Credit: DisneyDisney World fans are scratching their heads lately—and honestly, who can blame them? On one hand, the resort is gearing up for some of its most ambitious expansions in years. On the other hand, guests are walking into the parks only to find a startling number of attractions going down throughout the day.
That mix of excitement and frustration is creating a tense conversation among regular visitors: Why is Disney pushing forward with massive new projects when so many current attractions seem to be struggling?
It’s a question that keeps popping up on social media, fan forums, and even inside the parks. People love the promise of new lands and reimagined experiences, but they’re also noticing patterns that feel hard to ignore. As Disney prepares for a new era of additions, fans are wondering whether the company should hit pause and take a long look at the issues currently happening.
Disney’s Big Expansion Era Is Here
For anyone watching closely, it’s clear Disney is barreling ahead with a lineup of significant projects. Some are rethemes, some are brand-new, and others reimagine entirely iconic corners of the parks.
The most prominent example still buzzing online is the future of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which is expected to transform into a Muppets-themed coaster in the near future. Many fans view this retheme as part of Disney’s broader trend of repositioning older attractions around stronger intellectual property.
But that’s just scratching the surface of what’s coming.
What’s in Store
In the coming years, entirely new experiences are set to reshape Disney World. Hollywood Studios is preparing for a Monstropolis addition—finally giving Monsters, Inc. a real home inside the park. The new Magic of Disney Animation experience is also coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, replacing Star Wars Launch Bay and Animation Courtyard.
Magic Kingdom is moving ahead with a Villains land, easily one of the most anticipated expansions Disney has teased in decades. Over at Animal Kingdom, Tropical Americas will replace the long-fading DinoLand U.S.A., bringing fresh storytelling inspired by Encanto and Indiana Jones. Even Frontierland at Magic Kingdom is expected to evolve with Piston Peak, tied to Planes: Fire & Rescue.
On paper, it’s an exciting time. These additions mean new lands, new characters, and new reasons for guests to visit. But as all of this comes together, many visitors are noticing something else—and it’s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
Ride Closures Are Happening Too Often at Disney World
Across Disney World’s four parks, guests keep reporting the same frustrating pattern: rides going down again and again throughout the day. Some attractions fail to open at park opening and don’t come online until hours later.
Others go down repeatedly—sometimes three, four, or even five times before dinner. In many cases, the closures affected some of Disney’s highest-demand attractions, amplifying crowd levels and disrupting plans for thousands of guests at a time.
These temporary closures aren’t new, but the frequency has become challenging to overlook. The experience has shifted from an occasional inconvenience to something fans expect—and dread—on every visit.
As a result, there’s a growing sentiment that Disney should reinforce its current ride lineup before pushing forward with a slate of major new projects. After all, what’s the point of adding new experiences if the existing ones can’t operate reliably?
EPCOT’s Breakdown Pattern Is Hard to Miss
EPCOT has always juggled an interesting mix of old and new attractions, but lately, the failures have been unusually consistent. Spaceship Earth goes down often enough that many guests have started planning their days around predicting when it might reopen.
Test Track also sees its fair share of downtime, which isn’t surprising given the ride’s complexity—but when it goes down for long stretches, the ripple effect across the park is immediate.
Then there are EPCOT’s newer rides. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure experiences recurring issues despite being one of the park’s latest additions. Frozen Ever After, which also isn’t that old, has earned a reputation for multi-hour closures and repeated malfunctions throughout the week. When both attractions face downtime on the same day, guests feel it instantly.
Magic Kingdom Also Faces a Pattern of Troubles
Magic Kingdom, the most visited theme park in the world, isn’t immune to frequent issues. Space Mountain has been known to shut down multiple times a day, especially during heavy crowd seasons. The Haunted Mansion has recently faced a string of failures, leaving guests waiting outside the gates.
Peter Pan’s Flight is charming, beloved, and iconic, but it’s also one of the most temperamental attractions in the park. Even Journey of the Little Mermaid, which is one of the newer rides in the park, goes down more often than guests expect.
These issues might seem isolated at first, but when they pile up, guests start to wonder what’s happening behind the scenes.
Animal Kingdom’s Headliners Aren’t Exempt
Animal Kingdom offers fewer rides than the other parks, which makes its closures feel even more noticeable. Expedition Everest remains a fan favorite, but it also experiences fairly consistent downtime, which impacts crowd flow across Asia.
DINOSAUR has become a regular on the closure lists, with many guests encountering technical issues throughout the day. And while Avatar: Flight of Passage remains one of Disney World’s most advanced attractions, it, too, experiences shutdowns far more often than people expected when it first opened.
Hollywood Studios Rides Are Struggling Too
Hollywood Studios, home to some of Disney’s most technologically advanced attractions, has been hit especially hard. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is legendary for its complexity—and unfortunately, for its closures. Fans have almost come to expect at least one major shutdown per day. The Tower of Terror has also experienced issues over the past few years, often operating at reduced capacity or shutting down completely.
Slinky Dog Dash, one of the park’s most popular family coasters, sees temporary closures nearly every day, and those closures can last anywhere from minutes to hours. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, a relatively new attraction, also has its share of downtime.
New or Old—The Issues Aren’t Always About Age
Some guests initially attributed these issues to the age of classic rides, such as the Haunted Mansion or Peter Pan’s Flight. But the pattern isn’t limited to the older attractions anymore. Several newer rides—some barely 10 years old, others fresh off major refurbishments—continue to experience the same breakdown cycles.
That’s where the genuine concern sets in. If Disney can’t keep recently updated attractions running smoothly, how will the company maintain a massive lineup of new experiences in the next few years?
The Road Ahead for Disney World
Disney World is stepping confidently into a new era filled with big ideas, ambitious expansions, and park-reshaping additions. But as exciting as those plans are, the recent string of ride closures has fans feeling uneasy. Guests aren’t against change—far from it. But they want assurance that the attractions they already love won’t be overshadowed or neglected as Disney races toward its future.
Currently, the message from fans is clear: address the existing problems before introducing new ones. Disney’s future looks bright, but to maintain guests’ trust, the company needs to ensure its existing foundation runs smoothly, reliably, and consistently once again.