Don't Let This Unexpected Ride Issue Ruin Your Day in Disney World

So you’ve made all your plans for your Disney World trip, and you finally arrive and you think you’ve prepared yourself for any kind of situation.

Magic Kingdom

You know that there are sometimes transportation issues, that rides sometimes close, and that rides sometimes even malfunction. There might be ONE ride issue you’re not prepared for, but you’ll need to know about it, especially if you’ve planned to ride it later in the day.

Did you know that some rides can close a little EARLIER than others? If not, this is something you really need to know about.

For example, on May 4th Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom was set to close EARLY — at 7PM. That’s four hours before Magic Kingdom closes at 11PM.

©Disney

So why did it close early? Well, we’ve seen this with rides before, and it’s usually due to “routine maintenance,” meaning the ride needs a little extra love to keep it in tip-top condition. That means Cast Members will be inspecting and doing maintenance on the ride to keep it operating smoothly.

Ariel!

Sometimes rides close for extended refurbishments, but that wasn’t the case here. The hours listed for the ride were normal for the next day and were from park open to close. So it didn’t seem to need a LOT of work, just a little extra care and maintenance.

This also didn’t seem to be an issue of technical difficulties that unexpectedly closed rides — this particularly closure was already on the schedule.

Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid

But this is something you need to consider when you visit Disney World. It’s always a good idea to not just check park hours, but also ride hours, in case this kind of maintenance throws off your plan for your entire day in the park. Also, keep an eye on Disney World’s refurbishment schedules (which are posted on the Disney World website), as well as check with us on a regular basis — we’ll try to keep you updated on these kinds of closures, too.

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Your Favorite Disney World Ride Closed Unexpectedly. Now What? Here’s What To Do

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Have you come across this kind of issue during a Disney World trip? Let us know in the comments!