Which Disney Attractions Broke Down the Most in 2024?
Disney attractions break down occasionally. It’s just the reality of using lots of machinery and cutting edge technology to create magical attractions.
Photo:visitorlando.com
Unless something is particularly egregious, we rarely make a big deal about breakdowns.
We still track them, though.
Photo: orlandoattractions.com
So, which Disney attractions broke down the most in 2024?
Here are the ones we noticed the most.
Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an underrated park with regards to its uptime.
The attractions here remain operational more than any other Walt Disney World theme park.
Photo: Disney
Still, every attraction breaks down from time to time. That’s just the nature of the industry.
Since Expedition Everest is one of the largest roller coasters in Florida, it has plenty of automated safeguards in place.
Photo: Ziggy Knows Disney
So, it’s more susceptible to the occasional shutdown.
This attraction did break down more than many of the other entrants on this list.
Photo: Disney
I’m breaking this down alphabetically rather than by percentage, but this one isn’t a huge concern.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Again, this attraction isn’t one I’d consider a problem child.
Even so, there were a couple of months this year where the attraction’s uptime hovered in a lower range than I’d like.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Disney deserves plenty of credit, though.
The attraction’s uptime was much more problematic in its early days.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Photo: Wikipedia
Conversely, some of the attractions on this list don’t make a lot of sense unless you work there.
I never would have expected The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to appear here, but it’s true.
Photo: Disney
This attraction can be mercurial, and I’ll level with you that I don’t entirely understand why.
Honestly, knowing how often it breaks down, I’m that much more bitter that we lost Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride for this.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Photo: Disney
In case you haven’t heard, Disney will soon replace Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster with a Muppets version of the ride.
You may wonder why Disney is doing this, but it serves two purposes.
In addition to getting a new attraction, Disney will also have time to refurbish the ride.
Now, you’re probably thinking that Disney refurbishes this attraction frequently – and you’re right.
That’s part of the problem. No matter how much Disney works on the current version, it’s never foolproof.
Well, I should say it’s never foolproof by Disney’s Best in Class standards.
So, Disney is trying to kill two birds with one stone by announcing the Muppets conversion.
First, this distracts away from the Muppet*Vision 3D story.
Disney
Also, Disney can finally take the time to perfect this ride.
The Seas With Nemo & Friends
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Another big story right now involves The Seas With Nemo & Friends.
During 2024, Disney relocated three dolphins to a non-Disney facility.
The company did this for the well-being of the creatures, and it was a needed step.
The reality is that we’ve learned so much more about proper treatment of dolphins than we knew when EPCOT opened in 1982.
Disney staff members care greatly about these animals and their health.
We saw this again in early January when the company rehomed some manatees.
However, the changes occurring behind the scenes factored into this attraction’s 2024 downtime.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Photo: Where We Going Next
Here’s another attraction whose downtime wasn’t worrisome in the greater scheme of things.
If anything, its presence on this list reinforces how reliable Disney attractions are as a rule.
Credit: Disney
Still, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was one of the Walt Disney World attractions with the worst uptime, even if it was perfectly tolerable overall.
Slinky Dog Dash
Slinky Dog Dash
This one has appeared multiple times on past annual lists, and the reason why is quite simple. Roller coasters tear up a lot.
Disney has stringent safety measures in place, and roller coasters frequently trigger the sensors that force ride shutdowns.
Space Mountain
Photo: Disney
Tokyo Disneyland will rebuild its Space Mountain from scratch.
The same thing will never happen at Magic Kingdom’s version, because fans would openly revolt.
Having said that, Space Mountain is a super old ride that tears up regularly. It probably could use that sort of loving attention.
As my wife jokes, our backs would certainly be thankful.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
When this ride opened, Disney couldn’t keep it operational.
This news surprised literally no one, because the writing had been on the wall for many months.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened after everything else at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and the reason why was that this attraction was nearly impossible to build.
I often say that it’s five attractions in one, but under the hood, that’s not really an exaggeration.
Rise of the Resistance
The technology supporting several classic attractions is in place in multiple sections of Rise of the Resistance, and the result is that it breaks down frequently.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
(Olga Thompson, Photographer)
If I weren’t doing these alphabetically, this one would be the “winner” of the bunch.
I don’t need to tell you that Disney struggled to keep Tiana’s Bayou Adventure operational during its early days.
Photo: Disney
Notably, the attraction is much more reliable now as it has followed the same trajectory as Cosmic Rewind.
Even so, the recent changes are nowhere near enough to overlook the fact that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure broke down more than anything else at Walt Disney World in calendar 2024.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Photo: Disney
I know, I know.
I couldn’t believe this one, either. The data is clear, though.
PeopleMover
The PeopleMover had a rough 2024 with countless hiccups and mishaps.
I didn’t even spend much time at Disney in 2024, yet I got stuck on the ride multiple times.
Photo: Disney
The reality is that this technology dates back 60(!) years now, and it can be a bit mercurial.
Overall, Disney attractions experienced substantially better uptime than in recent years, save for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is to be expected.
So, Disney has its maintenance team working at optimal levels again now that we have some distance from the pandemic.
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