Why We’re Nervous About Disney’s $60 Billion Park Expansion

When you’re a company as large as Disney, you have to be constantly thinking about the next big thing.

Whether it’s a new movie coming to theaters, a new ride coming to a theme park, or a new business venture, you’ve got to give the fans something to look forward to. Recently, Disney announced some BIG plans, but they’ve left us a little bit concerned!

Disney’s Planning a Big Expansion

Back in September 2023, Disney announced plans to invest $60 billion over the next 10 years in the Disney Experiences section of the company. This is the part of the company responsible for the parks, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney, Aulani, and more.

Cinderella Castle

This amount is DOUBLE what was invested in Disney Experiences in the past decade, and it would allow for significant expansions across the various properties and aspects of the company. Fans were immediately intrigued by the possibilities of this investment.

During an earnings call in February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger shared that 70% of the $60 billion will be “earmarked for incremental capacity-expanding investment.” While that may not sound like major news, that’s around $42 billion of the investment that is specifically being put aside for “capacity-expanding” — which sounds exactly like it will be used for new lands (and potentially even new parks!).

They’ve Put Some Ideas Out There

So what exactly could those $42 billion worth of investments be? Well, Disney has already put some ideas out there. For Disney World, we’ve had confirmation of an expansion coming to Magic Kingdom and a re-theme coming to Dinoland, U.S.A. in Animal Kingdom.

Concept Art for potential ‘Zootopia’ or ‘Moana’ Lands ©Disney

Over in California, the company has proposed a project called DisneylandForward that would fill in unused space at the Disneyland Resort, expanding the park capacities there significantly. The project still needs approval from the local government, so it’s in the planning stages.

Part of this money could likely also be used at the international Disney parks, or with Disney Cruise Line. Disney Cruise Line has already announced plans for more ships in the coming years.

On top of the things that Disney has announced, there are plenty of theories out there for what could be done with the money. Some experts out there are predicting that Disney could use some of the funds to start work on a fifth park (even though the company hasn’t announced any such thing).

However, We’re Worried!

But despite the possibilities, we’re getting a bit worried! Outside of the Disney Cruise Line ships that are currently under construction, many of these projects are in what Disney calls the “Blue Sky” phase — meaning, they’re things that COULD happen.

The changes to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom have been confirmed for the future, but Disney hasn’t publicly announced plans for starting on the construction or what exactly would be included in the new lands. Ideas have been thrown around, but we’re still waiting on the official word.

And with nothing new currently under construction, it seems like there’s going to be a big gap in new arrivals at the US Disney parks. In 2024, Disney plans to complete Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on both coasts and wrap up the EPCOT transformation, as well as finish up some resort refurbishments. But what comes after that? Will we be in a dead period?

Universal Is Coming in Hot

One thing that complicates matters more is that Universal, Disney’s biggest competition, seems to be on a roll. Universal Orlando will welcome a NEW theme park in 2025 — Universal Epic Universe. And during that year, will Disney have anything new to draw visitors away from Universal?

Universal’s new venture comes with five themed lands, including another addition to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There will also be attractions themed to How to Train Your Dragon, Nintendo, and the Universal Monsters.

Here We Go! to Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe

The resort is adding more new hotels along with the park, which will increase the capacity for guests to stay on-site. It’s a pretty massive expansion, and many fans are getting concerned that Disney doesn’t seem to have a “response” to it.