Walt Disney World is home to some of the biggest and best theme parks in the world! There’s a wide range of ideas, attractions and entertainment covered in them. But all four of them have their problems too. In this post, I’ll give the most glaring weakness for each of the four Disney World parks and offer an idea on how to fix them.

Before we get too far into this post and address the actual problems, I’ll get one thing out of the way. Imagineers know far more than I do. They work within constraints like budget, space, time and many other issues. They, and Disney execs, are likely aware of issues that parks have and are working to fix them. It’s very easy for me to point out problems and give a broad idea on how to fix them from behind a keyboard. But it’s an entirely different issue to actually go and fix them!

Still, I think theme park problems are worth discussing. Like a sports team where fans generally want their team to upgrade from the worst player, there’s nothing wrong with theme park fans wanting Disney (or Universal or whatever theme park entity) to upgrade from the park’s issues. I would even say that’s an important role for fans!

Unlike approximately 83.4% of the posts on this website, I didn’t have self-appointed criteria when it came to choosing the biggest weakness at each park. Really, 3 of the 4 were fairly obvious. Epcot was the exception and I think there’s an argument to be made for a number of things at that park.

I’m going through the parks from oldest to newest. Let’s get to it!

Magic Kingdom – Counter-Service Dining

Sporting the largest attraction roster of any park in Walt Disney World and an exceptional nighttime show, dining at Magic Kingdom is the park’s glaring weakness. I went a little more specific with the problem and stuck to counter-service dining. From a table-service perspective, there’s some halfway interesting options between Skipper Canteen, The Plaza and, the overpriced but immersive, Be Our Guest. But if you’re in the mood for something quick or don’t have a reservation, the options are grim.

I enjoy Columbia Harbor House and others that like seafood will probably feel the same. After that, I would rather leave than eat in Magic Kingdom. Compared to all of the other Disney Parks on this list, Magic Kingdom’s options are nowhere near as diverse. Most of the meals are overly heavy and embody the bad theme park food stereotype.

How to fix it? I’ll try not to be overly simplistic and say “have better food” even if that is the answer! We don’t have to look far to see an example of fixing a park’s dull dining options. Hollywood Studios has upped their counter-service game exponentially in the last decade. That started with adding a few quick options in the way of Woody’s Lunchbox and BaseLine Tap House. Following that came Docking Bay 7 and overhauling the ABC Commissary menu. Now Hollywood Studios has a solid, if not downright good, dining lineup.

Magic Kingdom can’t make as many changes as Hollywood Studios because the park isn’t expanding or changing as much. But adding a quick-service restaurant is in the realm of possibility. I think overhauling a few menus would be more likely. Both Tomorrowland spots deserve better food than they have, and adding an Asian, BBQ or Italian option should be a no-brainer! In fact, add all three. Finally, bring the Be Our Guest counter-service option back for breakfast and lunch. That would be the quickest fix! Of all the weaknesses we’re addressing in this post, this is the fastest to fix.

Epcot – Revitalize The Seas, Land and Imagination Pavilion

Epcot was the hardest park to pick a glaring weakness for. The park still has plenty of weaknesses but they aren’t as glaring now that Construction Wall City has been deconstructed. I nearly went with a theme based weakness, as Epcot still feels stuck between old and new to me. There’s an argument to be made for that but it’s not as noticeable as a whole side of the park. The pavilions lining the right side of the park need varying degrees of help.

The Seas and The Land make up the majority of World Nature and they have opposite problems. The Seas offers a cool aquarium but one of Walt Disney World’s worst rides to enter that section. Meanwhile, The Land offers two quality rides but the inside of the pavilion does not look good! There is retro and then there is the Land Pavilion. Finally, there’s the Imagination Pavilion. That fits into World Celebration because maps are weird and nothing that happens on Journey Into the Imagination is natural. The Pavilion desperately needs a reimagined Figment attraction and something to go inside of the theater that you can’t already watch on Disney+.

How to fix it? Unfortunately, the answer for these three pavilions is to just wait their turn. Much of the area formerly known as Future World has gotten work done. Test Track is next, which will complete that side of the park. After that should come the Imagination Pavilion, which is a project that has been rumored for as long as Hollywood Studios entertainment has been around! Sorry, I jumped the gun on the next park.

I don’t know if The Land and The Seas will be given the attention they deserve anytime soon. I’d love to see a reimagined ride in The Seas but that seems pretty low on the to-do list. The Land could just use some cosmetic changes and that seems more likely of the two. No matter what, starting with the Imagination Pavilion and working from there is the likeliest course of action.

Hollywood Studios – New Entertainment

The stage shows at Hollywood Studios have had a longer run than most successful Broadway shows. That seems like a grabby first sentence joke. It is not. Here are the premieres years of Hollywood Studios five entertainment options – 1989, 1991, 1991, 1998, and 2014. The longest running Broadway show, The Phantom of the Opera, debuted in 1988! The five dates listed above for DHS are for Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, Muppet*Vision 3D, Fantasmic and the Frozen Sing-Along Celebration.

Fantasmic and Muppet Vision make some sense. The former is in a dedicated theater and a solid nighttime spectacular that has undergone changes over the years. Muppet Vision remains a viable 3D movie, although it could use a few updates. Indy and Beauty and the Beast are the biggest issues here. Indy has also received a few updates but not enough to make the show feel fresh. Beauty and the Beast is even more tired than that.

How to fix it? Find a new show! There are plenty of options to pull from that could be added to Hollywood Studios. Disney Cruise Line has pumped out quality shows. Disney on Broadway has done the same. Take truncated versions from those and implement them into Hollywood Studios. Replace a few shows, add shows, add street characters!

The park does not have enough to do but, perhaps more importantly, it does not have enough character or theme to tie the many franchises together. Utilize more of the space in Galaxy’s Edge to have 5-10 minute blips of entertainment. Put something in the Fantasmic Theater during the day! Spread all of the people coming to the park around more evenly. This would be an easy fix to implement. Look, I like the 90’s! I was born in that decade but we don’t need theme park entertainment from then anymore.

Animal Kingdom – Not Enough Rides

Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios share a very similar problem in that there’s not enough to do in each park. The way they get there are quite different though, as Hollywood Studios is glitz and headliner attractions without anything beneath those thrills. Animal Kingdom actually has a good amount to be explored! There’s just so few attractions, that a guest can get done with all of them in a morning.

While I adore the park and love the atmosphere, even I can admit that devoting an entire afternoon and evening to the finer details of a place can be a little over the top. Unfortunately, that’s where Animal Kingdom leaves us. We can only ride the train to Conservation Station so many times!

How to fix it? Well, it seems like we’re on the way! Animal Kingdom will be converting Dinoland to Tropical Americas and that looks to include at least a couple of rides. That’s a great place to start! Unfortunately, this will be a long process regardless of how many rides Disney adds to the park. I’d love to see a Lion King and/or Jungle Book dark ride come to the park in Africa or Asia. I think those are all good steps. Even adding a few flat or spinner rides would help the park! Getting the ride roster over 10 as soon as possible should be a priority and will make the wonderful paths and shows at Animal Kingdom all the better!

What do you think the biggest problems at the Disney World Parks are? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. Looking for discount tickets? Check out this site! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!