney

“At this point there’s probably 40 or 50 people all wandering around, jumping over barricades and chains, trying to make sense of it,” the Disney Resort guest explained. “Minor panic set in that we were wasting our entire early entry time wandering around empty rooms in Space Mountain, without a single cast member to be seen.”

Eventually, another guest found the right way.

“Finally we backtracked one more time and a kind girl…pointed us all [in] the right direction,” the Redditor wrote. “It seemed as though they didn’t block off a corridor that should have been (or maybe there’s typically a [cast member] there pointing the way to go?). Probably about 5-10 minutes spent in all, but it felt like an eternity.”

Guests ride Hyperspace Mountain
Credit: Disney

After riding Space Mountain, the guest told a Disney cast member what happened: “He seemed both very surprised and very grateful that I said something.”

The guest wasn’t angry about their experience–just confused.

“Has anything else like this happened before?” they asked. “I don’t think there’s ever been any ambiguity about where to go in a line before, so this was definitely a first for me. I probably missed walking on a fantasyland ride or two but at least I got a good story out of it!”

Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park, where guests are increasingly getting sick
Credit: Aubrey Odom/Unsplash

Related: France Alert Warns Tourists to Stay Out of Disneyland Paris This Summer Season

In the comments, a Disney cast member (u/Doyoulikemypace) explained that guests are directed through the Lightning Lane line during Early Theme Park Entry. Sometimes, opening cast members forget to block the walkway that connects the Lightning Lane and standby queues:

“Space Mountain during early entry lets in everyone through the lightning lane queue. When you get to the merge point if you turn into the very first hallway that is the stand by line so you go through the stand by line in the opposite direction. The hallway to get to the ride is the very last one.

Sometimes there’s a rope or a trash can blocking the stand by hallway but as you experienced it’s not all the time. Really just depends if the opener decides to do it or not.”

Have you ever wanted to see Space Mountain with the lights on? Check out Inside the Magic’s exclusive video of the Magic Kingdom Park ride:

Have you accidentally ended up backstage at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, or another Disney park? Share your story with Inside the Magic in the comments. 

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