Calls for Permanent Closure After Disney’s ‘Cars’ Ride Triggers Mass Complaints

Every Disney resort gets cold at one point or another, but according to some guests, frigid temperatures can actually change an entire ride at one theme park.

With six resorts spread across the globe, Disney operates in a wide range of climates—from the year-round warmth of Disneyland Resort in Southern California to the humid subtropical conditions of Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disney Resort, and the temperate, oceanic climate of Disneyland Paris.

Yet, no Disney park is completely immune to winter’s impact. As seen recently, even Walt Disney World felt the effects of an unusually harsh January 2025 cold snap, proving that even the Sunshine State isn’t spared from freezing temperatures.

Disneyland Paris tends to be up there (or down there) with the coldest of the bunch. The park’s average high in January is just 43 degrees Fahrenheit, with the first month of 2025 hitting a low of 26 degrees, as per Accuweather.

For the most part, Disneyland Paris and its two parks – Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park (soon to become Disney Adventure World) – operate as normal during cold temperatures. However, certain changes may be made if and when the parks experience heavy snowfall, such as ride closures or updates to character meet and greets.

According to some guests, one ride actually updates its entire operations when it’s extremely cold.

Cars Road Trip Sends Guests on Detour

A recent Reddit post detailed a guest’s experience on Cars Road Trip, where they claimed that they took a total detour mid-ride.

“The ride had a stop shortly after starting,” they wrote. “Then we continued with no music and drove behind the canyon scene in what looked like a service area with some construction equipment. After that it continued like normal. So as you can imagine that was quite the underwhelming ride and ending to the trip (we decided to ride Ratatouille again to not end it on such a disappointing note).”

They went on to add: “I was a bit shocked since it barely felt like a ‘ride’ to me and I feel like it shouldn’t have been running at all if there was a problem with the canyon.. There were no apologies or explanations by cast members either so I am wondering if this is normal?”

In response to their complaint, another Disneyland Paris fan chimed in to claim that this is often the case when the temperature drops. “The canyon scene is skipped when the weather is near freezing,” they wrote.

While we were unable to verify whether this is always the case, it would make sense. The ride – which was previously called Cars: Route 66 Road Trip and was brought in to replace Studio Tram Tour: Behind the Magic in 2021 – usually involves a scene in Car-tastrophe Canyon where the Canyon catches on fire and water sprays everywhere, which, as you can imagine, isn’t ideal in deep winter. However, as the original poster pointed out, Disney may be better off temporarily closing the ride in this case. “Driving in a circle looking at two cars props barely qualifies as a ride,” they wrote.

Other guests claimed that this may have been due to a technical error. In general, the sentiment towards Cars Road Trip was negative. “Hopefully they’ll demolish it soon,” said one Reddit user. “Waste of space.”

Another said: “This ride is really just a placeholder, since the other Studio changes meant it got shortened from being a ‘studio tour’ and lightly re-themed to Cars. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s planned to bulldoze it for future expansion because when you look at it from above, it takes up quite a bit of land in the park and the canyon is really the only thing of interest.”

Will Cars Road Trip Close?

This isn’t the first time guests have sounded off about their dislike of Cars Road Trip. While we’re pro expanding capacity at Walt Disney Studios Park, having experienced the ride for ourselves, we’ll say that it definitely shadows in comparison to the likes of Radiator Springs Racers.

Worth noting, however, is that those calling for its closure may actually see it happen at some point in the near future. In 2024, Disney confirmed at D23 that their extensive refurbishment plans for Walt Disney Studios Park include the addition of a new ride inspired by The Lion King (1994).

The ride (which, ironically, will also involve a water element that will likely not prove popular in winter) appears to be similar to Splash Mountain or Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, based around a recreation of the iconic Pride Rock landmark in the animated film.

Do you think Disney should axe Cars Road Trip?