On Tuesday, September 9, Walt Disney World Resort issued a rare public apology after Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, an EPCOT ride, was closed for much of the day and all night.
Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park are home to some of the most high-tech, world-class theme park attractions. As advanced as most Walt Disney World Resort rides are, they’re not immune to occasional breakdowns due to technical issues or guest behavior, like dropping a pair of sunglasses into the ride path.
Most attraction downtime is resolved within an hour or two after Disney cast members resolve the issue and reset the safety mechanisms built into most rides. Guests with paid Lightning Lane reservations can use their skip-the-line pass when the ride reopens later in the day or choose another attraction.
Rarely do Walt Disney World Resort attractions suffer severe technical issues that cause extended downtime, for hours or even days. In these situations, Disney often sends customized push notifications to those visiting the park that day via the My Disney Experience app.
On Tuesday, thousands of EPCOT guests received a mobile push notification from the park’s Vice President, Matt Simon, apologizing for the lengthy closure of the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. It read:
“Pardon the Inconvenience
On behalf of the entire team at EPCOT, I’d like to apologize that Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros is currently unavailable. Our Cast Members are working diligently to get the attraction up and running again, and we are sorry you are not able to experience this attraction at this time. I hope you will enjoy some of our other attractions during your experience in the park today.
Matt Simon
Vice President, EPCOT”
According to a Disney Park guest who spoke with Disney Dining, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros never reopened on Tuesday, September 9. However, the Mexico World Showcase Pavilion attraction reopened on Wednesday morning:
Walt Disney World Resort didn’t state what caused Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros to shut down on Tuesday. The attraction was operating normally at the time of this article’s publication.
What is Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros?
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros is a slow-moving boat ride inside the pyramid building in the Mexico World Showcase Pavilion at EPCOT. Guests join Panchito and José Carioca as they look for Donald Duck, who is busy seeing some of Mexico’s most famous sights.
Guests also enjoy a ride past San Angel Inn Restaurante, a Table Service dining location inside the Mexico World Showcase Pavilion pyramid.
Have you ever received an apology regarding an unexpected closure on your My Disney Experience app? Disney Dining would love to hear from you in the comments!
