Guests visiting Magic Kingdom Park on Monday, September 28 encountered an unexpected surprise in Frontierland — and not the fun kind. Both Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad experienced unplanned closures that, together, effectively shut down an entire section of the land. Walt Disney World Resort did not share a reason for either closure.
Two Frontierland Attractions Down on the Same Day
Tiana's Bayou Adventure
According to WDWNT, Tiana's Bayou Adventure went down at around 10:11 a.m. Cast members on hand told guests the attraction was experiencing "technical difficulties." About an hour later, guests noticed that nearly all of the water had been drained from the ride.
Water began returning to the attraction in the early afternoon, and empty log vehicles were spotted lined up near the beginning of the rethemed Splash Mountain ride. Tiana's Bayou Adventure is already scheduled to close for a planned refurbishment on November 2, though it remains unclear whether Monday's unexpected downtime is connected to any issues Disney plans to address during that upcoming maintenance window.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad followed suit, reportedly closing shortly before 1:00 p.m. — nearly three hours after Tiana's Bayou Adventure went down. Cast members at the entrance to the Frontierland roller coaster did not provide a reason for the closure.
The timing is notable. On Sunday, guests reported being evacuated from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and its queue following a fire inside the attraction. The ride did eventually reopen after that incident and operated normally on Monday morning. Whether the September 28 closure is related to the reported fire on September 27 has not been confirmed.
It's worth noting that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad only recently returned to the park in May after being closed for over a year for its most extensive refurbishment ever — one that included a complete track replacement and a brand-new opening Rainbow Caverns scene.
Where Things Stand Right Now
As of the time of publication, Tiana's Bayou Adventure has reopened with a posted 30-minute wait time on the My Disney Experience app. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad remains closed, and Walt Disney World Resort has not provided a timeline for when it will reopen.
We'll be keeping a close eye on Frontierland as the situation develops. If you were at Magic Kingdom Park on Monday and experienced these closures firsthand, we'd love to hear about your day!