Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Walt Disney World has a ride problem, and September’s numbers show just how frustrating it has become.
Unexpected attraction closures are nothing new at a theme park. Weather, technical problems, maintenance issues, and countless other factors can temporarily stop a ride. But when shutdowns occur repeatedly across all four Disney World theme parks, they can begin to change how guests experience an expensive vacation.
Some attractions struggled far more than others over the past month. More concerning, several of Disney World’s biggest attractions landed among the repeat offenders.
If this level of downtime continues, future Disney World guests could face similar disruptions when planning their park days.
A Few Popular Rides Escaped the Worst of It
Avatar Flight of Passage came away looking relatively reliable compared to the rest of the list. The Disney’s Animal Kingdom headliner went down only three times during the period tracked.
Six closures over 29 days followed Na’vi River Journey.
After those two, however, the numbers quickly began to climb.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets each recorded 20 closures over 15 days.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT went down 27 times over 20 days, while Frozen Ever After experienced 29 closures across 18 days.
Those totals may look tame compared to what comes next, but nearly 30 shutdowns for popular attractions can still disrupt a vacation. Guests may have planned their entire morning or afternoon around riding one of them.
The Problems Quickly Jump Into the 30s
Expedition Everest was next with 32 closures during the tracked period.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad wasn’t far behind. The Magic Kingdom roller coaster experienced 34 closures across 22 days.
Then came Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which recorded 38 closures over 23 days.
Outdoor attractions in Central Florida face an additional challenge: thunderstorms and lightning can force Disney to suspend operations temporarily. That makes rides such as Expedition Everest and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure particularly vulnerable when afternoon storms roll through.
Still, frequent downtime can create a domino effect throughout a park. When a popular attraction closes, guests who would have been waiting there move elsewhere. That can suddenly push more people toward nearby rides, making an already busy day harder to navigate.
And the numbers were about to get worse.
Four Major Attractions Crossed 40 Closures
Kali River Rapids experienced 40 closures during the period tracked, putting another Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction high on the list.
Then, the two major rides tied at 41.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance went down 41 times across 23 days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train also recorded 41 closures, this time across 25 days at Magic Kingdom.
Those are especially painful attractions to lose during a park day.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train remains one of Magic Kingdom’s biggest draws, while Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a major reason some guests head directly toward Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
When attractions of that caliber stop operating, guests aren’t simply losing another ride option. They may lose access to something they considered a must-do experience.
Two Rides Came Dangerously Close to 60
Spaceship Earth experienced an especially difficult stretch at EPCOT, recording 54 closures across 25 days.
Then came Slinky Dog Dash.
The Toy Story Land roller coaster shut down 55 times across 28 days, giving Disney’s Hollywood Studios another major attraction near the top of the list.
Slinky Dog Dash already has long wait times due to its popularity with families. Its outdoor design also leaves it vulnerable to Florida weather.
Repeated downtime only makes the situation more difficult. Guests may wait for the ride to reopen, abandon their plans entirely, or join another attraction queue along with everyone else looking for something to do.
Yet neither attraction came remotely close to Disney World’s biggest problem.
One EPCOT Ride Blew Every Other Number Away
Test Track stood in a category of its own.
The EPCOT attraction recorded an incredible 93 closures across 29 days.
That works out to more than three shutdowns per day during the tracked period.
No other attraction on the list reached 60. Test Track blew past 90.
A ride going down once during your vacation can simply be bad luck. A ride experiencing this many interruptions becomes something guests may need to factor into their day.
It becomes even more frustrating when that attraction is one of the park’s major draws rather than a smaller experience guests can easily skip.
Disney World Prices Make the Downtime Harder to Ignore
Disney World vacations are expensive. Families can spend hundreds on admission before adding parking, food, hotels, and Lightning Lane purchases.
At those prices, guests expect Disney’s biggest attractions to operate consistently.
People might be more forgiving if repeated shutdowns affected smaller attractions such as Astro Orbiter or Mad Tea Party. But this list includes Test Track, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Slinky Dog Dash, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
These are rides guests build their park days around.
Weather and technical closures are unavoidable. However, September’s numbers show how repeated downtime can become a resort-wide problem.
Major attractions across all four parks experienced repeated interruptions.
For families paying premium prices, that uncertainty can derail carefully planned days — and 93 shutdowns for one attraction in less than a month is difficult to dismiss.
