Disney World Splash Mountain Boat Sinks Mid-Ride

The Splash Mountain ride at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando might need more than just a Princess and the Frog update. One of the ride’s boats began sinking during the ride. The guests got out of the boat and were later told by cast members that they should have stated inside. The guest who shared the now-viral video of the sunken boat said it began filling up with water just before the final drop.

Twitter user Skyelar Ingersoll, 20, was on her first trip to Disney World with her boyfriend and other friends when she visited Magic Kingdom Sunday. While on Splash Mountain, she and her friends began noticing water filling up the boat. “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,” Ingersoll tweeted.

She later told OrlandoHols.com the logboat stopped. “As soon as we stepped out the whole log was pretty much submerged in water,” she said. She described the cast member as “very unprofessional” and said they “lectured us about staying in the boat, even though it clearly wasn’t safe for us to stay seated in a boat that was submerging.” Next, they spoke with staff at guest relations, who were “very professional,” though.

A Walt Disney World spokesperson spoke with Fox 35 and confirmed a boat took on water towards the end. They said all the guests were safely led out of the ride and made sure the rest of their visit went well. The ride is now open.

Splash Mountain rides are located in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. They feature characters from the controversial Disney movie Song of the South. In June, Disney announced the ride will be rethemed to The Princess and the Frog, with Ania Noni Rose reprising her role as Princess Tiana from the 2009 film. Splash Mountain features the animated characters from Song of the South, the 1946 movie considered racist by many. Disney has not released the film in any form in the U.S. since its 1986 theatrical release.

Although the project was only announced recently, Walt Disney Imagineering President Bob Weis said the retheming had been in the works for over a year. “While we’ve explored many new themes in the past, that’s when we really began to hone in on Princess Tiana’s story,” Weis explained in June. “That said, Splash Mountain has been the subject of many conversations through the years. Its brilliant ride platform and landscape create the potential for great storytelling.”