Alongside updates on how Disneyland and Disney California Adventure maintenance teams keep rides running smoothly, one theme kept surfacing during a recent Disneyland Resort business update: simplification.

Senior leaders, including President Thomas Mazloum, repeatedly emphasized that improving today’s guest experience is just as important as building what comes next.

At the small-group media briefing attended by TechRadar, officials outlined a strategy focused squarely on the future – expanding with major new attractions while simultaneously improving reliability and making a day at the parks easier to navigate.

It’s part of a broader effort to maintain a balanced mix of attractions even as large-scale projects move forward – phasing work so visitors don’t feel like they’ve arrived during a transition period.

Officials described the challenge as a constant balancing act: shaping the resort’s long-term future while ensuring families visiting today can still experience a full slate of rides and entertainment. Teams use the limited window between park close and park open to maintain attractions, upgrade systems, and prepare for the next day – all while minimizing disruptions.

“We’re thoughtfully evolving every part of the experience – from the first visit to our website to the final tram ride home,” Mazloum said. “With a long-term commitment to listening, simplifying, and continuous improvement, we’re making meaningful enhancements step by step, ensuring each visit becomes even more seamless and memorable over time.”

Making each visit easier

That end-to-end focus goes far beyond rides. Leaders said the simplification effort examines everything from trip planning and booking to navigation once inside the parks.

Over time, those systems have grown more complex – often with the goal of improving flexibility – but officials acknowledged that added layers can make visits feel harder to plan. The current approach centers on steadily reducing friction rather than on a single sweeping overhaul.

Some changes are already visible. Park-hopping rules will soon be relaxed, eliminating the 11 AM restriction so guests with park-hopper tickets can move between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure at any time.

Pricing initiatives aimed at younger families – including discounted park-hopper tickets for kids – and expanded resident offers are intended to make visits more accessible. New entertainment, such as an immersive Bluey show arriving in March, is designed to emphasize experience and spontaneity.

At the same time, construction across the resort makes preserving today’s experience even more critical. Disney California Adventure is preparing for some of the largest additions in its history, including a major Avengers Campus expansion, the resort’s first attraction based on Pixar’s Coco, and a sprawling land themed to Avatar.

Those projects will reshape the park over the coming years, but leaders stressed that key experiences won’t disappear all at once. Keeping attractions open longer and carefully sequencing construction are central to that plan.

The push also extends to cast member training and operations. Guest feedback – including post-visit letters and surveys – plays a major role in identifying pain points, whether long waits, confusing processes, or day-of disruptions. The goal is to equip cast members to resolve issues quickly and keep visits on track even when things don’t go perfectly.

Technology that supports the magic

Underlying all of this is a recognition that today’s visitors have very different expectations from those of decades past. Some prioritize digital tools, while others want a more spontaneous, less phone-dependent day. The resort’s approach is to balance both – using technology to streamline logistics without having screens dominate.

That philosophy has been echoed by other Disney leaders as well – Bruce Vaughn, President and Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney Imagineering, recently noted in an episode of We Call It Imagineering that constantly looking at a phone can break the magic of the parks.

It’s part of the reason Disney is exploring alternatives, such as augmented experiences, through devices like smart glasses. Disney is a developer partner with Meta and is exploring how Ray-Ban Display Glasses could be used in the parks – these augment the space in front of you, rather than requiring you to look away.

Disneyland leaders said mobile devices remain powerful tools for planning and convenience, but the emotional, human side of a Disney visit is mission-critical. Many Imagineers emphasize that technology is never deployed for its own sake, but to support immersion and storytelling.

That philosophy is visible across several recent offerings. MagicBand+ can light up and interact with rides, shows, and parades without requiring guests to stare at a screen. The Disneyland Magic Key can trigger experiences at stations throughout the park. Even novelty items like the Pixar Pal-A-Round popcorn bucket use hidden location-based technology to respond to where you are – enhancing the experience without overtaking it.

Similarly, you can use the Disneyland app to vote for which emotion from Inside Out 2 you’d like to be more prominent in the World of Color: Happiness show, but you don’t need your phone out during the show.

The result is a strategy that may not always be obvious as you walk through the parks. Unlike a new ride or parade, simplification happens quietly – through adjusted policies, operational tweaks, smarter scheduling, and behind-the-scenes changes that add up over time.

New lands themed to Pandora, an expansion of Avengers Campus, and beloved Pixar stories will define Disneyland Resort’s future. But for guests planning trips right now, the changes that matter most may be the ones designed to make the day smoother from start to finish.

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Jacob Krol is the US Managing Editor, News for TechRadar. He’s been writing about technology since he was 14 when he started his own tech blog. Since then Jacob has worked for a plethora of publications including CNN Underscored, TheStreet, Parade, Men’s Journal, Mashable, CNET, and CNBC among others.

He specializes in covering companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google and going hands-on with mobile devices, smart home gadgets, TVs, and wearables. In his spare time, you can find Jacob listening to Bruce Springsteen, building a Lego set, or binge-watching the latest from Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.