3. Problematic weather

Lightning at Walt Disney World
Image: Dawn Ashley, Flickr (license)

Florida’s weather is notoriously rainy, so you might think its attractions would be built for this. While indoor attractions can typically operate in any weather, outdoor rides can close for a number of weather conditions.

The most common problem for outdoor attractions in Orlando is lightning. Florida gets an average of 1.45 million lightning strikes per year, averaging out to 25.3 strikes per square mile. If there’s lightning in the vicinity – and there very often is – all outdoor attractions will close for guests’ safety.

Though it’s less common, attractions may also close for heavy rain, strong winds, or other adverse weather conditions. These types of closures are most likely if there’s a prolonged period of bad weather. Most of Florida’s heavy rain storms are brief. If the rain continues for too long, some attractions can suffer minor faults, causing them to go 101.

4. Show-worthiness

Disney is all about show, and most attractions have at least a few elements that must be operational for the ride to continue. These elements have little or nothing to do with the physical movement of the ride. However, they play an integral part in the overall experience that guests are supposed to have on the attraction. For example, the Great Movie Ride may continue to operate just fine if a munchkin’s mouth isn’t moving quite right, but if Wicked Witch of the West isn’t properly obscured in a plume of mysterious smoke when she arrives, the entire attraction will go 101.

While show-worthiness is most important on the ride, it can be a critical problem in the queue as well. One day C3PO in the Star Tours queue had a noticeable problem with his hand. The attraction immediately went 101 and guests weren’t allowed in the building again until the robot was suitably covered.

5. Scheduled refurbishments

If you don’t keep up with the scheduled refurbishments at Disney, you may be surprised to find your favorite attraction isn’t just closed, it’s entirely covered. All Disney attractions go through regular refurbishments. These may last for a few days while the interior gets a fresh coat of paint, or take months to complete as major ride systems are overhauled.

The good thing about refurbishments is that they’re typically scheduled well ahead of time so you can prepare yourself for these closings before your visit to avoid a sad surprise on arrival.

Attractions go 101 often, but they’ll usually come back up smoothly in a few hours’ time. Keep in mind that even Cast Members can’t always predict when a ride will be 102 again, so you won’t usually accomplish much by asking. Just remember to check back often so you can catch your favorite ride when it’s back in operation.