“it’s a small world” Experiences Major Malfunction. Cast Members Manually Move Boats Backward

Disney vacations are truly magical times when memories are made with the people we love, great food is eaten, and incredible rides take us on exciting journeys to faraway places. Whether Guests are there for the first time or the millionth time, a Disney vacation is a memorable experience that many will talk about for years to come.

Credit: Disney

Sometimes, the things people remember most are not everything that went right, but the interesting things that didn’t go exactly as planned. Recently, Guests visiting Disneyland Paris had such an event happen to them while they were riding the happiest cruise that ever sailed, “it’s a small world”.

YouTuber RH Tube shared a video of his journey on “it’s a small world” and, in the beginning, everything seems to be smooth sailing (pun absolutely intended), but after just about four minutes, things take a turn for the unexpected. While the boat continued to move, a voice came over the loudspeaker and announced that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the ride would be coming to a temporary pause. However, the pause became more than just temporary.

Credit: Disney

Shortly after the boats stopped, Disneyland Paris Cast Members came into the picture and soon got into the water. The Cast Members were required to move the “it’s a small world” boats backward, so the Guests could safely be evacuated. Guests were then evacuated and taken out of a back entrance to the ride.

Credit: RH Tube

You can watch the entire video below.

Our first ride on It’s A Small World at Disneyland Paris went very smoothly…. for 4 minutes. First the music stopped (which maybe some people weren’t too unhappy about) and then, after floating in silence, we suddenly stopped. After a few minutes, our rescuers arrived in waders to push us all the way back to an evacuation point. The Cast Members at Disneyland Paris were fantastic and kept everyone calm during this evac process. Of course we’ll be going on it again very soon.

While it is not often that Cast Members are seen having to take such drastic measures, they are all trained in how to safely evacuate Guests from a ride when a problem arises, whether it be an unruly Guest, a broken piece of equipment, or even a complete ride breakdown. Cast Members are trained to keep calm and keep everyone else calm, as they help clear the ride, so maintenance can come in and fix what is broken.

The video does not go on to say how long the ride was shut down, but it is nice to see Cast Members coming to the rescue and keeping Guests safe and dry!

Have you ever been evacuated off of a ride while at Disney?