Disneyland has openly acknowledged that some of the unplanned ride closures that happen throughout the day are caused by guests while they are on a ride. Previously, Disneyland made rule changes to prevent guests from dropping items on specific rides and added signage to keep guests from standing up while a vehicle is in motion. Now, they have made a specific change to a ride vehicle in order to cut down further on these unplanned closures.
We learned previously about Disneyland’s ongoing maintenance efforts to increase ride capacity and prevent unplanned downtimes. They actively track all of the issues that cause a ride to close and are taking action to prevent these issues from happening. Previously we’ve heard directly from Disney on the issues. We’ll dive into this most recent change and share the latest. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a change to the arrival drop-off area and controversial ride changes that turned out well.
READ MORE – 20 Secret Disneyland Quiet Spots Many Regulars Don’t Even Know
Disneyland Changes Ride to Reduce Unplanned Closures
Earlier this year, the Director of Attractions Engineering Services for Disneyland, Natalie Katzka, shared details on the ongoing efforts to improve ride capacity at a small media briefing. While there, she also specifically addressed downtime at the theme parks caused by guests. She shared that in fiscal year 2025, 13% of ride shutdowns were caused by guest behavior, an increase from a 10% average.
Disney Ride Closure ALERTS, Major Changes, Secrets Revealed
Get alerts on closures, park changes, exclusive discounts, and free printables. Trusted by 100,000+ Disney fans & planners.
Katzka said examples of incidents that fall into this category include guests’ loose articles, such as phones, mouse ears, water bottles, or backpacks, falling from a ride vehicle in motion. It also includes guests not following safety procedures or instructions relayed by cast members. Think about a guest standing up while a ride is in motion or sticking their hand out too far. Though not stated at the time, the recent string of guests trying to exit ride vehicles while the ride is in motion also seems to fall in this category.
Previously, Disneyland made rule changes at Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disneyland Park and the Incredicoaster in Disney California Adventure. No phones were allowed to be out for filming or otherwise on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. They require all loose items to be completely stowed. As of June though, there was an update to this rule.
At the Incredicoaster, they now do not allow guests to have water bottles or large Stanley cups onboard the ride vehicle unless they are stored in a bag. There is a process to add the guest name to the water bottle and put it on a shelf until the ride is over. This is to prevent the clunky items from falling from the vehicle. This rule continues today.
This week Disneyland reopened Indiana Jones Adventure after a six-week closure. The closure brought new maintenance changes that are meant to increase the efficiency of the attraction and the capacity of guests who can be served every hour. See all the details on these different aspects of the ride work completed.
As part of the Indiana Jones Adventure refurbishment, they rolled out new, bigger pouches in the ride vehicles for guests to store their belongings.
In an interview with the LA Times, an area manager for Attractions Engineering Services shared details on the change. He stated that the number one downtime cause is guest items bouncing out of the vehicle.
“Guests will be on the attraction, and they’ll have a large water bottle or a backpack. All the vehicles have a pouch for them to store everything, but if they don’t do that, there’s many twists and turns throughout the ride, and those articles can fly out. We’ll have to stop the ride. Not only are we working on ways we can improve maintenance reliability, we’re also working with our operations to help notify guests to store their items,” the manager said.
READ MORE – Hidden Details on Disneyland Rides That You Will Completely Miss if You Don’t Know Where to Look
With the recent changes to Indiana Jones Adventure, 125 more guests can now experience the ride every hour. They also refreshed and re-built different storytelling elements on the ride. For instance, every Audio-Animatronics Indiana Jones figure was taken apart and rebuilt.
There are new rules and signage for rides at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to reduce this.
We previously saw an increase in signage at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure notifying riders to stay in their seats after issues earlier this year. Perhaps we will see more spiels and signage as part of the ride returning.
These changes could help to prevent some of the ride downtime that happens many days at the resort. Indiana Jones Adventure is a very complex attraction. The ride already has to close many times in order to maintain the complex technological and show elements. They don’t need preventable issues happening, like a dropped item on the track.
While Indiana Jones Adventure does not suffer from this issue, multiple water rides at the resort have been the source of a frustrating trend in this same category. Guests have been exiting ride vehicles part of the way through a ride which causes a full shutdown of the ride for all guests. We break down the details on this disappointing trend of bad guest behavior.
Don’t Miss the Latest Disney News
Don’t miss the latest Disneyland and Disney World news from Mickey Visit. Join the FREE Mickey Visit newsletter that over 100k readers receive every single week. Mickey Visit is here to help you save money and experience more during your Disney and Universal vacation. See the Mickey Visit guide to Disneyland and the Mickey Visit guide to Disney World for tips.
