Disney fans are an interesting bunch. They desperately want new rides and attractions, but fear the changes that come with the new areas.
This strange dichotomy has caused significant problems for The Walt Disney Company, as they try to keep the parks fresh with new rides, and fans threaten to boycott the parks. Never has this been more apparent than with the recent changes Disney is making at the Walt Disney World Resort.
When Disney announced the closure of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, there was an immediate backlash from the Disney fan community before even seeing the renderings for the new Cars Land. Many of those fans vowed to never return to Disney World again.
This isn’t the first time Disney fans vowed never to return to the Parks. In June 2020, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced that Splash Mountain would close at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.
The backlash from fans was immediate and overwhelmingly negative. On January 22, 2023, when Splash Mountain closed at Magic Kingdom, some fans took water home from the ride, while others decided to drink it.
You’ll notice a common theme: Disney fans get angry and vow never to return. But do they actually never return to their beloved parks?
Remember when a ton of people said they would never go back to WDW after they replaced Splash with Tiana and they said it would fail?
Well, we’re almost a year in since the change and according to Thrill Data, Tiana’s has an average wait time of 58 minutes and Splash had an… pic.twitter.com/gt4M46TzfA
— Nick Chappell (@NickChaps96) June 4, 2025
Sure, some of those who vowed never to return haven’t, but most of those people who said they wouldn’t be back have actually returned. The reality is that most of them have returned.
So, have those who didn’t return impact Disney’s bottom line? No. According to estimates, Disney World had 48.75 million visitors in 2023 and over 50 million in 2024.
The reality is that no matter how much fans vow never to return or complain about changes Disney makes, some people just can’t stop going to the Parks. The other reality is that Disney just doesn’t care if guests complain. If it doesn’t hurt its bottom line, Disney doesn’t care.
So, the next time you see someone complaining on social media, just know that it won’t change anything. Most of them will be back, and the others, Disney doesn’t care, as long as someone else steps up to take their place.
What do you think of Disney fans who vow to never return to the parks? Let us know in the comments.
The post As Disney World Changes, Guests Vow to Never Return, but Disney Doesn’t Seem To Care appeared first on Inside the Magic.
