When a Disney theme park attraction stops operating in the middle of a busy day, it’s natural to assume the problem is related to mechanics or technology. While that’s sometimes true, a surprising portion of ride shutdowns are caused by guest behavior.
Attractions experiencing downtime due to a guest is a preventable issue, and Disney recognizes this. Keep reading to learn the ways the company is trying to stay ahead of this problem to improve ride operations and reduce guest impacts. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including new Disney roller coasters and future attractions coming to Disneyland Resort.
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Disney Trying to Avoid Guest-Related Ride Closures
On average, 10% of ride closures at Disneyland Resort‘s two theme parks, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure, happen due to guest behavior.
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Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum, who was just promoted to that role after being Disneyland Resort President, as well as other key members of Mazloum’s team, recently hosted about a dozen members of the media to talk about plans to improve the guest experience. The event was held while he was still leading Disneyland. Mickey Visit was included in that group.
That focus on improving guest experience ranges from cast member changes to improvements to ride reliability. You can see our other coverage of the day, including details on park hopping changes and park reservations, the choice to delay a permanent ride closure, changes considered for security at Disneyland, plans to attract more young families, and the inside story of the Disneyland monorail that was stuck.
We also heard from Natalie Katzka, Director of Attractions Engineering Services at Disneyland. Katzka shared that in fiscal year 2025, 13% of ride shutdowns were caused by guest behavior, an increase from the 10% average. They are working to reduce this.
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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 with a ride is in motion or sticking their hand out too far.
These incidents can lead to a ride shutting down momentarily or even for an extended period, requiring an evacuation of all riders.
These are unnecessary, preventable circumstances in Disney’s eyes. However, rather than simply blaming guests and hoping these situations will disappear, Disney is actively taking steps to help guests help themselves.
Changes to 2 Disneyland Ride Protocols
Disney wants everyone to enjoy their day, Katzka explained, and on the topic of rides shutting down due to guest behavior, Disney can anticipate guests’ missteps and get ahead of the behavior in simple but effective ways.
For example, last year Disneyland Resort implemented two changes to ride procedures in an effort to mitigate unnecessary closures.
At Disneyland Park, guests are no longer allowed to have their phones out while riding Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The indoor ride is slow-moving and family-friendly, but its movements can sometimes be jerky or unexpected, leading to guests dropping their phones.
Now, signage instructs guests to put away loose belongings, and cast members won’t start the ride if a guest has their phone in their lap or otherwise not stowed in a secure place.
At Disney California Adventure, Disney noticed the increasing number of guests with large cups, especially while riding Incredicoaster. Large, insulated bottles and drinkware like Stanley cups have become increasingly popular, but their bulkiness is cumbersome to manage while speeding upside-down and helping the Incredibles find Jack-Jack.
Guests can no longer ride Incredicoaster with loose water bottles in the ride vehicle with them. They must either stow their water bottle securely in their bag or leave it behind at the load station to pick up when they exit. Rather than simply dismissing this as the guests’ problem to solve themselves, Disney installed a shelf for guests’ water bottles near Incredicoaster’s boarding/unboarding station.
These efforts represent partnerships between the attractions engineering team and the operations team in finding ways to inform guests of ways they can help prevent unnecessary ride closures.
Disney Improving Other Causes for Ride Shutdowns
Guest behavior is just one potential reason for a ride closing at Disneyland. Other causes include general maintenance of the ride’s mechanics, whether planned or unscheduled, as well as the implementation of a strategic change to increase the ride’s capacity.
See our separate coverage for a thorough breakdown, no pun intended, on Disney’s sweeping ride closure plans to improve the guest experience.
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