Power Outage

[RobFL]

Tonight, 9/12/02, at about 11pm, WDW experienced a major power outage. The entire Swan/Dolphin/Boardwalk and Epcot area was without power for approximately 5-10 minutes.

I was playing minigolf at Fantasia Gardens. The entire area went pitch black. They had to send people out with flashlights to rescue parties one by one. You couldn't see the clubhouse 50 yards away.

When power recovered, the Swan was back and illuminated as was Epcot and Boardwalk, but the Dolphin was not, it was running on emergency generator power only.

When the power went out, a plume of fog/steam/smoke drifted into the air near the Swan/Dolphin (hard to tell them apart in the dark, just look like funny shaped mountains).

The outage even took out all street lights, which were only starting to flicker back on as we were leaving about 15-20 mins later.

MGM was also affected, as the Tower of Terror went dark (I jsut recall seeing that), but other areas of the WDW resort only speculative as I did not see them myself from my vantage point.

-Rob

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Could it be connected to the generator that was hit by fire about 4-5 weeks ago ? Perhaps there is some sort of long term problem

 

[RobFL]

I think the area with the previous fire issue (and thus causing Epcot's impromptu closure one day) was not a generator, but rather a power substation controling the power flow for the entire WDW resort. It would technically be the only place on property with the ability to cause a "complete" blackout.

PS: I'm writing a letter/email to WDW guest services about installing some form of emergency lighting at the mini-golf course. You could not see 3 feet ahead of you at the time, and that can be very dangerous on a minigolf course.

-Rob

 

[wed050499]

From a BW CM

Hello all,

I recently came back from completing my college program where I worked at the BoardWalk Resort and was there for the Epcot power outage. The BoardWalk, Swan, Dolphin, Fantasia Miniature Golf, and Disney-MGM Studios are all on the same substation, hence why they didn't go out back in July when Epcot did. The way Reedy Creek has laid out the electric grids throughout the world, there cannot be a power outage at more than one park at once unless there's a loss of power from outside Walt Disney World that then feeds onto property. This sounds like something happened at the Studios Substation, but I'll email some of my fellow BW cast members and find out.

Brian
VP WDWCP Alumni Association

 

[RogueHabit]

We had a similar thing happen during our vacation in July. We where at PO:R and during a storm a lightening strike hit something, but no generator cut it. Everything was out for about a hour or so.

We rang down to the front desk, phones were still functioning, and they couldn't tell us anything. The only lights were from the battery powered emergency lights on the balcony.

 

[Mookie]

I was over at Crossroads last night at around the same time the power went out where you were. We were exiting waiting to make a left turn, and the power went out at McDonald's, Pizzeria Uno, and some of the other restaurants in the area. The power also went out at the traffic light ... everything came back on within a minute or two, though. While I was driving home, a lot of the street lights were out that are usually lit that late at night ... just another weird twist to the story.

 

[kaos]

INteresting.... I missed the outage by only a few minutes.

 

[lamarvenoy]

i checked into the CBR the day after the big EPCOT outage and I got there about 10 am, there were bobcat dozers in the check-in parking lot and electrical crews everywhere, 30-50 people !they completely dug up the grass and shrubs and were putting in new lines, and had trench machines tearing up grass in all directions replacing lines. 6 hours later there was no sign of anybody and all new plants were in place. i am also pretty sure a big piece of cement was laid at epcot, it was roped off and it was a different shade of pink.

 

[DanielJ]

I was one of those people who was in orlando when the first power outage took place, ya know the one where they closed epcot for the day and ya never guess what disney refunded me on my guest ticket (didn't have my annual pass that day) lol
It sounds to me that disney are turning the juice up on things causing their electrical system to fail, perhaps they're testing something hmmm?

I hope it doesn't happen next week when i'm due to fly out there for a week cus i'm looking forward to riding test track and have my knap on spacehip earth (loves the attraction but music sends me to sleep) lol.

Daniel

 

[Cheryl]

Hey, I remember that outage that you're talking about back in July. Epcot was closed all day long and the other parks were just jammed packed! It was a fun day anyway...there's so much to do down at WDW, we really didn't notice that Epcot was closed. It was the talk of the news shows though! LOL

Hopefully everything will be A-OK when we go down for a mini-weekend trip in December. Would really hate missing the VMCP at the Magic Kingdom on 12/8! That's the best thing we do to kick off our holiday season!

 

[MKingdom25]

Originally posted by DanielJ
I was one of those people who was in orlando when the first power outage took place, ya know the one where they closed epcot for the day and ya never guess what disney refunded me on my guest ticket (didn't have my annual pass that day) lol
It sounds to me that disney are turning the juice up on things causing their electrical system to fail, perhaps they're testing something hmmm?

I hope it doesn't happen next week when i'm due to fly out there for a week cus i'm looking forward to riding test track and have my knap on spacehip earth (loves the attraction but music sends me to sleep) lol.

Daniel

I bet it will be fine for your trip. Knowing Disney, they will get it going as soon possible. Thats my two cents! :lol: