Disney World Ride Ends in Nightmare, Family Trapped as Water Cascades Into Sinking Boat
What started as a leisurely ride on the lake at Walt Disney World Resort turned into a scramble to reach shore before the water got any higher.
Water Rising, Driver Turning Around
TikTok user @gabi.dimattia posted the video last week, and it went viral quickly. The footage shows the moment her family’s Amphicar tour shifted from a relaxing $125 experience to something out of a nightmare as water visibly poured into the vehicle through the passenger-side back seat door while the car was still out on the lake. The driver noticed the flooding and immediately turned back toward the dock. “He’s panicking,” the Walt Disney World Resort guest wrote.
@gabi.dimattia water up to my knees i love disney springs disneysprings amphicar flood
By the time the family reached the dock, the water had risen to knee level inside the vehicle. No injuries were reported, but the clip captured the anxiety of those final moments clearly enough that viewers felt it.
A guest who happened to be dining at a nearby restaurant recognized the scene in the comments.
“If that was you guys yesterday I saw that,” @_haydon_ wrote. “I was at the restaurant next to it and we wondered why it was emptying the water for a while.”
Where the Blame Is Landing
Amphicars are equipped with two separate door mechanisms: a standard latch and a secondary handle designed to create a watertight seal before the vehicle enters the water. Commenters pointed to the second handle as the likely point of failure.
“Amphicars have a regular door latch and then a second handle that seals it for going in water,” @sicemkg explained. “Looks like he forgot the latter.”
“That’s actually a really rare car and for him to not check his stuff before going in the water is kinda wild,” @sznlucqd added. “That car may look old but it ain’t cheap by ANY MEANS.”
Walt Disney World Resort has not addressed the incident publicly or confirmed whether the flooding was caused by human error or a mechanical issue. The Amphicar experience remains listed as operational on the My Disney Experience app.
About the Amphicar Experience
Disney Springs is one of the only places in the world offering daily guided Amphicar tours. The vintage amphibious vehicles fit one driver and three to four guests for a 20-minute ride priced at $125 per car. Tours operate from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., weather permitting. Reservations can only be made in person at the dock podium at Disney Springs or inside the Boatique gift shop adjacent to The Boathouse restaurant.
What’s the strangest thing you’ve experienced on a ride at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Disney Dining would love to hear from you in the comments!
