Don’t be scared - you too can survive being “rescued” from a ride that has broken down! I had just a few minutes until Animal Kingdom closed and I had waited all evening for my FastPass time to arrive to ride Dinosaur. As I got in line, I should have known there might be problems when an enormous bolt of lightning hit and the earth shook with thunder. But I was glad to at least be out of the torrential downpour just outside of the building. I don’t know if there was a power flash while I was on the ride as they never told us but we came to a screeching halt just before the great jump scare in the ride.
We sat there for 5 minutes or so and then the lights came on and an announcement told us all to stay in our vehicles and a Cast Member would be by to talk to us. Another 5 minutes or so and here they came. Dragging a ladder. You’re only 3 or 4 feet above the ground in these vehicles so I could have just jumped but “there are regulations” on these things.
So we all got out of the vehicle and walked through the attraction to the next vehicle that was stuck. They helped them down and we all made our way through to the end. There were lots of apologies by the Cast Members but I felt like I had a free backstage tour - I loved it!
I wasn’t sure about how they would react to snapping photos and videos so I didn’t do a great job here, but check out what I did get…
And here are my photos of the experience…
I have to admit I was initially annoyed that it stopped because I live for making goofy faces on the in-ride photos. And I didn’t expect to make it back to Animal Kingdom this trip so thought I had missed out on that. This is the pic of our vehicle when it finally started again minus my goofy face.
But one of the good things when a ride is down is that Disney will update your MyDisneyExperience app with another FastPass. In this case it could be used at any park - just read the fine print as there are some rides (Flight of Passage for example) that you can’t redeem yours at. Here is what the “extra” FastPass looks like. I was lucky to get several of these on my trip as rides shut down during my FastPass time but only temporarily. During slow times, I didn’t use the FastPasses and saved them for busier times. Just also be sure to check the expiration date/time. The lesson here is to keep an eye on your app!!
Not to worry though - as usual with Disney magic on my side, I made it back! So enjoy my fun pics below of my in-ride photos. Never gets old…
Give me a call and let’s get a Disney trip planned for you and your family! I never charge you for my time or expertise!! And although I can’t guarantee a backstage tour, I can make sure you have the most Magical time possible!! And let me know in the comments - what would be your ride you would hope to have to walk out of? Mine would be Spaceship Earth!! Someday…