11 Great Changes Josh D’Amaro Could Make at Disney World for Big Wins as New CEO
Walt Disney World diehards have sky-high expectations for the changes Josh D’Amaro will make now that he’s CEO. This covers our wish list for changes he could make to leave his own mark, scoring wins with fans and continuing the honeymoon. It covers everything from quick and easy wins the new CEO could score overnight, and others he could announce at the 2026 D23 Expo.
New leaders moving quickly to prove themselves and start establishing their own legacy and leadership style is common and expected. Bob Iger famously did so post-Eisner, going on an acquisition spree after working to repair relationships that had been strained. He later went on to fix the cheap new parks built in the late stage of the Eisner regime. And Eisner, for his part, was famously transformative two decades earlier when he took the helm, quite literally saving Disney from corporate raiders.
When Bob Chapek took over as CEO, he endeavored to prove “I’m cheap!” as quickly as possible, speedrunning a slew of awful initiatives seemingly aimed at alienating fans in record time. He then reallocated that money towards streaming, greenlighting a bunch of content that was basically the equivalent of lighting money on fire. In Chapek’s defense (?), COVID was a crazy time. We’re not expecting a repeat of his antics with D’Amaro.
What we could see is a blend of two relatively recent leadership changes. The first is when Tom Staggs took over as Parks & Resorts Chair from the notoriously stingy Jay Rasulo. During his time as Parks Chair, Staggs oversaw the development Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom, Shanghai Disney Resort, the NextGen initiative and MagicBands, and more.
Staggs’ track record was hit or miss, but he took big swings. The boldest of these is adding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to the new Fantasyland project shortly after taking the helm. For those who are newer fans, that space was originally going to have a slew of princess meet & greets in separate little cottages (a la Enchanted Tales with Belle). Staggs told Imagineers to think bigger, and greenlit the innovative Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
The other template for D’Amaro making an immediate impact is Bob Iger’s return, when he replaced Bob Chapek. Iger was reportedly “alarmed” by price increases at Walt Disney World and concerned that Chapek was “killing the soul” of Disney.
He acted accordingly, making several changes one month later to improve the guest experience, like bringing back free overnight self-parking at on-site resort hotels, adding on-ride photos to the Lightning Lane service, relaxing reservations rules, and more. An additional round of guest-friendly changes were announced several months later that undid more of the damage.
With that said, the second Iger regime did not magically make everything better overnight. A lot has changed since 2019, and much of it for the worse. There have been cost-cuts paired with price increases, at the same time that the Parks & Resorts revenue has reached record highs. D’Amaro has been the chair of that division for the last several years, and its financial success is undoubtedly a huge reason why we was selected as the next CEO.
There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle on a lot of the changes that Walt Disney World diehards dislike most. That’s just the unpleasant reality, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. So if you’re hoping that the restoration of free FastPass makes this list, I’ve got bad news for you.
On a positive note, the previous changes made upon Iger’s return and the ongoing expansion plans, plus the surge in more aggressive discounts and other measures aimed at wooing back disenchanted fans, suggest that it is possible to thread the needle. To maintain record revenue, while also addressing common complaints among fans and make Walt Disney World more accessible.
D’Amaro can extend an olive branch to fans by course-correcting some unpopular decisions made by his predecessors while keeping Wall Street happy. There are ways to have his cake and eat it too, creating a win-win for the company and Disney diehards.
Here are some fairly consequential changes on the table that D’Amaro could fast-track as easy wins…
Relax or Retire Reservations
Many Walt Disney World fans have the perception that theme park reservations are being used to cap capacity, reduce staffing levels, or as an important source of data for resource allocation. None of those things are particularly true. You might be surprised at how little Walt Disney World uses data it collects, and in any case, this data is also available via other channels.
One of the changes we lauded when Iger returned was the end of park reservations for regular ticket holders and relaxation of the rules for everyone else, along with the introduction of Good to Go Days. This was a great idea when it originally launched, but thing circumstances have changed considerably. The default for 45+ weeks per year should be no reservations required. There’s zero danger of any park hitting capacity on over 320 days of the year.
Park reservations were one of Josh D’Amaro’s projects when he was at Disneyland, which is part of what makes this improbable even if it’s highly logical. Reservations still make sense for Annual Passholders at Disneyland. But Walt Disney World is different. Flip the script and make it so reservations are required on APs for the few weeks per year when crowds pose a problem, and let everything else be open access.
Requiring reservations for WDW Annual Passholders is doing more harm than good. They’ve mostly become a formality, and yet, there are former APs and prospective purchasers who are holding out due to the reservation rule. Either on principle or because they don’t realize reservations are now a non-factor at Walt Disney World.
Pulling that lever would generate positive goodwill and could give AP sales a nice little boost, with little to no actual downside. During the busiest weeks of the year, blockouts do the heavy lifting, anyway. They worked for decades through 2019, and would again in 2026. This one would be a win-win for Disney and guests, while also signaling that everything is on the table, even his own pet projects, with D’Amaro as CEO.
Restore Free MagicBands
A lot of this list is going to involve signaling to fans that the old Walt Disney World way of doing things is back. And for all intents and purposes, 2019 is basically the benchmark for a lot of fans.
Amidst all of the negative changes in the post-reopening period, Disney made several moves that slowly killed off the OG MagicBands. First they went from being free to discounted, then prices kept creeping up, then MagicBands were replaced outright by the more expensive but not more useful MagicBand+ wearable. We documented the device’s downfall in the End of an Era for MagicBands at Walt Disney World.
Restoring free MagicBands for resort guests would be a relatively low-cost perk that would generate goodwill and improve the guest experience. It would also differentiate Disney’s resort offering from Universal and other competitors.
Turbocharge the Turbocharge
Earlier this week, we covered a rumor that Walt Disney World’s initial plans for the upcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom have been “scrapped,” and Imagineering has gone back to the drawing board to come up with bigger and bolder ideas. That was actually one of the motivations for this post, even though I suspect that “scrapped” is the wrong word to describe what’s happening.
Basically, my bet is that Disney is pulling a “Reverse Toy Story Land” with Villains Land. That they’re going to go full John Hammond on Villains Land, albeit within the original plan’s parameters. Meaning that the Imagineers would be unburdened by budget, and have the blank check to create a Tokyo DisneySea caliber land.
Anyone who has experienced the versions of Toy Story Mania or Soarin(g) in those parks knows what I mean by that. In case you haven’t, they are the definitive versions of those attractions, with the presentation and thematic packaging far surpassing the U.S. versions of those attractions. They go above and beyond, delivering an “unnecessarily” level of detail that pretty much exemplifies DisneySea and puts it in a class all its own.
Obviously, D’Amaro isn’t going to come out and say, “instead of building these new rides by the usual lower standards of Walt Disney World, we’re doin’ it up, Tokyo style!” But he could say something like, “I’ve told the Imagineers to dream big and surpass guest expectations with these new additions. No detail is too small and no show-stopping scene is too big, so we’re investing an extra $X billion in the previously-announced Walt Disney World expansion, all going directly towards blowing you away with these groundbreaking new attractions.”
Remake Muppets Courtyard with MuppetVision 3D
In order to pave the way the aforementioned turbocharged additions, a few fan-favorite attractions have closed. The two most notable are the Rivers of America and MuppetVision 3D, the former of which is never coming back.
It’s potentially a very different story with MuppetVision 3D. Both Disney and the Jim Henson Company have offered statements suggesting that MuppetVision will, in fact, live on in some capacity. This has led us to wonder Where Will MuppetVision Be Relocated at Walt Disney World?
The most intriguing and logical scenario involves creating a new Muppet Courtyard miniland to go along with the upcoming Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. There’s a plausible scenario where MuppetVision 3D is revived and replaces Villains Unfairly Ever After once Villains Land opens in Magic Kingdom.
Josh D’Amaro would earn a lot of goodwill with fans if he greenlit more of The Muppet Show following its smash success, added MuppetVision 3D to Disney+ ASAP, and teased that there’s more to come, as plans are already in motion to restore MuppetVision to its rightful place in the parks down the road.
Embrace Middle Class Families
One year ago, Walt Disney World Being Worried About Its High Prices stole the spotlight and was an incredibly hot topic for weeks. Disney’s immediate response was…not great, Bob!
But two months later, they actually did deliver with the announcement of Cool Kids’ Summer plus a slew of ticket and resort discounts that reduced prices to 2019 levels. We fully expect these special offers to return for 2026, especially with the summer slowdown of the last several years.
Walt Disney World has done more since to embrace middle class families. Things like Animation Courtyard and Bluey at Animal Kingdom are good starts. But they’re just that–starts. And these efforts can feel fairly minimal when contrasted with the new bars or announcements of pricey, adult-oriented upcharges.
Josh has a golden opportunity with the upcoming Disney Celebrates America 250th Anniversary event for the United States Semiquincentennial celebration. Lean into Americana and Walt Disney’s distinctly patriotic legacy. Make a big deal out of it, with big deals aimed at middle class American families.
This is such an easy and obvious win that I’m honestly shocked we haven’t heard more about Disney Celebrates America at Walt Disney World in Summer 2026. What’s been announced thus far is a good start, but again, it’s just a start.
Restore Disney’s Magical Express
Since the decision to end Disney’s Magical Express was made, we’ve been saying it makes no sense even from a business perspective–that there must be more to the story. This is because, unlike other on-site guest perks, the “free” service was incredibly valuable to Walt Disney World. It made tourists a captive audience who were less likely to go and spend money elsewhere.
In recent years, Universal has expanded its hotel footprint and is now offering a compelling product with great perks at competitive prices. Disney should already be worried about that. Universal has already stolen market share, and it’s only going to get worse as Epic Universe finds its footing and word of mouth turns positive.
This has been my position for years, but I’ve nevertheless been skeptical that Walt Disney World would actually reverse course and admit they got it wrong with Disney’s Magical Express. I still wouldn’t put the chances of its return above 50/50, but I do think they’re considerably higher than before.
This is largely because Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which runs Orlando International Airport (MCO), wants DME to return and is willing to help pay for it. If you don’t believe me, check out Will Disney’s Magical Express Airport Shuttle Ever Return? That recent post covers the very real possibility of DME returning, as part of an initiative by MCO.
This also explains why we’ve seen free luggage handling return as a pilot program. Speaking of which, let’s expand that beyond Southwest Airlines and the Value Resorts to all airlines and hotels. And on the topic of baggage handling, bring back resort package delivery!
Bring Back Cinderella Castle Dream Lights
The Cinderella Castle Dream Lights were one of our favorite things about Christmas at Walt Disney World for over a decade. We spent many a late night on Main Street, simply gazing down at those resplendent icicle lights, savoring the scene.
For those who have never had a chance to see the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, they were nothing short of spectacular. The simplicity of physical light display gave them a certain charm and tactile quality, and they were the holiday highlight for tons of WDW fans. It’s impossible to articulate what made them so special; words and photos don’t do them justice. Whatever praise you’ve heard about the Dream Lights, it’s true. All of it.
This is another win-win for guests and Disney. Bringing back the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights signals a sea change, making fans happy. It also prompts them to book trips, and at a highly lucrative time of year for Walt Disney World…that largely was not as busy as expected last year.
Return of Evening Extra Magic Hours
I’m a big fan of Extended Evening Hours. I love the perk and think it’s far superior to evening Extra Magic Hours, which had become unbearably uncrowded. However, Walt Disney World had also opened the floodgates on it, increasing the eligibility pool to not just Walt Disney World guests, but those of Good Neighbor Hotels.
The problem with Extended Evening Hours is optics. Fans know this is a good perk, but are downright disillusioned and disenchanted that it’s reserved exclusively “for the rich.” If Disney wants to recalibrate and emphasize the middle class, part of that is toning down instances of the more overt “classism.”
Undo that damage, bring back Evening Extra Magic Hours, and win back fans who feel ignored. The perfect opportunity to make this change is this summer. Add a ton of Evening Extra Magic Hours dates to the calendar during the hottest time of the year when later nights are needed, further incentivizing bookings during a slower time of year. Again, win-win.
Greenlight Journey into Imagination 4.0
Josh, it’s time to play the Figment Card. Bringing back Figment and Dreamfinder is a surefire way of undoing a lot of the damage from controversial changes of the last few years, quieting complaints and criticism. There is no other positive announcement that would outweigh so many prior negatives ones.
It is the surest way to distance yourself from your predecessors, unloading the negative baggage onto them. “Surely Josh wasn’t actually responsible for [bad thing from last 6 years], he’s the one who restored Figment to proper glory!” Rivers of America, MuppetVision, DINOSAUR, guest experience cutbacks–all of it–would be forgiven by fans in the blink of an eye. Or blamed on someone else.
You would be a hero, Josh. Decades from now when your legacy is being debated, Disney diehards would still point to this as evidence, much like we overlook a lot with late stage Eisner. It’s a no-brainer!
On the merits, Figment is more popular than ever. He sells popcorn buckets, sweaters, and everything else. It just makes sense to reimagine Journey into Imagination. It would generate goodwill among WDW diehards and forge new fans in the process. Figment would become the face and mascot of the new-look EPCOT, elevating the otherwise underwhelming central spine in the process. It’d be a license to print money on more new merchandise, too.
So c’mon, Josh. Break the glass and make the legacy-cementing announcement. If you want big and bold, nothing says it like greenlighting a full reimagining of the Imagination Pavilion, bringing back elements of the original attraction while updating it with modern technology and storytelling. Keep Figment front and center, but make him the star of something worthy of his legacy.
Recapturing that lost magic and spirit of imagination would have the same impact today as it did decades ago, which is why so many of us are still Figment fans. It would prove that rides don’t need movie IP to be massive successes. That the theme parks, themselves, are a form of intellectual property. It would demonstrate D’Amaro’s commitment to honoring Disney’s history while also investing in the parks’ future. That he’s willing to address long-standing fan complaints and fix past mistakes.
Invest in Cast Members
One of the biggest ways to signal a return to the ‘old Disney’ way of doing things is by prioritizing a pre-closure initiative to invest millions of dollars in Cast Member morale. This should be low hanging fruit for D’Amaro, as he was the one who originally championed this.
This would have immensely positive cascading effects. One increasingly common complaint from readers we’ve heard in the last few years is that Cast Members are not as “magical” as they used to be. There are several reasons for this, from taking abuse by disgruntled guests to turnover to low morale.
Fixing low morale alone will help remedy this. Improved morale also reduces turnover. Less turnover means less pressure on other Cast Members, which further improves morale. All of this indirectly results in a better guest experience, which improves attitudes of visitors. It’s a not-so-vicious cycle of improving morale for everyone.
BONUS: Restore the Disney Magic
Everything we’ve seen and everything we’ve heard strongly suggests that Josh D’Amaro is the real deal. That he lives and breathes Disney, and gets what makes it special and unlike other companies.
To be sure, he will make business decisions that are unpopular with fans. The first time that happens, some will claim it’s more of the same. In reality, it’s the nature of the beast. Not every decision will make everyone happy, especially so long as demand remains high and guests continue to pay more and accept less.
At the end of the day, D’Amaro has a passion for all things Disney. He cares about his legacy and the history of the company that Walt Disney founded. This counts for a lot. D’Amaro will bring with him his own leadership style, empowering executives, division leaders, managers, and so forth to do things differently. The leaders who we’ve heard from who have vouched for D’Amaro and said they’d follow him anywhere will do so, feeling reinvigorated.
How this will manifest itself from a guest-facing perspective is less certain. It might mean less of a focus on squeezing every last dollar out of visitors, it could create more emphasis on improving guest satisfaction scores, offering more value for money, enhancing the in-park experience, bringing back live entertainment, improving maintenance, or being fixated less on yield management. Maybe it means creating the Figment Park Universe, and adding the original character to ever park on the planet. Who’s to say?!
“Magic” is a nebulous term that means different things to different fans, but the ultimate consequence of implementing even a few of these changes would be undoing the at least some of the erosion of Disney’s goodwill we’ve seen in the last several years. It would signal that there’s a new sheriff in town, and that the D’Amaro era is going to be different. That there’s a great big beautiful (going to spare you the cringey pun) tomorrow.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you expect Josh D’Amaro being named CEO to result in improvements at Walt Disney World? Have high, low, or no expectations? Think Josh will bring back Disney’s Magical Express, free FastPass, or reservation-free visits? What about restoring Journey into Imagination to its former glory? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
It will take one thing for Josh D’Amaro to reinstate my optimism about the future of the Walt Disney Company: he needs to start making Michael Eisner-style intros for the Wonderful World of Disney. I want to hear this man’s ‘HULLO’.
I’ll be happy if he gets rid of the strawberry jelly in the peanut butter cookie pie at Main Street Confectionary.
To support your position that Disney’s Magical Express should return not out of corporate benevolence but out of financial self-interest, before it was cancelled we would almost always stay at a (value) Disney owned hotel when we went to Disney World (several times per year, as out of state APs). Ever since the Magical Express was killed off, we have almost always stayed at an off-site hotel and just rent a car every trip. If they reintroduced Disney’s Magical Express, I would definitely return to staying almost exclusively at a Disney owned hotel, as even a good deal on a rental car is $200/trip, plus another $15-20/day to park it at the off-site hotel. I’d much rather spend (some of) that money staying at a Disney owned hotel but if I have to pay for transport to/from the airport AND pay more for a Disney owned hotel, that doesn’t make much sense!
In other words, bring back Disney’s Magical Express!!!
Thumbs up and “AMEN!” to all of your suggestions here, Tom! However I’m not very hopeful that any of these changes will come to fruition, since Josh D’Amaro has been Chairman of Parks and Experiences for years and he hasn’t made any of these ideas a reality. Hopefully in his new role as CEO he will listen to Disney fan feedback and steer the company back to that elusive magic that has disappeared in recent years.
Just to be clear, I don’t think D’Amaro has had his hands tied and been prevented from making any of these changes as Parks Chair. To the contrary, most of what’s on this list would’ve been within his purview before, and is now below his pay grade as CEO.
I’m nevertheless optimistic that we’ll see a “package” (or two) of guest experience enhancements shortly after he takes the CEO position (and after a new Parks Chair is named) to give the new leadership team more goodwill among fans. Very similar to what happened when Iger returned, much of which also would’ve been well below his pay grade. (Although the difference there is that it sounds like some of those changes Chapek actually did prevent from happening during his tenure.)
Guess we shall see!
BRING BACK THE BUS! There couldn’t be a greater, more immediate statement in helping families than providing transportation to and from MCO. That there is a relevant business interest in keeping visitors “in the Disney bubble” creates imho a slam-dunk win-win. Please oh please oh please.
Not enough Disneyland “magic” issues here, IMHO. Disneyland at its core also feels *very* broken right now. What was a lively, dynamic, everyday felt unique place – now feels cold, stale, and calculated.
The resort is somehow operationally empty but jam packed. Disneyland itself feels tired from a strategy and operations perspective. That juice isn’t even worth the squeeze for me anymore. Tiny seasonal festivals filled with repeated food, missing entertainment, empty theaters, no swing dancing, empty buildings, closed off space. It feels like the only goal is “RIDES, GET IN LINE FOR RIDES” and Disneyland ops feels so constrained by pumping Lighting Lane sales. So many of the previous clever things they used to have to do to make the resort stretch when they needed it feel gone, because they just adjust the buckets to get what they want and (hopefully) keep those ride queues FULL.
Every event since 2019 is “Mickey Pixar 100 70th Fest” again! Giant thing in the esplanade! Bunting! The same sized decorations just on MSUSA and BVS. Wow. Look. It’s another 3-day ticket promo. Neat. Three MORE days. Wow. Oh, this time it’s open to ALL ZIP codes that start with an “8” OR “9”. That will change something. Goodbye quality food… BUT WAIT. NEW WARMED UP OFF THE SHELF FEST COOKIES AT HARBOUR GALLEY WITH DIPPING SAUCE!? That’ll move the needle! Here comes Paint the Night! Maybe it’s MSEP this time! This isn’t something recycled, it’s a “returning favorite!”.
Arrival experience is security is abysmal compared to any other major theme park I’ve been to. Processing cars at parking is slow. They, for some reason, can’t park multiple areas at the same time. Here, let me dig through all your possessions for 10 minutes. Don’t have a bag? Too bad! I’m gonna pickup your KEYS and kinda shake ’em, just to look. “WOAH! Is that a pillbox? Can you open it for me?” YES, THOSE ARE ALL IMODIUM BECAUSE THE NEW HARBOUR GALLEY FEST COOKIES GIVE ME DIARRHEA. The esplanade is end-to-end packed at 10:00am because Grandma’s only piece of mail that shows she lives at a SoCal address is an expired Little Caesars mailer, and she can’t find the photo button on the new gate screen and the CM is 3 arms-length away.
Disneyland now has the MOST EXPENSIVE NOT-ACTUALLY-AN-ANNUAL PASS IN THE WORLD, and even the reservations squeeze is now just “everyone just books the next 6 weekend days and cancels the night before”. Other parks up the street can somehow leverage seasonal entertainment and offerings to consume crowds, but Disneyland – can’t? Won’t? Is it too concerned about Lightning Lane sales %? Where’s the somewhat clever things they did with Flex pass (in-app management and additional good-to-go days sometimes decided THAT MORNING)? Why can’t the app show my reservations? Why can’t I cancel before the day of, before the park opens in the morning? You have the data!
OH NO, MY DIARRHEA FROM THOSE COOKIES HAS SET IN AND I GUESS I GET A NO-SHOW STRIKE ON MY $2000 “PASS”.
There’s *lots for Josh to fix* at Disneyland, and it feels like they keep going to the *same* playbook that’s finally starting to run out.
It’s very simple, limit the number of guests into the parks. Was just there and you can hardly walk. Of course it didn’t help that people are so inconsiderate. Magic kingdom was built for much fewer people than what they are allowing in today.
My husband just showed me the iconic 2015 ad last night again and we sadly/fondly reminisced about all that’s been lost. As a “middle class American” who used to make an annual trip to WDW (but hasn’t been in 2+ years now) I’m optimistic about D’Amaro! I keep pricing this summer, and really want to make another trip with my family (and the deals are impressive for sure), but even then, it’s just sooo much more expensive than it used to be, it’s still hard to justify the expense. If DME, and extended evening hours for us plebeians at the Values were back, it would definitely make it easier to take the plunge for sure! (And I know it would take some time, but restoring Muppets would make my penny-pinching husband suddenly willing to drop serious change lol)
One more for Josh: hire Tom Bricker as a consultant for guest experiences. Seriously. You speak for many of us!
Please bring back – little cute cuddly Figment. Have Dreamfinder return holding Figment. This would be great! That huge Figment is just creepy! Who in the world thought of that?
Perhaps slightly off topic, but do you ever think the Figment mania “confirms” to the bean counters that nothing is broken with Figment and that fans are happy with the way it is?
No, I think it’s still viewed as a big risk to invest in an attraction, as that’s much more mainstream that festival and other merchandise. But each new item that sells well offers another data point to the contrary, and suggests that if the character and his ride were actually good today, that could reach an even broader audience.
Also worth keeping in mind that there is no singular “Disney.” What the merchandising and other teams are able to do is completely divorced from capex decisions.
I read as Figment Mafia lol
Out of curiosity, how are Animation Courtyard at HS and Bluey at AK specific to embracing middle class? Would that not be specific to everyone that goes to WDW?
That’s more on the embracing families side of the ledger. I kind of muddied two different things–a pivot back towards young families (things like this as opposed to just new bar after new bar) and the middle class. In my defense, Disney itself kind of did the same thing last year with the Cool Kids’ Summer announcement, which is why I mirrored that here.
Disney Celebrates America also has nothing (necessarily) to do with the middle class. I crammed a few things into that entry.
I don’t understand all the hype around Figment. To me, he’s a purple dragon, as bland as he is useless in the Disney universe. Much like Orange Bird, I have no connection to him. I’ve visited his attraction since version 1.0 and I’ve never been impressed or even had a particularly fond memory of it. Perhaps it’s because I’m not American. But for me, without meaning to offend the die-hard fans, Figment isn’t Disney.
I feel a great disturbance in this blog, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out for a downvote button….
Figment’s design is much more interesting and fun than similar theme park mascots such as Duke the Dragon at Dutch Wonderland. I like to think the current Figment fans are just evaluating on merit, rather than holding on simply out of a zealous loyalty toward an avatar of an ever-more-distant youth.
I agree with your assessment of the current Figment, who is less of a developed character and more of a plot device to ensure guests that the second version of the attraction was terrible, and not just because of the relative lack of Figment.
I do disagree that the character in the original attraction was presented exactly the same that exists today. While the current Figment is at best a sarcastic teenager directing his ire where it belongs, the original character was more of an inquisitive child whose endless wonder helped guests feel the same. (I will say that as an American Disney fan, I’ve probably had more access to fan videos and the opportunity to compare them head to head for over 25 years.)
Today’s Figment isn’t Disney, and is barely a character … but for a few years, it was enough to be a plot device that said it wasn’t Disney to destroy that character and that attraction. (Seriously, the second Journey attraction was terrible in so many ways that Tom mostly pretends it doesn’t exist for his sanity.)
Small as it is, the first thing I thought of was restoring resort package delivery. I had even written to Mr. D a couple of years ago about this, among other items. I do hope they bring that back.
🙂 Thanks for a great article.
I agree! It’s been a while since this perk was around but we still miss it (along with Magical Express of course).
We were just in WDW a bit over a week ago and did not buy as much as we did when resort package delivery was still a thing. There were a few things we did not buy solely because we didn’t want to carry them all day or come back for on the way out.
I agree. From a business perspective, it makes so much more sense to bring it back. Folks are way more likely to spend money on merch if they don’t have to carry it all day. If they have to wait until the end of the day for those bigger/more expensive purchases, they’re way more likely to talk themselves out of buying it at all! The convenience of package delivery encourages impulse purchasing in a way nothing else can.
Yes, yes! Bring back the magic, so we can afford to come back! Our hopes are high!
Noted this on another post, but I’d like to see Josh double down and create “Cars Villains Land” — no Lightning McQueen in sight. Just lean HARD into stories and attractions revolving around Chick Hicks, Sir Miles Axlerod, Professor Zündapp, Jackson Storm, Sterling. The hardcore Cars-heads are gonna go WILD.
But seriously, I do think that a few of the items on the list above (and likely others) have been held back and “teed up” for Josh to bolster his name and credibility in his first months on the job. That would be a gracious (and business savvy) thing for Bob Iger to do, and it seems like that’s the way Bob operates. With so many succession planning stops and starts over the past several years, Josh becoming the next great CEO is going to be a legacy-making move for Iger. Bob was the one seen as handing the keys to kingdom to Chapek, which was shrewd and prescient in the face of an impending pandemic. But ultimately that move and his awkward return to power reflected poorly on him. If Bob’s “true and rightful heir”, the hand-picked and long-groomed D’Amaro, isn’t successful right away after this many years of hemming-and-hawing, it’s going to cast a pall on Iger’s entire reign.
I imagine Bob standing up from his last pre-transition sit-down with Josh in a few weeks, walking slowly to the door while putting his arm on Josh’s shoulder and saying “Now go give the people what they want.”
“But seriously, I do think that a few of the items on the list above (and likely others) have been held back and “teed up” for Josh to bolster his name and credibility in his first months on the job.”
I also think/hope this is the case.
It would be gracious of Iger, sure, but that assumes he knew about some prospective changes in the first place. I could totally see the D’Amaro camp holding back on a few planned changes to roll them into a package of guest experience improvements a la Iger’s return.
This is exactly how I see it playing out as well- good cop / bad cop if u will
Iger ruined his legacy by kowtowing to the current regime in Washington.
YES, @Christine! This!!!!
I also would like the return of a nighttime program like Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom, complete with shamans (including pre-show). Something quirky, artistic, beautiful and inspiring in its own right.
And DME. Absolutely!
Agree with Christine.
And absolutely the return of DME.
Agree bring back the DME and what about the DAS program??? Please revisit the program.
I hope Josh is reading – these are fantastic suggestions. Purchases delivered to resort needs to be its own category though!
My priorities would be resort package delivery, restore magical express and pump up the things coming like villains land. Also take care of cast members, who are a huge magical component at Disney! If Josh could do those 4 things, I would be ecstatic!
While I understand wanting to scale back the magic for cost sake, it seems like it’s a doom of their own doing. My family wants to go to Disney bc it’s magical. Take the magic away, we less likely want to go! Seems like common sense and I know money isn’t free, but I think the fruits of the labor will be worth it (ie, they’ll make money!) if they can do the magic well.
I’m excited and hopeful for Josh!
I elected against specifically including things like resort package delivery in part because the list was already too long and in part because that’s a bit too small (IMO).
Obviously, a good amount of this is below the CEO pay grade and are things that D’Amaro could’ve gotten done before as Parks Chair or even WDW President, for that matter. This is more about the leadership change opening the door for a fresh round of positive changes (which I believe will include a ‘package’ of guest experience improvements at WDW) and less about the specifics of who is the catalyst for those changes.
For some of the smaller stuff, I suspect a new WDW President (assuming we get one) will be the actual driver. Still, I didn’t want to aim too small for the list, if that makes sense!
To add to your Restore The Magic point: bring back Citizens of Hollywood and the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra. Please and thank you.
YES! This!!!!
I also would like the return of a nighttime program like Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom, complete with shamans (including pre-show). Something quirky, artistic, beautiful and inspiring in its own right.