Credit: DisneyThe biggest draw to the Walt Disney World Resort is the beloved rides and attractions that continuously transport guests into a world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy. However, since many of those rides have existed since the ’70s, the machinery often shows its age and guests are either stalled or stuck.
Naturally, this breaks the illusion and immersion so carefully crafted by the Imagineering of the Disney resort and can sometimes have some visitors panicking. Not many people enjoy being stuck in an enclosed space, and guests at the Disney parks are actively voicing their concerns.
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A recent post on r/WaltDisneyWorld has several park-goers reporting their anxiety and dread over being stuck or trapped on a Disney park attraction. Incidents have happened quite a lot in recent years, such as the unfortunate guests trapped in Figment’s “fart tunnel” at EPCOT, or the Country Bear Jamboree grinding to an unsettling halt during its last performance, but are they truly scaring guests out of Disney?
Dysfunctional Rides Drive Guests Out of Disney World
The original post begins with u/intiredskin describing their intense apprehension about their next Disney trip. The user shares,
It is my absolute NIGHTMARE to be stuck on a ride, I’m terrified of being trapped (not claustrophobic, could get in a tiny box if I knew I could get out any time I want). I was wondering if anyone could reassure me on the dark rides, slow moving, pre-shows etc that there’s always a way out if something goes wrong?”
While Disney naturally has a litany of safety protocols in place should something go wrong in any of the attractions, other guests share similar situations with getting trapped on some of the parks long-running rides.
Further down in the comments, u/KeterClassKitten shares a reassuring experience from Pirates of the Caribbean. After being stuck for 45 minutes on the ride, the guest shared the following.
“After the prerecorded message repeating a few times, one of the staff talked over the PA directly to us letting us know that they will be getting us momentarily, please stay in our boats, remain calm… we got the vibe that they had dealt with this before. And they had, plenty of times.”
“We made jokes with the other guests. When the lights came on and we got to see all the jank that was hidden in the darkness, we laughed at it and pointed it out. But personally ally, it helped me appreciate how much effort goes into all the details.”
“That’s something I think people should realize. Disney is good at what they do, and they try to make an experience out of everything. These rides breaking down is probably an embarrassment for the staff, but we enjoyed it. Staff came out, looked at the situation, let us know they had to wait for a manager and assistance from the authorities. We got off the boats one at a time, no one getting wet as far as know (other than the manager who was wearing waders). They had us exit through the “behind the scenes” area. It was routine…”
Even some of the newer attractions at the parks aren’t immune from the occasional stuckage, as pointed out by u/microbrewdrinker. The user shares their experience aboard Cosmic Rewind when they write,
“Recently got stuck on Guardians of the Galaxy. Whole experience was a piece of cake. They turned on the lights. Took about 20 minutes of waiting until a cast member came and picked us up and walked us out. Got a free lightning lane out of it. Pretty relaxing actually. A nice little break from the hustle and bustle of running around the parks.”
With those examples in mind, it’s also important to remember that Disney always puts out warning signs and labels to formally inform guests what features the parks’ attractions have. Guests with aversion to elements like dark spaces and sharp turns are properly warned before even stepping foot through the entrance.
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u/Yawheyy identifies themselves as a park technician, and they add a more logical commentary to the situation.
“It’s honestly best that you sort out the issue that you’re dealing with mentally before you ride a ride, because this can happen with a ride stopping. I’m a ride technician at a park somewhere else and absolutely nothing will happen to you if a ride stops. But if you panic and get off the ride without cast member help, you will more than likely be escorted out of the park and cause the entire ride to go down and be evacuated of all guests.”
“Ride downtimes happen; they’re somewhat inevitable. These attractions are thousands of dollars worth of complicated machinery, and just like any other technical wonder, they won’t always be perfect. That being said, the absolute most important thing for you and all riders to know is that you are safe! Always, 100%. If a ride gets stuck, lots of people will have eyes on the cameras while lots of other people work to get the ride moving again. If they can’t, they will perform an evacuation and get you off efficiently and safely. Again, always safe…”