Ride Evacuations

If you visit Disneyland enough times, you’re bound to get evacuated from an attraction. From time to time, computers freeze, a blinking light comes on, the power goes out…any number of harmless things can happen. But many guests have yet to experience this phenomenon, and I get this question often: “what happens during ride evacuations?”

The short answer is…it depends. Let’s talk through some of the types of rides that breakdown, and what the general process is. Of course, every evacuation depends on specific circumstances, but there are some processes that happen pretty much every time.

DARK RIDES

Examples: Haunted Mansion, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, Peter Pan

As much as I love them, dark rides break down a fair amount. If I had to bet, I’d guess you’re most likely to end up on one of these if you’re going to experience a hiccup. If it’s a quick fix, sometimes cast members will have you stay in your vehicle. The lights might not even come on. And then after a beat, your ride will resume. If it’s going to be a longer issue, the lights inside the attraction will come on, and a cast member will come by to walk you through the ride to the nearest exit. The oddball in this scenario is Peter Pan – since you’re suspended in a ship, those who are physically able depart from a ladder.

OUTDOOR COASTERS/THRILL RIDES

Examples: Incredicoaster, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Goofy’s Sky School

In my opinion, these are the scariest breakdowns. You don’t get to see a cool interior; you’re just stuck outside…sometimes way too high up for comfort. If these coasters break down, your vehicle will stop in place or at the nearest lift/flat stopping point. Don’t worry, you’ll never stop in the middle of a drop or loop! For quick fixes, you might just sit in your vehicle until it’s fixed. And in these cases, cast members often let you do the ride over again without offloading to make up for the stop. For longer outages, a cast member will walk you down the hidden stairs/exits from the track. I’ve never experienced an issue on the Incredicoaster, but a friend once had to walk down the stairs on the tallest/2nd lift and said it was really unnerving.

INDOOR COASTERS/THRILL RIDES

Examples: Space Mountain, Mission: Breakout!, Soarin’ Around the World

These ride evacuations are the most glaring “ruining the magic” experiences. In Space Mountain, you’ll see all the ugly tracks and how un-magical space looks with the lights on. On the others, you’ll clearly see the projection screens, and you’ll totally lose the illusion of being in another world. To be honest, these are just extremely boring breakdowns. There’s not a lot to look at while you’re waiting for a cast member to come get you. Though I suppose it might happen, I’ve never stayed in my vehicle if these rides go down. Cast members have consistently come through to walk us out.

GAME/GAG RIDES

Examples: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Toy Story Midway Mania, Mad Tea Party

No one wants a ride to break down, but with these rides, it’s actually not so bad. Unless it’s a really major outage where you have to be escorted out, most of the time you can stay in your vehicle and continue to play the games, even if it’s for no points. With minor Astro Blasters stoppages, your points COUNT and it’s an amazing way to rack up a major score.

BOAT RIDES

Examples: Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s A Small World, Splash Mountain

These ride evacuations are really strange. Cast members will understandably do everything in their power to prevent a boat evacuation – it’s not easy to get a pile of guests off a boat without someone getting wet. Most of the time, you just sit in your boat until the ride either picks up again. But once in a while, cast members will emerge in overalls and boots and pull your boat (in the water) to the nearest emergency exit. You might never realize when riding, but these exits actually have very flat and decently wide platforms, designed for this exact scenario!

Mercifully, they shut off the It’s A Small World music if you’re really stuck.

TRAIN RIDES

Examples: Monorail, Disneyland Railroad, Casey Jr. Circus Train

These breakdowns are rare, but they do happen. On the Disneyland Railroad or Casey Jr., you’ll be escorted off your car and walk along the track to the nearest exit. On the monorail, you’ll have to wait for one of the service vehicles to make its way along to circuit. It’ll push your train slowly along the track to the nearest station.

The bottom line – ride evacuations aren’t really a scary experience. They happen from time to time and can be a huge bummer, but it’s just one blip in your entire visit at the resort. Don’t worry about getting stuck, and if you do experience a breakdown, focus on the fact that you’ll get a unique vantage point of a ride you’ve gone through a million times before!