Disney Parks Opening Timelines & Predictions
Disney recently reiterated opening dates and timeframes in 2024 to 2026 for new rides, lands, restaurants, resorts, and more at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, the cruise ship expansion and parks in Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai. This details the official timeline, plus our predictions about what opening dates are actually realistic based upon on-the-ground observations. (Updated February 10, 2024.)
Normally, this is something we track in our regularly updated What’s New & Next guides:
- What’s New & Next for Walt Disney World in 2024 & 2025
- What’s New & Next for Disneyland
- What’s New & Next for Tokyo Disney Resort
- What’s New & Next for Disneyland Paris
This timeline was first shared during the third quarter earnings call, which reiterated previous announcements and public timelines. An updated version with new dates & details was then shared during the first quarter 2024 earnings call. Here’s what stands out to us as noteworthy…
For one thing, there were some conspicuous omissions from the earnings call slide sharing upcoming Parks & Resorts openings and events. It’s often a sign when a major project just quietly stops being mentioned by the company, and there are a few instances of that now.
Moreover, this doesn’t yet include anything announced during last year’s Destination D23 event. (Here’s a full list of the Walt Disney World announcements from that.) It’s like that event didn’t even happen, and was a hallucination.
It’s also notable because just about all of the news from Josh D’Amaro’s keynote speech did not have a start date or an opening date. This includes a lot of projects: Test Track 3.0, Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern, Zootopia Tree of Life Show, Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom, and more. To the best of our recollection, the only project that did have a timeline that isn’t on the below list is the Country Bear Musical Jamboree.
Here’s a look at the slide in question from the earnings call in February 2024:
Regardless, we wanted to share the consolidated official timeline for Parks & Resorts projects, followed by our predictions of when some of these near-term additions will actually open at Walt Disney World. (Anything with an asterisk is official, but not listed on the slide.)
All of this should underscore just how little is currently planned to debut in 2025 and 2026 at Walt Disney World…
Walt Disney World – Official Timeline
- NOW OPEN – Figment Meet & Greet at EPCOT
- NOW OPEN – Mirabel Meet & Greet at Magic Kingdom
- NOW OPEN – Moana’s Journey of Water
- NOW OPEN – World Celebration at EPCOT
- NOW OPEN – Minnie & Mickey Mouse Meet & Greet at EPCOT
- NOW SHOWING – Luminous: The Symphony of Us
- NOW OPEN – Summer House on the Lake at Disney Springs
Spring2024 – Ahsoka in Star Tours: The Adventures ContinueSpring2024 – Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn*- 2024 – CommuniCore Hall & Plaza
- 2024 – Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom
- Summer 2024 – Country Bear Musical Jamboree at Magic Kingdom*
- 2024 – Disney Vacation Club at Fort Wilderness
- Late 2024 – Disney Vacation Club at Polynesian Resort
As you’re undoubtedly aware, Universal’s Epic Universe theme park opens in 2025. We already know that Walt Disney World won’t have a new land or ride as the “answer” to Epic Universe. Even if construction started today (and it won’t!), nothing brand new could be finished until 2026 or 2027 at the absolute earliest.
We also know Walt Disney World has no plans for a 5th gate to compete with Epic Universe. Disney has suggested repeatedly and consistently that the plan is to build out the existing gates ‘beyond the berms’ and even the blue sky daydreaming reflects this. (See Why a 5th Theme Park Will NOT Be Built at Walt Disney World in the Next Decade for further commentary.)
That leaves ride reimaginings and new entertainment as pretty much the only options for marketable additions in 2025 as quasi-competition with Epic Universe. It’s not too late to add things to the schedule for the next couple of years at Walt Disney World, but the door is starting to close on 2025.
Most of the major ride reimaginings that have been announced or are rumored will take 6 months to a year-plus to accomplish, meaning news needs to be shared and the closure needs to occur by late 2025. (It’s our understanding that DINOSAUR transforming into Indiana Jones Adventure won’t open in 2025.)
Disneyland Resort – Official Timeline
- NOW OPEN – San Fransokyo Square (Big Hero 6 Land) at Disney California Adventure
- NOW OPEN – The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, New Disney Vacation Club Tower
- NOW OPEN – Tiana’s Palace Restaurant
- NOW OPEN – Adventureland Treehouse at Disneyland
- NOW OPEN – Pixar Place Hotel
Spring2024 – Ahsoka in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue- 2024 – Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland
- TBD – Avatar Experience at ???*
- TBD – King Thanos Multiverse Attraction at Disney California Adventure*
Disney Cruise Line
- NOW UNDERWAY – Australia and New Zealand Sailings
- June 2024 – Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Private Island
- December 21, 2024 – Disney Treasure Ship Maiden Voyage
- Fiscal Year 2025 – Disney Adventure (Acquisition Ship – Global Dream)
- Fiscal Year 2026 – Third Wish-class Ship
Disneyland Paris
- NOW OPEN – Disneyland Hotel Royal Transformation
Spring2024 – Ahsoka in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue- TBD – World of Frozen: Kingdom of Arendelle*
Tokyo Disney Resort
- June 6, 2024 – Fantasy Springs Port-of-Call at Tokyo DisneySea
- 2027 – New Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland*
Hong Kong Disneyland
- NOW OPEN – World of Frozen Arendelle Land
Shanghai Disneyland
- NOW OPEN – Zootopia Land
Walt Disney World – Our Predictions
CommuniCore Hall & Plaza (2024) – The only reason you can tell the above photo is from the last month is because of the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts mural on the construction wall. Otherwise, you might not know whether I took that anytime between last summer and February 2024. That’s because CommuniCore Hall has looked materially the same for the last six months.
After a lot of visible progress last spring, the pace of this project has slowed to a crawl. Back when the first flurry of announcements were made about Disney100 at EPCOT, the timeframe for CommuniCore Hall was “later this year” and the implication seemed to be that the completed transformation of EPCOT would be central to the celebration…which is now over.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the first festival to use it is the 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, but I’m skeptical given the current pace and since it hasn’t been mentioned in any of the festival announcements thus far. Instead, my theory is that Walt Disney World is going to introduce a brand-new EPCOT Summer Festival, and have that be the debut event for CommuniCore Hall, which would be a splashier way to open it. (New events center and new event!)
The basis for this is that Walt Disney World announced that the end date of this year’s EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival will be May 27, 2024. This is really notable, as last year’s event ran until July 5, which has become the common end date (within a couple of days) in the post-reopening era. The 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival is over a full month shorter than the event during any of the last 3 years.
Walt Disney World wouldn’t just leave all of that sweet, sweet food & beverage money on the table for no reason, so expect a new event to kick off in June 2024, and CommuniCore Hall to open then.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (2024) – To the company’s credit, Disney keeps reiterating that 2024 opening date for both versions of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. As covered in our post that covers Everything You Need to Know About Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, we were skeptical of this tight timeline even before the project began.
Not only are they reiterating the opening next year, but they’ve actually changed it from “Late 2024” to just “2024” in a lot of marketing materials. I’ve been told that the dropping of “Late” is purposeful, and that the Florida version of the attraction is actually ahead of schedule. This appears to be accurate just be watching progress on the exterior–they’ve already refilled the flume and started testing!
If Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is going to open in Summer 2024, Memorial Day weekend or early June make the most sense–if that early of a timeframe is feasible. Those are the dates consistent with past precedent. Of the recent additions with summer openings at Walt Disney World, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Pandora – World of Avatar both debuted on May 27; Toy Story Land opened on June 30.
As such, we’d expect Tiana’s Bayou Adventure to open as close to May 27, 2024 as possible. If that’s too aggressive–and it might be–that’s not a huge issue. Summer tourist crowds don’t really arrive in full force until mid to late June, so anytime before the end of the month would be good, timing-wise.
Disney Vacation Club Projects (Late 2024) – There are two upcoming Disney Vacation Club projects at Walt Disney World, the new Polynesian Tower and the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. The former is moving fast and the latter has yet to start.
However, work has been happening around Fort Wilderness to give the campground appeal to a more upmarket audience, so the groundwork is already being laid. Not only that, but the cabins are prefabbed, so it’s not like a tremendous amount of lead-time is necessary.
Nevertheless, this will likely be more a matter of advantageous timing than anything else. Disney Vacation Club is not going to flood the market with points–whether both of these actually open in 2024 depends on the sales status of Riviera, Disneyland Hotel, and (to a lesser extent since it’s selling well) Grand Floridian.
Disneyland – Our Predictions
Avatar Experience (???) – This is a weird one. Despite zero details whatsoever, including what the “experience” will entail or where it’ll go, Bob Iger has teased this on multiple occasions. Just last week, he said during the earnings call that “later down the road, we will be bringing an Avatar experience to Disneyland, reinforcing the unrivaled worldwide appeal of our brands and franchises.”
Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time this has happened with Avatar. The original announcement for Pandora at Animal Kingdom contained zero details, and it wasn’t until years later that the specifics were shared. (Ironically, this fulfills a promise made then of Avatar expansion happening elsewhere after Animal Kingdom.) I’m starting to think that maybe Bob Iger is a diehard Avatar fan, speaking fluent Na’vi, getting his face painted when he visits Pandora, wearing one of those tails, etc. Perhaps he pulled this idea out of thin air and blurted it out, and now Imagineering is scrambling to come up with a suitable concept for an Avatar “experience” at Disneyland.
As for when this happens, my bet is between 2025 and 2028. Very concise timeframe, I know.
King Thanos Multiverse E-Ticket (???) – As we’ve discussed elsewhere, this was a Bob Chapek project. It has not appeared on any timelines, BUT it was mentioned briefly at Destination D23. So I guess that means it’s still happening?!
I’m still skeptical it’ll happen before 2027. Given that the Avengers HQ facade has been built and there’s an expansion pad behind it, something will be built here eventually. It probably won’t be the King Thanos Multiverse ride, though.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts on the upcoming slate of additions at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and beyond? Predictions as to what, if anything, will deviate from the official timeline? What has you most and least excited? Anything you’re hoping does not end up coming to fruition? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
My family and I aren’t going to Disney World again until I see less complaints about maintenance and upkeep issues. My last visit was right as Galaxy’s Edge opened in 2019 and the visit was so perfect that I don’t want to see what Disney World seems to have become lately from following the fansphere. Nor have to pay for the add-ons that have become essential to deal with crowds.
This is continuing fallout from Bob Iger’s ill-timed and egregious purchase of the Fox assets in 2019, which has saddled Disney with excessive debt that they are just now digging out of a 5 year hole. The capital expenditures on parks were actually considerable over that timeframe based on previously announced projects (albeit smoothed like TRON over years on what should have been a relatively straightforward copy of Shanghai).
The lack of rides/new projects – particularly domestically – is indeed troubling as Iger prioritized reinstating a modest dividend and buying back shares to keep the dissident activist investors at bay. What’s been particularly disheartening is these continued, almost cruel Josh D’maro “teases” of “here’s what we might do” without any follow up or any concrete announcements. The act has gotten old and I’m shocked the web fan base has continued to give him a pass.
Ultimately it’s pretty easy to see how this plays out: Epic Universe will likely be a massive hit right out of the gates, and Disney is caught scrambling to announce new projects in 2025/2026….that don’t get completed until 2028, in all likelihood. Very discouraging a more balanced timeline/calendar wasn’t enacted.
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We are enjoying Disney cruises and then will go to Epic Universe but we don’t have plans for a trip to Disney World. They really need to get ambitious with Epic Universe opening soon or more will visit Universal and not so much visiting Disney.
When we went to WDW in early 2017, we KNEW we’d go back around 2020 for Pandora, Toy Story Land, and Galaxy’s Edge. When we went in early 2020, we KNEW we’d go back around 2023 for Runaway Railway, Ratatouille, Cosmic Rewind, and TRON. We went last month, and it was awesome…but if we go back in 2027, will there be ANYTHING new besides Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? NOBODY KNOWS!
Sadly accurate.
I think it’s probably pretty safe to say Test Track 3.0 and Indiana Jones Adventure will open by 2027, but even those aren’t sure things. Depending upon how many ride reimaginings they do–and how quickly–there could be another ~4 materially updated/overhauled attractions by then.
I would bet against a single brand-new ride by then, though.
Is there a timeline for the Test Track refurb?
That official list by Disney… amazing… not one single all-new attraction announced, or being constructed, in any of the six domestic parks. I’m not even sure when the last time was that could be said.
I always enjoy your take on the earnings calls. FYI – Disney recently announced the Villas at Grand Floridan was “sold out”.
What I meant to say:
This was fine entertainment and it truly did enhance the overall Disney experience.
Tom,
To your point about entertainment:
Walt Disney World had almost 20 themed, live musical acts and shows throughout the Magic Kingdom in 1972; and the Poly and Contemporary each had three.
This was fine entertainment that was just part of the overall Disney experience.
I have to wonder-how big of a draw for the average tourist is entertainment? And I don’t mean “do they like it?” but “would they plan their vacation around it?” We’re huge Disney nerds and visit most years, but not DVC or AP. The only place I ever hear of numerous people booking trips to see new parades or fireworks shows to WDW are on sites like this with lots of APs (DL is a very different situation with so many locals going to the parks). I’ve never had someone tell me they heard about a new parade or show so they’re going this year to see it. It’s always about attractions with the people I know who are more casual (read:average) WDW tourists. Obviously that’s anecdotal, but I do wonder on the actual data. Which leads to my question-what good does it so for Disney to wait on opening Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disney World if entertainment is not the driving factor for booking vacations for most people? Maybe the APs will get excited, but my sense is that most of us going aren’t in that category and whether there’s a new parade or new fireworks show won’t decide trip timing. A new attraction opening though? That seems like it would get more traction and folks would actually time their trip to catch the new attraction.
If only new attractions drive visits for guests, then pushing the opening of the only new attraction for the next two or three years from the beginning of that period into the middle makes perfect sense. There’s just no way at this point that Disney can get any new attractions before 2026, so there’s clearly going to be a gap. Breaking a large gap into smaller gaps is the best chance to tackle that issue, and the festivals of EPCOT show that small gaps can be partially filled by entertainment. (Also, with smaller gaps you can stagger DVC openings; while they’re not as good as if Disney had started planning attractions previously, they and entertainment are all WDW has besides Tiana after this year for the next 2-3 years.)
1) Assuming Hilary is correct, then Aaron is also correct. There are still several new-ish attractions that many casual visitors haven’t experienced, so continue leaning on those in marketing.
2) I don’t think Hilary is completely correct. Not because I have any data to say otherwise, but leaning on entertainment and ‘celebrations’ in the absence of new attractions is a time-tested Disney approach pretty much everywhere. It probably doesn’t drive as many visitors as new rides, but that’s not the choice at present with limited turnaround time–it’s entertainment or nothing. I’d imagine that a big ‘Summer Nightastic’ style celebration does move the needle with casual tourists.
I have to strongly agree with Hilary on this. Although I keep up on everything going on at the parks, I’m a casual tourist in the sense that I live farther than a day’s drive from either DLR or WDW and only have the time/budget to visit every 2-3 years on average. But as I’m very interested in the topic I talk to lots of people all the time about their Disney trips. By an insanely large margin the one thing that has influenced them to visit in the last ~5 years is Galaxy’s Edge (in the same way that Harry Potter lands have influenced trips to Universal). Some families are excited about different attractions but others haven’t kept up on “what’s new”. I’m not saying this category doesn’t exist but I’ve never talked to any person who’s been influenced to visit based on entertainment in the parks.
I suppose my anecdotal point is that I talk to a lot of folks about their upcoming plans to visit Disney, why they’re going, and what they’re excited about. The ONLY people to mention entertainment are those who have APs or visit very regularly and keep track of such things. Everyone else talks about new attractions, favorite attractions from childhood they want to revisit, sometimes a restaurant, but in the end it’s really all about what they’re going to ride, not what they’re going to watch. Disney fireworks are great but most folks can see fireworks in their community at some point during the year (often multiple points during the year, even in tiny rural communities like mine). They can’t, however, ride Cosmic Rewind at home. After their trips they may mention fireworks and parades, but that’s rarely been something driving their plans for Disney vacations. I’m not saying those entertainment elements aren’t nice, just that I don’t know anyone planning a $1500+ vacation who’s concerned about which fireworks show they’re going to get at the Magic Kingdom.
Bummed to hear your take on the (un)likelihood of the Thanos attraction at DCA being built. I like Avengers Campus, but it feels severely incomplete. It needs an E-Ticket (I’m not counting Guardians as that was a retheme of an existing attraction) to make it whole. I hope we don’t have to wait 5+ years for something but I agree that seems most likely.
It’s like if Galaxy’s Edge never received Rise of the Resistance.
Hopefully I’m totally wrong, and Disney has been “saving” the King Thanos ride for a bigger reveal at Destination D23.
That is one of the most logical spots for future development in either of the two parks, so it’s an inevitability that it happens at some point.
REALLY hoping the Dirt Pit is GONE by the end of this year. If they knew it was going to be a permanent fixture, they should have at least themed it to Wreck-It Ralph & Fix-It Felix or something…
I would hope that, at the very least, the walls come down on the Connections side and around Journey of Water, leaving only a limited area of construction.
Thought I’d share this Tom – one of my favorite independent tech journalists just wrote an incredible piece that discusses Taylor Swift’s tours as a case study for digital creators using physical scarcity to drive their business model, and ends it off by arguing (get this) that the Disney business model hinges on theme parks, that streaming isn’t economically sustainable, and they need to lean into their physical scarcity assets!
It’s almost like you know what you’re talking about on this blog 😉
https://stratechery.com/2023/disneys-taylor-swift-era/
My heart skipped a beat when I saw that, as I have an article in the pipeline that is, in part, about Disney’s Taylor Swift Era (not the title) and thought I might’ve been beaten to the punch. This was a great read, but thankfully, mostly different from my piece.
Probably goes without saying, but I agree with the author’s premise. Thanks for sharing!
I just talked to a CM (who works outside the park in management) who just took her family to MJoW. She said it’s essentially finished and they’re adjusting signage for traffic flow. She said she hopes it opens soon since it will much less fun if it’s chilly (by Florida standards).
We did a wine flight in Germany and shared a table.
What I’ve heard suggests there are additional concerns, part of which is why they’re starting to do testing with more people (still CMs at this point) per hour. But I hope she is correct!
The Beaver Tails fiasco makes me think there may be contractual restrictions on the two small Avatar experiences at Shanghai (Avatar: The Exhibition) and Singapore (Avatar: The Experience). I’m thinking one of those could have been plussed up and made it to Anaheim by 2025, which would give them breathing room to decide whether and where a mini-Pandora could go at the resort later.
As it is, there is nothing planned on Disney-owned land, in the US or elsewhere, past 2024 – only the next 18 months!
Honestly it’s a bit shocking Ariendelle in Paris still doesn’t have an opening date. It’s not exactly Pandora or Galaxy’s Edge but I guess it’s not a surprise given how long it took to do a fairly basic update in Avengers Campus (the park still needs more stuff badly)
I’m sure whatever gets built later will be great but it looks like I might be substituting Japan for a US trip again in the next few years given Fantasy Springs. Atm Disneyland is number 1 Park and the 2 tokyo parks are 2 and 3 depending on the day but favourite resort. I can see this changing if Tokyo is further to ‘normal’ and continues the expansion and the US parks don’t have much though!
I can’t believe they’re dragging their feet on Arendelle at WDSP. With the Olympics coming next year and the park in sorry shape, that should’ve been fast-tracked coming out of the pandemic. Missing the Olympics–and it probably will–is just such a stupid move.
I’m so unimpressed with all of it. I feel like we’ve walked around the Boardwalk and seen nothing happening with the cake shop forever. Epcot’s still a mess. BW/BC keep messing with the DVC refurbishments with starts/stalls. No new rides. I’m fine with the Tiana/Splash overhaul, but no big deal when it opens — seems like a theme refresh versus anything really new in terms of the ride itself. No info on room/association for Poly 2.0. No info on updates to Fort Wilderness amenities to warrant a deluxe resort coming. And, most importantly to me, LOL, no news of a Skyliner expansion anywhere!
Meh. The Tron five-year plan has really soured me. I’ll believe it when I see it. For now, we’re taking a couple years off of WDW.
“And, most importantly to me, LOL, no news of a Skyliner expansion anywhere!”
Even pre-pandemic, I never heard anything credible to suggest Skyliner expansion was being seriously considered. (Seriously being the operative word there.)
I haven’t heard anything credible at all since. I’d be shocked to see Skyliner expansion this decade.
I completely agree with you, Heather. My thought when reading this was, “Meh”. It is so uninspiring and weak. Almost like they have no money, no motivation and no desire to do anything. The best they can do in the US is some meet and greets and opening (someday) the center of Epcot which after years of construction walls amounts to some walkways and trees? ! It is very disappointing. They are getting outpaced in every category right now by their neighbors, Universal.
disneyparksblog just posted September 7 for Tiana’s at Disneyland
That’s a pretty depressing and anemic list when you look at it. As far as actual things inside a park there are maybe 14 worldwide if you are including meet-and-greets, shops and restaurants (Though counting TDS Fantasy Springs as one is too harsh). Actual attraction work in the parks outside of Tokyo consists of 1 each in HK, Shanghai, and Paris, 2 splash mountain reskins, and overhaul of the DL treehouse, Moana’s Journey of Water, and a Harmonious Replacement. That is not inspiring. I hope they really do build the Thanos ride or another E-ticket in the Avenger lands (plus 3rd rides in Pandora and Star Wars, a re-do of Dinoland at AK, and more).
It’s a great list for the international parks and Disney Cruise Line, suggesting that 2024-2025 will be a good time to do those.
I’m very bullish on the future of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but I’m also a realist about the pace of construction and development cycles. Neither coast is getting anything major until 2027 at the earliest. Which is another reason to push Tiana’s Bayou Adventure into 2025 and try to use entertainment to fill the gap next year.