Walt Disney World feels Cuba earthquake as Magic Kingdom attractions go offline

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake off the western coast of Cuba was felt across Central Florida shortly before 2:10 p.m. ET on Monday, June 8, 2026, including at Walt Disney World Resort. Multiple Magic Kingdom attractions including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, TRON Lightcycle Run, Space Mountain, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train appeared as temporarily unavailable on the My Disney Experience app at the time the quake hit. The USGS initially reported the quake at 6.4 magnitude before lowering it to 6.1. There is no tsunami threat. Florida earthquakes are extremely rare. This one was felt across the state.

Walt Disney World just had something extremely unusual happen.

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck approximately 65 miles west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba at roughly 2:10 p.m. ET on Monday, June 8, 2026, according to the United States Geological Survey. The quake was initially reported at 6.4 magnitude before USGS lowered the rating to 6.1. Tremors lasting approximately 10 to 15 seconds were felt throughout Central Florida, including at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

The National Weather Service Jacksonville and National Weather Service Melbourne have both confirmed there is no tsunami threat to the Florida coast.

Six Magic Kingdom attractions appeared as unavailable on the app

Per BlogMickey‘s reporting, the following Magic Kingdom attractions were listed as temporarily unavailable on the My Disney Experience app at the time the earthquake was felt:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• The Barnstormer
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• TRON Lightcycle / Run
• Space Mountain
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

BlogMickey explicitly noted that some of these attractions may have already been closed for unrelated reasons before the earthquake hit, and that it remains unclear which of these specific closures are directly related to the quake versus coincidentally appearing on the unavailable list at the same time.

What is notable: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad only reopened in early May 2026 after a year-plus refurbishment that included a full track replacement. Its appearance on the unavailable list immediately following a seismic event is the kind of overlap that supports a quake-related precautionary closure rather than a random downtime coincidence.

Walt Disney World has not yet issued a public statement on whether the closures are directly related to the earthquake or whether any park structures sustained damage. BlogMickey confirmed they have reached out to Disney for comment.

How Disney handles earthquakes is well-established

Disney’s seismic safety protocol has a clear precedent. In December 2023, a 3.5 magnitude earthquake near Disneyland in California triggered automatic safety shutdowns on 35 rides across Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. That event was much smaller in magnitude than today’s Cuba quake but occurred much closer to the park, generating stronger felt-shaking on site.

Most of the affected Disneyland attractions reopened within an hour or two once ride engineers completed required safety walkdowns. The procedural framework is the same at every Disney theme park: when seismic activity is detected above a threshold, ride control systems automatically pause operations and Cast Members hold guests in queues while inspections happen.

That precedent suggests today’s Walt Disney World attraction closures, to the extent they are quake-related, should resume operations within a few hours of the inspection cycles completing.

Where the earthquake happened

Per the USGS, the epicenter was approximately 65 miles (104 kilometers) west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico between Cuba’s western tip and the Yucatan Channel. The quake occurred at a depth of approximately 33 kilometers.

The USGS shake map showed seismic wave rings extending northward through the Straits of Florida toward Key West, which is why so many Central Florida residents felt the tremor within minutes of the quake striking.

Reports of shaking arrived from:

• Orlando area including Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando
• Tampa and St. Petersburg area, with Spectrum Bay News 9‘s facility on Carillon Drive reporting felt vibrations
• Melbourne and the Space Coast
• Jacksonville, the northernmost point with confirmed reports of shaking
• Miami and South Florida
• Southwest Florida including reports to WINK News

In Orange County, the public works building was evacuated after employees said they felt the structure shake. WDW News Today staff confirmed they felt tremors at their Orlando-area offices for approximately 10 to 15 seconds shortly before 2:10 p.m.

Florida earthquakes are extremely rare

The state of Florida sits on a relatively stable section of the North American Plate and does not have its own active fault lines of significant size. The state averages well under one perceptible earthquake per decade originating locally.

What Florida does experience occasionally is felt-shaking from large earthquakes originating in the Caribbean basin, particularly along the seismically active zones around Cuba, Hispaniola, and the broader Antilles region.

The most recent precedent for today’s event was on November 10, 2024, when a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coast of Cuba near Bartolome Maso. That quake was felt across eastern Cuba, Jamaica, and parts of Florida, though impacts in Central Florida were minimal because the epicenter was much farther from the state than today’s event.

Today’s quake was closer to Florida geographically and was felt more widely across the peninsula as a result.

No reports of damage at any Central Florida park

Per Fantasyland News and other Central Florida outlets, there are no reports of damage, injuries, or operational disruptions at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, or any other Central Florida theme park following the quake. To the extent attraction closures are quake-related, they appear to be precautionary safety inspection cycles rather than responses to damage.

Walt Disney World typically resumes operations on impacted attractions within a few hours once ride engineers complete required safety walkdowns of track, structures, and ride control systems. The cycle includes verifying that no track misalignment occurred, no electrical systems were affected, and no debris is on the ride path.

Guests already in the park can check the My Disney Experience app for real-time updates on individual attractions.

This is a developing story

The full scope of the day’s earthquake impacts at Walt Disney World will become clearer as Disney issues its first official statement and as the inspection cycles complete on the affected attractions. Guests visiting the parks today should not see any safety risk, but operational delays on the listed attractions may continue into the evening.

For those of us who grew up in California or other quake-prone regions, today was a normal Monday. For everyone visiting Walt Disney World, it was the most unusual moment in a very long time. Magic Kingdom attractions designed to make guests feel like they are inside a thrill ride just delivered a thrill no one was expecting.

Article compiled and edited by Derek Gibbs (theme park editor) and the Pirates and Princesses newsroom.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for news, views, and rants on geek lifestyle, fandom, and pop culture. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage of the things you love.

Hat Tips:

• BlogMickey / Mike (June 8, 2026), primary verified reporting on the Walt Disney World attraction closures including the full list of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, The Barnstormer, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, TRON Lightcycle Run, Space Mountain, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train appearing as unavailable on the My Disney Experience app, plus the explicit caveat that some attractions may have been closed for unrelated reasons before the quake
• WDW News Today (June 8, 2026), verified WDWNT staff confirmed they felt tremors, the 10 to 15 second duration, and the approximately 2:10 p.m. timing at Walt Disney World
• United States Geological Survey (June 8, 2026), primary source for the 6.1 magnitude rating (lowered from initial 6.4), the epicenter approximately 65 miles (104 kilometers) west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, the 33-kilometer depth, and the open-water Gulf of Mexico location
• NWS Melbourne and NWS Jacksonville (June 8, 2026), verified no tsunami threat and confirmed reports of shaking from Orlando, Melbourne, Jacksonville, and Miami
• FOX 35 Orlando / Spectrum Bay News 9 (June 8, 2026), verified Orange County public works building evacuation and the broader Central Florida shaking reports
• WINK News (June 8, 2026), verified Southwest Florida felt-reports and the no-damage initial status
• Fantasyland News (June 8, 2026), verified no reports of damage, injuries, or operational disruptions at Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, or other Central Florida theme parks
• Orlando Shine (June 8, 2026), verified historical context including the November 10, 2024 magnitude 6.8 Cuba earthquake near Bartolome Maso
• AOL News / USA Today (December 2023), verified Disney’s seismic safety protocol precedent including the 35-ride automatic shutdown at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure following the 3.5 magnitude Fullerton, California earthquake
• AOL Articles / Disney Tourist Blog (April 2026), verified Big Thunder Mountain Railroad early May 2026 reopening after track replacement refurbishment, providing context for its appearance on today’s unavailable list