The Carousel of Progress Update We Needed

“There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” streams daily at Walt Disney World’s Carousel of Progress. Although sometimes we cringe when our favorite attractions are updated, find out why we are actually happy with this new change.

Recent Permit Filed

Permit Now Filed for Disney's Carousel of Progress — Credit: Disney

The Carousel of Progress was one of the attractions that first debuted at the New York World Fair back in 1964.

The Carousel has seen some changes and updates over the years, but it is still very reminiscent of Walt Disney’s original plan.

Back in April 2024, we shared that a permit was filed for this attraction. With no announcement of this attraction closing, we were hopeful that this may be a minor refurbishment.

New Update

Carousel of Progress seats — Credit: Donna

The original permit cited “mechanical” improvements and expired the standard one year from the filing. Just recently, Magic Kingdom guests noticed a significant change for this attraction.

The seats for this attraction received a much-needed update. The new color scheme is in a fun retro style rather than the previous gray cloth seating.

The added bonus is that this new seating installation also includes great new cushions and padding. This is a much-needed update for guests looking to relax while enjoying this nostalgic attraction.

Added Bonus

Many Disney attractions offer unique scents to help create an immersive experience such as Soarin’, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Flight of Passage. Unfortunately, Carousel of Progress offered its own unique scent.

New seating gives a much needed update to Carousel of Progress

Guests often noted that Carousel of Progress smelled musty and similar to gasoline. Thankfully the new refurbished seats have also brought a new fresh scent to the attraction.

All of the scenes appear to be the same after this refurbishment. Now thankfully, guests can now enjoy this new update during their next trip to the Magic Kingdom.

Do you love the Carousel of Progress attraction? Would you make any other changes to this attraction? Share your thoughts with us and share this news with your Disney pals.