Walt Disney World diehards have sky-high expectations for the changes Josh D’Amaro will make now that he’s CEO. This covers our wish list for changes he could make to leave his own mark, scoring wins with fans and continuing the honeymoon. It covers everything from quick and easy wins the new CEO could score overnight, and others he could announce at the 2026 D23 Expo.
New leaders moving quickly to prove themselves and start establishing their own legacy and leadership style is common and expected. Bob Iger famously did so post-Eisner, going on an acquisition spree after working to repair relationships that had been strained. He later went on to fix the cheap new parks built in the late stage of the Eisner regime. And Eisner, for his part, was famously transformative two decades earlier when he took the helm, quite literally saving Disney from corporate raiders.
When Bob Chapek took over as CEO, he endeavored to prove “I’m cheap!” as quickly as possible, speedrunning a slew of awful initiatives seemingly aimed at alienating fans in record time. He then reallocated that money towards streaming, greenlighting a bunch of content that was basically the equivalent of lighting money on fire. In Chapek’s defense (?), COVID was a crazy time. We’re not expecting a repeat of his antics with D’Amaro.
What we could see is a blend of two relatively recent leadership changes. The first is when Tom Staggs took over as Parks & Resorts Chair from the notoriously stingy Jay Rasulo. During his time as Parks Chair, Staggs oversaw the development Pandora – World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom, Shanghai Disney Resort, the NextGen initiative and MagicBands, and more.
Staggs’ track record was hit or miss, but he took big swings. The boldest of these is adding Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to the new Fantasyland project shortly after taking the helm. For those who are newer fans, that space was originally going to have a slew of princess meet & greets in separate little cottages (a la Enchanted Tales with Belle). Staggs told Imagineers to think bigger, and greenlit the innovative Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
The other template for D’Amaro making an immediate impact is Bob Iger’s return, when he replaced Bob Chapek. Iger was reportedly “alarmed” by price increases at Walt Disney World and concerned that Chapek was “killing the soul” of Disney.
He acted accordingly, making several changes one month later to improve the guest experience, like bringing back free overnight self-parking at on-site resort hotels, adding on-ride photos to the Lightning Lane service, relaxing reservations rules, and more. An additional round of guest-friendly changes were announced several months later that undid more of the damage.
With that said, the second Iger regime did not magically make everything better overnight. A lot has changed since 2019, and much of it for the worse. There have been cost-cuts paired with price increases, at the same time that the Parks & Resorts revenue has reached record highs. D’Amaro has been the chair of that division for the last several years, and its financial success is undoubtedly a huge reason why we was selected as the next CEO.
There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle on a lot of the changes that Walt Disney World diehards dislike most. That’s just the unpleasant reality, and we’re not going to pretend otherwise. So if you’re hoping that the restoration of free FastPass makes this list, I’ve got bad news for you.
On a positive note, the previous changes made upon Iger’s return and the ongoing expansion plans, plus the surge in more aggressive discounts and other measures aimed at wooing back disenchanted fans, suggest that it is possible to thread the needle. To maintain record revenue, while also addressing common complaints among fans and make Walt Disney World more accessible.
D’Amaro can extend an olive branch to fans by course-correcting some unpopular decisions made by his predecessors while keeping Wall Street happy. There are ways to have his cake and eat it too, creating a win-win for the company and Disney diehards.
Here are some fairly consequential changes on the table that D’Amaro could fast-track as easy wins…
Relax or Retire Reservations
Many Walt Disney World fans have the perception that theme park reservations are being used to cap capacity, reduce staffing levels, or as an important source of data for resource allocation. None of those things are particularly true. You might be surprised at how little Walt Disney World uses data it collects, and in any case, this data is also available via other channels.
One of the changes we lauded when Iger returned was the end of park reservations for regular ticket holders and relaxation of the rules for everyone else, along with the introduction of Good to Go Days. This was a great idea when it originally launched, but thing circumstances have changed considerably. The default for 45+ weeks per year should be no reservations required. There’s zero danger of any park hitting capacity on over 320 days of the year.
Park reservations were one of Josh D’Amaro’s projects when he was at Disneyland, which is part of what makes this improbable even if it’s highly logical. Reservations still make sense for Annual Passholders at Disneyland. But Walt Disney World is different. Flip the script and make it so reservations are required on APs for the few weeks per year when crowds pose a problem, and let everything else be open access.
Requiring reservations for WDW Annual Passholders is doing more harm than good. They’ve mostly become a formality, and yet, there are former APs and prospective purchasers who are holding out due to the reservation rule. Either on principle or because they don’t realize reservations are now a non-factor at Walt Disney World.
Pulling that lever would generate positive goodwill and could give AP sales a nice little boost, with little to no actual downside. During the busiest weeks of the year, blockouts do the heavy lifting, anyway. They worked for decades through 2019, and would again in 2026. This one would be a win-win for Disney and guests, while also signaling that everything is on the table, even his own pet projects, with D’Amaro as CEO.
Restore Free MagicBands
A lot of this list is going to involve signaling to fans that the old Walt Disney World way of doing things is back. And for all intents and purposes, 2019 is basically the benchmark for a lot of fans.
Amidst all of the negative changes in the post-reopening period, Disney made several moves that slowly killed off the OG MagicBands. First they went from being free to discounted, then prices kept creeping up, then MagicBands were replaced outright by the more expensive but not more useful MagicBand+ wearable. We documented the device’s downfall in the End of an Era for MagicBands at Walt Disney World.
Restoring free MagicBands for resort guests would be a relatively low-cost perk that would generate goodwill and improve the guest experience. It would also differentiate Disney’s resort offering from Universal and other competitors.
Turbocharge the Turbocharge
Earlier this week, we covered a rumor that Walt Disney World’s initial plans for the upcoming Villains Land at Magic Kingdom have been “scrapped,” and Imagineering has gone back to the drawing board to come up with bigger and bolder ideas. That was actually one of the motivations for this post, even though I suspect that “scrapped” is the wrong word to describe what’s happening.
Basically, my bet is that Disney is pulling a “Reverse Toy Story Land” with Villains Land. That they’re going to go full John Hammond on Villains Land, albeit within the original plan’s parameters. Meaning that the Imagineers would be unburdened by budget, and have the blank check to create a Tokyo DisneySea caliber land.
Anyone who has experienced the versions of Toy Story Mania or Soarin(g) in those parks knows what I mean by that. In case you haven’t, they are the definitive versions of those attractions, with the presentation and thematic packaging far surpassing the U.S. versions of those attractions. They go above and beyond, delivering an “unnecessarily” level of detail that pretty much exemplifies DisneySea and puts it in a class all its own.
Obviously, D’Amaro isn’t going to come out and say, “instead of building these new rides by the usual lower standards of Walt Disney World, we’re doin’ it up, Tokyo style!” But he could say something like, “I’ve told the Imagineers to dream big and surpass guest expectations with these new additions. No detail is too small and no show-stopping scene is too big, so we’re investing an extra $X billion in the previously-announced Walt Disney World expansion, all going directly towards blowing you away with these groundbreaking new attractions.”
Remake Muppets Courtyard with MuppetVision 3D
In order to pave the way the aforementioned turbocharged additions, a few fan-favorite attractions have closed. The two most notable are the Rivers of America and MuppetVision 3D, the former of which is never coming back.
It’s potentially a very different story with MuppetVision 3D. Both Disney and the Jim Henson Company have offered statements suggesting that MuppetVision will, in fact, live on in some capacity. This has led us to wonder Where Will MuppetVision Be Relocated at Walt Disney World?
The most intriguing and logical scenario involves creating a new Muppet Courtyard miniland to go along with the upcoming Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets. There’s a plausible scenario where MuppetVision 3D is revived and replaces Villains Unfairly Ever After once Villains Land opens in Magic Kingdom.
Josh D’Amaro would earn a lot of goodwill with fans if he greenlit more of The Muppet Show following its smash success, added MuppetVision 3D to Disney+ ASAP, and teased that there’s more to come, as plans are already in motion to restore MuppetVision to its rightful place in the parks down the road.
Embrace Middle Class Families
One year ago, Walt Disney World Being Worried About Its High Prices stole the spotlight and was an incredibly hot topic for weeks. Disney’s immediate response was…not great, Bob!
But two months later, they actually did deliver with the announcement of Cool Kids’ Summer plus a slew of ticket and resort discounts that reduced prices to 2019 levels. We fully expect these special offers to return for 2026, especially with the summer slowdown of the last several years.
Walt Disney World has done more since to embrace middle class families. Things like Animation Courtyard and Bluey at Animal Kingdom are good starts. But they’re just that–starts. And these efforts can feel fairly minimal when contrasted with the new bars or announcements of pricey, adult-oriented upcharges.
Josh has a golden opportunity with the upcoming Disney Celebrates America 250th Anniversary event for the United States Semiquincentennial celebration. Lean into Americana and Walt Disney’s distinctly patriotic legacy. Make a big deal out of it, with big deals aimed at middle class American families.
This is such an easy and obvious win that I’m honestly shocked we haven’t heard more about Disney Celebrates America at Walt Disney World in Summer 2026. What’s been announced thus far is a good start, but again, it’s just a start.
Restore Disney’s Magical Express
Since the decision to end Disney’s Magical Express was made, we’ve been saying it makes no sense even from a business perspective–that there must be more to the story. This is because, unlike other on-site guest perks, the “free” service was incredibly valuable to Walt Disney World. It made tourists a captive audience who were less likely to go and spend money elsewhere.
In recent years, Universal has expanded its hotel footprint and is now offering a compelling product with great perks at competitive prices. Disney should already be worried about that. Universal has already stolen market share, and it’s only going to get worse as Epic Universe finds its footing and word of mouth turns positive.
This has been my position for years, but I’ve nevertheless been skeptical that Walt Disney World would actually reverse course and admit they got it wrong with Disney’s Magical Express. I still wouldn’t put the chances of its return above 50/50, but I do think they’re considerably higher than before.
This is largely because Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which runs Orlando International Airport (MCO), wants DME to return and is willing to help pay for it. If you don’t believe me, check out Will Disney’s Magical Express Airport Shuttle Ever Return? That recent post covers the very real possibility of DME returning, as part of an initiative by MCO.
This also explains why we’ve seen free luggage handling return as a pilot program. Speaking of which, let’s expand that beyond Southwest Airlines and the Value Resorts to all airlines and hotels. And on the topic of baggage handling, bring back resort package delivery!
Bring Back Cinderella Castle Dream Lights
The Cinderella Castle Dream Lights were one of our favorite things about Christmas at Walt Disney World for over a decade. We spent many a late night on Main Street, simply gazing down at those resplendent icicle lights, savoring the scene.
For those who have never had a chance to see the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, they were nothing short of spectacular. The simplicity of physical light display gave them a certain charm and tactile quality, and they were the holiday highlight for tons of WDW fans. It’s impossible to articulate what made them so special; words and photos don’t do them justice. Whatever praise you’ve heard about the Dream Lights, it’s true. All of it.
This is another win-win for guests and Disney. Bringing back the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights signals a sea change, making fans happy. It also prompts them to book trips, and at a highly lucrative time of year for Walt Disney World…that largely was not as busy as expected last year.
Return of Evening Extra Magic Hours
I’m a big fan of Extended Evening Hours. I love the perk and think it’s far superior to evening Extra Magic Hours, which had become unbearably uncrowded. However, Walt Disney World had also opened the floodgates on it, increasing the eligibility pool to not just Walt Disney World guests, but those of Good Neighbor Hotels.
The problem with Extended Evening Hours is optics. Fans know this is a good perk, but are downright disillusioned and disenchanted that it’s reserved exclusively “for the rich.” If Disney wants to recalibrate and emphasize the middle class, part of that is toning down instances of the more overt “classism.”
Undo that damage, bring back Evening Extra Magic Hours, and win back fans who feel ignored. The perfect opportunity to make this change is this summer. Add a ton of Evening Extra Magic Hours dates to the calendar during the hottest time of the year when later nights are needed, further incentivizing bookings during a slower time of year. Again, win-win.
Greenlight Journey into Imagination 4.0
Josh, it’s time to play the Figment Card. Bringing back Figment and Dreamfinder is a surefire way of undoing a lot of the damage from controversial changes of the last few years, quieting complaints and criticism. There is no other positive announcement that would outweigh so many prior negatives ones.
It is the surest way to distance yourself from your predecessors, unloading the negative baggage onto them. “Surely Josh wasn’t actually responsible for [bad thing from last 6 years], he’s the one who restored Figment to proper glory!” Rivers of America, MuppetVision, DINOSAUR, guest experience cutbacks–all of it–would be forgiven by fans in the blink of an eye. Or blamed on someone else.
You would be a hero, Josh. Decades from now when your legacy is being debated, Disney diehards would still point to this as evidence, much like we overlook a lot with late stage Eisner. It’s a no-brainer!
On the merits, Figment is more popular than ever. He sells popcorn buckets, sweaters, and everything else. It just makes sense to reimagine Journey into Imagination. It would generate goodwill among WDW diehards and forge new fans in the process. Figment would become the face and mascot of the new-look EPCOT, elevating the otherwise underwhelming central spine in the process. It’d be a license to print money on more new merchandise, too.
So c’mon, Josh. Break the glass and make the legacy-cementing announcement. If you want big and bold, nothing says it like greenlighting a full reimagining of the Imagination Pavilion, bringing back elements of the original attraction while updating it with modern technology and storytelling. Keep Figment front and center, but make him the star of something worthy of his legacy.
Recapturing that lost magic and spirit of imagination would have the same impact today as it did decades ago, which is why so many of us are still Figment fans. It would prove that rides don’t need movie IP to be massive successes. That the theme parks, themselves, are a form of intellectual property. It would demonstrate D’Amaro’s commitment to honoring Disney’s history while also investing in the parks’ future. That he’s willing to address long-standing fan complaints and fix past mistakes.
Invest in Cast Members
One of the biggest ways to signal a return to the ‘old Disney’ way of doing things is by prioritizing a pre-closure initiative to invest millions of dollars in Cast Member morale. This should be low hanging fruit for D’Amaro, as he was the one who originally championed this.
This would have immensely positive cascading effects. One increasingly common complaint from readers we’ve heard in the last few years is that Cast Members are not as “magical” as they used to be. There are several reasons for this, from taking abuse by disgruntled guests to turnover to low morale.
Fixing low morale alone will help remedy this. Improved morale also reduces turnover. Less turnover means less pressure on other Cast Members, which further improves morale. All of this indirectly results in a better guest experience, which improves attitudes of visitors. It’s a not-so-vicious cycle of improving morale for everyone.
BONUS: Restore the Disney Magic
Everything we’ve seen and everything we’ve heard strongly suggests that Josh D’Amaro is the real deal. That he lives and breathes Disney, and gets what makes it special and unlike other companies.
To be sure, he will make business decisions that are unpopular with fans. The first time that happens, some will claim it’s more of the same. In reality, it’s the nature of the beast. Not every decision will make everyone happy, especially so long as demand remains high and guests continue to pay more and accept less.
At the end of the day, D’Amaro has a passion for all things Disney. He cares about his legacy and the history of the company that Walt Disney founded. This counts for a lot. D’Amaro will bring with him his own leadership style, empowering executives, division leaders, managers, and so forth to do things differently. The leaders who we’ve heard from who have vouched for D’Amaro and said they’d follow him anywhere will do so, feeling reinvigorated.
How this will manifest itself from a guest-facing perspective is less certain. It might mean less of a focus on squeezing every last dollar out of visitors, it could create more emphasis on improving guest satisfaction scores, offering more value for money, enhancing the in-park experience, bringing back live entertainment, improving maintenance, or being fixated less on yield management. Maybe it means creating the Figment Park Universe, and adding the original character to ever park on the planet. Who’s to say?!
“Magic” is a nebulous term that means different things to different fans, but the ultimate consequence of implementing even a few of these changes would be undoing the at least some of the erosion of Disney’s goodwill we’ve seen in the last several years. It would signal that there’s a new sheriff in town, and that the D’Amaro era is going to be different. That there’s a great big beautiful (going to spare you the cringey pun) tomorrow.
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
Do you expect Josh D’Amaro being named CEO to result in improvements at Walt Disney World? Have high, low, or no expectations? Think Josh will bring back Disney’s Magical Express, free FastPass, or reservation-free visits? What about restoring Journey into Imagination to its former glory? 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!
