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Credit: DisneyWhen you purchase Walt Disney World tickets, you expect the perfect vacation at The Most Magical Place on Earth. Of course, not everything goes to plan, and it’s only natural that things won’t always work out while visiting Disney Parks.
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We’ve extensively reported rookie mistakes made by first-time visitors to Walt Disney World Resort. But this time, Guests aren’t the ones causing issues!
Last week, Disney Parks fans on Reddit discussed changes enacted by The Walt Disney Company that they believed ruined Walt Disney World Resort. The answers varied widely, from construction to transportation!
Area Rethemes
Rethemes and construction at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom can bring new magical, updated experiences. But some Guests remain nostalgic for long-gone lands.
In particular, many Disney Park fans believe Disney Imagineers didn’t do enough research about Guest satisfaction at Magic Kingdom when they bulldozed Mickey’s Toontown Fair to make way for Storybook Circus in Fantasyland. In Toontown, Guests of all ages could explore Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and other beloved Disney characters’ houses. (A version of the land still exists at Disneyland Park, though it’s currently being reimagined.)
“I’ll never forgive them for getting rid of ToonTown and replacing it with storybook circus. I found storybook circus to be a total waste of space! To think you had Mickey and Minnie’s houses, you could meet Mickey at the end. Donald’s boat, it made sense! It’s where Mickey and Minnie live and go to bed at the end of the day,” said u/lemonclements. “The theming was fantastic and changing it just seems like a total ridiculous thing.”
Hundreds of Disney Parks fans echoed the fan’s feelings about the former Fantasyland theme. Some called Storybook Circus, which contains a play area, meet-and-greet, gift shop, train station, and two rides, a “waste of real estate.”
“I don’t like anything that they’ve done with that area. The dumbo ride looks much better than it did but I think the theming of the area has always been lackluster,” u/almondflour24 wrote.
Other Disney Parks fans expressed dissatisfaction with recent renovations of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Though many adore Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, they feel that Disney Park is too empty without old attractions like the Backlot Tour and Great Movie Ride.
“If you’re going to make theme parks, you have to leave X amount of property for future IPs. They are expanding within tight means and like you just mentioned tearing down beloved areas to build,” u/Allvols argued. “I loved backlot Tram Tour and I remember the Honey I Shrunk the Kids area (obviously that was less cool than Tram Tour). I understand the need of adding major IPs like Star Wars and Toy Story to the theme parks, they should have bought more land around the parks and built on as needed.”
Still, some fans hoped for further construction on the controversial Disney Park. “I still hope they have big plans for the area where Little mermaid, Disney Jr. and the SW Launch Bay,” u/yomerol said. “Right now that area is quite unused.”
Resort Hotel Perks
Unsurprisingly, many Disney fans expressed disappointment with formerly free perks being taken away. Though Walt Disney World Resort recently reinstated free parking for Guests staying at Value, Moderate, and Deluxe/DVC Resort hotels, it’s only a small step towards satisfying avid Theme Park-goers.
After u/Dividedsky35 stated simply that Walt Disney World Resort made a mistake by retiring Disney’s Magical Express, dozens of fans passionately agreed. “A slam dunk perk that set WDW apart from all other places. Your vacation started as soon as you climbed aboard,” u/soIstartBlasting.
Guests also expressed disdain for carrying large purchases around Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney Springs. The Central Florida Disney Park used to offer a free delivery service, where purchases would arrive at your Walt Disney World Resort hotel’s gift shop or even directly to your room.
“Theymust be losing more money than they are saving on this, right?” u/PartUnable1669 wondered. “There would be so many things I would hold off on buying because I didn’t want to carry it around all day.”
Walt Disney World Resort Rides
Disney Parks fans are always excited about new Walt Disney World Resort attractions. But some fans feel Disney Imagineers are focusing too much on big-ticket rides and missing the little things. Many believe this increases wait times and the need for paid services like Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes.
“They want the attention that Rise and Tron get, but the small rides like Winnie the Pooh eat up crowds. New lands have only 2 or 3 rides when they should have at least 5. We need more A, B and C attractions,” said u/zerooze.
“The fact they only created two rides in Pandora and Galaxy’s Edge is unacceptable,” u/19thholebound agreed. “Two restaurants and three rides per area would be the minimum. Toy Story Land is really nice, but still needs to have a Pizza Planet to make it feel complete.”
Similarly, u/vinbel121 noted that Walt Disney World Resort increasingly focuses on “replacing instead of adding” new attractions. “Was going to write this, don’t know if I’ll ever forgive them for getting rid of splash mountain and the great movie ride,” echoed u/One_Tower_8579.
Price Increases
The least surprising “Walt Disney World mistake” was about upcharges and cost increases. Walt Disney World Resort warned Guests of increased food prices in 2022, but many fans say charges are too high everywhere at the Disney Parks.
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u/sejohnson0408 called Walt Disney World Resort hotel price increases “ridiculous.” “I actually think the cost of a deluxe room for what you actually get is way more of an issue than any park add on like ILL or genie+,” they wrote.
u/Sahellio accurately pointed out that former Disney CEO Bob Chapek and current CEO Bob Iger are using the Disney Parks as a cash flow to make up for losses on Disney+, and many expressed anger at The Walt Disney Company for doing so.
One fan said that the biggest mistake made by Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort is “trying to save on losses in other parts of the company by reduced services and constant ticket price increases.”
Despite such complaints, fans still love the Disney Parks. u/ohhmagen took their first Walt Disney World vacation this year and described their experience: “This place has it down! Everything was SO easy! So cute! So magical!”
What do you believe is the biggest mistake Walt Disney World Resort has made?
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks Guest experiences. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.