Future WDW Additions/Expansion

[Mad Dog]

Like others have said, with the current week to week uncertainty around trade and tariffs, big companies like Disney can't plan ahead like they need to. Many of the decisions they need to make are long-term, but those things need be be either set into motion or changed now. Uncertainty is just as bad as bad trade news. Now Disney is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Maybe they've learned from pumping the brakes during covid, but we'll see later this year if attractions do close as expected or not.


I"m not sure. I'd argue that many of the places the GP gets their news from online IS from people in these hardcore fandom circles. Look how rapidly whatever influencers have been saying about Epic has been spreading online even outside to non-theme park circles. Piss of those people, and you impact all the people consuming content down the line from them.

Sure, it's gotten to the point that many people get their news via social media. But, my point is that most people don't pay close addition to any theme park news, regular or online, until the time they plan on vacationing. So, if they're not going to go to WDW for a few years, they pay little, or no, attention to announcements or what's happening or going to happen down the road. I would bet very few future, or even present, WDW tourists even know what D23 is or what was promised there.

 

[AustinT]

I would bet very few future, or even present, WDW tourists even know what D23 is or what was promised there.

We're saying different things. My point was that if the people who the GP get their theme park news from have a strongly negative view of the company, that'll be reflected in the way they cover Disney stuff and that same sentiment gets passed down to the GP. It's been happening in the movie space, and I don't see why it can't also happen in the theme park space.

 

[Mad Dog]

We're saying different things. My point was that if the people who the GP get their theme park news from have a strongly negative view of the company, that'll be reflected in the way they cover Disney stuff and that same sentiment gets passed down to the GP. It's been happening in the movie space, and I don't see why it can't also happen in the theme park space.

Movies would be looked at by the GP in situations that they are possibly interested in attending the particular movie in the present or near future. But the GP that aren't interested in that film, or have no current plans to attend, will probably not even notice reviews. But that's still the same as theme parks. Only the GP that's about to go on vacation is possibly, though probably not in most cases, going to notice any info about future expansions.....This future expansion talk is tailor made for us theme park 'ultra' fans, but gets lost in all the other more important daily news of life for the GP. Even casual theme park internet site followers may skim over that stuff too. Probably way too much emphasis is placed on who actually gives a s . . t about this info that we value so highly, and is so far away in the future. We're a very tiny minority......Just like the Epic news. The park has been bandied about on social media for years, lots of it prominent. But hardly anyone knew of the park until the past few weeks when the regular media, activated by a huge Universal marketing spend, and social media spurred on by free actual visits to the park, spread the word. That was a mass media event, much of it activated by Universal's media spend and Universal's free entrance to various media and social media drivers. Once this initial paid for thrust settles down in a few months, the coverage will lessen.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Reedy Creek Improvement District submitted plans for an improvement to the Western Way/Buena Vista Drive interchange that will improve traffic flow throughout the area (and bring relief to Horizon West residents who utilize it as a shortcut) as Orlando expands more and more West.

What's more interesting is that the plan includes redoing the Blizzard Beach entrance with a road that can be modified to expand into the current DHS fireworks area for future use.

 

[OrlLover]

Can’t wait to see what they come up with…

 

[HandsomePete]

Reedy Creek Improvement District submitted plans for an improvement to the Western Way/Buena Vista Drive interchange that will improve traffic flow throughout the area (and bring relief to Horizon West residents who utilize it as a shortcut) as Orlando expands more and more West.

What's more interesting is that the plan includes redoing the Blizzard Beach entrance with a road that can be modified to expand into the current DHS fireworks area for future use.

I’d rather they leave it as is, just because once you realize you can make a legal right turn at the stoplight just after Coronado when leaving property (not just from the separated turn-only lane), you can fly past all the traffic in the slow lane waiting to turn.

 

[UNIrd]

So the Destination D23 schedule is out and there is NO parks presentation whatsoever this year. I am shocked that with everything in development, there are no updates to share. Also, that there's nothing worth announcing on a smaller scale at this event either.

I'm shocked as it's my favorite of the panels from an entertainment POV and also since I yearn for anything parks-related. But I'm sure there might be some new nuggets of info by way of the other panels scheduled.

 

[TheUniC6]

So the Destination D23 schedule is out and there is NO parks presentation whatsoever this year. I am shocked that with everything in development, there are no updates to share. Also, that there's nothing worth announcing on a smaller scale at this event either.

I'm shocked as it's my favorite of the panels from an entertainment POV and also since I yearn for anything parks-related. But I'm sure there might be some new nuggets of info by way of the other panels scheduled.

Maybe the absence of a parks panel at DD23 2025 is because if they give updates on the current slate of projects in this first half of the 10 year parks plan, they won't have much to share at D23 2026.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

So the Destination D23 schedule is out and there is NO parks presentation whatsoever this year. I am shocked that with everything in development, there are no updates to share. Also, that there's nothing worth announcing on a smaller scale at this event either.

I'm shocked as it's my favorite of the panels from an entertainment POV and also since I yearn for anything parks-related. But I'm sure there might be some new nuggets of info by way of the other panels scheduled.

When has Destination D23 announced big projects? They usually see that event as a way to confirm smaller details (like name, maybe some updated concept art) of previously announced projects and opening timeframes.

Don't expect anything major, instead be surprised if they end up announcing anything significant. We just got a slate of new attraction announcements for WDW that have just started work.

I'm expecting details on Tropical Americas along with a closure date for Indiana Jones. I also expect a minor entertainment update at DAK to compliment Dinosaur's closure as the park will desperately need it.

DHS might get Citizens of Hollywood back, seems like it'll be a great/easy announcement.

The only large announcement I can see Disney hint at is that something "imaginative" is in the works for Epcot or smaller SSE refurb.



I think these are the type of announcements you should be looking forward to, as it feels appropriate for this particular event's size.

 

[tielo]

DHS might get Citizens of Hollywood back, seems like it'll be a great/easy announcement.

Disney should/need to reinstate streetmosphere but I heard it eats into their profit, it's like a thousand bucks a day so...

 

[kristenabelle]

When has Destination D23 announced big projects? They usually see that event as a way to confirm smaller details (like name, maybe some updated concept art) of previously announced projects and opening timeframes.

Don't expect anything major, instead be surprised if they end up announcing anything significant. We just got a slate of new attraction announcements for WDW that have just started work.

I'm expecting details on Tropical Americas along with a closure date for Indiana Jones. I also expect a minor entertainment update at DAK to compliment Dinosaur's closure as the park will desperately need it.

DHS might get Citizens of Hollywood back, seems like it'll be a great/easy announcement.

The only large announcement I can see Disney hint at is that something "imaginative" is in the works for Epcot or smaller SSE refurb.



I think these are the type of announcements you should be looking forward to, as it feels appropriate for this particular event's size.

Yeah with the exception (maybe, IIRC) of the last Destination D23, it hasn't really been the spot to get the biggest announcements. More of a celebration of imagineering, archives/history, animation, etc. I think perception has changed slightly and some folks see this as equivalent to Expo. I mean, Michael Vargo is giving the intro & not Josh. Which makes sense, since it's a club event.

TBH it doesn't help that they had a general parks panel last time and this time they don't. I don't think that helped when it came to perception. But i'll be pleasantly surprised if we get any announcements

 

[UNIrd]

They had a parks presentation in 2023 and in 2021. Yes, for smaller announcements of course. I don't think anyone was expecting anything big this go-around. But they could easily fill up an hour just talking about everything coming to the parks and announce entertainment, refurbs... hell, the Pirates bar opening soon was announced at the last D23.

But it's strange to have nothing dedicated to global parks updates at all.

 

[UNIrd]

So strange that they ended up having a D23-style presentation on the upcoming WDW projects currently being worked on at the resort for media and influencers it appears. Even social media comments were asking why all these updates were coming out at once and many just assumed it was D23.

So let's not pretend they couldn't fill a whole hour for D23 because they had nothing to talk about, when it didn't even touch the other 5 resorts, and there were updates on:

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets
Zootopia: Better Together
Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters refurbishment
The Magic of Disney Animation courtyard
The Beak and the Barrel

 

[Alicia]

So strange that they ended up having a D23-style presentation on the upcoming WDW projects currently being worked on at the resort for media and influencers it appears. Even social media comments were asking why all these updates were coming out at once and many just assumed it was D23.

So let's not pretend they couldn't fill a whole hour for D23 because they had nothing to talk about, when it didn't even touch the other 5 resorts, and there were updates on:

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets
Zootopia: Better Together
Big Thunder Mountain refurbishment
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters refurbishment
The Magic of Disney Animation courtyard
The Beak and the Barrel

The Beak and Barrel will be open by then. So definitely can’t wait to reveal news on that till the event.

I think with these types of things they may be getting the news portion out first because we’ll see the concept art, props, or even ride vehicles, like the Buzz Lightyear one, on display at the event lobby. And instead of a free for all barrage of blogger posts and lack of context from people flooding to report on it all at once at event start, they can instead control the narrative well in advance and even create hype. So now when we enter the lobby and see these things on display we can just go “oh cool” instead of “oh I better report this asap breaking news”.

But that’s just a theory.

Destination D23 is not usually for announcements. The only reason it was a couple years ago is cause they needed a do-over after the ill fated bluesky D23 Expo the year before. But usually this is a fun fan event for history and not really a place for Apple keynote style reveals.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

The Beak and Barrel will be open by then. So definitely can’t wait to reveal news on that till the event.

I think with these types of things they may be getting the news portion out first because we’ll see the concept art, props, or even ride vehicles, like the Buzz Lightyear one, on display at the event lobby. And instead of a free for all barrage of blogger posts and lack of context from people flooding to report on it all at once at event start, they can instead control the narrative well in advance and even create hype. So now when we enter the lobby and see these things on display we can just go “oh cool” instead of “oh I better report this asap breaking news”.

But that’s just a theory.

Destination D23 is not usually for announcements. The only reason it was a couple years ago is cause they needed a do-over after the ill fated bluesky D23 Expo the year before. But usually this is a fun fan event for history and not really a place for Apple keynote style reveals.

I also don't think it's realistic to expect multiple large attraction/land announcement each and every year.