I frequently write articles critiquing Disney and some of the decisions the company makes. To some, this might overshadow the fact that I genuinely love visiting Orlando with my family to create lifelong memories. My criticism comes from a place of passion—when Disney makes a choice I find disappointing, I speak up not out of dislike, but because I want to see them succeed and avoid missteps. While I often highlight these missteps, it may surprise some that I remain optimistic about the future of the Disney Parks.
Why is that? I believe Disney is beginning to course-correct from a number of negative changes made over the past few years. It may take time, but recent small changes and some subtle concessions from Disney leadership suggest that the company recognizes how some of its decisions between 2020 and 2025 have hurt the guest experience.
One promising sign is the pilot program for the return of Resort Airline Check-In at Walt Disney World—a complimentary service discontinued during the COVID era alongside many other guest perks. This service allowed guests to check their luggage at their Disney resort, ensuring it magically arrived at their destination airport. While this is only in a testing phase, Disney wouldn’t be running this trial without a reason. To me, it signals that they may be realizing how excessive cutbacks have chipped away at what made a Disney vacation unique. If that realization is setting in, it could lead to even more positive changes.
Additionally, for some time, Disney CEO Bob Iger attempted to reassure stakeholders that the opening of Universal Epic Universe wouldn’t have a big financial impact for Disney by stating, “As we’ve seen in the past, when Universal has expanded, it brings more visitors to Orlando. That’s fine. We’ve had competition from them for a long time. I’m mindful of what they’re doing, but I’m confident. I like our hand. I’m confident in what we’ve built, and I’m confident in what we’ll continue to build. It’s not something that should be distracting to us or anxiety-provoking.” Yet now, with the opening of Epic Universe approaching, Disney has unleashed a wave of summer discounts and promotions unseen in years. It seems like “I’m confident” has quietly shifted to “please come, I am begging you.”
It’s unlikely that Disney will ever outright admit that some of its choices were mistakes, but last week’s developments were about as close as we’re going to get.
According to BlogMickey, media members recently spoke with Disney executives on various topics, including the importance of the “Disney Bubble.” Chelsea Filley, Vice President of Customer Experience and Commercial Strategy, recognized that Disney received clear feedback from guests about the impact of its operational decisions during the COVID-19 era. In turn, the company established the Customer Experience (CX) team to pinpoint and streamline areas where the planning and booking process had become unnecessarily complicated. While not directly stated, most Disney fans could tell you that the negative “operational decisions” were the cutbacks and upcharges. Not saying that these will all be addressed or reinstated, but I’d hope and am optimistic that some are.
This might be the closest thing to an admission of missteps we’ll ever get from a corporation the size of Disney. They won’t issue an apology, but they’ll quietly start reinstating the things that made Disney special. Of course, there’s no guarantee that everything will return to how it was in 1998, 2013, 2017, or whatever your favorite Disney era may be, but it feels like a step in the right direction.
