Disney Experience app goes down as angry customers 'woke up at 6am for nothing'
Disney fans and park visitors have been left fuming after the 'My Disney Experience' app has crashed - leaving customers struggling with bookings for dinner reservations as well as the coveted 'lightning lane' passes.
The app is used as the new way for park visitors to book what used to be referred to as 'fast passes' - allowing them to join virtual queues and book what are now called 'lightning lane' passes which allow riders to book timed slots on some of the park's most popular rides.
Disney has yet to release a statement with an expected time the application is expected to be fixed - leaving many visitors unsure whether they will be able to get onto some of the park's biggest rides while they are visiting.
Lightning Lane passes go quickly - meaning many people will wake up early just to grab a coveted spot for rides such as Guardians of the Galaxy or TRON's Lightcycle/Run.
Many park goers now rely on the My Disney Experience app to plan their action-packed day (Disney Food Blog)One Twitter user took to the social media platform to say: "@DisneyParks your app is not working at all this morning. Won't let us join virtual queue, book lightning lanes or even modify dining reservations.
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"I am a frequent power user. Woke up at 6h50 for nothing"
Another user said they were "very frustrated" being unable to book lightning lanes.
People have also reported that park pass reservations also aren't working as a result of the app going down.
People staying at Disney hotels have reportedly been told by front desk staff that "all Disney systems are down", according to one Twitter user.
Thrill Data tracks theme park wait times, downtimes, virtual queue systems and bookings. They've taken to Twitter to share updates and graphs of the current situation.
They said: "Seems like the booking part is broken. Each attraction has availability at the park opening since no one can book."
When the Mirror tried to access virtual queues in the app, both TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy were showing availability to join the virtual queue as of 1pm UK time.
People and families cross Main Street USA at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom Park in Walt Disney World, Florida (Getty Images)Many users hit with the technical issues ended up missing out on virtual queues for some of the park's biggest rides due to the short opening time nature of the virtual queues. One such ride is the TRON Lightycycle/Run ride, which closed its virtual queue - with the next queue not opening until 1pm local time (6pm UK time).
People trying to book were met with error pages saying "We're Working on It", with an adorable picture of the Seven Dwarfs heading off to the mines to work.
Users also reported issues with purchasing through the app, with one person saying: "Is genie+ down for everyone else rn? been getting error messages all morning and can't purchase anything."
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Another person wondered whether recently announced redundancies had anything to do with the glitch. They said: "Wondering if the Disney layoff had a bunch of people on the tech side because My Disney Experience is definitely not working."
The second wave of layoff began on Monday, April 24, with thousands of workers facing losing their jobs as the company attempted to save $5.5 billion in costs.
The main areas expected to be impacted are Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. In total, the company are expected to axe around 4,000 jobs.
Around 100,000 workers are thought to be employed by the entertainment corporation in the US, as of 2020 - the most recent statistics.
In a staff memo, seen by Deadline, Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden said "These are hard decisions and not ones we take lightly – but every decision has been made with considerable thought, and we are doing everything we can to make sure this process is conducted with respect and compassion.
"The senior leadership teams have been working diligently to define our future organization, and our biggest priority has been getting this right, rather than getting it done fast. We recognise that it has been a period of uncertainty and thank you all for your understanding and patience."
The latest round of job cuts are expected to be completed by Thursday, April 27, when staff will know whether or not they have a future with the company.
However, it won't be smooth sailing after that as a third wave is expected to start before the beginning of the summer period.
The company, worth around $182 billion began its layoff plan in February during a business restructure.
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