A minor earthquake near Disneyland forced the closure of dozens of rides and left visitors with little to do while employees conducted mandatory safety protocols before reopening the attractions at the Anaheim theme park.
An earthquake in Fullerton on Monday, Dec. 4 centered about 2 miles north of Disneyland forced the temporary closure of at least 35 rides.
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“Felt like it was right under our table at Jolly Holiday,” wrote Shanna Fogelman on Instagram. “Shook things up more than you would think.”
The 3.5-magnitude quake at 8:10 p.m. on Monday was centered near Chapman and Raymond Avenues in Fullerton, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A smaller aftershock struck around 8:30 p.m.
No initial damage was reported at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure.
“Damage is very unlikely but guests will be inconvenienced while rides are inspected,” MiceChat posted to Instagram.
By 9 p.m. Monday night, the vast majority of the attractions in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure were temporarily closed, according to the Disneyland app.
Everything was closed at DCA except for Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, Mickey’s Philharmagic and holiday versions of Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree. Only Jungle Cruise and the Mad Tea Party were open at Disneyland.
The list of temporarily closed rides at Disneyland included Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Pirates of the Caribbean, Rise of the Resistance, Space Mountain, the holiday version of It’s a Small World and the new Adventureland Treehouse.
The closed attractions at Disney California Adventure included Radiator Springs Racers, Web Slingers, Toy Story Midway Mania, Soarin’ Around the World and the Incredicoaster.
“All rides are down, all lines are closed and they are telling us after safety protocols are passed they’ll open them back up,” Napa photographer Elise Delamare wrote on Instagram.
Disneyland and DCA employees evacuated some rides as a safety precaution, according to social media posts.
“We were evacuated from Haunted Mansion,” wrote Vivs Candyland on Instagram.
Disneyland’s earthquake protocol calls for rides and attractions to undergo an inspection similar to the daily checks done before park opening. Employees must walk the track, cycle the ride vehicles and inspect the ride systems for potential damage or malfunction.
During those post-quake inspections, employees will empty each ride queue and usually issue readmission passes. Rides could be closed for an hour or more following a minor earthquake. Attractions reopen on a rolling basis as they are cleared for riders.
“When rides reopen, they likely will do so with empty queues and fewer people in the park,” according to Theme Park Insider. “If you can wait out the inspection time after a minor quake, you might find some prime riding time on the other side.”
