Disney parks are designed to feel timeless, but that hasn’t made them immune to change.
In the last few years alone, we’ve seen some remarkable shifts at Walt Disney World and Disneyland—many of which we never saw coming. The retirement of free Fastpasses, the introduction of Parks Pass Reservations, the end of the Disney Magical Express… these are easy to spot because they happened abruptly.
In truth, Disney parts have always been in a perpetual state of change due to shifts in time and culture. Nostalgia plays a powerful role in Disney magic, and many guests frame their visits through memories of vacations from decades past. Taking a wider view stretching all the way back to the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, some of the shifts that have taken place are so dramatic, younger guests may not realize just how different the parks are now.
What are some of the ways Disney parks are crazy different from decades past? We’ll use the 90s as our lynchpin, but really these apply from the late 80s to mid-2000’s. A few are changes we’ve welcomed while others spark fond memories of things we miss…
1. Flash photography on rides was a BIG no-no
There are few things more distracting during a dark ride than the flash of a camera or a floating phone screen. While photography lights on rides are annoying to most people, they’re particularly aggravating to guests who experienced Disney parks in the 90s.
The reason why is that photography of any kind on rides was major no-no.
Most Disney rides in the 80s to early 2000s discouraged ride photography of any kind for several reasons. The most obvious was to discourage flash photography. Cameras back then didn’t do great with low light, and guests wanting to snap pictures on dark rides like Spaceship Earth, Pirates of the Caribbean, or Horizons often tried to use flash photos to get better pictures.
The result was regular strobes of bright light breaking the illusion of rides. The problem was so significant that Disney would regularly stop rides mid-track if they saw too many photo flashes, then loudly announce over the speakers that flash photography was prohibited. In cases of extremely stubborn guests who ignored the warnings, they might even stop the ride, turn on the lights, and send a cast member in to warn the guest or confiscate the camera.
The other reason for the extreme policy on photography had to do with keeping secrets—Disney Imagineers worked carefully to ensure the secrets of their ride technology remained well-guarded, and they didn’t want to risk guests taking repeated photos or video on rides being employees of rival companies. This may seem odd in today’s time when that sort of information—even detailed ride videos—is freely available online, but before the internet, the ride photography ban was a big deal. While I am glad we can now take discreet ride photos and videos to enjoy, I will admit there are times I definitely miss that strict flash photography ban.
2. Everyone had to be a master strategist
This is one area where we’ve seen a resurgence following the pandemic closures—in the days before free Fastpass and Genie+, trip-savvy Disney guests had to become expert strategists to learn how to catch the shortest lines at Disney parks.
This trend carried on even through the Fastpass days, but it was particularly pronounced in the 80s and 90s. Knowing how to avoid busy seasons and the worst lines was a big deal. With standby queues as the only choice, guests either planned smartly for their trips or found themselves at the mercy of crowds.
To avoid the nastiest lines, guests in the pre-Fastpass day used guidebooks and expert advice to carefully time vacations, form personal touring plans, and catch each ride at the ideal time of day. I remember our elation when tip boards with ride times were finally introduced—we didn’t always have those. You gambled a lot, hoping that your data was accurate and your efforts to put in some extra walking to zig-zag through parks would pay off in less time in queues.
Speaking of expert advice…
3. Everyone had a favorite guidebook
Guidebooks were a big deal—from Birnbaum’s Official Guides, to PassPorter’s, to the ever-bold Unofficial Guides, everyone had a favorite source where to get the most up-to-date advice.
Disney guidebooks had a significant impact on me—I loved going to the bookstore every year to pick up the latest editions of Disney park guides. If you weren’t a local, it was one of the best ways to get up-to-date information on what was new, exciting, and changing in the parks. I particularly enjoyed when they released the For Kids, By Kids guides—something unheard of at the time. Perusing guidebooks for the best tips became one of my favorite ways to prepare for vacations, to the point I eventually decided I wanted to write my own someday and would practice taking notes any time we visited the parks as a kid and teenager.
In the age of social media and blogs, guidebooks have lost some of their popularity for the average Disney planner, but we do still feel tugs of nostalgia whenever we spot the few still standing in bookstores. I may not have ended up writing a guidebook but writing for Theme Park Tourist these last few years fulfilled that wish in a wonderful way I never expected.
4. Character mobs were a thing
The 90s were a little rough if you liked characters but not crowds…
There were a lot of upsides to character hunting during that time—you saw a lot of unusual characters appear periodically and finding special characters always felt like a win since you had no idea who would appear where. Wandering characters were also a thing, something you don’t see often at Disney parks these days outside of places like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The one catch was that the spontaneous way characters appeared at Disney parks in the 80s through 2000s was they tended to draw character mobs—big crowds of people all pressing in to get a photo. While cast member handlers made sure the characters themselves had a little space, on many occasions there weren’t necessarily neat queues to ensure who was supposed to go next. Whoever was at the front and was bold enough to step up next became first in the line.
Needless to say, this could become a pretty stressful situation, particularly for kids who were shy and didn’t like crowds. I’ll admit, I hated approaching characters purely due to the stress of figuring out ways through the mass of people and someone else always stepping in first.
Eventually, Disney did away with wandering characters in favor of placing characters in places where queues could be formed neatly (the arrival of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was the first time we saw a comeback of the free-walking character model). This was a good idea both to keep heads cool and for another reason…
5. Physical film limited picture taking
Image: Flickr, Tony Webster (license)
The whole reason wandering characters were even a possibility was because of one important factor: before the advent of digital cameras, people could only take so many pictures.
Prior to the mid-2000’s, pretty much all photography required the use of physical film. Cameras had started to shrink from the bulky Polaroids and monster camcorders common in the 80s, but you were still limited to however much film or tape you had on hand. Disposable cameras, in particular, were extremely common and only allowed 24-36 pictures.
With physical film as a factor, most people didn’t go too crazy taking pictures with characters. You weren’t likely to see someone take dozens of photos in one session—something entirely plausible with the advent of digital cameras. As digital became more common, character picture taking sessions grew longer and more complicated, and Disney decided the best solution to get things under control was to schedule and place characters more strategically.
6. Original stories were king
If there’s anything we miss the most about Disney parks in the 90s, it has to be the creativity of Disney’s original stories for rides.
It’s a subject that comes up a lot—what happened to Disney’s original storytelling ideas? The last two major attractions based on original stories conceived by Disney Imagineers were Mission: SPACE in 2003 and Expedition Everest in 2006. Pretty much every attraction and land designed by Disney after that has tied in somehow to an intellectual property owned by Disney such as those found in their films and cartoons.
The beauty of Disney in the 90s was that the balance of attractions based on original stories compared to those tied into intellectual properties was excellent. You had opportunities to ride rides and see shows based on your favorite films, but you also got to dive into unexpected tales only found in Disney parks. Epcot, in particular, absolutely shined in this area with a whole line-up of completely original attractions like Horizons, Maelstrom, Body Wars, the World of Motion, and more.
This is one area where Disney has shifted so far the other direction, it has become a common point of contention amongst fans. Speaking for myself, while I love many of Disney’s new attractions tied into intellectual properties, I would love to see Imagineers able to try their hand at some original concepts for attraction stories again.
7. Edutainment was a common theme
Closely related to the subject of original attraction stories is the concept of educational entertainment—one of the biggest themes of Disney parks up until the last two decades.
One of the reasons Disney had so many excellent original stories was that they tied adventure into finding ways to make learning fun—it’s what made the parks truly magical. Epcot is an obvious case, where pretty much all of the attractions served some purpose to let guests learn more about the world we live in. Disney’s Animal Kingdom highlighted education about nature, while Disney’s MGM Studios (which became Disney’s Hollywood Studios) pulled back the curtain on the magic of movie-making.
This is something I really miss about Disney parks in decades past—you could have an amazingly fun vacation, but you felt like you came out of it enriched and having learned something new in the midst of the fun. Disney hasn’t completely dropped the concept of edu-tainment, but it has definitely diminished in the face of the push for intellectual property tie-ins.
And finally…
8. Disney’s food scene was unmatchable
There’s one last thing we remember distinctly about Disney in the 90s and parts of the 2000s—the things Disney was doing with theme park food at the time were groundbreaking.
It is difficult to describe the quality level of Disney’s restaurants during this era. Sure, Disney still reigns supreme in the area of theme park dining in the US, and they are continuing to come up with impressive innovations, especially in the area of ultra-immersive themed dining.
The biggest difference we’ve seen is the base level of quality for Disney’s food back in the 90s and 2000s—their restaurants were staggeringly good. Places like Restaurant Marrakesh, The Biergarten, California Grill, and the Hollywood Brown Derby were mind-blowingly delicious. The Garden Grill, in particular, offered spectacular spreads of fresh farm-to-table fare mostly grown within The Land itself, with highlights including flank steak, roasted vegetables, and fresh-caught fish. Like today, there were some hits and misses, but there seemed to be greater consistency across the board.
The biggest change that affected things was the arrival of the Disney Dining Plan. After that, we saw a push for smaller portions, simpler dishes that could be cost-controlled, and simplifying complex menus. Like we said, Disney still has a lot of wins in dining, but we do miss the indescribable excellence and creativity of Disney parks fare in decades gone by.
What are your favorite memories of Disney parks from the 80s and 90s? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!
