Disney World’s COVID Closure: Changes, Cutbacks & What’s Still Missing 6 Years Later.

ByTom Bricker
68 Comments

I still remember where Sarah and I were when the announcement was made that, out of an abundance of caution, the theme parks at Walt Disney World would close on March 15, 2020 through the end of that month. It was one of those moments anyone paying attention knew was coming, but still hit like a ton of bricks. (How many of you had a sinking feeling just from seeing the above graphic?)

We had become acutely aware of COVID two months earlier, as the impacts on Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland were playing out even before both closed on January 25, 2020. Still, it felt distant–literally and figuratively. That changed for us when Tokyo Disney Resort closed on February 28, 2020 and COVID waves swept through Europe in the days and weeks thereafter. Then CEO Bob Iger abruptly stepped down, which we assumed even at the time was really due to the ramifications of COVID and not a careful-but-secret succession plan.

The gravity of the situation for the United States came into full focus on March 11, 2020. That fateful evening when Tom Hanks announced he had COVID, and NBA player Rudy Gobert tested positive. Within minutes, the dominos started falling. The NBA suspended its season, setting the stage for most other sports leagues, large scale events, theme parks, and more to do the same in the hours and days after. An announcement the next day that Walt Disney World and Disneyland would close was thus inevitable, but yet another gut-punch that made things feel more real. Uncertain. Scary.

Six years later, I could contribute a complete oral history of the Walt Disney World COVID closures to the record. It’s funny–I can watch a movie on Netflix and completely forget what happened within weeks. But I remember so many moments and days of the COVID era in vivid detail. I wish I didn’t.

I remember the weeks and days leading up to the closures. Our last ‘for fun’ parks visits, as part of Moonlight Magic in Magic Kingdom and the opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Our last ‘for research’ visits, as we monitored operational changes pre-closure. The massive crowds in the parks, and the sharp contrast with the mid-July and beyond dates that followed.

During the lockdown portion of the COVID closure, Sarah and I would take nightly walks in our neighborhood, talking about the aftermath of COVID and how the world would forever change.

Neither of us believed Walt Disney World and Disneyland would be closed only until the end of that month. We had been watching the markets and everything else, and it was pretty clear that this was another 9/11 in terms of the long tail consequences–if not worse. Summer felt like the best-case scenario, with sometime in 2021 a distinct possibility.

A lot of what we expected would happen was, thankfully, way off base. Long before “revenge travel” entered our collective vernacular, analysts predicted a prolonged recession, with travel not recovering for 5 years, if ever. As the stock market got pummeled, a prolonged recession seemed like the baseline scenario.

While walking through our Horizon West community, we predicted that homes under construction wouldn’t be finished and future development on the just-started next phase would pause for years. Work resumed a couple of weeks later, the next phase was built and sold out quickly, and our old neighborhood is almost unrecognizable from when we moved in. I made a lot of other very bad guesses about how things would unfold, thankfully.

And even today as I’m typing this, I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. I don’t want to relive those final days the parks were open, the long drives to Trader Joe’s through a desolate Walt Disney World, hotel stays in the early days of the phased reopening, or ghost town park visits in August. I’ve come to appreciate moderately busy days in the parks, as people give them life, and don’t like eerily uncrowded dates that remind me of the phased reopening.

I’m also guessing that, aside from the handful of you who have asked for a ‘history’ of Walt Disney World during COVID, there’s little desire to read about what happened. You either remember and don’t need it, or don’t remember and don’t want to. If you do for whatever reason, here’s a selection of contemporaneous COVID posts:

In that spirit, let’s just move right along to what was lost and still hasn’t returned in the 6 years since Walt Disney World closed on March 15, 2020.

Gone for Good?

The COVID era was a tumultuous time that offered Disney the cloak of the phased reopening as an excuse to reset the guest experience–and consumer expectations. We know from contemporaneous interviews with then-CEO Bob Chapek and Josh D’Amaro that Walt Disney World would use the pandemic as an opportunity to make decisions that would otherwise be unpopular and met by fierce fan backlash.

Here’s a list of the permanent changes, cuts, etc. to the guest experience:

  • Extra Magic Hours
  • Park Hours
  • Disney’s Magical Express
  • Airport Luggage Handling
  • Resort Merchandise Delivery
  • Tables in Wonderland
  • Free FastPass
  • Free MagicBands
  • Maintenance, Upkeep & Ride Downtime
  • Emphasis on Mobile Order, Table Service To-Go, Walk-Up Waitlist, etc.

These are all hugely consequential changes to the guest experience, and I don’t want to simply gloss over them. But the fact of the matter is that we’ve written countless articles about each of these changes, and there’s really not more that can–or needs to be–said.

The bottom line is that if you visited in 2019 or earlier, you already know what’s missing in terms of the guest experience. If you’re a relative newcomer to Walt Disney World and have only started visiting in the post-reopening era, I cannot overstate this: ignorance is bliss.

It’s going to be tough to unring any of these bells, but “gone for good” is not necessarily accurate. Forever is a long time horizon, and we’ve already seen some “permanent” changes rolled back. As much as D’Amaro gushed about park reservations, those have been mostly undone for everyone but Annual Passholders. I could easily foresee a time when park reservations are gone for good in Florida.

One example of this that we’ve started to see play out in the last year is the return of Airport Luggage Transfer. While currently only available as part of a limited pilot program for guests who fly Southwest Airlines and stay at the Value Resorts, the intention is to scale that up and bring it back for everyone. It’s just taking time to get off the ground.

Once that does happen, though, it also arguably lays the groundwork for the return of Disney’s Magical Express. That’s not idle speculation or wishful thinking–read Will Disney’s Magical Express Airport Shuttle Ever Return? for an explanation of why the airport wants DME back, and is willing to subsidize the cost!

There are other entries on the above list of ‘gone for good’ things that could make a surprise return, especially if there’s an economic downturn and Walt Disney World needs to scramble to pull more “levers” to incentivize demand. In other words, as highly improbable as anything on the above list changing or returning at this point might seem, never say never.

Construction Cancellations

Less than one week after the parks closed came the word that all construction was being paused at Walt Disney World. This would result in lengthy delays for certain projects, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and TRON Lightcycle Run. All of those attractions were slated to debut in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary (speaking of something upended by the COVID closure, the lackluster “World’s Most Magical Celebration” is a prime example).

Then there are the projects that were cancelled or attractions that were shuttered and never reopened. Here’s a rundown:

  • Primeval Whirl
  • Stitch’s Great Escape
  • Main Street Theater
  • Mary Poppins Cherry Tree Lane Expansion at EPCOT
  • Spaceship Earth Reimagining
  • Play Pavilion
  • EPCOT Multi-Level Festival Center
  • EPCOT Central Spine (The Good Stuff)

Some of these entries are almost certainly not COVID cancellations. Reflections, for example, is now happening–just by a different name. Primeval Whirl is technically a COVID closure since it operated in March 2020 and never reopened, but the writing was already on the wall–and had been for years.

Stitch’s Great Escape is even more tenuous, as it had not been open pre-closure for a couple of years. COVID was the final nail in its coffin and became the point of no return for a possible seasonal status of the show.

Of the above list, it’s arguable that only the final four entries of ‘EPCOT stuff’ were actually cancelled due to COVID and would’ve opened otherwise. The Mary Poppins flat ride was on thin ice pre-closure, and might’ve never come to fruition. But we were absolutely deprived a reimagining of the central spine of EPCOT and a new festival center that actually would’ve been good.

When it comes to cancelled construction, the bigger impacts are the unknowns. Early 2020 was shaping up to be a banner year for Walt Disney World. After the opening months of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge underperformed expectations the previous fall, attendance was through the roof from December 2019 through mid-March 2020. It would’ve almost certainly been a record-setting year for Walt Disney World.

Between that and a 50th Anniversary celebration that was actually good and would’ve fueled attendance–not to mention billions of dollars not diverted to Disney+ during the COVID closures–it’s likely that the 2021 D23 Expo would’ve been huge for Walt Disney World announcements. There were several on the table that were held back in 2019, and those probably would’ve become official in 2021. So the big story here is what could have been.

What’s Still Missing

In addition to things we know have forever changed and Walt Disney World has no intentions of bringing back, there’s still a lot that’s “missing” and could return at any point. It’s far-fetched for some of the entries on this list, but it’s still possible. 

Here’s just a partial list of the atmospheric acts and shows that are still conspicuous omissions from Walt Disney World entertainment lineup:

  • Citizens of Hollywood
  • Jedi Training Academy
  • Citizens of Main Street
  • Main Street Trolley Show
  • Pandora Rangers & Drummers

It boggles the mind that some of this is still missing. Jedi Training Academy was absolutely adored by guests, and was a ‘magical moment’ for so many kids and their families who had the chance to participate. It couldn’t have been that expensive to produce, was enjoyed by guests even without participating children, and had to help sell plenty of lightsabers. Another make it make sense entry to this list.

Then there are the larger-scale entertainment offerings. On the nighttime front, the following remain missing:

  • Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
  • Once Upon a Time
  • The Kiss Goodnight
  • Cinderella Castle Dream Lights
  • Rivers of Light

Of this list, losing Rivers of Light was and is the most brutal. That nighttime spectacular, and the initiative behind it to turn Animal Kingdom into an ‘after dark’ park, lasted for less time than it was in development. It’s still hard to believe that Walt Disney World just gave up on keeping guests in Animal Kingdom after 3 pm after putting years of effort and untold millions of dollars into the push.

But even when the parks were doing gangbuster business in early 2020, Rivers of Light wasn’t playing to packed houses. Maybe the writing was on the wall for DAK as a nighttime park, and it needed Tropical Americas even then.

The Kiss Goodnight was one of those if you know, you know magical moments. One of those ‘big little’ things that left such an indelible impression on the guests who saw it that it could help turn them into lifelong fans. Words, photos, and even video cannot do it justice.

We nevertheless tried, singing its praises in “The Kiss Goodnight: The Greatest Thing Most Guests Don’t See” and “The Kiss Goodnight, Revisited.” (Two articles about something that lasts only a couple of minutes–that should say everything that needs to be said!)

Then there’s the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. We’ve been on something of a crusade to convince fans to convince Walt Disney World to bring it back. Again, words and photos cannot do it justice. I’ll never pass up the opportunity to sing the praises of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. Those icicle lights were one of our favorite things about Christmas at Walt Disney World for the decade-plus prior to them being cancelled in 2020.

I remain convinced that bringing back the Dream Lights is one of the best ways for Disney to entice longtime fans to visit for Christmas 2026. It still makes no sense to me that the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights are still gone. Like Disney’s Magical Express, this feels like an accountant failing to see the forest for the trees.

A lot has changed with WDW dining since February 2020. This seems like such a little and inconsequential thing, but we hear from longtime Walt Disney World fans who are still disappointed by restaurants or special meal options that are still missing:

  • Be Our Guest Restaurant – Breakfast & Counter Service Lunch
  • Brunch at California Grill
  • Dining with an Imagineer
  • Plaza Restaurant – Breakfast
  • Trattoria al Forno – Bon Voyage Character Breakfast
  • Pizzafari Family Style Dining
  • Restaurantosaurus Burgers & Sundaes
  • Restaurant Marrakesh

What’s interesting here is that Walt Disney World had been making a push in the few years prior to increase the number of ‘interesting’ or novel dining options. Many of the entries on this list weren’t even that old–they were part of that initiative.

Losing Bon Voyage Breakfast was a big one. Same goes with breakfast and lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant–a venue that’s fairly beloved, but not for the current prix fixe dinner. Probably less significant to average guests, but we really miss Brunch at the Top.

On a positive note, there’s still hope for both of these! Although it took several years, 1900 Park Fare did finally return following a refurbishment to the restaurant. And Garden View Tea Room at the Grand Floridian was just removed from the list above because it’s on the precipice of reopening in March 2026 after a six-plus year closure!

So there’s still hope for all of the above, especially as ADR demand is on the decline. Disney is “discovering” that spicing things up with unique upcharge offerings is a smart strategy. Just as it was in 2019.

Similarly, menus were scaled back and simplified during the phased reopening. Although strides have been made since then, many locations are still shadows of their former selves as compared with February 2020. The trend up until that point had been one of improvement, especially as ‘Disney food’ became an attraction unto itself and reason for repeat visits.

Just look at the formidable restaurant roster at Disney’s Riviera Resort when it opened in December 2019. It’s still strong, but locations like Primo Piatto (instantly the #1 counter service at Walt Disney World upon debut) are nothing like they once were.

As Disney’s dearly-departed CFO famously put it, substitutions were made, suppliers were changed, and portion sizes were decreased for the sake of guests’ waistlines (you’re welcome). In fairness to Disney, part of this is due to the externality of inflation–and similar changes have happened everywhere–but the proximate cause of that is COVID.

Another big change to the ‘eating experience’ at Walt Disney World came via the Disney Dining Plan. That’s now back, but with only half the tiers that existed in February 2020, and dramatically higher prices for adults. Our anecdotal impression is that between price hikes and cutbacks, the DDP is far less popular than it once was.

Even Free Dining has been less popular in the last 2 years in early 2020. It seems very clear to us that guest spending has been reallocated away from other discretionary purchases at Walt Disney World in order to afford Lightning Lanes.

This is evident in ADR availability, Disney Dining Plan interest, and even Free Dining uptake vs. room-only discounts. Demonstrating yet again that the impacts of the COVID closure have been multifaceted and far-reaching, even with changes that have been seeming undone or among offerings that have been restored.

At the exact opposite end of the spectrum, there are guests who miss the “opportunity” to spend even more money at Walt Disney World on experience enhancements–a fancy term for upcharges. There’s still a lot in the Enchanting Extras Collection (and associated add-ons) that gives Walt Disney World a tremendous amount of repeatability for regulars.

Things like certain behind the scenes or VIP tours, dining or dessert parties, early or late park access, and much more. The big one for us is the EPCOT festival seminars and experiences–without those, Food & Wine has lost a lot of its luster. (They’re also missing from other festivals, but it’s most glaring at Food & Wine.)

Although I’m not huge on upcharges, I’d likewise love to see another themed After Hours at Magic Kingdom event. The short-lived Villains After Hours was better than the vanilla version, and it’s about time Walt Disney World revived the Pirates & Princess concept. I’d also love to see a Nostalgia Nite at Magic Kingdom with Wishes, Disney Afternoon characters, and more.

Ultimately, a lot has changed at Walt Disney World since Spring 2020 and, six years later, there’s still much that’s missing from the guest experience in addition to what’s likely gone for good. The impacts of the COVID closures cannot be overstated, as it’s not just a matter of what was directly lost starting March 15, 2020.

Sure, we can watch this brilliant piece of marketing and be depressed all over again about the obvious cuts and changes. But it’s also all of the indirect changes and cascading effects of the closure. It’s not just the projects that were cancelled, ride closures, or entertainment cutbacks–it’s also the unannounced additions that would have happened, but for COVID.

The delays, feet-dragging, and glacially-slow phased reopening. The coupling of “revenge travel” with excessive losses on streaming that gave rise to and helped justify guest unfriendly changes.

Since we cannot go back and change that, what’s most important is all of the little things that are somehow still missing. In aggregate, these made a tremendous positive impact to the guest experience.

These are the things that could come back any day now–the damage that can be undone. That’s precisely why a disproportionate emphasis of this article is on these seemingly insignificant (but not really!) things–because there’s still hope for them. It’s beyond time to restore these aspects of the guest experience, ensuring that Walt Disney World is a world-class vacation destination that keeps forging new fans, and diehards continue to fall in love with all over again with each visit.

This is what Walt Disney World is all about. It’s not just the little details in themed design or placemaking, it’s also that attention to detail in the guest experience. Going above and beyond in ways big and small. Enhancements guests may not notice in isolation or mostly wouldn’t mourn if missing, but that collectively make Walt Disney World feel like a well-oiled machine and a world-class vacation destination where every guest is a VIP. Giving guests things they never knew they needed.

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 are the biggest changes, cutbacks and cancellations at Walt Disney World due to COVID? How has the experience changed for you today versus 6 years ago? What would you like to see done to improve the guest experience and satisfaction at Walt Disney World? Which of the entries on this list have a realistic chance of coming to fruition? 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!

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68 Comments

  1. Hi Tom,
    As senior Boomers we have always come for the night time activities. Pre-COVID, we loved the desert parties ! One year I oddly signed us up for the children’s Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise when the more adult cruise was sold out. It was a a blast ! Patch was non stop ad lib with guests of all ages. He played the Anniversary Waltz for us. It was certainly one of the top highlights of our 15 year Thanksgiving DW trips. During COVID closure there were 2 things I dreamed of–a Mickey ice cream bar in each hand outside the castle and the Pirates and Pals cruise. Pirates and Pals for me is a real loss. FYI: I am 75.

    Reply

  2. One strange but interesting experience I had: in Disneyland’s reopening phase, California residents-only at Disneyland. All of the lines were standby only, and it was both an easy and fun day. Nothing to worry about for LL, Genie, Virtual Queues. You just showed up, waited in line, and got on the rides. I am a strong proponent of “standby only” and that day confirmed it, though I’m sure my experience was also partially due to limited capacity at the reopening.
    The most fun “personal” story I have from that trip, however, was that they were not allowing different families together in on Smuggler’s Run simulator. My friends had left for the day and I went by myself to squeeze in one last ride, and so they put me in a simulator entirely by myself!
    Thank you, Tom, for your continued quality coverage of Disney theme parks worldwide. Your hard work and effort is surely not unnoticed! This article was an excellent reflection piece.

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  3. Our last trip was in 2019 and we are planning to go back this year. I’m dreading all the changes, cutbacks and construction. This will likely be our last family trip as the kids are older now. Disney was always expensive and I was always “one bad experience” from not going back but things always worked out and we had memorable experiences. The dramatic expense increases are hard to swallow this time around. It’s always been the nostalgia that brings us back but as Disney rapidly chips away at that it gives us less reason to return. I don’t believe my kids will be able to return on their own, or will even want to as they continue to remove the things that made the parks charming. As you get older, it’s not so much the newest things that draw you back but the memories of the older things that cannot be replaced. It feels like Disney is losing that. With that said, I still look everyday for news of Epcot F&W special events returning for our October trip. Party for the senses, food and wine pairings, beverage seminars, Parisian Breakfast, etc. My wife and I always looked forward to those events and are disappointed they are gone. All the little things, like the good night kiss, added to the charm of the parks and whoever decided to cut these things doesn’t get it. This is the first time we will be staying on property at Universal for a portion of our trip and we are most excited about universals offerings. With the nostalgia eroding, no kids, increased expense with fewer offerings, my wife and I will have little reason to return and that’s sad to admit from a life long fan.

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  4. The entirety of my ‘Disney Lifetime’ was because of COVID, actually. I had a convention in Orlando March 13-15th, 2020…and had booked a single-day ticket to go to EPCOT and started reading this blog in order to prepare for it. When our convention was cancelled, I was stuck with a ticket for Disney World but had no other plans to go to Florida! That changed when I was able to pick up one of the *ridiculously* cheap DVC rentals when they re-opened that July. Remember the points-pool problems that were so worrying back then? I feel like that ended up fizzling out somehow…
    Regardless, after visiting the parks in July 2020 and getting to experience not only totally empty parks, but also a place I could dress up and play as an adult? I got hooked, and ended up coming back so many times I could hardly count. My aerobic potential also massively increased – after wearing a mask outdoors during 100 degree/ 100% humidity days, my lungs seemed to be able to handle any exercise I could throw at them! It was also a real era of simplicity – when you wanted to ride something, you got in line for it, and the line moved quickly because there was no Fast Pass. You also weren’t crushed against other patrons since they were all at least six feet away!
    I know the COVID era in the parks was a dark time for many, but it was a bright, happy place for me…somewhere me and my partner could go and be ourselves. I found plenty of magic in those days as I discovered it for the first time, and met a lot of wonderful people making the best out of a tough, world-impacting situation.
    Still…I would love it if those final, missing pieces could return. Each ‘restored’ aspect of Disney World is something I get to experience like it’s new, and for the company? It’s like add-ons that they don’t have to allocate R+D budget towards – they already know how much it costs and have the infrastructure for it. My visits have fallen off significantly…I only got to go once over the last year and a half, and my trip was interrupted by a hurricane. But the more that’s there, the more likely I am to return…and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

    Reply

    1. Maggie–it’s been a while!

      Totally agree with you about Walt Disney World being a bright spot during the COVID era. Even with the multi-month closure, we probably spent more time in the parks in 2020 than any other year of our lives. (Part of that was frontloaded–we were in the parks a ton in Jan-Mar.) We would’ve been there even more had park reservations not been tricky. I think a lot of it comes down to perspective–even in its modified form, Walt Disney World offered a slice of normalcy and comfort in a world that was anything but that.

      On a different note, are you heading to Star Wars Celebration???

    2. Wow it took me a year to realize you’d replied! Thank you for the welcome back! I didn’t make it to The Celebration but I have *almost* gone for years, now. Honestly, I’m just now finishing paying for the last unexpected Starcruiser trips, which means starting to save for Japan. Lucky me, I’ll get to read your other blog now!

  5. I can’t imagine why they have not brought back Party for the Senses. When I was younger I could not believe the price, but what a great party. Now that I can afford it, it is locked in the vault. Universal still has Harbor Nights at Portofino, and I think that party is just as good. Tom, you might need to make a trip over and write a review of it. They pop up a few times a year.

    Reply

  6. My family misses the Pirates N Pals Fireworks Voyage and the kids only Pirates Adventure Cruises the most. We had a WDW vacation planned for Spring Break 2020, one week after the closure. We were signed up to do both of these Enchanting Extras (it was going to be my 4 year old’s first Pirates Voyage and my 10 year old’s 6th). My now 9 year old, never got to do a Pirate Adventure Cruise and my now 15 year old is too old, even if they did bring them back.

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  7. Without a doubt, we are still grieving the loss of Citizens of Hollywood. We keep hoping they will return. They are forever our favorite in-park entertainment. On a side note, one thing I miss that started and ended with Covid was the hand sanitizer dispensers at each attraction. I would love to see them return.

    Reply

    1. Chris: I agree 100% with you regarding the loss of the Citizens of Hollywood. I fail to understand how the management of WDW doesn’t see the value in this! I was at Universal recently and they had street dancers and other entertainers around the New York street section. I t was so refreshing that it reminded me of how much I DO miss the Citizens troupe at HS.

    2. they are one of my favorite Disney memories. One day we were at HStudios and decided to sit down on a bench to catch our breath and figure out our next move. At that moment Citizens of Hollywood rolled up and we happened to have the best front row seats to their entire show. Talk about random non-planned magic

  8. Great round-up of what we’ve lost. I really hope people at Disney read your article and others like it. Especially as they feel the pressure of Universal’s shiny new (grand) toy, they can look to what is lost and bring them back.

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  9. I remember pre covid the spectacular exhibit EPCOT had of future coming attractions at EPCOT. Was really excited about the Mary Poppins ride. I think the Ratatouille ride stole its thunder . Not impressed at all with what they did with Epcot since 2020. All that construction didn’t really add anything spectacular to Epcot .

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  10. One thing I noticed wasn’t mentioned, and I know it isn’t a vital element of anyone’s vacation, but I miss the sake bar in the back of Mitsukoshi dept store. It was one of those weird offerings that was never overcrowded or highly sought after, but it added a nice thematic touch.

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  11. I always stay off-site. Tried one trip on-site in 2023 and while I could see some of the appeal, the benefits weren’t worth the drawbacks.

    Bringing back the airport-to-hotel luggage transfer service would absolutely change that for me and convince me to stay onsite. We are chronic overpackers and I would love for that to become someone else’s problem.

    Also, I really miss Rivers of Light. It’s right up there with losing Osborne Lights and Illuminations RoE. I hope Disney eventually comes up with a new nighttime show for AK, but my expectation is that if they do it would likely be so diminished by the IP mandate as to be an unsatisfactory replacement.

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  12. Not really sure if this is contrarian, but I’ve come around to the conclusion that Covid was merely a catalyst of decisions that would have been made anyway at some point. I remember the initial stages with their grim outlooks, most of which have reversed themselves fairly quickly. Whatever is still missing now is much more of a deliberate business decision than the hasty initial reactions. I agree that Disney seems to be making a lot of short-term focused decisions. Or, no different than any other publicly traded company that is trying to please activist investors and executives that want to cash out whatever they can immediately, long-term viability be damned. Or fan loyalty. That misalignment of incentives will not go away under such company structure.
    One would have a hard time finding guest-positive initiatives during high demand times (revenge travel). But slipping faster into a recession, those tides will probably be turning soon. And not just for Disney. I think we may see more of what you listed coming back.

    Reply

    1. It’s not contrarian at all. We’ve pointed out repeatedly that some of these initiatives (park reservations, paid FastPass) were already in motion.

      Still, I’m not sure Iger and co. would’ve had the temerity to pull the trigger. Walt Disney World had been toying with paid FastPass for years. It could’ve happened as early as 2017, but didn’t. The launch of Galaxy’s Edge would’ve been another opportunity, but no dice. At minimum, Disney would not have made so many guest unfriendly changes all at once but for COVID. (And another recession would’ve caught up to them before they had the chance to make all of the desired changes.)

      A lot of fans now hate on Iger, and I get the “why” of that. He’s not everything we want from a Disney CEO…but there is no one who is. It’s a fantasy. From my perspective, Iger is obviously more methodical and apprehensive about changes that will harm the brand, guest goodwill, etc. Chapek didn’t care about any of that, and took a “bull in the china shop” approach to make changes. In even his defense, the circumstances allowed for such an approach. But there’s still a fundamental difference in business ethos between the Bobs.

  13. Incredibly well reported. Thank you. Selling Disney is the primary focus of my travel agency, and it’s currently hard to exceed clients’ expectations with all the unnecessary changes. I find myself having to say, when asked about policies or new practices or diminishments at WDW that “this is how it’s been, but I’ll check for the latest info”. Again and again and again. I receive daily info from Disney, and it’s dizzily hard to keep up with . Still, I love Disney…..

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  14. I can see things tilting to becoming more generous to DDP again, given increased competition from Universal. I’ve never used the DDP but I do find it commercially interesting. DDP is not just a revenue stream (where they might begrudge it being cheaper than A La Carte), it’s a way of locking in attendance with relatively low incremental costs to the company.

    With this in mind, I’m surprised Disney allows credits to be saved up across the entire duration of the vacation (they already did something like this by stopping conversion of meal credits to snack credits). A “use it or lose it” day-by-day policy would make it feel more expensive to spend days away from Disney. They could then lower the price to offset for this loss of attractiveness.

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    1. At this point, I don’t think Walt Disney World wants to make any changes that result in the DDP becoming even less popular. It’s my understanding that uptake/utilization of the DDP are down, and fairly significantly, versus 2019 and earlier.

      So while I agree with your surprise, or rather I agreed with it in ~2018 to early 2020 when they had made any negative changes for a bit, I don’t agree in the here and now. The DDP needs to become more attractive, not less, to further Disney’s business interests in keeping people on site.

  15. Others mentioned the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, which I’m sure was part of many guests visits, not just those staying at the GF but any doing the monorail tour.
    Just a guess, but Jedi Training Academy must have gotten lost in the shuffle when the future of WDW Star Wars changed, from “move it as part of a future expansion or centralization of SW at HS” to “lets focus on incremental improvements to GE.” A good number cruncher could point out that it involved a lot of free labor and probably sold quite a few padawan robes in Tatooine Traders. (Tom, don’t blame DME on us! We know that one-third is a lot!)
    I didn’t realize consciously how much of my enjoyment of Plaza Restaurant experience depended on the Citizens of Main Street until the menu got back up to par. It’s worthwhile, but it’s just not the same when there was about a chance of having a show with your meal about, oh, one out of every three.
    One thing I’m not sure about: can COVID be blamed for the lack of further plans for AK? If Iger had announced “$17 billion to WDW, but mostly Animal Kingdom” I would have been fine with that.

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  16. I hear that the afternoon parade did not return with its full cast and I’m assuming that’s still the case. That’s a big downer for me.
    Absolutely agree about Bon Voyage character breakfast. We had such a wonderful time there.
    And strangely enough, we also did the family style dining at Pizzafari. We had a free quick service meal each day of our trip and this was a great use of that credit. The food was fine and ample. My daughters think Pizzafari is a must everytime because of childhood nostalgia so at least this elevated that experience somewhat. 🙂 Not surprised it went away though. We were one of probably 5 parties partaking in the experience when we were there.

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  17. I didn’t even realize until recently that the Kiss goodnight was gone. Why? That has to cost roughly $0 and it is a great moment for so many. I understand (even if I hate) many of the other changes in the name of staff savings, but things like that, Jedi Training Academy and a couple others are really odd. main Street Trolley likewise seems like it wouldn’t have been that expensive given the limited show times. but to me, the trolley is an iconic part of WDW.

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    1. No clue why.

      My best guess (and it’s just that) is they found the Kiss Goodnight causes people to linger, rather than nudging them towards the exit. Equally likely is that it just got turned off and no one in a position of authority notices. Could just be a complete oversight.

    2. I have found that the exodus from the park seems to happen much more quickly now than it used to. People used to meander slowly towards the exit over an hour or so and now some parks are a ghost town within 15 minutes after the nighttime spectacular ends. In Nov. 2022, We were near the back of epcot and I went up to the front to talk to guest services before leaving, hoping to get a show or two of the Spaceship Earth lights (they stop at park close apparently. which was also shocking to me). Once I learned there were no more shows, i headed back towards the international gateway. it can’t have been much later than 9:30, but by the time I was in the world showcase, it was only me and cast members.

  18. We arrived at night and it was announced the mask mandate would end at midnight except for transportation. That was also February spring break week 2022 and the crowds that week were intense! My daughter was so happy to meet the princesses but everyone walking by kept commenting how sad it was the kids had to distance from them. It was a good trip all in all but was our first trip with kids and haven’t been back since. I woke up every hour on the hour worrying about missing my 7am chance to book our top ride of the day. Agree with another poster about the magic of traveling to other places. Maybe we’ll be back again someday…

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    1. For whatever it’s worth, early 2022 was probably one of the worst times to visit Walt Disney World.

      At least in 2021, there was still the honeymoon period where people were just happy to be getting back to normal. There were compromises to the guest experience, but lower crowds and the return to normalcy made it all “worth it” (IMO).

      By early 2022, it was awkward and there was pent-up demand, making it incredibly busy.

  19. We were arriving at Disney the night of the announcement. We were in front of the castle the last night it was opened for fireworks. i so vividly remember a huge cast member presence, and the tears and hugs that were being exchanged. So, there was also a permanent loss of quality staff that i believe did not return. our daughter worked Disney after the college program enticed her from Indiana several years earlier. We felt for those kids and adults that had no idea what future they would have with Disney. i have the same feel for federal employees being discharged en masse this last month. we were scheduled to leave on Wednesday that week but moved it to Tuesday to be sure the flights would not be cancelled. it was very strange to walk thru the airport, and seeing only limited folks outbound, and virtually no one arriving. the plane was almost empty no one wants to remember, but Covid was real, and had lots of consequences. In the end, the transport from the airport direct to your hotel, with no worry about bags, is the biggest loss in my opinion. it made a Disney trip special. bringing that back, even at a nominal ten-dollar charge would be wonderful. but who knows now.

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  20. I really, really want Citizens of Hollywood to return. I wouldn’t mind arranging for transportation from the airport to the parks, hauling my own luggage, etc., if Disney World brought back some spontaneity to the parks. When my son was 4, we came out of Pirates and almost literally bumped in to Peter Pan. He talked to my son for a couple of minutes and posed with him for photos. That’s what makes Disney properties magical.

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    1. Given the cutbacks to the Citizens of Hollywood over the previous few years, I’m betting they wouldn’t exist today one way or the other.

      Very sad, as they were the heart and soul of the park. Such a funny group.

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