Guests riding the Astro Orbiter in the four months since it reopened have not been getting the full experience. A key ride element has been broken for months now after working very briefly when the attraction reopened this summer. As you may remember, the Astro Orbiter was closed for more than 5 months as Disney rebuilt the attraction. Here’s the latest.
Key Ride Element Broken at Astro Orbiter
The central lift is broken at the Astro Orbiter attraction, and has been for months, according to Cast Members we spoke with. The central column raises and lowers the entire attraction, above and beyond the joystick that guests control during the ride to make their rockets fly higher or lower. This means that the attraction is operating at about half height at the moment. Here’s a look at the before/after the central lift stopped working.
We’re told that the ride has been operating like this for months, breaking shortly after the ride reopened in June. Here are a few more comparison photos, followed by some on-ride photos. As someone who has been on the ride a number of times, the difference is noticeable. For guests on their first visit, or someone who hasn’t been on the ride in some time, the difference may not be as easy to notice when on the ride.
Because the center lift isn’t working, the lowest rockets will zoom along at ground level, which is quite the experience. The highest rockets will only be at about half of the height that they normally can travel.
It’s unclear if this is something that is fixable without a full teardown or not. I’m sure Disney is aware of the issue, but who knows if it’s something that they’re going to want to fix anytime soon or not. We’ll keep an eye out when visiting Magic Kingdom in the months ahead, and let you know if we learn anything else.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
