As someone who’s seen Disneyland transform over 30 years, these are the most disappointing changes to come to the parks and resorts.

Change is inevitable at any Disney theme park, and over the 70-year history of Disneyland Resort, changes large and small have happened almost every year. While some changes are exciting and warmly welcomed by guests like the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in 2024 or the revamp of California Adventure back in 2012 other changes impact guests in not-so-exciting ways.

As a Disneyland local, I’ve seen plenty of change happen in the last five years at Disneyland. And below, I’m sharing my thoughts on which changes have been the most disappointing for both Disneyland regulars and first-time guests.

The Loss of Popular Entertainment Offerings

In the years since Disneyland Resort’s closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain aspects have returned at different times. The parks and attractions were the first to reopen; some restaurants remained closed or changed their menus. And one of the biggest changes was the loss of a number of popular entertainment offerings.

Much of Disneyland’s entertainment shuttered for the pandemic and simply never returned. As a result, there’s a lack of stage shows, daytime parades, and even passive entertainment like performers wandering the lands.

Here are just a few of the entertainment staples that Disneyland and California Adventure have lost in the last five years:

Live entertainment at the Golden Horseshoe

Tale of the Lion King

Frozen Live at the Hyperion

Rogers: The Musical

Doctor Strange: Mysteries of the Mystic Arts

Additionally, the entertainment that does exist across both parks has seen reductions in the last few years. The following entertainment offerings are now appearing fewer days, or about 20 percent less frequently than in years past, according to the Orange County Register:

Citizens of Buena Vista Street

Five and Dime

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off!

Storytelling at Royal Theatre

Warriors of Wakanda: The Disciplines of the Dora Milaje

While there is still entertainment in the evenings and late afternoons like World of Color, Fantasmic!, and fireworks on select nights it’s the smaller-scale entertainment that’s been cut back. And I miss having the option to catch shows throughout the day, sit in a theater and watch retellings of Disney classics, or even see Broadway-caliber stage shows inside the Hyperion.

The loss of so many different types of entertainment simply gives guests fewer options. While Disneyland’s entertainment is always spectacular, there isn’t as much of it right now, save for seasonal offerings during periods like Halloween and Christmas.

Required Theme Park Reservations

When the theme park reservation system was first introduced post-pandemic in April 2021, I wasn’t at all surprised nor upset. It was a strange time and requiring reservations made sense for the unique situation of a pandemic.

However, it’s now 2025, and while Walt Disney World has essentially done away with its reservation system (though they are still required in certain cases), Disneyland is still utilizing its system. Both ticket holders and Magic Key holders are required to have reservations in order to visit the theme parks. And according to Disney’s statements on the matter, park reservations aren’t going away.

For those who purchase tickets, the theme park reservation system isn’t too restrictive. That’s because tickets offer wider availability and more open dates on the calendar.

Magic Key holders, on the other hand, who are typically Disneyland locals, do not see the same availability. Frequently, park reservations will be withheld until dates draw closer, with an emphasis on offering availability to ticket holders first. While this makes sense business-wise, it can leave those who’ve purchased a Magic Key frustrated by far more restrictions than they expected.

While reservations often open up in the days leading up to a date on the reservation calendar, there’s no guarantee. And for locals who spent decades dropping by Disneyland for a couple of hours, popping in for a last-minute dinner or after school and work, the reservation system has completely changed how we plan our visits to the parks (and you can’t forget about the potential penalties for three no-shows!).

The End of Free FastPasses in Favor of Paid Lightning Lanes

I’m not the first person to mourn the loss of the FastPass system and the arrival of Genie+ (or Lighting Lane, as it stands now). Plenty of Disney Parks enthusiasts deeply miss the FastPass program, which ended in August 2021. After all, FastPass was free Lightning Lane is now an added cost, one that can increase from day to day.

With the cost of a Disney vacation rising every year, so much so that many are now unable to afford the parks’ magic, the loss of FastPass is a blow to guests on a budget. In addition to spending hundreds of dollars on theme park tickets and food, Lightning Lane Multi Pass starts at $32 per person, per day.

Because of Lightning Lane’s cost, families have to decide whether they’ll pay to ride attractions, splurge on meals, or even buy souvenirs. While budgeting trade-offs happen on every vacation, it’s just so expensive to visit the parks that paying to skip the wait for rides is one more added cost on top of everything else.

It’s also a significant cost burden for many families, especially those on multi-generational vacations, as Lightning Lane requires a per-person fee that totals more than $125 for a single day for a family of four. If you’re bringing grandparents along, that’s another $64 or more to add on bringing you to more than $200 in total.

I personally miss FastPass not only because it was free, but also because it created an equal playing field. In my opinion, the FastPass system was a fair one. If you planned in advance, mapped out which rides were most important to you, and perfected the art of speed walking, you could nab the most in-demand FastPasses. Everyone had a chance to experience the most thrilling and popular attractions, regardless of their budget.

The Closure of the Red Car Trolley

This is a fairly recent closure, and one that’ll have an impact on the future of California Adventure. The Red Car Trolley, which ran from Buena Vista Street to the Hyperion Theater at California Adventure, had its final run on February 8, 2025.

While the Red Car Trolley wasn’t exactly a huge hit with guests it rarely saw any wait and trolleys often ran half empty – it did provide a lot of in terms of atmosphere. Prior to the trolley’s opening in 2012, California Adventure’s main thoroughfare lacked the movement and energy of Disneyland’s Main Street. Suffering from lackluster theming and no real direction other than “California,” it also needed a boost in terms of cohesiveness.

When the revamped park officially debuted in 2012, the Red Car Trolley was exactly what had been missing. It not only paid homage to the history of Los Angeles, but the colorful vehicles also added energy, transportation, and some authentic fun to Buena Vista Street. It felt immersive, welcoming guests back into the 1920s.

Without the trolley, California Adventure has lost a key piece of the land that welcomes guests into the park. Hopefully, the trolley will find a way to return once the new additions planned for Avengers Campus are complete. But until then, I’ll certainly miss the Red Car Trolley, far more than I ever expected to 13 years ago.