A Walt Disney World Resort guest recently shared her experience after the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover attraction temporarily shut down due to a technical issue, leaving guests stranded for 45 minutes.
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, which has been a mainstay of the Magic Kingdom since its opening in 1975, was disrupted when the ride broke down mid-operation. While Walt Disney World Resort has not provided specifics on the exact cause of the breakdown, several guests found themselves stuck on the elevated track for more than 45 minutes.
TikTok user Stevie Wilde (@wildeabouttravel_) shared her personal experience during the stoppage, posting a video of herself and other riders walking down the track after being evacuated.
@wildeabouttravel_ The Disney peeps will know what ride! Hints in the hashtags! #disney #disneyparks #magickingdom
Later, Wilde posted another video explaining what went down.
@wildeabouttravel_ #peoplemover #evacuation #disneyrides #disney #waltdisneyworld #disneyworld
“If you’ve ever been on the PeopleMover, then you know that the PeopleMover will probably stop…a few times to let people on that are handicapped, or just because it’s old and it just breaks down sometimes,” Wilde said, explaining that the stoppage was initially perceived as a minor, expected delay. “So it stopped a few times during the ride, and we thought, you know, that just happens sometimes. Turns out, that wasn’t the case.”
After the ride failed to restart despite multiple attempts, Disney Park guests grew concerned.
“About the fourth or fifth time of it stopping, it never turned back on,” Wilde continued. “They try to reboot it for, I would probably say, about a half hour to 45 minutes, and it just wouldn’t turn on. So they had to evacuate us off of the ride.”
Despite the extended delay, Disney cast members were helpful and ensured that Wilde and her party made it to their dinner reservation on time. They also offered compensation to make up for the inconvenience. “We got free FastPasses,” the guest added.
At the time of writing, the My Disney Experience app showed that the PeopleMover was back in operation, though no official explanation has been given regarding what caused the breakdown.
In the event of a breakdown, Disney advises guests to remain seated and follow cast members’ instructions for safety, as many attractions are quickly reset and resumed. In cases where an evacuation is required, guests are typically escorted safely off the ride, as was the case for Wilde and others during this incident.
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