Walt Disney World has grown and changed tremendously in the past 50+ years. Disney has approached change by protecting the connection guests make, while creating compelling reasons to return. At a recent media panel, Disney World executives shared how teams across the resort are using this philosophy of balance to reinvest in its classic experiences.

A Resort of This Scale Requires Investment

Today, Walt Disney World Resort includes 100+ attractions and experiences across six theme parks and water parks, along with 25+ resort hotels and more than 29,000 hotel rooms. All of these combined create an immersive experience for guests.

To keep the resort of this size relevant and reliable year-round, 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.

He explained this investment is carried out by more than 4,000 Cast Members who complete thousands of projects each year. This includes engineers, architects, construction managers, horticulturists, carpenters, and painters.

“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,” Alec said. “Every detail matters to us when tasked with preserving the quality, care and attention to detail guests have come to expect from us.”

Keeping The Guest Experience Top of Mind

Just like new developments and expansions, these reinvestment projects are planned with the same rigor and long-term thinking. Sarah Riles, Vice President of Magic Kingdom, shared that teams work together to build schedules years into the future. Their goal is to protect the guest experience, preserve capacity across the resort, and invest where and when it matters most.

Kelly Blakely, Vice President of Resorts Operations, added that resorts face a unique challenge of completing these projects all while guests are present 24 hours a day.

“Our resorts are a home away from home for many of our guests,” Kelly 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.”

Teams look for creative solutions to minimize the disruptions guests will face, including phased closures. For example, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets experienced a phased closure when the pre-show closed before the rest of the attraction. This reduced the downtime needed to get the attraction rethemed.

Riles concluded that a great example of being creative to get the work done on schedule but with minimal guest impact was 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.” Disney PhotoPass teams also created a new AI model that removed the cranes from photos captured in the morning.

Balancing Nostalgia and Progress

Disney executives are aware that guests can be skeptical of change, especially guests who have been visiting since they were younger and have core childhood memories of their favorite attractions.

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.”

Michael explained that with each reinvestment project comes the task to balance nostalgia with modern appeal. His team is focused on preserving the classic spirit of a resort or attraction while ensuring these experiences continue to feel relevant, meaningful and ready for future families to fall in love with them.

A lot of thoughtful research goes into the decision to update attractions, as well. “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 went on to describe just how powerful these reinvestments can be, sharing that Country Bear Musical Jamboree, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad have all seen notable improvements in Disney guest satisfaction scores after their respective reopenings.

Kelly mentioned 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.

More Reinvestment Projects On The Horizon

More reinvestment projects are on the horizon including updates coming to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress in 2027.

“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.”

Kelly and Michael also teased that more is to come at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Boardwalk, as well.

“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.

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