We have a quick Disneyland Update for you with some good news. We’ll fill you in on why an incident on the 10-year-old Radiator Springs Racers attraction had it down for over a week. And those who have missed Blue Bayou have something to celebrate. Plus, spectacular entertainment returns…
UPDATED INFORMATION BELOW!
Radiator Springs Racers Has Reopened!
On Tuesday (May 24th), one of the cars on Radiator Springs Racers had an incident. Some guests reported that one of the vehicles (with riders aboard) caught fire – although no one actually saw any actual flames. The ride came to a stop, and guests were quickly evacuated. You can imagine how terrifying it would be to be locked into a ride vehicle with smoke coming out of it.
Disney will only confirm that there was an “Incident” but not the nature of what happened. But it appears that no one was hurt.
We spoke to a former maintenance worker on the attraction who says there isn’t much on the vehicles that could spontaneously catch fire, but many things could cause smoke or an electrical smell. Each of the vehicles has circuit breakers which would cause the vehicle to suddenly stop if there were problems with motors, rubbing of belts, tires rubbing against the frame, etc. and the whole attraction would shut down as a result. The worker said that vehicles break down all the time and have to be taken off the track for maintenance, worn-out tires, blown-out engines, broken belts, etc. They are real vehicles that operate like giant slot cars (and get their power from an electrical bar under the track). And as with all things that have electrical motors, failure is always possible.
The attraction was closed out of “an abundance of caution,” and was tested repeatedly over the last few days.
GOOD NEWS: As of June 3rd, Radiator Springs Racers has reopened to guests. Disney has not released any information on what their investigation determined caused the shutdown to begin with. But we are very glad to see it open again.
Pirates of the Caribbean / Blue Bayou Restaurant
Pirates of the Caribbean has been closed for refurbishment for months with no official reopening date. The attraction info page (on the website and Disneyland app) now lists an end date of June 30th for the closure and the attraction is now expected to reopen on July 1st, 2022!
And some related good news…
With Pirates of the Caribbean wrapping up its refurbishment, Blue Bayou has now reopened (as of June 3rd, 2022) During the soft opening period, there will be no reservations and guests will be able to dine by walk-up only. However, please note that construction walls will remain up inside the restaurant – blocking the view of the actual bayou in the attraction.
It’s not possible yet to make reservations for future bookings, but that will happen soon. Though, we think it’s a good idea to keep the restaurant as a walk-up only until those construction walls come down, to avoid guest disappointment.
These next two items are reminders about Disneyland’s big entertainment returns
Fantasmic! Returned May 28th
It’s time to return to Mickey’s dreams… Fantasmic! has reopened and is packing the Rivers of Amerca nightly. Disney isn’t using a virtual queue to find a spot, which creates some drama for standby guests without dining packages. As a result, we recommend looking into Fantasmic dining packages that include a spot along the river. You’ll be able to check with River Bell Terrace, Blue Bayou, and Hungry Bear about package availability.
UPDATED: Here’s our live street from the opening performance of Fantasmic. If we were sitting any closer, we’d have caught fire!
Tale of the Lion King Opened May 28th
This one has been a bit overlooked in the excitement over Fantasmic, but we don’t think it should be. One of our favorite small shows from Disney California Adventure has moved over to Disneyland’s Fantasyland Theater and it’s a complete delight. The Tale of the Lion King is an approximate 25-minute musical show. Storytellers share the narrative of the Lion King as talented performers dance and sing. It’s a colorful and high-energy production. If you are in the parks, be sure to stop by.
UPDATED: Info and review of the fantastic new Tale of the Lion King show (HERE)
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More Disneyland News
For more information on the returning spectaculars, please check out our updated Guide to Disneyland Nighttime Spectaculars and Entertainment.
And for the rest of the Disneyland Resort News, don’t miss our big update from Monday: Disneyland Update – Imagination Resurfacing, Racers Down, New to Batuu
