Disneyland Closes California Park Hours Early, Thousands Forced To Leave Without Notice
A sudden announcement at Disney California Adventure Park left thousands of Disneyland Resort guests confused and disappointed earlier this month, as they were encouraged to leave the park earlier than expected.
Like other Disney parks, Disneyland Resort provides its guests with set hours of operation, which are usually consistent and posted well in advance. Guests rely on these times, which are available on the official Disneyland Resort website or the park’s app. For many, especially Magic Key holders, these hours are crucial for planning their visits to make the most of the time available, especially when they expect the park to stay open later into the evening.
However, on July 2, Disneyland Resort caused quite a stir when it announced that Disney California Adventure Park would close at 8:00 p.m., despite the official schedule listing a closing time of 10:00 p.m. This unexpected change sent waves of confusion through the park, with many guests wondering why the early closure was happening.
One Disney Park guest shared their experience on Reddit, asking, “Did anybody hear the park closed message at DCA at 8pm just now?” The post went on to explain that a few Disney cast members were also unsure about the early closure, especially since the Disneyland Resort app still showed the park closing at 10:00 p.m. The guest added that a nearby VIP tour guide exclaimed, “Somebody hit the wrong button!”
Disney California Adventure Park did not release a follow-up announcement to clarify the error. As a result, countless families who had been enjoying their time in the park were uncertain about the actual hours and may have left early.
“I’m surprised they didn’t make a correction announcement,” the social media user said.
The early closure announcement was a pre-recorded message—typically played when the park is about to close for the night, not two hours ahead of time. Other Disney Park guests shared their recollection of the accidental announcement.
“Yes we were in Cars Land waiting for the sunset sha-boom and everyone was like what?!” Reddit user u/DisneylandPlan wrote.
Another user, u/rosariobono, confirmed that the message had been sent prematurely, saying, “Yeah it was sent too early and was a mistake.”
Although Disney California Adventure Park continued to operate until 10:00 p.m., many guests may have left based on the inaccurate announcement. Disneyland Resort did not issue any clarification after the premature message was broadcast.
Has anything unusual interrupted your Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort vacation? Share your experience with Disney Dining in the comments!
