The 5 Most Foolish Decisions Walt Disney World Ever Made

In honor of April Fools’ Week, let’s take a look at some head-scratching choices that actually happened at Walt Disney World Resort.

Let’s be real—Walt Disney World is usually on point when it comes to planning, dreaming, and executing some of the most magical experiences in the world. But even The Most Magical Place on Earth has had a few “what were they thinking?” moments over the years.

Since it’s April Fools’ Day, we’re shining a light on some of the most foolish decisions Disney has made in its Florida parks. Spoiler: these aren’t pranks. They’re real, and they still make us scratch our heads.

1. Alien Encounter: Let’s Terrify the Kids!

Imagine strolling into Tomorrowland with your family, expecting a fun sci-fi experience… and leaving with traumatized children. That was ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter in Magic Kingdom. Sure, it was technically impressive for its time, but the decision to put a pitch-black, scream-filled horror attraction in the middle of a land mostly designed for kids? Bold. Too bold.

Disney eventually replaced it with Stitch’s Great Escape, which somehow managed to be a downgrade and eventually would close permanently, as well. Now, that area is reportedly a Cast Member lounge, and while fans still hold out hope of another experience taking over that space in Tomorrowland, we wouldn’t count on it happening anytime soon.

2. Letting The Great Movie Ride Fade Away

Disney’s Hollywood Studios used to be the park where movie magic came alive, and The Great Movie Ride was its beating heart. So what did Disney do? They let it slowly fade into mediocrity and then pulled the plug entirely in 2017.

Replacing it with Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway isn’t the worst thing ever—it’s honestly one of the best rides in Hollywood Studios —but erasing a classic that paid tribute to cinematic history in favor of wacky cartoon chaos? That decision still stings, especially for film fans.

In a perfect world, Disney could have put Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom — or even better yet, Toontown, had it not been demolished — and kept The Great Movie Ride.

3. That Time They Built a Whole Water Park… and Then Abandoned It

River Country was Disney’s first water park, and it opened in 1976 with all the optimism in the world. It was rustic, charming, and a little too dependent on actual lake water. That didn’t age well.

After a long closure in 2001 and years of silence, Disney officially said, “Never mind!” and left it to rot for nearly two decades. It wasn’t until Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge was announced (and then canceled, naturally) that anything was even addressed.

Now, it reportedly will be called Disney Lakeshore Lodge. The most foolish part? Letting an abandoned, overgrown water park sit there for 20 years like a Disney version of a haunted house.

4. The Entire Genie+ Confusion Era

Remember when FastPass+ was free? Disney does… but apparently wanted to forget. Enter Genie+, a paid system that was supposed to make planning easier but somehow made it way more complicated.

Guests now had to pay for what used to be included, figure out the difference between Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes, and be glued to their phones at 7:00 a.m. to score top rides. It felt like trying to solve a riddle just to get on Peter Pan’s Flight.

The idea of charging extra isn’t shocking in today’s theme park world, but the rollout was pure chaos. That first year? A foolish mess. It’s gotten better now, at least in my opinion, since you can purchase and book your experiences ahead of time rather than have to get up and join the madness at 7:00 a.m., but it still was just another thing taken away that didn’t have to be.

5. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser – $6,000 for a Hotel That Closed in a Year

This one takes the blue milk cake. Disney spent hundreds of millions of dollars creating the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, an ultra-immersive, cruise-style hotel experience where guests could live out their Jedi dreams. It opened in 2022 and closed permanently just over a year later.

Why? Because most people didn’t want to drop $5,000–$6,000 for a two-night LARP in space, especially if it meant being locked inside with no pool, no windows, and a strict itinerary. And now, the building that once housed this ambitious (and wildly expensive) project? Reportedly being repurposed for office space. From lightsabers to laptops. If that’s not the ultimate April Fools’ twist, we don’t know what is.