Disney is a major company with a lot of different sectors — from the theme parks to the movies.
Of course, such a big company is bound to make a lot of decisions. Some Disney decisions have been really popular and others have had a lot of backlash from fans. So, what are some of those more unpopular decisions?
Here are the most unpopular Disney decisions of all time!
Getting Rid of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
First up, folks were not happy when Disney got rid of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This beloved Christmastime installation featured a ton of Christmas lights that danced to holiday tunes in the Streets of America.
The tradition was halted ahead of the construction of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge but guests still reminisce on the time they could watch the twinkling lights.
Want to see how popular this event was? Click here!
Getting Rid of the Magical Express
A more recent decision was the call to get rid of the Magical Express. The Magical Express was an offering where Disney World guests could get free transportation to and from Orlando International Airport.
The service was discontinued at the start of 2022, and many guests have voiced their disappointment at this hotel perk disappearing.
To learn more about Magical Express Replacements, click here!
Almost Not Bringing Back ‘Ohana Noodles
We’ve got another dicey one (well, maybe the whole list is dicey, but you get it). When it was first announced that ‘Ohana was reopening at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the menu did not include the iconic ‘Ohana noodles.
These delightful noodles luckily did return when the restaurant reopened, but it was a bold decision not to announce the return of the noodles with the reopening announcement.
Click here to learn more about the return of ‘Ohana noodles!
Getting Rid of Happily Ever After and Wishes
Magic Kingdom fireworks shows have some seriously die-hard fans. When Wishes was discontinued to be replaced with Happily Ever After, there were a lot of unhappy Disney lovers!
Now, a few years later, Happily Ever After has ended, and (sure enough) folks aren’t loving that decision either!
Want to see the newest Magic Kingdom fireworks show? Click here!
Closing The Great Movie Ride
There have been a lot of beloved rides to close but one that garnered a lot of backlash recently was the closure of The Great Movie Ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
This fan-favorite attraction was replaced by Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and though the new ride is well-received, many still miss the original.
To see more about this decision, click here!
Changing Journey Into Imagination
We hear you, you miss the Dreamfinder! And we do too. Without a doubt, it was a pretty unpopular decision to get rid of the beloved Dreamfinder character as he was seen in the original version of Journey Into Imagination.
The current Figment-based attraction might be better than the very bad second iteration, but for many, nothing compares to the original.
Want to take a ride on Journey Into Imagination with Figment? Click here!
The Original Disney California Adventure Theme
When Disney opted to theme the California-based Disney California Adventure park around the state of California, people were notably confused. Why would you theme a park after the state that it’s located in?
Luckily, California Adventure has seen a ton of changes over the years and now it is much-loved, just like the rest of the Disney theme parks!
Want to see more about this failure? Click here!
Closing Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Disney World
Though you can still ride Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Disneyland, many Disney World goers have not forgiven the decision to close the classic attraction in Disney World.
Now, you can ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in the same space, but that doesn’t make this decision any less unpopular.
To see more about the history of Mr. Toad’s, click here!
The Harmonious Barges
EPCOT has its newest fireworks show with Harmonious and it came with a few permanent barges in the middle of World Showcase Lagoon. The problem, these barges seriously obstruct the view!
Harmonious was met with mixed reviews, but it seems the show (and its barges) are here to stay.
Click here for more about Harmonious!
Getting Rid of Fastpass in Favor of Disney Genie+
In 2021, Disney announced that Fastpass would not return to Disney World or Disneyland and instead a new paid Disney Genie+ offering would be implemented.
Fastpass was a complicated system where guests could book free Fastpasses in advance of their trip. This system was criticized for making planning difficult, but it was free.
Now, the only way to skip the line is with the paid Genie+. The new option has guests paying a flat $15 per day, per ticket to skip the line at over 40 attractions in Disney World or $20 per day, per ticket to skip the line at over 15 attractions in Disneyland. Some popular attractions will be available for individual purchase separately.
Moving to a paid model has been a very unpopular decision! Fastpasses were accessible to all guests and Disney Genie+ now comes at a premium. The new system has a steep learning curve and with the cost for Genie+, Â many Disney fans are unhappy.
For more info on Genie, click here!
What are your least favorite Disney decisions of all time? Let us know in the comments!
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Every ride that has been gotten rid of that was NOT a thrill ride (Horizons, Great Movie ride, 20,000 leagues, Railroad and the list goes on) has been a nail in the coffin of the people who made Disney what it is today and would have Walt in an uproar. I resent the reference to “old” fans need to be ignored in another comment. Who do you think made the entire Disney name what it is. I hate what is being done on so many levels and I never in all my wildest imagining thought I would ever think that, after being raised on Sunday night Disney, honeymooning in WDW 49 years ago and innumerable trips with my children and grandchildren, which now we can’t afford or even really want to go, even the younger ones. So, so sad.
By far, the worst Decision of all time, has to be making Paycheck CEO. Everything else
pales in comparison.
Bad decision of all time, not vetting top management. The people at the very top should have some knowledge of Walt Disney and his vision for a real theme park. Hello to Bob Chapek…from accounting.
I miss most of the rides that were closed, but for the most part, I get it. They start looking dated. The audience for them gets older and their theme is unknown to the younger crowd. Disney gotta move forward, folks. Even if I miss Alien Encounter and The Great Movie Ride something fierce.
I think charging for resort parking should be on the list too.
Disney was the last resort in Florida to have “free” parking at the hotels. But people that stayed at the resorts knew that they could take and park their car for free at the parks. The 3rd party that operates the theme park parking lots caught on to this and thus the resorts started charging a parking fee so it would encourage more guests to use the buses and leave more spaces for visitors from outside DW.
Getting rid of The Adventurer’s Club (and a lot of the other clubs at “Downtown Disney” back in the day). AC was the best!
Agree on the Epcot barges! They’re an eye sore…we were sad to see those giant things ruining a beautiful scene.
Getting rid of the bands, Comedy Club etc from Disney Springs
Decorating Cinderella’s castle like a giant ugly pick birthday cake!
Yeah, sadly, the trend of Disney being a far and away leader of service and experience trends downward toward simply looking at what everyone else is doing.
Fast pass was simple and easy. I’m not sure why you describe it as complicated. Creating tiers of customers (we are no longer guests) by their willing to pay for access, is disappointing.
Fastpass at Disneyland (even with Maxpass) was simple, FP+ was a nightmare trying to plan out what you wanted to do and when 60 days in advance and if you had longer than a 10 day stay, having to wake up early multiple mornings just to get the most popular attractions.
She might be talking about the original fastpass system where you just went to the ride you wanted to ride and got a ticket to come back later. The fastpass+ absolutely ruined what is supposed to be a vacation by making it a job and needing a spreadsheet. I’ll never know what this Genie thing is because I refuse to give them any more money for an already over the top expensive trip with far less offerings. It’s like Disney just keeps making things better for themselves and worse for the guest to see just how long we’ll keep throwing money at them. Some people seem to think that the Disney brand can do no wrong. I see no end in sight. Apparently, most people have more money to blow than I do. I’ve been too many times to find value in their product anymore. I can’t pay what they’re asking for something I’ve already done for so much less money. I consider myself blessed to be able to go when I did. I feel bad for all of the children who will never get to go. It’s definitely for the rich now. Very sad. I’m glad I took my niece when I did. She’ll probably never see the inside of the parks again. She’s 6 now, and that is such a shame but I just can’t afford to spoil her by sharing something I loved so much. She’ll just have to grow up with memories of Universal Studios and Sea World as her “home”.