How Disney’s Strategy To Refresh Attractions Is Working In Their Favor

Across Walt Disney World, attractions are abundant, some of which have been operating since Magic Kingdom’s opening day on October 1, 1971, and some are more recent additions to the four theme parks. And every day, Disney consistently maintains over 100 attractions and 29,000 hotel rooms across its roughly 43 square mile resort property. This can include easier jobs, like fresh paint jobs on facades and park clean-ups overnight, or more intense projects like refreshing and reimagining attractions.

Disney invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year into already existing experiences so they continue to feel fresh and new for guests. Just this year, Disney has reopened Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom after lengthy refurbishments. The reinvestment in both attractions took months of planning and execution from dedicated teams across Walt Disney World.

Taking Charge Of Reinvestment At Walt Disney World

The majority of the reinvestment projects are led by the Facility Asset Management (FAM) team at Walt Disney World. The team is made up of engineers, architects and construction managers who all work together to ensure the parks look as good as they did on opening day, all while working together with partners like Walt Disney Imagineering to work on “plussing” (a term coined by Walt Disney that alludes to the idea that he would always be ‘adding to’ the parks) attractions.

In addition to the teams at Walt Disney Imagineering, FAM has more than 4,000 Disney employees across 15 trades who are dedicated to maintaining and refreshing attractions and resorts. Most of the work happens overnight and behind the scenes, so it doesn’t disrupt families enjoying their Disney vacation. The FAM portfolio runs on an annual schedule, from large projects like the refresh of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to smaller projects like carpet replacement and facade refurbishments for a building on Main Street, U.S.A.

What Does It Take To Reinvest In An Attraction?

The first big decision for teams is whether an attraction should get a refresh or if it’s time for something new. Teams use a host of data, guest research, feedback attraction utilization and demand to inform which projects get reinvestment versus reconcept. No matter which option is chosen in the end, plans are formed years in advance, so when guests visit the parks, there are still plenty of things for them to do. It’s also important to the teams working on projects to set clear guest expectations around closures and updates.

Each reinvestment gets a detailed schedule with timelines for the attraction project itself, new ride and land developments, and the future of ride closures around the Walt Disney World theme parks. All of these schedules come together to ensure that every day there is plenty for guests to do across the parks and hotels.

One project with a unique schedule was the recent paint job on Cinderella Castle, which transformed Magic Kingdom’s iconic centerpiece from pink and blue to its classic cream and blue color scheme. The work always started overnight, and the high reaches and lifts stayed up through the morning, even as guests entered the park. But by noon every day, the construction equipment was gone so families could get their perfect picture on Main Street, U.S.A. The castle paint job also required a partnership with Disney’s PhotoPass team, who created an AI model to remove the construction equipment from photos taken in the morning.

Another big undertaking was Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, which was the first Buzz Lightyear attraction to open in 1998. By the time it closed for its reinvestment in 2025, it was in need of a major upgrade to bring it into the modern Disney landscape. The game-style attraction now features refreshed ride vehicles and more intuitive game-play with an always-on laser and haptics in the blaster so guests know when they’ve hit a target.

According to Disney, after reopening, guests described Space Ranger Spin as “much improved” and “modernized.” The ride has also seen a rise of 15 points in guest satisfaction ratings of “excellent” compared to pre-refurbishment.

Even at the hotels, when Disney completes a refurbishment of guest rooms and common areas, ratings tend to increase by at least five points at resorts like Pop Century and Port Orleans – Riverside. And when Bay Lake Tower, the Disney Vacation Club tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, reopened, its rating rose as high as 19 and 20 points. In the past five years, Disney has refreshed over 18,000 rooms and 10 hotel lobbies.

Across Walt Disney World, there’s even more reinvestments to come, with the upcoming closure and refresh of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom, which will begin July 6, 2027, and the attraction will reopen in 2027. Additionally, a complete refresh at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is kicking off in summer 2027.