Credit: DisneyRecent Disneyland Resort guests claim the park is quite literally “breaking down.”
Disney has over 70 years of experience in the theme park game, but that doesn’t mean things don’t go wrong occasionally. In the past week alone, we’ve seen multiple Disneyland cast members rushed to the hospital after “building materials used by a contractor triggered a reaction backstage.” Guests were also evacuated from Space Mountain, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, and other areas in Tomorrowland.
Also this week, dozens of police vehicles descended upon Disneyland Resort after emergency calls reported an active mass shooting at the theme park. These calls were later found to be swatting, aka the criminal practice of making false emergency reports to trigger a significant law enforcement response.
On a smaller scale, things go wrong at Disneyland Resort every single day. The most common complication is unexpected ride closures, with guests claiming that Walt Disney’s OG theme park is experiencing more issues than usual as of late.
Guests Report Mass Issues at Disneyland Resort
One longtime visitor said their most recent trip marked the first time they noticed what they described as both “literal and figurative breakdowns” at the park. The guest, who said they have visited Disneyland “dozens of times in the last twenty years,” returned home and shared their account on Reddit after questioning whether reliability has slipped.
Several attractions reportedly experienced delays during the visit. According to the guest, Indiana Jones Adventure – an Adventureland attraction notorious for its unreliability – broke down while they were waiting in line and remained offline for about 30 minutes. The rider added that the attraction has been down during each of their last five visits.
Other classic rides were also affected, the guest said. Space Mountain reportedly experienced a delay of roughly 20 minutes. Over at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, the rider claimed one of the laser guns in their vehicle “wasn’t functioning,” meaning the game failed to register any points.
The issues extended beyond Tomorrowland. The guest said Haunted Mansion broke down and stopped admitting riders, while Tiana’s Bayou Adventure shut down after they had already waited about 30 minutes. Cast members ultimately cleared the entire queue, leaving guests without the option of waiting.
The visitor questioned whether the frequency of ride stoppages reflects a broader maintenance issue, writing: “For the billions of dollars Disney brings in annually, why do the rides breakdown so frequently.” Still, they added one bright spot, praising the evening light parade – aka Paint the Night, which returned last year for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary – as “pretty amazing.”
They’re not the only guest to note issues.
Other visitors echoed similar frustrations, with some claiming ride closures repeatedly disrupted their plans. One guest described the process as a cycle of long walks and constant delays, writing that “the ride closures are ridiculous.”
The same visitor argued the park’s Lightning Lane system worsens the situation. They described buying a $37 Lightning Lane Multi Pass, waiting hours for their return time, only for rides to break down before boarding. “It’s just walking then being disappointed,” they wrote.
Another guest said a recent visit with their wife turned into one of their “[worst] experiences” at the park. According to their account, several major attractions were down for extended periods, including Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Radiator Springs Racers, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Haunted Mansion.
“Crowds were not bad,” the visitor wrote, “but with attractions down for long periods of time, wait times everywhere else were outrageous.” With fewer rides operating, lines at the remaining attractions quickly ballooned.
A third guest said they had not visited Disneyland in seven years and were surprised by how much the experience had changed. The visitor described constantly trying to “maximize the value of pricier tickets with Lightning Lane,” often booking return times for rides they didn’t even care about.
They added that frequent breakdowns made it difficult to accomplish everything they expected during a three-day visit. “It felt like we were just chasing reasonable wait times,” they wrote, arguing that aging attractions and higher prices have made ride closures feel like “huge operational hits” for the park.
Some have attributed the mass closures to the fact that Disney allegedly “laid off a majority of their maintenance crews during COVID.” Even six years on from the parks’ closure, they claim that many didn’t return, or retired, which means Disney has “lost a ton of knowledge.”