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3. The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management)

Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management

Let's take a second and talk about how ill-conceived this iteration of Walt Disney's famed Enchanted Tiki Room actually was, because it's kind of unbelievable.

The original version at Disneyland opened in 1963 and was an immediate hit. Polynesian culture was particularly popular in the 1960s, and the flair with which it was presented in the famous attraction made it instantly iconic – so much so that the Walt Disney World version of the show was an Opening Day attraction in 1971.

Then, in 1998, someone at the Walt Disney Company decided to redo the attraction, adding in Iago and Zazu, two feathered companions from the classic Disney films Aladdin and The Lion King. The show's story featured Iago and Zazu purchasing the Enchanted Tiki Room, with Iago ridiculing the classic show's entire premise, repeatedly.

To replace or refurbish a beloved Disney attraction is tough and inherently controversial among Disney fans, but including mockery of the original attraction in its refurbished state was particularly short-sighted and bizarrely antagonistic.

Clearly, the ghost of Walt Disney felt the same way.

On January 12, 2011, the attraction caught fire and, allegedly, the only animatronic destroyed beyond repair was … Iago.

And so, rather than replacing him, Disney restored the attraction to its original glory, removing the snarky, shrill bird for good. Replacing the attraction in the first place was a blunder, but bringing the original back was the right call – even if it took some encouragement from a higher power.

4. The mismanagement of the Downtown Disney/Disney Springs Parking Garage

If you were to make a list of every single experience at Walt Disney World – everything from riding Splash Mountain to standing and admiring the topiaries at Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival – you'd have a list with hundreds of thousands of entries. And yet, of those hundreds of thousands of experiences, finding a parking space at Disney Springs would probably be dead last.

Seriously – if you had to choose between parking at Disney Springs and waiting in line at the DMV, it'd actually be kind of a tough decision. Sure, at the end of the long wait for Disney Springs, you could get some shopping done, but if you go to the DMV, you get to leave with a souvenir photo.

My point is this: for all their money, power and experience, Disney somehow bungled the building of a parking garage. Even now, with one of the two planned garages open, it still takes, at the very least, 20 minutes to fight through traffic and find a space. And remember: the treat at the end of that ordeal is the opportunity to spend even more money on food and souvenirs.

5. The rollout of MyMagic+

Image: Disney

Disney fans are rather passionate. For us, every part of a trip is part of the experience – everything from making hotel reservations to riding rides to listening to the wake-up calls telling you to get out of bed in the morning. All of it matters and, over time, all of it really does start to feel like home.

And so, when that process changes, Disney fans often get riled up. Combine that with a poorly built piece of technology, and you've got something of a powder keg.

That powder keg was well and truly lit when Disney launched MyMagic+.

Now, to be clear, I don't think MyMagic+ is a blunder. In fact, I think in 10 years, we'll see just how forward thinking and influential it was. That said, Disney's launching of it was atrocious, and called into question the competence of the company in certain core areas – specifically, information technology.

As guests were starting to use MyMagic+, it quickly became clear that the infrastructure Disney built for it wasn't going to hold up. The MyDisneyExperience app regularly crashed in its infancy (and, even today, it's hardly stable), there were countless issues with FastPass+ reservations (some lacked any confirmation, some were unredeemable at the gate), and even the attendants at the turnstiles were having issues lining up the RFID chips in the MagicBands with the RFID readers at the new front gates.

Over time, many of those issues have been sorted out, but you really only get one first impression, and with Disney fans, that first impression can last a lifetime. The budgetary figures for MyMagic+ are in the billions at this point, and its hard to think that amount of money could ever be spent on something without it crossing into blunder territory at some point.

Building theme park attractions and infrastructure is an inherently risky enterprise – some things fail, some succeed. But, at the end of the day, it's important that a company not be afraid to take those risks, even if they fail.

So, yes, Walt Disney World has made some pretty silly missteps over the years – but while we'd love every new offering at WDW to be perfect, here's hoping they aren't afraid to make a few more missteps in search of that next great experience.

 
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Comments

I think that getting rid of Off Kilter, voted #1 band Orlando 2014 and Best Theme Park Show (only theme park award that went to WDW) has to be the biggest blunder of all.

As an Annual Passholder and frequent park-goer, I feel that there are several things I am missing at the parks. I am mostly missing the musical acts at EPCOT as well as the group who used to do the pre-show entertainment at Beauty and the Beast. Another pet peeve of mine is the focus on being too "PC" and getting rid of the original Diamond Horseshoe Review with the dancing girls. That was FAMILY entertainment!!! Once again some of the attractions need either refurbishment or updating but don't throw away the baby with the wash tub. American Idol Experience was a great venue as well as the Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Let's get back to the basics. I will continue to travel to WDW as often as possible but will still revel in the past.

If you watch the behind the scenes features of the original Mermaid DVD, they have a virtual ride through of the Little Mermaid ride. It was actually designed back in the 90s, but was shelved until recently.

Also, the original Journey Into Imagination was a maintenance nightmare. Especially that opening rotating scene. That may have contributed to its demise more than anything else.

In reply to by Craig Cormier (not verified)

Boy if you ever rode the little mermaid ride (I have 2X only) you could totally believe that It looks like something from the 90's awful. Probably trying to save money and use old plans. I thought it was BAD, next to the new Stich.

I agree with lots of people here i wish that they would of kept Off Kilter to represent the Canadian Pavilion.

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