All the D23 announcements are in, and what a set of announcements! Disney are making big promises for the parks around the world and cruise line. Here is everything Disney is promising fans from D23.
The D23 Announcements
Investing $60 billion in guest experiences across Disney theme parks and cruise lines the news is big. Disney, mainly Chief Executive Chairman of Experiences, Josh D’Amaro, has made even bigger promises to fans about how that money will be spent.
Hold on to your Mickey Ears Disney fans, this news is mind-blowing.
Disney World
Magic Kingdom
- Disney are opening a new 7th land in Magic Kingdom: Villain Land. Changing the landscape and magical tone of the Magic Kingdom forever, news of this land is music to the ears of so many Disney fans out there. It will include attractions, dining, and shops. No dates have been given, but work is underway.
- The DVC lounge at Pirates of the Caribbean is going to feel like an extension of the ride. It’s opening in 2025.
- A new night time parade with new technology will begin in Summer 2025. Featuring the Blue Fairy, Peter Pan, and Encanto, this news is so welcome by many guests. For those who have been wishing on a star for a night time parade in Magic Kingdom, wish no more “Disney Starlight” is coming.
- A Cars area is going to be coming to Magic Kingdom in Frontierland. Two new attractions, including 1 that will be an off-road race in the wilderness, will be built. Work begins in early 2025, with no opening date yet.
EPCOT
- The reimaging of Test Track will draw inspiration from the past incarnation of the ride, when it was known as “World of Motion”. The ride will be back to delight park guests in 2025.
- A DVC lounge for Spaceship Earth in 2025.
Hollywood Studios
- The Mandalorian and Grogu are coming to Smugglers Run in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. A new simulation will be added to the ride in 2026, to coincide with the release of the film release of The Mandalorian and Grogu.
- Monsters Inc Land, Mostropolis is coming. This will include the first ever suspended coaster which will fly through the doors just like in the movie. Work begins in 2025, but there has been no confirmation of where in Hollywood Studios this land will be.
Animal Kingdom
- A new 11 acre land, with official name of Pueblo Esperanza is going to take the place of Dinoland USA with three rides, shops, and dining expereinces. There is going to be a Carrousel with animals in the heart of the area. Opening in 2027, with one of the largest quick-service restaurants, ground work on one of the most exciting D23 announcements is set to begin this year.
- An Encanto ride to be set in the famous Madrigal Casita just after Antonio has come into his powers is coming to Animal Kingdom’s new land.
- An Indiana Jones ride featuring a new original ride story is coming to the new land. Indy looks set to explore a Mayan style temple looking at the concept art.
- “It’s Tough to be a Bug” is being replaced with a Zootropolis themed show, “Better Together”, which will open in Winter 2025. The show will feature favourite characters from the film, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.
Disneyland, California
Disney’s California Adventure Park
- Avengers campus is growing, by 50%! Two new attractions Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab will be part of the expansion starting next year. The rides will have unique new stories and Stark Flight Lab will have different sequences for unique ride experiences.
- Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run is getting the same update in 2026 as the ride in Magic Kingdom. The Mandalorian and Grogu simulation is going to bring a new mission to the ride.
- The first-ever Coco inspired boat ride. Set to break ground in 2026, this adventure is going to take guests on a ride through The Land of the Dead.
- A new Pandora-inspired ride. Transporting guests to a new water destination in Pandora, this ride is drawing inspiration from the second Avatar movie and future releases from the franchise.
Disneyland Park
- “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” is a new show coming to the Main Street Opera House. Featuring the first ever audio-animatronic of Walt Disney himself, the show is debuting in 2025. It will alternate with “Great Moments with Mr Lincoln” following an initial debut period.
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is opening on November 15th 2024.
- As part of the reimagining of the area, Critter Country area will now be known as Bayou Country.
Disneyland, Paris
Disney Adventure World (currently Walt Disney Studio Park)
- Pride Land is the Lion King themed land coming to Paris featuring dining, shopping, character meet and greets and a new ride. The first ever Disney Lion King ride at a Disney Park is going to be a log flume. It will explore Simba’s journey from cub to King of the Pride Lands.
- World of Frozen will open in 2026.
- A new night time show across the new Adventure Bay in Disney Adventure World is set to premiere in 2026. Featuring projections, drones, fireworks and water.
Disneyland Park
- A new night time spectacular show featuring projections on Sleeping Beauty Castle and Main Street. It’s premiering in January 2025.
Shanghai Disneyland
- A Spider-man roller coaster is heading to this resort.
Hong Kong Disneyland
- A new Spider man attraction is coming to Hong Kong Disneyland’s Stark Expo. It looks like it will be a different story to the one being told in the coaster at Shanghai. In this ride story Spiderman looks set to do battle with Doc Ock.
Cruise line
- Disney Cruise Line will be adding 4 new ships to the fleet between 2027 ad 2031. A current fleet of 5 cruise ships is sailing the seas.
- The Disney Treasure, making her inaugural sailing later this year, will feature exclusive artwork for “Disney The Tale of Moana”.
- The Disney Destiny is presenting “Disney Hercules” as it’s main show.
What the news means for guests from the UK?
The D23 announcements confirm that Disney experience is changing. The cruise fleet is expanding, theme parks are evolving in all locations around the world, and Disney clearly have some big visions for guest experiences. For guests here in the UK looking to book Disney experiences in the next few years your going to be seeing some walls up in the parks where ever you go. Your cruise ship holiday availability may well increase.
Disney World transformations
Magic Kingdom is going to be getting the largest expansion it has ever seen, and the landscape and feel of the park is definitely going to change. Villains Land is on the wish list for many fans and we are looking forward to seeing the impact it has on the Kingdom. The question for many UK guests is when is it happening so we can book our holiday to experience all the Villains have to offer.
Cars feels ominous to us, and we aren’t sure where this fairly large Cars area is going to go. Changing the entire landscape of Frontierland doesn’t seem possible, but it must be what is going to happen.
UK guests will be experiencing a very different Magic Kingdom in the next few years. Construction walls will be part of your experience in the parks for the next few years. If you love Magic Kingdom as it is, consider heading there sooner rather than later if you can, to get your last pictures before changes begin.
Animal Kingdom’s news is less shocking, and rather more exciting. The closure of Dinoland USA is imminent, but we suspect that will mean most people just turn around at Everest and head back. More walking to avoid the build walls is possible.
Hollywood Studios will be getting a new Monster’s Inc Land and exciting new roller coaster which will add a further thrill ride to this park. It’s already home to some of the newer and faster rides in Disney World, so the addition of another coaster is definitely making this the thrill seekers park. Perfect for families with teens, or for Disney Adults who enjoy a thrill. The question of where this land is going is still to be answered.
It’s roarsome news for Paris
The closest Disney Park for UK guests, the reimaging of Walt Disney Studio Park is offering up some incredible attraction experiences for guests. Night time experiences here may already have a little extra magic on those in Florida and it is possible that this new park is going to make UK visitors think twice about the need to head to Florida or California with a Marvel Campus, Frozen Land and Lion King land only a couple of hours away.
The D23 announcements from Paris may see a change in the holiday habits of UK Disney fans, and even fans worldwide. The nearest Frozen Land is currently in Hong Kong Disneyland for any Disney fan. Having one in Paris will be a big draw for lots of people, particularly when the first-ever Lion King ride will be there.
Looking like it is going to be using the same ride system as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, guests to Paris familiar with the old Splash Mountain or new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure may find some similarities.
Disneyland California is Marvel-lous
Disneyland California is getting some incredible attractions. The new Coco ride looks like it is going to be an incredible experience that many Florida-based holiday makers may hope is replicated further down the line.
One of the biggest D23 announcements is the news they are creating the first Walt Disney animatronic. Josh D’Amaro said: “Creating our first Walt figure is a huge responsibility, and we’ve brought members of the Disney family along with us for every step of the journey. His great-nephew, Roy P. Disney, visited the Imagineering campus recently”.
It will be interesting to see how Disney fans respond to this show when it debuts as Walt Disney is an inspirational figure of resilience and imagination.
The expansion of the marvel ride story universe is one that is going to cause excitement. The news that the ride system for Stark Flight Lab will include variations will be exciting for guests who will be able to ride multiple times and experience different simulations with different Marvel characters.
Many UK guests may be considering a multi-Disney holiday out to the States with these thrilling announcements.
Spider man season in Hong Kong and Shanghai
For fans of Spider Man this news will be very exciting, so considering a multi-location Disney trip to visit these new ride experiences ay be something UK based fans want to consider. The rollercoaster has some Universal vibes, so it will be interesting to see what Disney create for these parks.
Cruise line expansion
In the next few years, UK guests may find more sailings from UK ports given the size of Disney’s expansion. 4 new ships is a lot. Announcing that a further 4 ships will join the fleet by 2031, Disney is nearly tripling the current 2024 seafaring cruise fleet of 5.
This is great for those of you who love to cruise, as Disney cruises sell out pretty fast. Having 13 ships in the fleet by 2031 will increase availability, destinations, and options. Famous for their hospitality, Disney cruises are incredibly popular, with many guests returning time and again.
An investment of this magnitude in cruising is however, not an investment in the parks. Raising the question, is Disney moving away from theme parks? Cruising is thought of as one of the strongest and fastest growing areas of the Disney business. For the many fans harbouring hopes of a fifth gate at Disney World, the latest D23 announcements leave us wondering if that is ever going happen.
Conclusion
There you have it, all the D23 announcements and what that means for the future of Disney experiences around the world. It’s an imaginative future full of new ways to experience stories we know and love.
