Disney World: They're Gone And I'm Okay With That

June 26, 2016

I wrote about the attractions that I missed, so I thought it only fair that I write about what I'm "glad" (which may be too strong a word) is gone. Change is a constant at Disney World. Sometimes (in my opinion) that's actually a good thing. I'm sure there will be plenty of disagreeing, but here's what I DON'T miss:

Snow White's (Scary) Adventures: I know it was a longtime favorite for many; a dark attraction that could be scary if you were under 10. (I know when I rode it in Disneyland as a kid I was a bit freaked by the witch.) It lacked the charm that you can find in Peter Pan's Flight or the late great Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (or even its replacement The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh).

The Magic of Disney Animation: While it might have been cool to see actual animators doing "their thing," it was also a little zoo like. ("See honey, let's look at the nice man do his job.") Once Disney stopped animation production there didn't seem like much point. Sure you could learn how to draw a Disney character, but...It mostly became a space to meet characters, which is what it has been revamped into now as the Star Wars Launch Bay.

The Hat, The Hand/Wand and The Pink Castle: "Temporary" structures that were not temporary enough in my book. The castle at the Magic Kingdom was transformed into a pink nightmare to celebrate "25 years of Disney Magic" The anniversary lasted slightly more than a year, which was more than enough. The Hand proclaimed the new millennium at Epcot and once 2000 passed, it changed to a giant Epcot (in case you didn't know what park had the "giant golf ball"). The Hat overtook the Earful Tower as an Icon for Disney Hollywood Studios and completely blocked out the view of the Great Movie Ride, which was an icon unto itself. All hung around way too long for my taste. (But honestly my taste says they never should have gone up in the first place.)

Enchanted Tiki Room under New Management: Did this classic really need to be updated with Iago (from Aladdin) and Zazu (from Lion King)? Does ANY attraction really need Gilbert Gottfried??? Is a small fire ever a good thing? It is when it forces the attraction to close down and return to its (somewhat) original glory.

Captain EO: Or as I like to call it, Captain Eeek-ooooohhh. I missed this attraction the first time around; by the time I finally got to WDW Honey I Shrunk the Audience was the 3D movie du jour. But after Michael Jackson died, the film came back. We tried it. It didn't move me and my son freaked out...we left probably 1/4 into it and never went back.

Not an attraction, but related to Disney and something I do not miss, is the worrying about how to get from the airport to our Disney resort. I love Disney's Magical Express (even though it may take a bit longer to get from the airport to the resort as the bus has to load up and then may drop off other passengers before us). It may be a cost saver for me. (Although I'm sure the cost is added into the total cost of the Disney vacation package.) Not having to deal with luggage is definitely a plus too. Since I am the family driver, I like going on vacation and NOT having to do any driving. Disney does all the transporting on my vacation and I like it that way.

I've just gotten back from Disney World and I found lots of more changes. Some I'm thrilled with and some well... What's also for certain, is that it will all make for an interesting (future) blog post!