As Universal Orlando gears up for the grand opening of its new theme park, Epic Universe, set to officially welcome guests on May 22, 2025, discussions around whether Walt Disney World should counter with a fifth theme park are gaining traction. However, the reality is that Walt Disney World already boasts four well-established theme parks, and the need for an additional one is questionable. There are several compelling reasons why a new theme park is not the solution for Disney.
Existing Parks Have Room for Improvement
Walt Disney World boasts four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In comparison, Universal Orlando will feature three theme parks with the opening of Epic Universe. This gives Walt Disney World a distinct advantage when it comes to the number of theme parks, regardless of Universal Orlando’s upcoming addition. Instead of stretching resources to create a new park, Disney should focus on enhancing its existing parks. Even Universal Orlando recognizes the need for improvement in its existing parks, as evidenced by their announcement of new attractions in the works for each of them.
For instance, EPCOT, despite being a vast park filled with shops and dining options, as well as hosting frequent festivals to engage guests, notably lags in ride offerings, especially in the expansive World Showcase area, which features just three rides. The park needs more rides in World Showcase to create a more dynamic and balanced experience for guests. Increasing the number of rides would not only make World Showcase more appealing to families but also provide opportunities for storytelling that align with the diverse cultures represented in the pavilions.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios has gradually transformed into a full-day destination. The park has introduced a substantial number of attractions over the years, including brand-new themed lands. The park also offers a wide range of live entertainment to entertain guests. However, the popularity of many rides has led to long wait times, which is understandable. To address this issue, the park could benefit from not only adding more attractions but also adopting Magic Kingdom’s strategy of incorporating leisurely rides; this includes rides that don’t draw large crowds or can accommodate many guests, such as an omnimover ride, where vehicles continuously move along a track like in The Haunted Mansion and Spaceship Earth. Such additions would help distribute crowds more evenly throughout the park while providing guests with experiences that have more manageable wait times.
Moreover, Disney’s Animal Kingdom desperately needs more attractions. Despite being open for over two decades, the park still lacks sufficient ride offerings. Although Disney is currently working on new rides for the upcoming Tropical Americas section, this development involves replacing several existing attractions in DinoLand U.S.A. For instance, DINOSAUR will be reimagined as an Indiana Jones-themed ride, and TriceraTop Spin, a Dumbo-style attraction, has closed, with a carousel being its replacement. This means the only genuine new addition is the Encanto-themed ride, which does little to increase the park’s overall ride count. Consequently, even with these updates, the park will still be perceived as the most incomplete at Walt Disney World. Introducing more rides, rather than replacing existing ones, along with re-establishing a nighttime show (previously offered for a short time) would provide guests with more experiences to enjoy and encourage them to stay later in the day.
Magic Kingdom stands out as the most vibrant park in Walt Disney World, boasting a diverse range of attractions. The park showcases timeless classics, complemented by recent updates like the addition of TRON Lightcycle / Run and the reimagining of Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. With the highest number of attractions of any park at Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom is actually in the least need of improvements, as it offers an abundance of experiences for guests to enjoy.
As highlighted, introducing a new theme park will not resolve the current issues faced by Walt Disney World’s existing theme parks. The priority should be on enhancing these parks first, as launching a new park could distract from necessary improvements. Instead, attention should be directed toward developing new rides and experiences within the existing parks, which would enhance crowd management and ensure visitors have ample entertainment options.
The Risk of Cannibalization
As additional parks are introduced, the overall cost for guests to experience all of them rises. As a result, families budgeting for their vacations may prioritize visiting the new park, potentially at the expense of the older parks. This means reduced attendance at the well-established parks, rather than a boost in overall visitor numbers. This shift could have considerable financial implications. Additionally, if both the new and old parks fail to achieve satisfactory crowd levels, it could lead to decreased revenue for Disney. Recognizing this risk, Disney appears to be strategically prioritizing the development of new attractions and themed lands within its current parks at Walt Disney World instead, despite ongoing calls from fans for a new theme park.
The Financial Risk
There’s no question that Walt Disney World generates significant revenue; however, operating theme parks is also inherently expensive, from the cost of maintenance, staffing, and resources. Building and managing an entirely new park would also require a considerable financial commitment from Disney. The costs associated with designing, construction, systems integration, and ongoing maintenance could strain the company’s resources, especially if the new park does not improve overall attendance at Walt Disney World. If that were the case, the financial repercussions could result in widespread budget cuts or worse. It’s worth noting that Disneyland Paris faced difficulties in drawing sufficient visitors, albeit for different reasons, which adversely affected the Disney Parks and created substantial challenges for The Walt Disney Company as whole. While the performance of a new Walt Disney World theme park is uncertain, it undeniably represents a risk that Disney must carefully consider. Given that the existing theme parks at Walt Disney World currently enjoy robust attendance figures, concentrating efforts on improving them seems a more prudent course of action.
Walt Disney World does not need a fifth theme park to compete with Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe. Many of the existing parks present ample opportunities for growth and enhancement, which should take precedence. Given the risks of attendance cannibalization and the substantial costs, adding another park is not the answer for Disney. By concentrating on enhancing the current parks, Disney can elevate guest experiences, improve crowd flow, and ultimately boost profits.
There is currently no official information regarding whether Walt Disney World is contemplating the addition of a new theme park; such a move would necessitate extensive financial analysis by Disney to assess its feasibility. We would certainly love to explore a brand new Disney theme park, but it’s essential that the existing parks receive the attention they deserve before any considerations for expansion take place.
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