Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of ride closures in Disney World!
The PeopleMover was closed for a LONG time!
There are the typical ones, where rides close for weather-related issues or to get a routine refurbishment. But, we’ve also seen rides close for more unusual reasons, like lightning strikes or because a family of ducks decided to move in. Today, several rides closed down in Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a very unexpected reason!
A large section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park was forced to temporarily close down today due to a massive power outage!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Several rides had to close unexpectedly, including Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Kali River Rapids, the Wildlife Express Train, and the It’s Tough to Be A Bug show. All of these rides were labeled as “temporarily closed” in the My Disney Experience app.
©Disney
Obviously, we had to make a beeline to Animal Kingdom to scope out the scene!
Animal Kingdom power outage
When we arrived, the front entrance had power and security was working just fine.
Crowds were still out in full force
There was no signage about any closures, but a Cast Member was verbally telling guests that attractions and food in Asia were currently unavailable. However, things must have changed pretty quickly, because as we explored the park, things seemed to be opening back up!
Looking normal again
Dinoland U.S.A. had its lights on, and music was playing.
Power on in Dinoland
As we made our way to Asia, the outdoor amphitheater had its lights and music on as well — a good sign!
Lights are back
Expedition Everest was back in action by the time we made it by with a 20 minute wait!
Line is moving again
Kali River Rapids was still closed when we walked by…
Kali River Rapids
…but there was still a long line of people waiting for it to reopen.
Kali River Rapids queue
Thirsty River Bar was back open for business as well!
Who’s thirsty?
At this point, all restaurants and shops we saw were fully functioning with power.
Yak & Yeti is open
It’s Tough to be a Bug is still closed from the power outage. Since most things have reopened, hopefully this and Kali River Rapids are not too far behind!
It’s Tough to be a Bug
We’re in the park now, staying updated on this situation, so we’ll make sure to pass along the news as it comes. Stay tuned to DFB for all the breaking news from the parks!
UPDATE: Since this writing, Kali River Rapids has reopened. It’s Tough to be a Bug remains closed.
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Did you find out what caused the power outage?
I waited an hour 45 for my lunch reservation with no info. Definitely didn’t open quickly. Ruined my day.
We were in line for Kali river rapids and the electricity literally flashed. It was never even out and it seemed the whole “world” shit down. We watched people legit freak out and panic because everything started to close. Thankfully we had a lunch reservation to catch and after that things were back in order. It was our first visit and we were so excited we got to experience Animal Kingdom. What a beautiful park!
I love the info, but please ease up on the exclamation points. They’re unnecessary. The phrase ” that being said” is also unneeded. If you remove that phrase, the sentence still makes sense.
Alisha, thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Benjamin, a DFB reader says there was a flicker of lights at Kali River Rapids, but otherwise we did not get any info from Disney on this.
Thanks, Sarah.
It was an awful day at Animal Kingdom. It was 3 hours with most of the park shut down and we decided to leave. Guest relations had such a long line that we left around 2pm without a refund. People in line had their passes replenished but the line looked like it would have taken another 3 hours to get to speak with anyone. Such a Wasted hotel stay the night before, $25 parking , etc. I thought Disney handled it terribly with no communication. We sure did get multiple text messages reminding us to wear our masks indoors but nothing about the power outage! Disney fail.