Disney Has Made 8 Controversial Changes So Far This Year

Disney has made a litany of changes already in 2026, from ride closures and canceled traditions to attraction refurbishments and majorly rethemed rides.

Even when they are changes guests were anticipating, many of these changes have proven to be controversial among the biggest Disney fans.

Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Rethemed to The Muppets

One of Disney’s most controversial moves in 2025 was closing Muppet*Vision 3D as part of the construction of Monstropolis, so it’s only fitting that one of their most controversial moves of 2026 also involves Jim Henson’s cadre of characters. In March, Disney closed the Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, and reopened the ride in May, now starring The Muppets.

While the new version was relatively well-received, some loud voices were not in favor of it. Some missed the presence of the “Bad Boys of Boston,” while others lamented the Muppets being “locked” behind a thrill ride that some guests are physically unable to ride.

DINOSAUR is Extinct

Speaking of closures, February saw the permanent closure of DINOSAUR. The opening-day Animal Kingdom attraction — which was known as Countdown to Extinction in 1998 — was shuttered as part of the Tropical Americas expansion. It’s being refurbished into an Indiana Jones attraction, arguably a fitting full-circle moment given that the ride system and layout of DINOSAUR was essentially a clone of Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure.

A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow?

The Carousel of Progress — which has been operating in one form or another since its debut at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, meaning it actually predates Disney World by over a decade — has closed for a major refurbishment that will shift nearly everything about the 60+ year old attraction.  In an attempt to keep the show “relatable for today’s audiences,” the whole show is being restructured. The show will now feature a Walt Disney animatronic in the pre-show, followed by new acts based on the 1960s (itself harkening back to the decade the show originally debuted), the 1980s, the 1999-turn of the millennium, and a “possible future” that will imagine a time where “extraordinary innovation has become part of life and proves that a beautiful tomorrow is just a dream away.”

This won’t be the first time the Carousel of Progress has changed. The attraction has been intermittently updated over the years, with the most recent major upgrade coming in 1994. While the show has its fans (me VERY much included), it is fair to say that the show — especially the ending sequence that still name-drops the “upcoming” turn of the millennium — has been feeling a bit stale for a couple of decades. Despite that, reactions to the renovation details have been mixed so far. Some have been negative, with guests mourning the loss of most of the Walt-designed original concept) to positive, with some excited that modern audiences have their own time periods to look back on and deserve their own “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” to look forward to.

Disney Springs Transportation Changes

Beginning in June 2026, Disney made a major change to their transportation offerings. Specifically, guests now need to show a hotel or dining reservation in order to use the buses or boats leaving Disney Springs. This rule has been enacted before during busy times of year but has now become permanent. Disney has not shared the official reason for this rule change, although we can surmise that it is because too many non-resort guests were using the buses to get around, and it was making the wait too long for the guests paying to stay at these hotels. While that’s understandable on some level, the changes have definitely rankled those who enjoy visiting Disney’s hotels.

The End of a Christmas Tradition

Speaking of visiting Disney’s hotels, earlier this spring, Disney announced that the Grand Floridian’s iconic lobby gingerbread house won’t be returning to the hotel this holiday season… or any in the foreseeable future. Since the gingerbread house debuted in 1999, it’s become a holiday favorite of many guests who made it a major part of their holidays over the next quarter century. The icon was absent in 2025 due to construction in the hotel’s lobby but was initially expected to return in 2026. However, as mentioned above, Disney confirmed that that won’t be the case. Instead, smaller gingerbread creations will be featured throughout the hotel. Suffice to say, many fans were — and likely will remain — unhappy about this, at least through the 2026 Christmas season.

A New, Better (?) Soarin’

In celebration of America’s 250th birthday, EPCOT’s Soarin’ has received an “all-new airborne adventure across the US, honoring the heart and spirit of the nation.” Some destinations include the New England coastline, New York Harbor, the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and many quintessentially American settings, featuring “the autumn colors of the heartland; the beauty of our bayous; the great plains of the west; the northern wilderness; and sunlit island shores.” The Across America version has actually been quite popular, to the point that many fans wish it would be the permanent Soarin’ going forward.

A Royal Room Change

Disney has made major changes to the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Resort – Riverside. The previous iteration was themed to a royal guest room where Princess Tiana welcomed her fellow Princesses to stay. The rooms were filled with references to other Disney Princesses. Cinderella’s carriage was the coat hook, the ottoman from Beast Castle, Aladdin’s Magic Carpet pattern in the carpet, and seashells and starfish elements representing Ariel, to name a few. The new take on the room retains a Princess and the Frog connection but shifts the theme to be guest rooms of Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, placing guests directly into the bayou. Do they succeed, especially compared to similar character-based rooms of the past? Well, it depends.

Some guests — in particular those who prefer more functional hotel rooms, but also those who are (or have children who are) major Tiana fans — welcome the new changes as giving an “up-to-date and royal feel.” However, others feel like the new rooms have lost many of their unique elements, becoming too similar to other hotel rooms on the property, and not worthy of the themed room upcharge. As one of our readers put it on social media, “If I’m paying the price to stay in the Disney bubble, I want to be drunk on whimsy and forget the outside world exists for a few days.”

A Cursed Pirate

Our final controversial change isn’t located at Disney World, but rather across the country at Disneyland. Earlier this year, the legendary Pirates of the Caribbean opened after a refurbishment, and riders noticed something new while floating through the ride’s caverns. Guests saw an animatronic pirate atop a pile of cursed gold transform from a flesh-and-blood pirate to a skeleton in mere seconds, reminiscent of those seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

The projection effect that achieves this illusion has… not been received well. Some have also called out the perceived irony that Disney installed this effect just months after remaking the projection animatronics from Frozen Ever After. They have since changed it back to its original state.

To the chagrin of some, Disney has already unleashed a series of major changes in 2026. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on the evolution of Disney’s parks.

Disney Replaces 5 Rides for New Park Expansions

What do you think of these changes? Let us know in the comments below.

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