The Walt Disney Company has a new CEO, and with that comes lots of changes. Bob Iger will be stepping down after nearly 20 years with the company, and Josh D’Amaro is taking the reins.
We know a new position has been created within the company, and we even know how much D’Amaro will take home. What we want to know now is how this new announcement is going to impact our next Disney World vacation!
Any time a company gets new leadership, there are going to be several changes that come along with it. Bob Iger is leaving his position early after signalling his confidence in his predecessor, Josh D’Amaro. In just over a month, D’Amaro is taking over, so how can we expect that to impact our Disney World trips? First, we will see a new Chairman of Disney Experiences announced.
This is the role that D’Amaro holds currently, which (of course) has a huge impact on the theme parks, not just Disney World. We know that this role will have a big impact on the Orlando theme parks. In the past, this role has been involved with decisions regarding Lightning Lanes, Disney Cruise Line changes, new theme park additions, and more. They won’t be the only voice in these changes, just as D’Amaro wasn’t the sole decision maker. That being said, they will have a major voice when it comes to Disney World changes.
During the last CEO changeover, it took a few months for this role to be filled, so we might not see what happens for a while yet. Second, along with the CEO changes, a new President and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Company was named.
Dana Walden will take on this first-of-its-kind role, along with the President position. Walden will “ensure that storytelling and creative expression across every audience touchpoint consistently reflect the brand, engage audiences at scale, and advance core business objectives, while driving enterprise-wide initiatives and translating vision into action.” This sounds like she will spearhead the creative aspects of the company. While this isn’t a formal Co-CEO position, it does sound like she will share quite a bit of the burden of the leadership responsibilities.
With Walden potentially focusing more on the entertainment side of the company, that gives D’Amaro more time to focus on the theme parks, which he has the most experience in. This is what brings us to our third potential change. D’Amaro, along with whoever the new chairperson will be, will oversee the major park expansions.
The theme parks sector of the company is very busy these days. Disneyland is working on a major expansion project, Disneyland Paris is retheming an entire park, and they’re currently developing the 7th Disney park destination in Abu Dhabi. In Orlando, 3 of the 4 Disney parks have major changes in progress. Magic Kingdom is adding two new lands. Hollywood Studios is also adding two new sections. Animal Kingdom is also developing a Tropical-Americas theme land, which is expected to be the first major change to open.
With all of these changes, it’s likely that Disney’s new CEO and chairperson will have a big hand in when information will be announced, what updates will be given during development, and which parks receive the most attention. Fourth, this new announcement does not mean your favorite Disney World perks are returning. Truly, we don’t want to be the bearer of bad news here, but we are always honest with you here at AllEars.Net. We have seen lots of fans in our comments online asking for D’Amaro’s first act to bring back FastPass, the Magical Express, and more perks from a bygone era.
Don’t get us wrong, we miss these free perks SO MUCH. We also want them to return, and we think of them daily. That being said, it is highly unlikely that D’Amaro brings back these perks. The company has shifted gears many times over the years, and it will continue to do so. It is very rare that Disney walks back an official decision, and when they do, it’s often something like bringing back the ‘Ohana noodles. So sadly, we don’t think this CEO announcement will bring back freebies that we still miss in Disney World.
Finally, in all frankness, this new CEO announcement will probably not impact your Disney World trip immediately. D’Amaro and Walden take on their new positions starting on March 18th, 2026. We don’t expect any earth shattering annoucements soon because there is already SO much in the works at the theme parks. Realistically, he will give us more information this year on the changes, like maybe some new details and an opening timeline or two. It’s unlikely that any announcement he makes or changes they kick off will impact your trip in the immediate future, not including the ride refurbishments that will reopen in 2026.
We do live by the phrase “never say never,” so D’Amaro could surprise us this year and change Disney World in big ways! We don’t think he will just yet, but he could. If he does surprise us, it’s super important that you keep following AllEars.Net for more Disney news and updates. (Imagine us winking at you here).
ALERT! You May Want to CHANGE Your 2026 Disney World Vacation Dates
Tell us what you hope Josh D’Amaro changes in the comments!
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