New rides, restaurants, entertainment, and more is coming to Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2026. Here’s what’s rumored and official: construction info, expansion plans, and opening dates so you know what to expect when planning your WDW vacation. (Updated August 4, 2025.)
Walt Disney World is basically in-between development cycles right now, which is either a good or bad thing depending upon your perspective or when you last visited. The good news is that many major additions have opened within the last 5 years, so there’s a lot on the “what’s new” side of this list at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the resort hotels.
The bad news is that there’s not as much on the “coming soon” side. At least, not in 2025 or 2026. There are additions, but the next new ride doesn’t open until 2027. In the meantime, there will be a lot of closures and construction. See Construction & Openings Timelines for New Lands & Rides at Walt Disney World. There’s still a lot coming in the next 2 years, including ride reimaginings, new restaurants, and much more. If you’d like to have more Walt Disney World news & rumors about what’s on the horizon, sign up for our FREE Walt Disney World Email Newsletter to receive updates.
When it comes to what’s new, several of the biggest things don’t involve construction at all, but rather, are changes to the guest experience. Last summer, Walt Disney World killed off Genie+ and replaced it with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, another new paid FastPass service. Ironically, this is very similar to FastPass+ (so quite literally, paid FastPass). See our Guide to Lightning Lane Multi & Single Pass at Walt Disney World for answers to common questions and everything you need to know.
In addition to that, Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours have replaced Extra Magic Hours in the morning and at night. These have their own pros & cons, from being only available to on-site guests (or a subset thereof) to requiring people to get up early or stay late. If you’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of each, learn more in our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World and Guide to Extended Evening Hours at Walt Disney World.
Another change is the return of more aggressive Walt Disney World discounts, many of which are on par with 2019. This is due to pent-up demand dying down and travel starting to slow, along with Universal’s Epic Universe providing more competition for tourists and overnight hotel guests.
Speaking of which, Epic Universe is one of the big drivers behind Walt Disney World not having any major additions in 2025 or 2026. This is the third theme park down the road at Universal Orlando, containing rides and lands based on Harry Potter, Nintendo, Universal Monsters, How to Train Your Dragon, and more.
Operating on the theory that new lands and rides cannot compete head-to-head with an entirely new theme park, Walt Disney World opted to stagger its major additions before and after Epic Universe. A bit off-topic, but if we’re talking about what’s coming soon to Walt Disney World, we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least give passing mention to Epic Universe, as it’s the big addition.
Anyone taking a Walt Disney World vacation this year or next should give serious consideration to spending a day or few over at Universal to experience the new park and more. We’ve spent several days in Epic Universe already and love the new park. However, we discuss Why You Should Skip Epic Universe (for now) if you’re infrequent visitors to Florida.
Here’s a park by park look at everything new and coming soon to Walt Disney World…
EPCOT
The front of EPCOT is looking good as the reimagined park entrance project is finished. Redesigned landscaping, flags, topiaries, and an iconic prismatic pylon fountain in front of Spaceship Earth have all been installed. These are further enhanced at night by an upgraded lighting package, including the mesmerizing Beacons of Magic synchronized displays.
Between Spaceship Earth and World Showcase, the new World Celebration gardens are now open. This is essentially just walkways, seating areas, and planters. It’s a major improvement as compared to the last few years, when it was construction walls surrounding the Giant EPCOT Dirt Pit™️. But it’s also not anything of substance and it’s hard to see what took so long. You’ll pass through and maybe stop for a photo with the Walt Disney statue, before continuing on your way. At night it looks nice.
The new adults-only Spaceship Earth Lounge, GEO-82, is now open. This is a smaller-scale dining option, but one that is already very popular with EPCOT fans. We’ve had a chance to visit GEO-82, and it’s quite nice, ranking high our our list of the Top 25 Bars & Lounges at Walt Disney World in 2025.
Right behind Spaceship Earth, Creations Shop, Club Cool, and Connections Cafe & Eatery are all open. In addition to a counter service restaurant, Connections is now EPCOT’s permanent Starbucks location. Across from all of this is CommuniCore Hall, which is one of the most disappointing additions to Walt Disney World in recent memory.
The biggest recent addition at EPCOT is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is a hybrid roller coaster. Cosmic Rewind is awesome–the best new ride at EPCOT in decades. Cosmic Rewind now uses a standby line and also offers paid line-skipping access via the Lightning Lane Single Pass.
Cosmic Rewind is a satisfying attraction from start to finish, with a queue and pre-shows that have fun moments, hilarity & hijinks, and a compelling story set-up. The roller coaster itself is satisfying in duration and has fantastic flow and fluidity–better the music and the motion, it feels a bit like dancing.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is just flat-out, fantastic fun. It hits all of the right notes, and is just a non-stop hoot from start to finish. In large part, this is owing to the Marvel characters, humor, and use of music. It’s exactly the blockbuster attraction that EPCOT needed, and is another great modern hybrid of story and fun from Imagineering. (Read our Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Ride Review for more.)
The latest attraction to open at Walt Disney World is Test Track 3.0, which recently wrapped-up a year-long reimagining. This attraction pulls inspiration from the original World of Motion, and brings that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of Test Track. The reimagined ride pushes innovation forward and celebrates humanity’s enduring drive on the thrilling road to a brighter tomorrow.
All of the show scenes before the outdoor speed loop have been overhauled in Test Track, and most have been improved in the process. We generally like Test Track 3.0; there are some changes from the previous incarnation to the third iteration that are a downgrade and others that don’t go far enough, but it’s mostly an iterative improvement. Read our Test Track 3.0 Ride Review: Good, Bad & Ugly for more.
Right around the corner from Test Track is Space 220 Restaurant. We’ve dined here several times, and share more in Photos & Video Inside Space 220 Restaurant as well as our Space 220 Lunch Review that looks at whether the food is worth the price tag. Space 220 is a novel restaurant featuring a special space elevator that ascends to the stars. Upon arrival, you enjoy a celestial panorama from the space station, with the ability to peer out and enjoy daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up.
Another addition at the front of EPCOT is Moana: Journey of Water. This is the first-ever attraction based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios hit film, Moana. This interactive water exploration trail in World Nature is now open.
Next door in the Imagination pavilion, you’ll once again find Figment. The not-so-little purple dragon is meeting in the ImageWorks area, which is the exit of Journey into Imagination. You can either ride the attraction and see him on your way out, or enter through the gift shop. We highly recommend meeting Figment!
Turning to World Showcase, you can currently catch Luminous The Symphony of Us, has now officially debuted as the new nighttime spectacular. This replaces Harmonious, which was intended to be a permanent lagoon show but failed, and the interim EPCOT Forever. Luminous is very good, and should stick around for years to come.
Check out our Best Fireworks Viewing Locations at EPCOT for recommendations on where to watch. One of our favorite fireworks locations in EPCOT is the Japan pavilion (pictured above), is also home to a new restaurant. Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya has replaced Tokyo Dining, and is now open.
The newest E-Ticket attraction to open in World Showcase is Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. This family-friendly trackless dark ride is part of an expansion of the France pavilion.
In addition to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, this area features La Crêperie de Paris. This crêperie offers both table and quick-service options featuring a menu from celebrity chef Jerome Bocuse.
Magic Kingdom
Next up is Magic Kingdom, where Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away has debuted. This is Walt Disney World’s first night parade in roughly a decade, and it pulls inspiration from Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic while featuring modern technology and fan-favorite characters.
We love Disney Starlight Night Parade and highly recommend making a point of watching it during your trip. The parade isn’t perfect, but it has great “bones” thanks to a celestial soundtrack and excellent floats. It’s a worthy addition to Walt Disney World’s legacy of nighttime entertainment, and we cannot get enough of it. See our rundown of the Best Starlight Night Parade Viewing Spots & Tips to Beat Magic Kingdom’s Massive Crowds!
We’d further recommend scoring a spot that’s good for both Starlight and the fireworks, Happily Ever After. The beloved nighttime spectacular features enhancements, such as projections on Main Street and more. Our Viewing Guide to the Happily Ever After Fireworks at Magic Kingdom covers the best & worst spots to see the nighttime spectacular.
Magic Kingdom is also home to the biggest and new ride at Walt Disney World: TRON Lightcycle Run Roller Coaster in Tomorrowland behind Space Mountain. The Walt Disney World Railroad, which was previously closed due to TRON construction, has also returned.
TRON Lightcycle Run is one of the most popular rides at Walt Disney World. However, it’s also a very short roller coaster, and arguably not worth an hour-plus wait in line.
Also in Tomorrowland, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is now closed for a major overhaul that’ll modernize the blaster attraction. All Walt Disney World has officially announced with regard to a timeline is that it’ll reopen sometime in 2026.
The newest attraction to open at Magic Kingdom is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is the reimagining of Splash Mountain in Frontierland. The reimagined ride brings guests into the world of “The Princess and the Frog” after the events of the movie.
As discussed in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Ride Review: Failure, Flawed or Fantastic?, the attraction is a mixed bag. It’s also the most polarizing attraction in a long time, with most fans either loving or hating (with how they felt about Splash Mountain being a strong predictor of their opinion of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure).
Also in Frontierland, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is Closed for Refurbishment at Magic Kingdom until 2026! The iconic roller coaster is receiving a complete re-tracking, along with new effects and more.
Prior to this, Country Bear Musical Jamboree debuted as an entirely reimagined stage show in Frontierland. The Bear Band now performs favorite Disney songs in different genres of country music. Imagineers made this an homage to the classic musical revues and worked with Nashville musicians to produce the newly-reimagined show.
Speaking of the classics, a Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern, known as the Beak & Barrel Bar, is coming to Adventureland (near the attraction). Expect this to be like Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, except themed to pirates.
It’ll be an intimate setting, featuring the Barker Bird Audio Animatronics figure. Walt Disney World has revealed that the Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern will debut in Late 2025.
Speaking of added Audio Animatronics, Imagineered “plussed” Haunted Mansion with the addition of the Hatbox Ghost. It’s just one Audio Animatronics ghost in an out-of-place location, so it didn’t exactly reinvent the ride.
Looking further into the future, Walt Disney World announced two all-new Cars attractions in a reimagined ‘Piston Peak’ area of Frontierland and Villains Land expansion at Magic Kingdom, essentially behind the Piston Peak Cars Land, and between/behind Big Thunder and Haunted Mansion. Those are likely pluses from a ride roster perspective in the long-term once they debut between 2028 and 2030.
To get there, the Rivers of America will be filled in, meaning that Tom Sawyer Island and the Liberty Square Riverboat are now permanently closed. That has a lot of fans upset, worried about how it’ll negatively impact the atmosphere of Magic Kingdom. Even if it does manage to be a net positive long-term, it’s still going to be a rough few years of construction walls.
Since this post largely revolves around 2025 and 2026, our expectation is that the near-term will involve walls. There’s a lot of site development to be done before vertical construction even begins, and that could take until 2026. In the meantime, the Walt Disney World Railroad is operating in “shuttle mode” due to the temporary closure of Frontierland Station.
Animal Kingdom
There’s not really that’s new at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
The latest addition is Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond, which is just a reimagined version of Finding Nemo: The Musical. The show is substantially similar, but it’s a tighter production with a shorter runtime. Still has the songs and puppets that made the musical a winner!
In Winter 2025, Zootopia: Better Zoogether will debut in the Tree of Life, replacing It’s Tough to Be a Bug.
The concept for Zootopia: Better Zoogether has guests visiting the different biomes you only glimpse in the film, traveling along with Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and other characters.
Zootopia: Better Together is expected to open around Thanksgiving, possibly on the same date as Zootopia 2 is released in theaters (November 26, 2025).
Animal Kingdom is also the park that’s first up for additions during the next development cycle. Dino-Rama closed in early 2025 for construction to begin on Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom.
Tropical Americas will feature three mini-lands, in essence. One will be home to the Encanto Magical Madrigal Casita Dark Ride, and another will be Indiana Jones Adventure. In between will be Pueblo Esperanza or the “Village of Hope” along with a critter carousel and large-scale counter service restaurant.
The portions of this land that are considered Dinoland USA are safe for longer. This includes the Boneyard, Restaurantosaurus, and–most notably–DINOSAUR. Walt Disney World has indicated that DINOSAUR won’t close this year. Our guess is that all three will close at roughly the same time in early to mid-January 2026.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Since it debuted 6 years ago, there have been additions and changes to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the most popular of which is the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda walk-around characters who meet and greet guests. The insanely popular dynamic duo does not have specific appearance times, nor do they have a dedicated location. You’re most likely to spot them around Black Spire Outpost between 10 am and 5 pm.
For a limited time, the BDX Duckling Droids are also in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. These droids are now appearing through August 30, 2025! The ‘duckling droids’ will waddle their way around several areas of Batuu and make appearances Tuesdays through Saturdays at select times from 10:30 am to 6 pm. It’s likely that the BDX Droids will reappear again in 2026 once other changes are made to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The centerpiece of those changes is the new Mandalorian and Baby Yoda mission coming to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in celebration of the new Star Wars film “The Mandalorian and Grogu” coming to theaters. This new mission will debut on May 22, 2026–the same date as the new movie.
In 2027, a brand-new Monstropolis land will come to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Picking up after the events of the first film, humans have now been invited to visit the world of Monsters, Inc.
The Monsters, Inc. Doors Coaster will put you right in the middle of the monster action. Guests will be able to visit the Laugh Factory, hear the laughs and zoom through the building just like Sulley and Mike Wazowski, via a door. Muppets Courtyard and MuppetVision 3D have now closed to make way for the monsters, and construction on the Monstropolis land project is now underway.
As an olive branch to fans, the company also announced that the Muppets are taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and replacing Aerosmith. The old version of the attraction will close in 2026, and the new version will also open in 2026.
That’s not the only big addition coming in 2026. Animation Courtyard is being reimagined into the Walt Disney Studios Lot. The biggest change is that the Roy E. Disney Animation Building is replacing Star Wars Launch Bay at Hollywood Studios, and will house an all-new family experience, “The Magic of Disney Animation.”
The new-look Walt Disney Studios Lot is also reimagining the common areas of Animation Courtyard. It’ll have grassy grounds and a courtyard area where families can relax under lush trees. The land will draw inspiration from several buildings found on the Disney campuses in Burbank, California. This will include the Studio Theater and other buildings, which will get facelifts, plus a fresh Disney Jr. show at the soundstage. There’s also going to be the “Drawn to Wonderland” indoor playground.
The Walt Disney Studios Lot and “The Magic of Disney Animation” will open in 2026. As Walt Disney World prepares for this transformation, Animation Courtyard, including Star Wars Launch Bay and Disney Jr. Play and Dance! will close beginning September 25, 2025.
During this time, guests will still be able to go under the sea with Ariel in “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” and enjoy the exhibits and film presentation at Walt Disney Presents.
Speaking of which, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has debuted a couple of smaller-scale stage shows this year. Both “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” and “Villains Unfairly Ever After” are now performing.
The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure is a reimagined rendition of Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The show features new set pieces, cutting-edge effects, and a bold new design that captures Ariel’s imagination and emotions through her unique view of the world around her. With that said, it should be substantially similar to the old puppet-and-performer show it’s replacing.
Villains Unfairly Ever After will take guests into the mysterious, reflective realm of the Magic Mirror. The show will feature appearances by dozens of the most infamous evildoers, with fiendish foes Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent each breaking through the glass to take the stage in live production numbers.
Although both of these are smaller-scale additions, they’re precisely what Disney’s Hollywood Studios needs. The park is way too heavy on blockbuster rides with long lines. This will help round out days for guests with lower-wait, lower-stakes attractions. Although DHS also has an abundance of stage shows, these are shorter ones that should be hits with families.
WDW Resort Hotels
A few resorts have opened at Walt Disney World within the last 5 years. The first of these was Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Our review of this property was mixed, with our ultimate conclusion being that it offered strong bang for buck and was very appealing for a certain type of traveler.
Next came Disney’s Riviera Resort, the latest DVC Resort. This property is adjacent to Caribbean Beach and offers direct Skyliner access to EPCOT. Our Disney’s Riviera Resort Review covers the pros & cons of these Disney Vacation Club accommodations.
This DVC resort, along with Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, and Art of Animation are connected to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios via the recently-added Disney Skyliner gondola system, which opened a few years ago. We’d go as far as recommending a Skyliner resort for your next trip to Walt Disney World, as it offers a huge advantage in terms of transportation.
More recently, the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and the new DVC Cabins at Fort Wilderness debuted within the last year. There’s yet another Disney Vacation Club property being built, the long-delayed Disney Lakeshore Lodge, which is slated to open in 2027.
From 2025 through 2027, several resorts are undergoing refurbishment, construction, and expansion projects. We would recommend consulting our list of Construction & Refurbishments at Walt Disney World Hotels, which we update regularly for insight into changes at existing hotels.
Disney Springs
Then there’s Disney Springs. This is the entertainment and shopping district previously known as Downtown Disney. Producing a comprehensive list of what has opened here in the last ~5 years would be daunting, as around 75% of this area has been overhauled.
Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life is the most recent entertainment offering to debut, performing in iconic white circus tent on the Westside. In addition to that, Salt & Straw scoop shop has opened, as has Gideon’s Bakehouse. There are also a bunch of new stores, from M&M’s to Corkcicle to Lululemon.
In terms of major additions, Summer House on the Lake has been built on the site that was slated for Beatrix. This California coastal cuisine in a modern setting actually looks better than Beatrix to us. Summer House on the Lake is now open!
Another new Disney Springs restaurant is EET by Maneet Chauhan, a modern Indian restaurant that replaced Wolfgang Puck Express location in the Marketplace. We’re really looking forward to this one, which is also now open.
As you can probably tell, there is a lot that’s new and coming soon to Walt Disney World in the next few years.
With that said, don’t fret too much about the construction–even with an unprecedented amount, must of its out-of-the-way of guest areas, and there are still a ton of attractions to do at Walt Disney World no matter when you visit!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Which attractions coming to Walt Disney World in 2026, 2027 or beyond are you most excited to experience? Are you delaying your next visit to maximize seeing ‘new stuff’ or moving it forward to avoid the crowds? 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!
