Going to Disney World when rides are closed is never a fun experience. There could be a variety of reasons for this. For example, rides like Test Track and Expedition Everest will not operate when there is lightning in the area. Also, rides experience technical difficulties and close. However, now Disney will intentionally be closing parts of their theme parks during the day with rolling blackouts.
Typically when a ride at Disney World temporarily closes, they do everything they can to open it back up. This is to better manage crowd levels. One ride closure could put thousands of guests back into the park. This creates longer lines at other attractions and congestion in the walkways. Despite this, Disney will be closing different parts of their theme parks in order to save money and the environment.
Intentional Rolling Blackouts at Disney World
Disney is now implementing rolling blackouts across their four Disney World theme parks. This means that Disney will be closing parts of their theme parks throughout the day. For example, from 2:00-4:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Disney will close Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom. During this time, Disney will shut off all power to Tomorrowland for those two hours of the day. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, Disney will shut down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Studios from 5:00-7:00 PM as another example.
Guests can pick up a rolling blackout schedule at the entrance to any Disney World theme park or at Disney World resorts. It will lay out which areas of the parks are closed and when. This is to help the guests plan around these rolling blackouts for when to visit certain attractions as well as dining. When an area closes temporarily for the rolling blackout, Cast Members will stand at the entrance to the area, directing guests to other parts of the park. No one will be allowed in since all of the power will be turned off.
This is expected to cause a lot of chaos in the Disney World theme parks. Luckily, they are optimizing the schedule to close parts of the parks when they are least busy. They are also avoiding closing two sections of one park at the same time. This is to prevent capacity issues throughout the park, which we already know is an issue.
Why is Disney Implementing Rolling Blackouts?
The idea behind the rolling blackouts at Disney World is to save money and the environment. Disney is all about ways to save money and generate more money. In fact, we recently saw this with Disney turning off all showers on property. This is a great way to use less water, which helps the environment and saves Disney money. However, guests didn’t love that decision by Disney.
Rolling blackouts are a way to reduce the power used at Disney World in a day. While the blackouts will only last in each area for two hours on select days, the energy saved will add up. Over time, Disney will save hundreds of millions of dollars by closing different areas of their theme parks for a few hours each day. On top of that, it’s supposed to have a positive environmental impact by using less energy.
Despite the benefits for Disney, there is a huge downside. The guest experience is going to suffer greatly. While it may seem minor that Tomorrowland is closed for two hours, two days a week, guests are not happy. This will impact the plans of tens of thousands of guests each time a section of the park has a rolling blackout. Guests are very frustrated with this as it has a huge impact on their days at Disney World.
What do you think of Disney World implementing rolling blackouts to save money and energy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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