For a fandom dedicated to the Happiest Places on Earth, the Disney Parks fandom is ironically prone to having some of the angriest and most heated debates in the wider Disney community.
- Many decisions that have been made with the parks have been met with division among theme park fans. The division at times can get particularly vicious, with theme park forums and many social media comments practically being reduced to war zones over controversial changes, no matter how slight. Even on This Very Wiki some entries on this page had to be seriously edited due to them coming off as Flame Bait.
- In fact, Miceage.com (where a lot of these fans go for news on the parks) has coined names for the two factions: foamers (i.e., fans who "foam at the mouth" with excitement over the next product announced and love Disney so much that they will tolerate no criticism AT ALL of the product) and gnashers (i.e., fans who "gnash their teeth" at it—at least at Walt Disney World, though Disneyland is certainly not immune to this, given that this is the only Disney park Walt actually lived to see—and that Universal has created so much superior product that anything Disney does is automatically ridiculed and that Disney has so declined that it will never recover). There is a whole article on that very subject here
.
- In fact, Miceage.com (where a lot of these fans go for news on the parks) has coined names for the two factions: foamers (i.e., fans who "foam at the mouth" with excitement over the next product announced and love Disney so much that they will tolerate no criticism AT ALL of the product) and gnashers (i.e., fans who "gnash their teeth" at it—at least at Walt Disney World, though Disneyland is certainly not immune to this, given that this is the only Disney park Walt actually lived to see—and that Universal has created so much superior product that anything Disney does is automatically ridiculed and that Disney has so declined that it will never recover). There is a whole article on that very subject here
- The updated Test Track has received praise from some fans for its more futuristic aesthetics compared to its predecessor, while others prefer the original, grungier look.
- Opinions on Disney fan boards are heavily split over whether or not Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge belongs in Disneyland, and whether or not the modifications the Imagineers had to make to the rest of the park (like the Rivers of America and the Small World plaza) were necessary.
- The decision to replace Maelstrom at Epcot with the ride Frozen Ever After. While many fans are happy to see such an incoherent and outdated ride replaced with a guaranteed, visually stunning draw, others worry that giving World Showcase a ride set in a fictional country (even one with a culture inspired by a real place) deviates too far from Epcot's original purpose. It didn't help that the franchise in general has been suffering from significant Hype Backlash since reaching the height of its popularity.
- The character dance parties. While some enthusiasts enjoy them for bringing out rare characters, others feel the music can get really off-putting when outside. Take Hollywood Studios for example. One minute, you're hearing music from movies made during Hollywood's golden era, when suddenly, you start hearing Disney trap remixes, Taylor Swift songs and "Footloose".
- The "princesses uber alles" attitude is a great example of an issue that splits fans. A lot of them — especially those who are also parents of female children — love the princesses. Adults without children and parents of boys are not so thrilled. Childless adults want more adult-aimed fun in the parks, while parents with boys are wondering why Disney is ignoring their kids, who generally aren't into princesses at all. It's been theorized that one reason Disney acquired franchises like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in The New '10s was because they wanted more boy-friendly stuff in the parks to offset this reputation, but couldn't get boys comparably excited about established in-house characters like Aladdin, Peter Pan, or the Toy Story crew while the Pirates of the Caribbean films (which inspired a few pirate-themed attractions/experiences) burned out faster than hoped.
- What should go on the unused Disneyland Peoplemover tracks? And let's keep it at that.note
- Journey into Imagination, to an extent. The ride has gone through three different versions - the first version seems to be the most popular overall, although you'll find some fans of the third (current) version who claim it's better. The second was considered so awful it set a new record for number of complaints about a new ride and had one of the shortest run times ever before getting revamped.
- Pandora – The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom is yet another example. Some say it doesn't belong at the park, especially since Avatar is not a Disney movie. Many of them still want to see Beastly Kingdom appear in some form. Others, however, say that it fits with the park's major theme of conservation and that it’s a welcome addition to the park. Opinion may soon be downplayed since, as part of Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, Disney will get to distribute the Avatar sequels.
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! at California Adventure has its many detractors who still miss its predecessor, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, as well as its many supporters who not only think the ride is nothing more than unabashed fun, but because of that, and the fact that the ride has six different drop sequences that go with six different songs from the mixtape, makes it BETTER than Tower of Terror. Others however felt that the Tower was abundant with intriguing mystique, atmosphere and storytelling and was simply just too much of an icon to ever be re-themed. Also they argued that The Twilight Zone (1959) was a timeless TV series while Guardians was only made to capitalize off of a flavor-of-the-week trend. It should also be noted that many detractors weren't against a Guardians-themed attraction (in fact they thought it sounded helluva lot of fun), they just preferred that it'd be a separate ride rather than replacing a classic. Of course, the Twilight Zone version still exists at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney Studios Park (the latter being a near-replica of the DCA version), and Disney's claim that these versions will remain intact has helped cool the fires regarding Mission: BREAKOUT!. With the Guardians attraction at Disney World being an entirely separate roller coaster ride (replacing the less-beloved Ellen's Energy Adventure at Epcot), it seems likely the promise will be kept.
- Walt Disney World's own base. There are those who still love it near-unconditionally, but many longtime fans and/or travel writers such as Bob Sehlinger of the long-running Unofficial Guide guidebook series have been embittered by systems such as Fastpass+ and dining plans that require huge amounts of confusing pre-planning and have killed leisurely touring altogether, a noticeable downturn in customer service and general upkeep, and the soaring prices of tickets, food, lodging, souvenirs, etc. all effectively rendering a WDW vacation out of reach of middle and lower-class families in The New '10s. As Sehlinger bitterly notes in the The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2017, this is all the more painful for children of said families who are effectively cut off from the characters they love so much thanks to Disney's aggressive marketing. The announcement of the Genie+ app for the American parks in 2021 — which charges for Fastpass-style access — on the cusp of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary, was instantly debated. Unfortunately, all these increasing and additional fees are a result of the record attendances the resort keeps getting.
- Beginning in The New '10s, as a result of Universal Studios' success with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and a desire for greater synergy, Disney would shift their focus away from Original Generation rides in favor of focusing more on building rides based on their pre-existing film and TV IPs instead, which has shattered the Disney Park fandom. Some welcome the greater integration of Disney properties into the parks and feel it is only logical for a Disney park to have more Disney, while others hate it and see it as a cynical, lazy, and corporate move that has led the Disney Parks to lose their unique identity and to feel more like glorified commercials for their films and TV shows than the immersive and unique theme park experiences they are meant to be.
