On October 20, 2025, both Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, experienced widespread operational disruptions due to a major internet issue. The outage temporarily disabled key features of the My Disney Experience app at Disney World and the Disneyland app, impacting guests throughout both resorts.
The @awscloud outage is impacting everything from the Disney mobile apps to hotel check in. Pack some patience, and PLEASE be KIND to the front-line cast members dealing with this mess. pic.twitter.com/fnyGngPKcW
— MousePlanet (@MousePlanet) October 20, 2025
MousePlanet posted a screenshot on X showing the Disneyland app error message, writing: “The @awscloud outage is impacting everything from the Disney mobile apps to hotel check-in. Pack some patience, and PLEASE be KIND to the front-line cast members dealing with this mess.”
This time, however, the problem did not originate from Disney’s internal systems. Instead, Disney was one of many companies impacted by a massive failure at Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Amazon Cloud Outage With a Wide Reach
This Disney app issue was caused by a widespread internet outage that disrupted multiple major platforms across the globe, with Amazon Web Services (AWS) at the center of the problem.
A blank wait time display at EPCOT’s Living With the Land at Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: Dan’s Life at The Kingdom
The outage began in the early morning hours of October 20, 2025, and quickly affected:
- Social media platforms: Snapchat, X
- Online entertainment: Roblox, Fortnite
- Productivity and education tools: Canvas, Perplexity
- Financial services: Coinbase, Robinhood
- Amazon-owned products: Alexa, Ring, and Amazon.com
- Travel and business systems: airline check-in portals and corporate web services
The issue was traced to AWS’s US-EAST-1 region—its largest and most heavily used data hub—due to a failure in internal networking and Domain Name System (DNS) functions. Thousands of businesses rely on AWS to host and deliver online services, and Disney was hit particularly hard due to its growing reliance on cloud-based tools for daily operations.
Disney Attractions, Apps, and Even Wait Time Signs Down
The outage caused a cascading effect across Disney’s technology ecosystem. The My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps are essential tools for modern guests, and when they went down, it created unexpected challenges throughout the parks.
Guests reported being unable to:
- Use Mobile Order for food
- Join Virtual Queues (like TRON Lightcycle Run or World of Color)
- Make or modify Lightning Lane selections
- View accurate wait times
- Access hotel check-in features
- Redeem tickets and reservations digitally
In some areas, even electronic wait time signs went blank or displayed error messages.
A blank wait time display at EPCOT’s Soarin at Walt Disney World – Photo Credit: Dan’s Life at The Kingdom
Disney quickly shifted to manual operations resort-wide. Additional Cast Members were stationed at Guest Relations and attraction entrances to assist guests. Paper menus were reintroduced at restaurants, and standby lines were adjusted to accommodate the loss of digital systems.
By early afternoon, some app functionality began returning as AWS service was gradually restored. However, Disney World’s app continued displaying a service alert warning that features “may be unavailable or slow to respond” for several hours.
First time I’ve seen the doors to the Main St. Opera House completely closed and #WaltDisneyAMagicalLife not running since it opened back in July. Cast Member is informing guests it’s due to technical issues. #Disneyland pic.twitter.com/8qpunHHHQt
— LaughingPlace.com (@laughing_place) October 20, 2025
X user Laughing Place shared another disruption from Disneyland: “First time I’ve seen the doors to the Main St. Opera House completely closed and #WaltDisneyAMagicalLife not running since it opened back in July. Cast Member is informing guests it’s due to technical issues.”
Returning to Normal Operations
By late afternoon, most Disney operations were returning to normal. AWS issued an update acknowledging the outage.
“Some customers still continue to experience increased error rates with AWS services in the N. Virginia (us-east-1) Region due to issues with launching new EC2 instances,” they said. “We are working to fully restore service as quickly as possible.”
A message on the My Disney Experience app noting an outage – My Disney Experience
While the outage affected far more than just Disney, it raises serious questions about Disney’s growing reliance on cloud-based systems. From ticketing to dining to ride reservations, nearly every part of the modern Disney experience now depends on online connectivity.
For a company charging families thousands of dollars for a vacation, this incident highlights the urgent need for stronger redundancy, backup systems, and offline operational plans. Magic may begin with imagination—but at today’s Disney parks, it also requires servers, code, and a stable internet connection.
Were you impacted by this Disney app outage? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
