Walt Disney has been pretty quiet about its plans to expand its Disney World theme park in Florida. That's at least partially because the company currently finds itself at war with the state's Republican Gov Ron DeSantis.
The right-wing candidate for president targeted Disney after the company's former CEO Bob Chapek criticized a piece of his legislative agenda that's widely known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. That now-passed bill makes it essentially illegal to mention sexual orientation in Florida's classrooms and Disney World's LGBTQ+ employees essentially forced Chapek to take a public stand.
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Once that happened, DeSantis responded by replacing Walt Disney's (DIS) -) Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) with his own hand-picked Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD). It was a petty move that took control of the land at Disney World and its related properties away from the company (despite the state having over 2,000 similar special districts).
It's a battle that has led to dueling lawsuits and Disney CEO Bob Iger openly questioning whether the company might divert some of the $17 billion the company planned to invest in its Florida theme parks over the next decade.
The problem is that DeSantis is not Disney's only rival in Florida. It also has to fend off Comcast's (CMCSA) -) Universal Studios which has an entire new theme park, Epic Universe opening in the summer of 2025. That park will bring the popular "Super Nintendo World" to Florida while also adding another "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" land to the company's lineup.
Perhaps most importantly, Epic Universe will grow Universal Studios into a viable option for a week-long vacation that compares to what Disney World offers. That's something the company can only fend off by expanding and it shared a lot of Disney World growth plans at the recent Destination D23 2023 event.
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Here's what Disney World has planned
While Disney did not offer timelines or a lot of details for some of the bigger attractions planned for its four Florida theme parks, it did offer a lot of new information. The company collected that in a recent post that details all of the changes that are coming.
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Some changes are bigger than others, and some don't have all the specifics announced:
- Asha from the new Walt Disney Animation Studios film “Wish” will soon be coming to Epcot.
- Ahsoka will become part of the "Star Tours" ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World Resort beginning in spring 2024.
- The Hatbox Ghost is coming to the Haunted Mansion attraction in Magic Kingdom in late November 2023. The Hatbox Ghost will be materializing in the Haunted Mansion as you pass the attraction’s Endless Hallway.
- The Country Bear Jamboree is getting new songs and the bears will be performing a new act in Magic Kingdom.
- A new "Pirates of the Caribbean"-themed lounge is coming to Adventureland at Magic Kingdom.
- The World Celebration neighborhood in Epcot will open in December 2023. World Celebration will unite the front of the park, tying together the other two new Epcot neighborhoods, World Discovery and World Nature.
- A new nighttime show at Epcot called “Luminous: The Symphony of Us” will debut on Dec. 5, 2023. The brand-new show will feature fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects, and music.
- Moana will arrive in World Nature on Oct. 16, 2023, and make her first appearance in her own dedicated space at Epcot near "Journey of Water," Inspired by Moana.
- Epcot's "Test Track" will be reimagined by Disney's Imagineers working with teams from Chevrolet.
- A new show based on “Zootopia” is being created for the Tree of Life theater at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- Walt Disney Imagineering is planning to reimagine Dinoland U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom into a new land inspired by a region sometimes referred to as “tropical Americas.”
Disney has also hinted that it plans a major expansion at Magic Kingdom. Those plans include adding new rides, maybe even new lands, but they remain in the blue sky phase and no concrete information has been shared.
Disney World offers a ticket deal
Disney World very rarely offers discounts on theme park admission aside from its occasional deals for Florida residents. The company has offered more days at the lowest price on the dynamic pricing scale it uses for its theme parks, but actual discounts are very rare.
Starting Nov. 14, however, Disney World will "introduce a special package offer for families looking to save on a spring vacation," Blog Mickey reported.
Children’s theme park tickets and dining plans will be half off with the purchase of a non-discounted 4-night, 4-day Walt Disney Travel Co. package that includes a room at a select Disney Resort hotel, theme park tickets, and a dining plan.
In Disney terms, children are 3-9, with kids younger than 3 not requiring a ticket and anyone 10 and older being considered an adult.
The program will be valid "for stays most nights March 3 through June 30, 2024," according to the website.
