Why Disney World Bringing Back Must-Dos Has Us Optimistic!

There’s a new night parade in Magic Kingdom. A freshly-reimagined Little Mermaid musical is playing in the Studios, and families will soon be able to enjoy the “Magic of Disney Animation” once again. Cinderella Castle is being repainted in its classic color scheme of greys, creams and blues. Tomorrowland is quietly getting TLC. Stacey is back in “Must-Do Disney.”

What year is it again?! — Nature is healing! — We are so back!

I am not exaggerating when I write that Walt Disney World’s latest online advertisement gave me goosebumps, put a big smile on my face, and gave a glimmer of optimism about 2026. And I’m not talking about the one that was clearly intended to tug at the heartstrings. (Although that one is really good, too!)

I’m talking about the return of Stacey J. Aswad in a viral online spot that’s a nod to the “Must-Do Disney” (or the “Top 7 Must-Sees”) of old. For the uninitiated, Stacey was the charismatic and charming host of the “Top 7 Must-Sees,” which debuted in 2005 and later became “Must-Do Disney.”

The program was once the Walt Disney World resort TV loop, playing on repeat when you turned on the television. Firing up the TV to see the show was one of many comforting moments to commence your WDW vacation. From the arrival of those yellow luggage tags in the mail to stepping aboard Disney’s Magical Express at the airport. Key components of the familiar, warm hug of the Disney Bubble around which many fans formed core memories, all now gone.

The “Must-Sees/Dos” show existed to get guests acquainted with Walt Disney World. It offered a high-level overview of the “four theme parks, two water parks, and Downtown/Disney Springs to bring you the must-do Disney attractions and entertainment at Walt Disney World that you, well, must do.”

Although largely aimed at first-timers, the Must-Sees/Dos resonated with fans. There was a certain je ne sais quoi about it, with the show having the perfect mix of personality, sentimentality, warmth, and–above all else–quotability. We watched it, rewatched it, and recited its many memorable lines:

Yummy, yummy, yummy…yummy. Water slides out the wazoo. Look At all the lazy people in the lazy river. Mickey’s my boy. Summit…plummet! In the name of all that rocks, let’s hit it dude! We have some decisions to make, you and me. This baby cranks up a 6-footer every 90 seconds! Whoa, look at those chompers. Imma ride that puppy. Triple Mountain Whammy…WHAM, WHAM, WHAM!

That’s going to read like absolute gibberish to those of you who are meeting Stacey for the first time. Real ones know, though. And those are just a fraction of the quotable lines from this over the top and cheesy 30-minute resort television program that played in guest rooms about a decade ago. (If you get it, you get it.)

Check it out for yourself–here’s our favorite version of the “Top 7 Must-Sees” with Stacey:

I’m not exaggerating when I write that we’ve seen the circa 2007-2009 “Top 7 Must-Sees” with Stacey thousands of times. As soon as we got to the resort, we’d turn the TV on to the Must-Sees…and leave it on, for the entire rest of the trip. While we slept, got ready, etc. But it wasn’t just during our visits to Walt Disney World.

After our first trip back to Walt Disney World as adults, we downloaded old Travel Channel specials along with the “Top 7 Must-Sees,” loaded them onto my Playstation 3, and watched them repeatedly. The Top 7 Must-Sees with Stacey and those older television specials gave us our “fix” in between trips. We fell asleep to it with regularity, even at home.

We were obsessed with the “Top 7 Must-Sees.” I’m not kidding or exaggerating. In the lead-up to our next trip (16 years ago!), I created a Tom & Sarah’s Top 30 Must-Sees on Flickr that even “borrowed” the logo from the show!

To this day, I still occasionally insert contextless Stacey quotes in posts when it feels relevant. And although I couldn’t recite the entire script purely from memory, I can do so while the show is playing. (Somehow, my brain has archived old episodes of Seinfeld, Frasier, and the Must-Sees…as opposed to things that are actually important!)

The writing in the OG “Top 7 Must-Sees” was brilliant. The perfect alchemy of clever, charming, comforting, corny, campy, absurd and funny. Certainly better than that of Zootopia: Better Zoogether, or many recent attractions. Its host, Stacey, was eminently likable. She felt like family; like one of us.

Over the years, the “Must-Do Disney” program started to lose its luster. A lot of changes happened around Walt Disney World, and rather than recording an entirely new program, they shot new segments and shoehorned them into the show. It became disjointed. The new scenes lacked the sensibility of the old; they were more straightforward, less quirky and clever.

Then came 2020, which was a bad year for many reasons, the lowlight of which was the sunsetting of the “Must-Do Disney” program. It was removed as the default on resort televisions, hidden away on a high-numbered channel where guests were unlikely to find it.

By the following year, “Must-Do Disney” was completely gone. Which sadly made sense if they weren’t going to re-record it, as so too were Extra Magic Hours, FastPass+, Disney’s Magical Express, and a number of other things discussed on the show.

“Must-Do Disney” was then replaced by a show featuring a bunch of influencers and family bloggers. It was an absolute abomination. The complete antithesis of everything that Stacey and the “Must-Sees/Dos” stood for. I’m not sure if that show still exists; I hope not. There’s also a welcome video with Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro, which is likewise not very good.

All of the shows since Stacey have felt phony, lacking in the heart and warmth and whimsy that makes Disney…Disney. This is no offense to the people featured in those newer programs. The “Must-Sees/Dos” was pure magic–a winning combination of the charisma of the host, spectacular scripts, delivery, and filming locations (and even the cinematography!) that made the show so special.

Walt Disney World truly captured lightning in a bottle with the “Must-Sees/Dos” program…and then just released it. Messing with a good thing for no real reason at all. (Stop me if you’ve heard that story before about Walt Disney World!)

This is precisely why old school Walt Disney World fans are excited about the return of Stacey and the Must-Dos, even if it’s just a quick online ad (for now?). Because it’s a throwback to a different era; an arguably better era.

Not only that, but it’s another clear sign that there are still people working at Walt Disney World who are fans just like us, and want to improve things. There are countless little examples of this, some of which are listed in the opening of this post. Stacey J. Aswad being restored to her rightful throne on the Walt Disney World resort TV loop would be another.

For now, take a look at the teaser ad:

Here’s the full 2025 @staceyjaswad Walt Disney World ad! https://t.co/Kf3GsdmY2Y pic.twitter.com/677AwiIcNa

— Gratuitous Theme Parks (@GratThemeParks) January 2, 2026

In the teaser, Stacey walks in front of Cinderella Castle as the narrator says, “here you leave today and enter a world of…” She cuts in with “must dos.” Several clips from around Walt Disney World play through before Stacy is reunited with Minnie and Daisy, saying “hey girls, how you been?”

It’s a clear nod to the past and, we hope, a tease of a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow featuring more Stacey at Walt Disney World. The obvious hope is that they’re foreshadowing an all-new edition of “Must-Do Disney” for the resort TVs, as it otherwise seems kind of silly to tease this and get fans excited without follow-through.

It makes sense, and sure does seem like Walt Disney World is having a “what’s old is new again” moment. What’s next? Breakfast at Be Our Guest? Disney’s Magical Express? Free FastPass?! (Okay, let’s not get too carried away.)

Again, I realize all of this is going to sound utterly absurd to those of you who have only been visiting since post-reopening. Or perhaps even some of you who started coming earlier, but stayed off-site or only caught the diluted version of the “Must-Dos.” But for us diehard disciples, Stacey was a big part of the on-site experience. You might say that she was the voice/host of a generation.

Seeing Stacey’s return gives optimism to some of us old school Disney diehards. This happening on top of all of the “singles and doubles” that Walt Disney World has been undertaking (ride reimaginings, enhancements, restoring lost offerings). The totality of this is that it feels like maybe there are people in the Florida leadership who finally get it. 

There’s greater attention to detail. More concern for both the bread and butter demographic of families, and fans who revisit the parks with regularity. In little and meaningful ways, Walt Disney World is starting to feel more like Disneyland than Disneyland. (Looks over at Piston Peak construction zone as Disneyland finds ways to add new attractions without removing anything.) Okay, maybe that’s an overstatement.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

What do you think about the return of Stacey in a new ad teasing the must-dos? Would you like to see a return of “Must-See/Do Disney”? Are you an old school fan who remembers the original shows? Agree or disagree with us that they captured lightning in a bottle? 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!