Splash Mountain has taken its final bow and with it a piece of Disney history is gone forever. Thousands flocked to the ride yesterday to be among the last to ride the beloved classic. None of them got to be the last though, that honor went to a very special group of people who absolutely deserved it.
It was a late night at Magic Kingdom last night as people flocked to Splash Mountain all day long and well into the night. Disney’s policy is “anyone in line before the ride closes get to ride.” While Cast Members will cut off the line once the park is closed to prevent others from joining the line, they will not make guests who were already in line leave the queue once the park is closed. When Magic Kingdom closed at 11:00 pm last night, the ride still had a 175 minute wait. Once the last guest exited the ride, at nearly 3:00 am (per social media reports), it was time for the laughin’ place to welcome one last group to its briar patch.
The Cast Members who worked the ride got to hop on board and be on the very last logs to take the plunge! After working tirelessly all day to make magic for guests hoping to experience the nostalgia one more time, we can’t think of anyone more deserving to enjoy that last ride before Splash Mountain closed forever. These Cast Members have worked day in and day out to make magic for us, and we are so glad that they got to have their very own special moment.
They had quite an audience too! Scott Gustin posted a video on Twitter showing crowds of people cheering for the Cast Members as they rounded the bend after that final drop. You can check out the video above, but fair warning: you may want a box of tissues nearby!
