Over the years that we’ve been in the parks, we’ve seen some pretty strange and wild things!
Disney World is full of weird things!
We’ve seen animatronic malfunctions, ride pieces replaced by plants, and tons of other random incidents. However, even these things aren’t the MOST ridiculous occurrences in the parks — today we’re sharing the list of the most bizarre disasters in Disney World!
Lightning Striking Rise of the Resistance
Last fall, lightning struck Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in a freak accident. A guest caught the strike on video and it was big enough to rival a blast from Darth Sidious himself!
Lightning closed the ride for a whole day!
However, the lightning strike came with consequences — it caused Rise of the Resistance to close down for an entire day. It would have to be something BIG for Disney to shut down their most popular ride, so this was certainly pretty bizarre!
Skyliner Crash Shortly After Opening
Only a few days after the Disney Skyliner officially opened in 2019, two gondolas crashed into each other at the Riviera Resort’s station and caused a massive shutdown of the transportation system. Many guests were stuck suspended in the air for multiple hours!
Imagine being stuck in one of these for several hours!
The stuck gondolas had to be evacuated with the help of the fire department. During the incident, guests were asked to open up the emergency kits (so we got to see what was inside!) and afterward, they were given gift cards and Park Hopper tickets for their troubles. What a crazy night that probably was!
And just a few weeks ago…the Skyliner crashed again.
Skyliner Crash @nextstopmainstreet on Instagram
John Progress Lost a Hand
Speaking of things you don’t see every day, last year there was a MAJOR malfunction on Carousel of Progress. During the final scene of the show, the father character (affectionately known as John) seemed to have an accident in the kitchen, because his hand was missing!
Give this animatronic a hand!
We’ve seen glitches before, but this is like a whole new level of weirdness. Don’t worry, John got the care he needed because he was good as new the next time we saw him!
Disney Ducks Move Into Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain is one of those rides in Disney World that seems to go down more often than others. We’ve seen it closed for a variety of reasons (mostly weather-related), but in 2019 the attraction closed for a day thanks to some ducks!
Probably the strangest reason Splash Mountain has closed!
A family of ducks decided to take up residence on the ride, causing it to be shut down and evacuated for the safety of the birds. The guests removed from the queue were given FastPasses to enjoy another ride and the ducks were safely removed!
Maleficent Caught On Fire During Festival of Fantasy
One of the most iconic floats in Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy parade is the giant fire-breathing dragon version of Maleficent. This thing is beastly, impressive, and apparently sometimes dangerous!
She took the fire-breathing dragon to the next level.
In 2018, instead of breathing fire like normal, the float CAUGHT fire during the parade one day!
Maleficent Dragon Float ©Orlando Sentinel
It was quite the spectacle and it has been one of Disney World’s most memorable “disasters” to this day.
Merida’s Horse Spooked by a Balloon
One of the more recent incidents in the parks happened during the Royal Princess Processional a few days after the parks reopened. If you’ve seen the cavalcade, you know that Merida leads the way on her trusty steed Angus.
Merida and Angus making their way down Main Street!
During this particular run, a child ran out into the path of the cavalcade. Even though the child was pulled to safety, a balloon that the child was carrying flew out in front of the horse and spooked it, causing it to buck around. Thankfully, Merida was able to jump down to safety quickly and Cast Members were able to calm the animal.
Fire at Disneyland Park
And if you thought Maleficent catching on fire was crazy, then just wait until you hear about the massive fire at Disneyland! The flames were flying up behind (ironically) the Fire Station on Main Street, U.S.A.
Imagine spotting that in the park!
The fire affected a fairly sizable chunk of the park, even causing the power to go out in Adventureland. Cast Members were able to get the emergency lights on and no injuries or damages were reported. While this one didn’t happen at Disney World, we think it’s bizarre enough to make the list!
A Jungle Cruise Boat Sank
On Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise, your skipper often jokes about the crazy antics that you’ll get up to during your trip, but for one group of guests, this turned out to be pretty true. Last year, a boat sank…while passengers were in it!
When your skipper jokes about being your “swimming instructor,” it turns out they weren’t kidding!
As water filled the main seating area, guests were forced to climb up onto the benches and outside edges of the boat. The boat was removed from circulation, and the ride reopened later that day. What a story that would be to tell your friends!
There you go — a list of some of the most strange, weird, bizarre disasters from Walt Disney World! Stay tuned to DFB for more details on all the crazy happenings in the parks, we’ll make sure to keep you updated on all the news!
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Disney Parks you never know what can happen there is a a lot of people working and going to the parks all the time. Things are going to happen that is the way life goes . Disney always comes to the rescue big or small .Thing malfunction s it is all machines controlled by computers.
I was at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween one year. My group decided to go on Pirates of the Caribbean one last time before we left the park for the night. We got stuck in the middle of the ride, at the part where they’re singing “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Pirate’s Life For Me” and with the guy sleeping with the pigs. At one point, the music stopped but the animatronics kept moving! It was so creepy!!! Cast members had to wade in the water to pull the boat back to an emergency exit. My friends and i got a little bit of a bts look at Magic Kingdom at night! Since it was MY idea to go on Pirates, my friends still tease me about it to this day! Regardless, Pirates is still one of my favorite rides in all of Walt Disney World!
Shari, what an experience!