Disney World Suffers Baffling Fail In Iconic Entrance Arch

Walt Disney World has faced some criticism lately for the current state of the magic.

From recent political controversy to character meet and greets being modified, the Walt Disney World Resort currently looks very different from its pre-COVID state.

We’re still awaiting the return of Fantasmic!, while supply chain issues and labor shortages have been highlighted by crazy crowds that the Florida Resort is currently facing. 

Whenever we visited Walt Disney World or Disneyland in Anaheim, California, we were always impressed by the perfection of the Disney Parks. The theme parks were clean, the attractions were kept maintained, and the Imagineering was detailed.

But to add to Disney Guests’ divided opinion of the Parks right now, there’s one imperfection greeting them on entry.

Driving onto Walt Disney World property to get to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom is one of the best moments of a Disney vacation.

Approaching the Disney World entrance arch with its Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse images and large “Walt Disney World” lettering is an iconic image, one that always gets every Guest in the vehicle excited.

But right now, the famous Florida gate is suffering some electrical failures that make “Walt Disney World” into “Disney World”. Twitter user “MrEPCOT” posted a photo take this week of the gate at night, looking a bit worse for wear:

Figures. pic.twitter.com/TQnyxrLdIa

— @MrEPCOT@WorldKey.io (@MrEPCOT) March 24, 2022

According to Guests, the famous sign has been out for a “few days” now, and we are not sure when it will be fixed. The user’s caption, “Figures”, recognizes the current divided opinion on Disney Parks amid controversy, attraction breakdowns, and maintenance issues.

New Disney CEO Bob Chapek is taking most of the fall for the currently judged Disney experience. With so many cuts and changes being made to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, many Disney fans have been debating Chapek’s approach to the quality of the Park experience.

With ticket prices increasing, food portions getting smaller, and Disney’s FastPass being replaced by the costly Disney Genie service, Disney Guests have become quite vocal with their opinions on Chapek after the success of Bob Iger.

Chapek revealed in an interview recently that he dislikes this “cost-cutter” reputation he has gained as Disney CEO, but that “cost-cutting” has seemingly caused a shortage in electrical staff!

Back in October 2020, Disney changed the beloved Walt Disney World Main Entrance arch, altering the slogan and the coloring.

The Walt Disney World entrance gates stopped saying “Where Dreams Come True” and now officially display what has been the official slogan for Disney World: “The Most Magical Place on Earth.”

The new Disney World gate came in time for the Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, with the entrance arch gate repainted to match Cinderella Castle. Walt Disney World changed the gates from their current yellow/purple/red/blue color palette to a more uniform gold and blue.

We’re not sure the blacked-out “Walt” in the entrance arch is part of this update, but we’ll be sure to look out for when this gets fixed!