Since 1998, there have been 4 parks at Disney World (excluding the water parks).
But will we see any new Disney parks at Disney World in the foreseeable future?
It’s been over 25 years since Disney has opened a new park. And we know that they have a lot of empty land.
With the May 2025 opening of Epic Universe at Universal Studios Orlando, will Disney finally announce and build a long-rumored fifth gate?
Let’s discuss!
This post is all about potential new parks at Disney World and when we could see a fifth Disney World theme park.
New Parks at Disney World
What are the Disney World 4 parks?
What are the 4 parks at Disney World called?
- Magic Kingdom (opened in 1971)
- Epcot (opened in 1982)
- Hollywood Studios (opened in 1989)
- Animal Kingdom (opened in 1998)
The Future of Parks at Disney World
Will There Be a Fifth Theme Park?
Disney has not made an official announcement that a fifth park will be built.
However, that does not mean that these potential expansion plans are off the table.
On June 12th, 2024, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District held a board meeting. Here, a 15 year development agreement was approved between Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and the district.
This has allowed Disney to build a fifth “major” theme parks, as well as 2 other small parks (e.g. water parks).
[It also allows Disney to add 13,000+ on-site hotel rooms and more].
So, by 2039, Disney’s fifth park may be open.
They key word is ‘may’.
Just because Disney has the ability to build a fifth park, nothing is guaranteed.
That being said, Disney has clearly given this some thought. Whether they act upon this is another story.
Why Disney World *may* Open a Fifth Park by 2039
1) Disney will need to “respond” to Epic Universe
Epic Universe is the talk of the theme park community (and has been for the last few years).
This will be the third theme park at Universal Studios Orlando – which will open on May 22nd, 2025.
None of us know how successful or impressive this park will be for sure.
However, based on Universal’s success since the 2010 opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we can assume that this will be a great park (especially as the third Harry Potter land – Ministry of Magic – will be present in this park).
A spokesperson for Disney in this article claimed that “Epic [Universe] is Universal playing catch-up on a decade of nonstop development at Walt Disney World.”
This thinking is why Disney is “behind” Universal.
They underestimate what Universal Studios Orlando is capable of achieving, and then don’t respond properly for years.
For example, The Wizarding World opened in 2010.
Disney’s first real “response” was the opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar – in 2017!
Seven. Years. Later.
By that point, Universal had already opened their second Harry Potter land – Diagon Alley – in 2014.
Bob Iger – the CEO of Disney – has acknowledged: “We’ve had competition from them for a long time. I’m mindful of what they’re doing, but I’m confident. I like our hand. I’m confident in what we’ve built and I’m confident in what we’ll continue to build. It’s not something that should be distracting to us or anxiety-provoking.”
However, if Disney sees a decrease in attendance, they will need to react in some way.
Could this be through a new park?
Maybe, but it’s unlikely to happen in the 2020s.
Why? Because Disney announced plenty of new attractions at 2024 D23 (I cover this in more detail in this post).
Some of these attractions are set to open in 2028.
It’s quite unlikely that Disney will build these attractions whilst simultaneously planning and building their fifth park.
But will Disney eventually need another park to win the theme park battle with Universal Studios Orlando?
It’s certainly possible.
2) To address park capacity issues
If you’ve visited Disney World in recent years, you will know that Disney Parks (for the most part) cannot handle their capacity well.
This is especially true at Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot.
The basic problem is that there are not enough attractions and too many guests wanting to experience said attractions.
This hasn’t been helped by Disney opening so many resorts (over 25) – encouraging more people to visit Disney World.
To try to deal with this, Disney may open a fifth park.
However, this wouldn’t be the best solution – as it doesn’t directly address the capacity issues in the existing parks.
Theoretically, it could make it worse. The more money invested in a fifth theme park would mean that less money would be invested in the current parks. Therefore, less attractions would be built in the existing parks.
Temporarily, a fifth park may take away attendance from the existing parks – lessening the capacity issues. But in time, when the new park is no longer new, the existing capacity problem would likely return to Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
3) Disney is getting a new CEO
Disney has confirmed that its new CEO will be announced in early 2026.
A new CEO means new changes in the company. Could a fifth park be part of this?
Maybe.
Why Disney World *may not* Open a Fifth Park by 2039
1) Investments in current Disney Parks
Like I mentioned, Disney is investing in expanding their current parks over the next few years.
As most Disney Parks struggle with capacity issues, Disney may continue to expand their current parks.
This would probably wiser than building a fifth park – at least in the foreseeable future.
Once the current parks are in a better place, then it makes sense to “start from square 1” with a fifth park.
2) A lack of inspiration and creativity
Have you been to Avengers Campus at Disneyland in Anaheim or at Disneyland Paris?
This Marvel-themed land is the best representation of the current state of Disney.
The company once known for its creativity and intricate theming now offers unimpressive lands with yesterday’s popular IP.
From bland buildings you could find anywhere outside of a theme park to subpar, outdated attractions (that have only opened in the early 2020s), Disney is not the creative powerhouse they once were in the industry.
RELATED POST: Are the Parks in Disney World Decreasing in Quality? [closing great attractions, mediocre new attractions]
If Disney has been unable to create incredibly impressive lands in recent years, could they really create a wonderful theme park – as impressive as Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom?
Frequently Asked Questions about Parks at Disney World
What are the 5 parks at Disney World Orlando?
There are only 4 Disney theme parks in Orlando currently (not including water parks).
How many parks do they have at Disney World currently?
There are 6 Disney World Parks in total: 4 theme parks and 2 water parks.
RELATED POST: From Magical To Tragical: Ranking the Walt Disney World Parks
What 3 parks at best at Disney World?
This answer will vary depending on who you ask, but based on theming, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Epcot are often considered to be superior to Hollywood Studios (which is now a jungle of random IPs).
What are the best days of the week to visit Disney Parks?
Wondering ‘what days to go to Disney parks’?
Usually, weekdays are the least crowded days to visit the parks – but this can also depend on the season (i.e. if Thanksgiving/Christmas falls on a weekday, this wouldn’t always be the case).
Ta Ta For Now
Do you think Disney will open a fifth park in the next 15 years? And if so, what do you think will be the central theme of the park? Please share in the comments!
This post was all about potential new parks at Disney World and when we could see a fifth Disney World theme park.
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