One of the best parts about Disney World is that it’s always changing! New rides, snacks, and shows are constantly coming to parks.
Cinderella Castle
Sadly, one of the WORST things about Disney World…is ALSO that it’s always changing. Favorite attractions, snacks, and shows leave the parks all the time, gone forever. We took to Facebook to see what our readers (that’s you!) wanted to see return to Disney World! Here are a few of the most popular picks.
Main Street Electrical Parade
The Main Street Electrical Parade has been a classic fixture at both Disneyland and Disney World. Featuring dazzling parade floats covered in lights, a bouncy synth-heavy soundtrack, and plenty of nostalgia, many people consider this parade one of Disney’s best.
Main Street Electrical Parade
Running with only a few gaps from 1977 to 2016, it is one of Disney World’s longest-running parades and many people hope that it will return someday. The parade was last spotted in Disneyland, leaving Disney World nighttime parade-less for more than 5 years! Whether you love SpectroMagic, Main Street Electrical, or any other Disney parade — it’s just nice to have SOMETHING to look forward to watching roll by at night.
See Main Street Electrical Parade in action in Disneyland here!
The Great Movie Ride
Ah, the Great Movie Ride, how we miss thee. This iconic Disney ride, which opened alongside the rest of Hollywood Studios in 1989, featured animatronic renditions of classic movies like Wizard of Oz, Tarzan, and Casablanca. However, the real highlight of this ride was the fact that you had a real live Cast Member as your tour guide (think Jungle Cruise) who would fight gangsters, get into mischief, and (spoiler alert!) save the day!
The Great Movie Ride
Since its closure in 2017, the Chinese Theater that once housed The Great Movie Ride is now home to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Although Runaway Railway is a great ride, many people still miss the classic attraction.
So long, Great Movie Ride. Relive parts of this classic ride again here.
Osborne Family Lights
The Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights was like a Christmas light factory exploded in the middle of the backlot of Hollywood Studios, turning it into an extravaganza of lights and color! Originally, the Osborne family had these lights at their own home, but when facing legal issues due to the brightness of the lights, the family passed the lights to Disney.
Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
This display was, to put it mildly, HUGE. It was all around you, with hidden characters and other fun elements and the lights regularly came alive synchronized to music.
Osborne Lights
On January 6th, 2016, the Osborne Family Lights were seen for the last time at Disney World. Since then, people have missed the classic Disney Holiday tradition and there has been no sign of its return.
The Original Journey Into Imagination
Journey Into Imagination with Figment (the one you can ride right now in EPCOT) is VERY different from the original EPCOT attraction and MANY people want this ride to return to its original form. Seriously, hardcore Dreamfinder/Figment stans are VOCAL! In the original, you meet the Dreamfinder and his companion, Figment, taking a journey through the dreams and imaginative ideas the Dreamfinder and Figment have gathered together! Throughout this ride, you explored art, literature, performing arts, and science.
©Disney
The Dreamfinder was whimsical and the scenes were fantastical and larger than life. Figment IS the embodiment of childlike imagination, after all, so he’s a fitting character to take you through the world of creativity.
©Disney
In the new version of the attraction, you explore the five senses at the Imagination Institute in an open house hosted by Eric Idle and Figment. Only now, Figment is less whimsical and more into playing pranks and causing mischief. Sounds fun, but the execution leaves much to be desired. Many diehard fans consider the new attraction a significant downgrade, hoping for the return of the Dreamfinder one day.
Check out more looks back to the earliest days of EPCOT Center here!
Studio Backlot Tour
The Studio Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios was a tram ride that showed off iconic costumes and vehicles from classic movies as well as special effects like artificial earthquakes and floods! It was a unique attraction at Disney World and gave guests an opportunity to learn more about classic films and the movie-making process. Plus, where else could you see the house from The Golden Girls, the van from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, or Walt Disney’s real plane?!
Truck Waterfall Scene
In 2014, the attraction closed and was demolished to make way for the construction of Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Although these were welcome additions to the park, many people still miss the fun of the Studio Backlot Tour.
FastPass
The FastPass service would allow people to reserve access to a separate FastPass line for rides and attractions at Disney World, letting guests plan ahead of time what attractions they wanted to get on quickly.
Pirates of the Caribbean’s FastPass Entrance
FastPass officially died with the introduction of Disney Genie+ and select paid attractions in late 2021. This service has had very mixed reactions since guests essentially have to now pay extra for what was already included in their admission. But, for good or for bad, gone are our days with FastPass. Now we are living in a world of Lightning Lanes.
Don’t have a PhD in Lighting Lanes but wanna understand it? We got you covered here.
The Sorcerer Mickey Hat
From 2001 to 2014, the Sorcerer’s Hat was the icon of Hollywood Studios, sitting right at the end of Hollywood Boulevard near the park’s entrance. Underneath the hat was a shop selling pins and, unsurprisingly, hats. Problem with it for many guests was it covered up the big showpiece of the park when it opened — the Chinese Theater.
Sorcerer’s Hat Deconstruction
The giant hat was deconstructed in early 2015, given guests a full view once again of the Chinese Theater, home to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. This was another addition guests didn’t realize would stick around as long as it did — some loved it, others not so much.
Pricing
A lot of fans miss the old Disney World pricing! As ticket and Annual Pass prices rise each year, previously free perks start costing extra, and Disney Genie+ arrives, the cost of a Disney World trip seems to cost more than ever.
Disney World Annual Pass
Many fans are hoping are a decrease in costs over the next few years, but only time can tell. TBH, it’s probably safe to assume we ALL miss getting more for less in Disney world, so we feel this one too.
Those were just a few of the things people missed from Disney World and wanted back! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned here for more!
Click here to see some of Disney World’s BIGGEST ride changes over the years!
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I miss the Disney of my younger days. All the things you mentioned plus the way Epcot used to be.
I’ve checked out of going anymore, I don’t enjoy the feel of the parks anymore, the nostalgia factor is gone for me. It’s sad but I can’t justify the cost anymore either, plus I feel like the parks are not as nice as they used to be.
We choose to vacation at other places and have a wonderful time at 1/2 the cost.
It breaks my heart but this is where we are now
I miss the movie at the end of the old Norway ride.
I agree, it seems to me that you are continually paying more but receiving less bang for the buck. The only reason we are planning on going back is because of the 6 year old who has wanted to go since she first saw it on TV
You missed the biggest one…
The Adventurers’ Club.
I miss the old Diamond Horseshoe Review. That was a great fun alternative dining experience.
Let’s add Magical Express to the list.
Magical express was the main reason I stayed on Disney property every time I went (20+ times since 1992). Also, I remember when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party started earlier and cost less than a full day at the park
Main St Electrical Parade will be coming back to Disneyland next year!
I absolutely agree. I also miss The Bird and the Robot.
The thing I miss the most from my childhood (90s-early 00s) is characters walking around meeting kids instead of needing to wait in a line.
We used to go every year for a week, usually bridging November/December, or the week after Pop Warner. Osborne Lights. We now only go every two years and never at the holidays since there are no lights. The consumer seems less important every year. I just got back and there was no magic anywhere. The new Epcot light show is okay, if you are in the one area that you can see all off it. The herding of people back into Remy’s makes the entire France pavilion seem sad.
No Toontown with the goofy rollercoaster my grandson wanted to ride a dozen times. No Mickey’s or Minnie’s houses. No talking trash cans. No scary Snow White or Pooh ride. No talking trash can. Toy Story is fine but the classic Disney kid is gone.