When you hop on one of Disney World’s water rides, you’re prepared to get a little splash, right? Unless you’re tackling the Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a splash is about all you anticipate.
What guests don’t expect is a major flood that shuts down a large section of a water ride. These attractions are designed to contain water, so it’s quite unusual—and a bit alarming—when the water escapes.
Due to circumstances beyond our control, your wait and ride time may be longer than normal while we address an issue. We appreciate your patience while we fix this problem.
Despite the inconvenience, guests had the unexpected chance to spend extra time with the Johnny Depp character from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, soaking in the details of the pirates’ attempts to escape from the burning prison.
While ride breakdowns are not uncommon at Disney, it’s rare for water to cause such a mess in the queue area, leading to soggy socks and added frustration for guests.
The timing of this breakdown is particularly unfortunate for Walt Disney World, as April is typically one of the park’s busiest months. With wait times for Pirates of the Caribbean already exceeding 40 minutes, this incident adds to the strain on visitors.
Luckily during the delay, people were well behaved. No one jumped out of the boat, as has happened at the Disneyland Resort in California. At least Florida guests followed the rules and cast member instructions, and everyone got off their boat safely.
Disney World did not release an official response to the flooding in the Disney ride.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen on a Disney ride or while waiting in line? Let us know in the comments.