People exiting vehicle mid-ride?

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
No
I remember hearing awhile back that on Splash Mountain, some people have left the log just before the big drop. They wander through the back stage area wondering how to get out and are eventually met by a CM or Security Guard lol.

So for the sake of conversation, have any of you seen anything like this? Or more likely, do you have any stories to tell? How often does this actually happen, and on what attractions?

I can see it happening on Splash, but I wouldn't doubt if people "found" their way out of a doom buggy or DLRR Train
 

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
No
I know in 1964 a 15-year old stood up on the Matterhorn bobsleds and was unfortunately thrown from it. That would sort of count as leaving the ride vehicle? @TROR I did know about that one. The death aspect of these two incidents is very unfortunate and sad.
 

Darkbeer1

Well-Known Member
I have seen it so many times, including on Splash Mountain prior to Disney staffing a CM at the base, where logs usually stop before the lift hill, due to logs backing up.

My best one when I did it multiole times, and allowed to do it.

We were filming at USH on Jurassic Park for a Cable TV episode. We all got out every time our boat reached the end, this was for safety reasons, so we rushed through the backstage area to loading, where we re-boarded the boat, which had camera gear in it.

But at the top of the drop, they would stop the ride (at the beginning, no big deal, we started before park opening, but at the end, the ride was in full operation. We switched gear, both cameras and audio. I was wearing mike packs, so one was waterproof, and stayed on. The second was higher quality, so they removed that one, and wardrobe had to fix my shirt before reboarding.

I also have done it on other parks during film shoots.

I have been escorted off many times as a guest due to breakdowns,

One time, on Pooh at the end, there was a back-up and the guests in front of us somehow got out of the ride vehicle and tried to exit before the station. that was fun to watch, and then wait for permission to restart the ride. And it wasn't a short wait! (We stayed on the ride).

And when I was younger, I knew which rides would stop if I stuck my foot out and touch my foot to the floor. (BAD Teen).

And still to this day, raise my hands on Timber Mountain Log Ride to have the voice say "Sit Down".
 

George Lucas on a Bench

Well-Known Member
jurassic-park-movie-screencaps.com-5685.jpg
 

Darkbeer1

Well-Known Member
OK, I rushed the end of my last post, since my wife was dragging me to the gym, and of course, wanted to leave the gym before I was done... oh well.

So my best e-stop story...

Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. Enjoying late night rides after the park closed to the public. My wife won't ride it due to the height issues. I got her on Xcelerator once (It was the first hydraulically launch coaster in the US, and Intermin's first built (prototype) I was on the first public launched ride, next to the General Contractor of the ride, shot off after the National Anthem was finished). Anyway, so just got past the light tower when it e-stopped. The coaster is set up so the public can watch the launch from close by. So after a bit, started talking to my wife through the fence to kill time, expecting to get unloaded and escorted back to the station. But they somehow got it fixed, and out of nowhere, and while I was mid-sentence talking to my wife, shot up 400 feet (twice as high as Xcelerator). Best surprise in a long time!

Mostly off topic, but I was watching a YouTube video on the closure of the Riviera casino in Las Vegas, and a historian snuck in the closed hotel and spent 4 days inside taking photos and video, and nobody knew or found out, talk about wandering back stage. (About the 15 minute mark)

 

Darkbeer1

Well-Known Member
I have been allowed to wander in many backstage areas of many parks, including Disneyland/DCA, some escorted, some not.

I have seen many guests do the Peoplemover trick, back when it was hard to detect. Never did it myself.

Guests making mistakes in going to the right place at Mickey' House, once again, the earlier years before it got harder to do.

Guests exiting the Roger Rabbit vehicles when the unloading platform got backed up.

I should add, as a kid my favorite ride to e-stop as a kid was Adventure thru Inner Space. Had a few places, but at the Microscope at the end was a favorite. (Sticking my foot out, not my body). Trick was, stick the foot out to touch the pad, and then get it back in quickly before the CM's started to look on the camera's to see why it stopped...

Seen guests try to exit, and sometime succeeding during an e-stop, ignoring the announcement to remain seated... Maybe they had to go to the bathroom?

Seen guests do it on Pirates multiple times. (Boats are designed to stop by an emergency unload platform) These folks didn't wait for the CM's.... Same with iasw, that is one ride where I wished I joined them.

Now, friends of mine used to do something called a Fluffy ride on iasw, and picked a group of larger ones during a time the ride was having issues with low water heights. The water issue was getting the CM's upset, even after multiple reports requesting a fix. So they welcomed our group, with unspoken permission, since some CM's told us to do it when off duty. And we forced 101's a few different days until the CM's got new directions to not worry about cramming as many guests per hour as possible, but to try and watch the overall weight of each boat, not using some rows if they felt the boat was close to the weight limit. Shortly thereafter, the ride got a major refurb, including lighter boats and a better water control system for the entire flume.

Let me think for awhile and see if I can think of other stories.
 

Model3 McQueen

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
No
OK, I rushed the end of my last post, since my wife was dragging me to the gym, and of course, wanted to leave the gym before I was done... oh well.

So my best e-stop story...

Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point. Enjoying late night rides after the park closed to the public. My wife won't ride it due to the height issues. I got her on Xcelerator once (It was the first hydraulically launch coaster in the US, and Intermin's first built (prototype) I was on the first public launched ride, next to the General Contractor of the ride, shot off after the National Anthem was finished). Anyway, so just got past the light tower when it e-stopped. The coaster is set up so the public can watch the launch from close by. So after a bit, started talking to my wife through the fence to kill time, expecting to get unloaded and escorted back to the station. But they somehow got it fixed, and out of nowhere, and while I was mid-sentence talking to my wife, shot up 400 feet (twice as high as Xcelerator). Best surprise in a long time!

Mostly off topic, but I was watching a YouTube video on the closure of the Riviera casino in Las Vegas, and a historian snuck in the closed hotel and spent 4 days inside taking photos and video, and nobody knew or found out, talk about wandering back stage. (About the 15 minute mark)



I'm loving your stories :hilarious: the Top Thrill Dragster one is hilarious I can't imagine how you felt being launched like that without even expecting it LOL.

I remember for the longest time CA Screamin' didn't have a countdown before launch, i'm not sure if many people ever expected it to launch when it did but I enjoyed the hype.


In most rides, the second someone steps out of the vehicle they will be detected by a sensor and the ride will e-stop.

Good call! Though i'm not as curious about the E-stops as I am people finding their way out of a moving ride vehicle :p I do wonder how often it happens on something like Pirates, Splash Mountain, Haunted.. stuff like that. It's almost impossible to escape Indy, Screamin, Space Mountain.. and thank goodness for that.
 

BasiltheBatLord

Well-Known Member
For what it's worth, there are photos somewhere on the internet of people who jumped out of the cars on the last day of operation of WDW's Toad and hid around in the ride until they were kicked out by Disney security. I think I remember seeing at least one photo on the Save Toad website, if that's still up.
 

Old Mouseketeer

Well-Known Member
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this aspect of jumping out of a ride vehicle--getting kicked out of the park! Even being in a backstage area can get you booted. Having lived in Orange County for most of my life and worked at Disney during college and a little after, I have known a lot of CMs across the resort, including in Security. Over the years, the reaction to "guest out of bounds" has gotten increasingly harsh.

I've never jumped out of a ride vehicle. But I did get pulled aside for spitting upon exiting the Skyway when I was 11 (there was a line of kids already on the side of the station for the same reason). Later in life I changed seats by sliding across under the lap bars when I was riding alone on Space Mountain--you have to get the bar on the empty seat just right. However, they usually push it all the way down now, so I don't think I could pull that off again.
 

Phroobar

Well-Known Member
I've never jumped out of a ride vehicle. But I did get pulled aside for spitting upon exiting the Skyway when I was 11 (there was a line of kids already on the side of the station for the same reason). Later in life I changed seats by sliding across under the lap bars when I was riding alone on Space Mountain--you have to get the bar on the empty seat just right. However, they usually push it all the way down now, so I don't think I could pull that off again.

Was that back when Disney used a T-Rex to crank the cars up the lift hill?
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom