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As crowds dwindle at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Parks fans gave their ideas for “fixing” the Central Florida Disney parks.
Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios have no shortage of new attractions. In the last decade, the Disney parks have opened Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Avatar: Flight of Passage, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and more.
Still, guests are fleeing the Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, and Disney Springs. For the last few summers, crowd levels have slowed on traditionally busy holidays like July 4, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.
Disney Parks fans have different theories about the declining crowds. Some blame the years-long political battle between The Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Others say Walt Disney World Resort dug its own grave after increasing prices and cutting amenities.
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This week, Disney Parks fans on Reddit shared their thoughts on current conditions at Walt Disney World Resort. Hundreds commented and interacted with a post asking what they would do if hired as the “head of Walt Disney World Resort.”
Fans overwhelmingly demanded the return of once-free amenities like FastPass+ (replaced by the paid Lightning Lane) and Magical Express transportation between Disney Resort hotels and the Orlando International Airport (MCO).
“Bring everything back to an acceptable baseline,” said Redditor u/not_a-replicant.
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Many fans called out the neglected “little things” at the Disney theme parks. From u/necessary-ad-3679:
- “The parks should be immaculate. There shouldn’t be a speck of dirt or dust visible to guests that isn’t part of the ‘set’. I couldn’t believe how filthy some areas were, especially near the ventilation. Hire a few crews, and get in there with a damn Swiffer already!
- You can’t stop ride breakdowns, they happen. But everything should be working on a ride if it’s operational. I’m not just talking about ‘B-modes’. I mean the details like lighting and sound. Fix broken speakers, replace dead light bulbs, etc. Little things that I used to appreciate when I was a kid, but they don’t seem to care about now.”
Some had new ideas for Walt Disney World Resort.
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“Plant lots of trees along the walkways in all parks in WDW,” u/Ecstatic_Elephant_11 wrote. “EPCOT is unbearable in the heat of the day. People need shade! Anywhere there’s a walkway needs shade trees. The new walkway from Grand Floridian to MK needs shade trees.”
“Convert Tomorrowland speedway to electric,” u/HalfOffEveryWndsdy suggested.
“Speedway gets made electric, rethemed, and expanded. . . Retheme it to Sugar Rush and add an ‘older kids’ track where you are in control and driving actual electric go-karts, have it so you can grab and use power ups a la Mario Kart,” u/hurtfulproduct agreed.
Credit: Brittany DiCologero, Inside the Magic
Related: ‘Star Wars’ Attraction Discontinued at Disney Park: What You Need to Know
Others emphasized the importance of taking care of Disney cast members, who make Walt Disney World Resort as magical as it is.
“Pay cast members more,” said u/Wrestling_poker.
“Amen! So they can live at a decent wage,” u/Kirstygirl-7199 replied.
Credit: Disney
Former Disney cast member u/v2n0mat3 also chimed in with one of the most popular comments:
- “Fire anybody in leadership that even thinks of the words ‘if they’re sitting down on their wallets they’re not spending.’ Make Disney comfortable again, and not a walk-around mall where people are asked to spend, spend, spend. It makes the experience less welcoming and more dystopian. People will always be there to spend money, so stop making it the prime focus.
- Take no advice from any executives, designer, architect or otherwise from CA. They always have final say as to what does and does not go in the parks; including how queues are setup. Florida is brutal and we need more shaded areas, and design the queues around that.
- Fewer resorts, more attractions! There needs to be some decent competition with Universal. And they’re making a brand new park opening next year. Disney has some things down the pipeline but in no way are they even in the same league.
- Enough with the IP-focused attractions! They’re lazy and uncreative (RIP Maelstrom), and it’s clear that they’re a fast burn. Too many Frozen attractions, and not enough more interesting IPs are getting represented; or something original to keep people interested.
- Family friendly doesn’t necessarily mean ‘my young child has to love it too!’ Make things that cater to more than just the kiddos. Don’t get me wrong I love kids but not everything should be geared towards them.”
Does Walt Disney World Resort need fixing? In the comments, share your ideas for the Central Florida Disney Resort with us.
