Mass Chaos at Disney World: Hundreds Depart Without Paying, Alarms Activated
When guests visit Walt Disney World Resort, while things are meant to be magical (especially with the price tag that guests are paying for their vacation), sometimes things can go awry.
One thing that can happen at Disney is an evacuation. Typically, evacuations will take place on an attraction. Take, Pirates of the Caribbean, for example. We have seen the boat ride evacuate on multiple occasions, not only at Disney World, but Disneyland as well. An evacuation will occur if a ride breaks down, and it is unsafe for Disney to continue to move guests through.
Every ride has an evacuation protocol, even Pirates of the Caribbean! Cast members will actually enter the water with protective gear and help guests exit onto the side of the attraction without having to enter the water themselves. One ride that has had a ton of evacuations as of late is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which has been plagued with a multitude of breakdowns ever since the ride opened.
No matter what the attraction, it is never fun to get on a ride after possibly waiting a long time, only to not be able actually to experience it.
So, what happens if an evacuation happens at a restaurant?
Yesterday, Roundup Rodeo BBQ, which is one of the newest additions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Toy Story Land, an evacuation occurred due to the building reportedly being deemed “unsafe” forcing guests out immediately, some without their belongings, also not requireing them to pay.
One guest took to Reddit to share what happened:
“So fascinating experience at Rounduo yesterday. Eating lunch at a 1240 reservation. We’re about twenty minutes into lunch having received our meats and sides. Everything is going swimmingly.
All of a sudden, the lights all turn on and an alarm starts going off. At first, no one, not even the cast members seemed to know why. Then, we all got told the building was unsafe and hit evacuated out the back. From there, we were diverted back to the park. Whole thing took about 5 minutes.
We (and all other diners), then proceed back to the main Roundup entrance thinking we could collect our things. They closed the entrance, pushing people away from the entrance.
I checked in with a cast member telling them that we hadn’t had a chance to pay yet. He essentially said most people hadn’t but that the building was unsafe. We were then told to continue with our day.
Never experienced anything like that – especially the part where Disney just said “don’t pay.” As of, no charge on the card either. Felt bad about this part as none of the servers got tips. I imagine some didn’t get their credit cards back right away.”
In the past, we have reported other instances in which dining locations at Disney had been evacuated. Cinderella’s Royal Table, for example, was evacuated a few years back due to a small fire setting off alarms. While fire trucks and emergency vehicles rode down Main Street, U.S.A. to save the day, the cause ended up being a cigarette butt that was not put out.
In the case of the Roundup Rodeo BBQ incident yesterday, it seems unclear as to what the cause for the evacuation was, but there is a chance that smoke or fire would have been the cause. As of today, there are lots of Disney dining reservations available for Roundup Rodeo BBQ, so it appears that whatever the issue was, has been cleared up now.
Roundup Rodeo BBQ, which debuted in March of last year, is a table-service restaurant with unique theming unlike anywhere else at Walt Disney World Resort. The restaurant offers an all-you-care-to-enjoy menu, but several items were removed in 2024.
Previously, Disney World guests could choose four sides from a list to start their meal. However, Disney has now streamlined the options to just five sides on its updated menu. These include a new addition of plant-based potato barrels, The Claw! Veggie slaw (also plant-based), Buckin’ Baked Beans (plant-based), Slinky Dooooooooooog’s Mac & Cheese, and Cowpoke corn on the cob.
These updates have led to the removal of several other menu items, including Married Spuds, potato salad, fried pickles, and campfire-roasted vegetables.
This isn’t the first adjustment Disney has made to the restaurant since its opening. Initially, guests could sign their checks with an oversized pencil, but reports of theft led Disney to replace them with standard-sized pens.
More Disney World Evacuations
We spoke out on Disney evacuating their attractions and restaurants, their hotels can be evacuated as well.
Most recently, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort had an evacuation after the alarms went off. Videos on social media shared guests using the stairs to get to the main floor and exit the hotel.
Guest Kate shared a video of the alarms going off as she and her party had to leave the hotel.
fire at coronado springs???? at least we have alcohol
fire at coronado springs???? at least we have alcohol pic.twitter.com/lWEW3H9xbf
— kate 💋🫶🏼🎀🪩 (@katelynnnh_) July 28, 2024
It was not stated why the evacuation took place, but guests were allowed back into the hotel that same evening.
Have you ever been evacuated from Disney?
