Splash Mountain log ride at Disney World partially sinks with visitors onboard
A group of Walt Disney World Resort visitors encountered a lot more water than they expected on a ride at Splash Mountain on Sunday.
A video shared by one rider shows a log flume ride starting to sink, forcing the evacuation of everyone on board after the water flooded up to their seats at the Florida theme park.
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so we got out of our boat because it was sinking while we were stuck there and the disney world employee decided to tell us that we should’ve stayed in the boat but it went under as soon as we all stepped out... nice #DisneyWorld #splashmountain #MagicKingdom #disney not okay???? pic.twitter.com/15zMnP1wgX
— sky💫 (@skyelaringrsoll) August 3, 2020
"So we got out of our boat because it was sinking while we were stuck there and the disney world employee decided to tell us that we should’ve stayed in the boat but it went under as soon as we all stepped out... nice," a Twitter user posted alongside a video.
We deadass almost drowned 🥴 pic.twitter.com/VCEhlHZUie
— jennifer (@_jayy09) August 3, 2020
"We deadass almost drowned," another rider tweeted with a photo of the submerged ride.
Another rider named Karen Ramirez tweeted what she said were before-and-after photos after riding the log flume with her boyfriend.
Before and after (my boyfriend and I were in the back seats) pic.twitter.com/IqJUsIIoZE
— Karen Ramirez (@Kai_cece98) August 3, 2020
The five guests were removed from the boat safely after it took on water at the the end of the ride. The incident was reviewed and the ride was reopened later that day, the company told NBC News.
The water ride is one of four attraction in Frontierland, inside of Magic Kingdom Park.
Video: Disney World reopens as COVID-19 cases spike in Florida
The incident comes less than six months after a ride at Disney World's Adventureland partially sank. Riders on the Jungle Cruise boat in February found themselves in water up to their waists on the 10-minute ride before being safely removed.
The incident at Splash Mountain also comes after the announcement in June that the attraction is being "completely reimagined" to be based on the 2009 Disney film “The Princess and the Frog,” which featured Disney’s first Black princess, Tiana. Since its creation, the ride has been based on the 1946 film "Song of the South," which critics and some Disney employees have said is one of the company's most racist films.
The change came after an online petition called for Splash Mountain to have a new theme because "there is a huge need for diversity in the parks and this could help fill that need."
Disney World reopened on July 11 amid surging coronavirus cases in Florida after having been shut down for nearly four months due to the pandemic.
