There are a lot of exciting things that are coming to the Disney Parks. This includes new attractions, lands, and experiences for guests to enjoy when they are finished at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and beyond. While work actively continues to bring new stories and experiences to the parks, investments and work are also made to maintain the magic. When maintenance happens, enhancements are often added as well. In a recent release, Walt Disney World says that “Disney has approached change with the simple yet powerful philosophy to protect the deep connection guests have made with the brand, while creating compelling reasons to return.”
This was followed up by a recent panel with Disney executives who shared more about this philosophy. The goal is to reinvest in classic experiences and combine data, creativity, and operational expertise to elevate guest experiences for future generations. This is all done while making sure to honor what repeat guests have loved for so many years.
Investing in the Magic
There are over 100+ attractions and experiences throughout the entirety of Walt Disney World Resort. There are also 25+ resort hotels with more than 29,000 hotel rooms. All of this is a part of this magical destination where Disney has designed an environment that keeps people immersed in Disney stories from the moment they arrive until the moment they go home.
Alec Ras, Director of Facility Asset Management, shared that Disney invests hundreds of millions of dollars each year in its existing attractions, resorts, and experiences to keep things relevant and reliable year-round.
Ras explained that this takes over 4,000 Cast Members who work on thousands of projects each year. There is a wide range of professions that are utilized to do this, including engineers, architects, and construction managers, to horticulturists, carpenters, and painters. These Cast Members deliver disciplined, and often invisible, results around the clock throughout the year.
“Our work includes both big projects, like replacing the entire steel track of Big Thunder Mountain, and small projects, like a simple carpet replacement overnight in a queue space,” Ras said. “Every detail matters to us when tasked with preserving the quality, care and attention to detail guests have come to expect from us.”
The Guest Experience
To make these projects successful, the reinvestment projects are planned proactively and with a long-term approach in mind. This is very much how new developments and expansions are approached. Sarah Riles, Vice President of Magic Kingdom, shared how teams work together to build out these schedules years into the future. Ultimately, the goal is to protect the guest experience and preserve capacity throughout the resort. They also want to make sure to invest where and when it matters the most.
Kelly Blakely, Vice President of Resorts Operations, also shared that there is a unique challenge faced by the resorts when they attempt to complete these projects while guests are present 24 hours a day.
“Our resorts are a home away from home for many of our guests,” Blakely said. “It is really important to me that our guests know that they are going to get those comforts of home when they come and experience our resorts.”
Blakely’s team looks for creative solutions to minimize the guest impact while these projects are being worked on. One of this way is done is through rigorous planning that looks further out and includes phased closures. This was recently done when Disney’s Pop Century Resort was refurbished. This provided an opportunity to maintain the overall experience of the resort while just one part of the resort was temporarily unavailable.
Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a similar approach was recently taken when Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster saw its transformation to a version of the attraction themed to The Muppets. The teams who were behind making this project happen kept the attraction open longer by closing the attraction in phases. This was done by first closing the pre-show, where there would be more technical changes. This was followed by the closure of the attraction itself. This led to an impressively fast three-month turnaround and closure.
Riles shared another great example of being creative with the process to get work done on time with minimal guest impact: the recent transformation of Cinderella Castle.
“While most of the work was completed overnight, we had to keep those high reaches and lifts up through morning. But by noon every day, we took them down so if you were in the Castle hub or on Main Street U.S.A., you’d still get that picture perfect view.” Along with the operational changes, Riles complimented Disney PhotoPass for creating a new AI model to remove the cranes from photos that were taken in the morning. This provided yet another option for guests.
The Balancing Act
As with everything Disney does, there is a careful balancing act that must be maintained between celebrating nostalgia and also not letting it get stagnant. This means that new things need to be introduced. This could be completely new lands, attractions, and experiences, or enhancements found in current offerings.
The executives that were a part of this panel acknowledged that Disney fans can be skeptical of change. This can especially be true when the attractions and resorts are an important part of childhood memories. Michael Hundgen, Portfolio Executive Creative Producer for Walt Disney Imagineering, shared that “we try to be incredibly aware and thoughtful of that when we make changes.”
Hundgen continued to explain that with each reinvestment project, there is a task included to balance nostalgia and modern appeal. He said that his team is focused on continuing to preserve the classic spirit of a resort or attraction while also ensuring that these experiences continue to feel relevant, meaningful, and ready for future families to fall in love with.
Riles contributed to this sentiment by sharing how much thoughtful research goes into any decision that is made to update an attraction. “We use data, guest research and feedback to really help inform where we choose to reinvest versus when it is time to reconcept,” Sarah Riles, Vice President of Magic Kingdom, said.
She continued to say how powerful these reinvestments can be. Attractions that have seen notable improvements in Disney guest satisfaction scores after reopenings include Country Bear Musical Jamboree, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Blakely added that the same success has been found when refurbishing rooms and common areas at resorts like Pop Century, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Port Orleans – Riverside and Bay Lake Tower.
Keep Moving Forward
As has always been the case at Disney, the company continues to move forward with reinvestment projects. This includes updates that will be coming to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress in 2027.
Along with the new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics figure, there will be new periods included in the attraction when it reopens. This includes the 1960s, 1980s, and The New Millennium. This will allow guests to see what John, Sarah, and the rest of the family are doing as they navigate updates to technology in new decades and then into the future. This will be the fourth major refurbishment of the attraction since it debuted in 1964.
“Know that when we touch a classic like Carousel of Progress, our Imagineers take the utmost care in thinking about how we approach that,” Michael said. “The team on this project is phenomenal. They care a lot about the legacy of the attraction and plan on infusing some great new optimism into it for future generations to enjoy.”
More reinvestments are on the horizon for Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s BoardWalk as well. Work is underway at Disney’s BoardWalk with new additions set to open in late 2026. This will include a new lounge, Hurly-Burly, that will offer guests fun-filled afternoons and then glamorous evenings inside a historic seaside theatre with a vibrant BoardWalk story that spans over a century. There will also be Basin on the BoardWalk, a sensory shopping experience that will feel both timeless and distinctly new.
On top of that, there will also be a new quick-service restaurant coming to Disney’s BoardWalk.
“I think we should always be held accountable to a standard that is, ‘if you’re going to touch something that is beloved, then you must leave it better than you found it.’” Michael said.
As Walt Disney World Resort continues to move boldly into the future, it continues to also respect and preserve the past. What do you think of this investment in the magic, new and old? Do you think it is effective? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
