Have You Experienced This Disney Rite of Passage?

When it comes to visiting Walt Disney World, there are some things that every Guest experiences at least once. Disney rites of passage, if you will.

These rites of passage include some of the simple, magical stuff, like eating a Mickey bar, watching the fireworks show over Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle, meeting Mickey Mouse himself, etc.

But sometimes, these rites of passage can be less pleasant, such as an ankle getting hit by someone’s stroller, losing your car in the massive theme park parking lot, and getting stuck on “it’s a small world.”

Credit: Disney

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We mention “it’s a small world” specifically because it seems that every Guest who’s visited Magic Kingdom more than once has a story about getting stuck on ‘the Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed.’

One anonymous fan asked an online Disney community about their “funniest ride malfunction” stories, and the attraction that was named the most was none other than “it’s a small world.”

One Guest brought their friend to a Disney Park for her birthday, and during her very first experience on an attraction, it broke down:

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by u/FlashyCow1 from discussion Your Funniest Ride Malfunction?
in disney

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Another Guest made it through the entire attraction, only for the slow-moving boat ride to break down on their way out:

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by u/ChernSH from discussion Your Funniest Ride Malfunction?
in disney

READ MORE: Guest Captures a “Poor Unfortunate Soul” on Video While Riding Disney’s ‘Little Mermaid’ Attraction

Lastly, another Guest witnessed something spookier than usual:

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by u/Badonk529 from discussion Your Funniest Ride Malfunction?
in disney

READ MORE: This Spooky Video Is Nightmare Fuel For Anyone Creeped Out By Small World Dolls

In short, Magic Kingdom’s “it’s a small world” attraction is infamous for breaking down or backing up, taking a long time to resume. It’s so infamous for this that it seems every frequent Guest has a story about ‘the Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed’ breaking down.

On the bright side, at least the attraction is entirely inside and air-conditioned!

Do you have a story about “it’s a small world” breaking down?