Disney World is undergoing a major revamp in 2025 amid a recent decline in visitors.
Last year, the Orlando theme park announced plans to open up several new attractions this year. This includes the highly anticipated debut of Villans Land at Magic Kingdom, which will feature rides and attractions inspired by classic Disney villains.
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A new nighttime parade, called “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away,” is also set to debut at Disney World this summer. In addition, Spaceship Earth Lounge will open its doors at Epcot this spring, and a Pirates of the Caribbean Tavern is expected to launch at Magic Kingdom towards the end of the year.
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The upcoming attractions are part of Disney’s (DIS) plan to spend $60 billion in 10 years to expand its parks around the world.
In 2023, Disney Parks and Resorts Chair Josh D’Amaro emphasized that the company’s upcoming theme park attractions will be based on “untapped stories.”
“We have a wealth of untapped stories to bring to life across our business,” said D’Amaro in a press release in 2023. “Frozen, one of the most successful and popular animated franchises of all time, could have a presence at the Disneyland Resort. Wakanda has yet to be brought to life. The world of Coco is just waiting to be explored. There’s a lot of storytelling opportunity.”Disney World shares bittersweet news
Disney World shares bittersweet news
As Disney fans anticipate major theme-park changes, they will have to wave goodbye to a classic land at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.
DinoLand, a dinosaur-themed amusement park that first opened in 1998, is set to close in 2026, a move first announced last year at D23. The development of DinoLand began after dinosaur bones were discovered at its location in 1947 when it was just a small highway town.
Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Disney World is planning to replace the land with Tropical Americas in 2027. This will be an 11-acre land that features rides based on Indiana Jones and Encanto.
In a recent blog post on its website, Disney World released new details about how it will close DinoLand, adding “time is running out” for the park’s fans.
Disney World confirmed that, to jumpstart construction of the new land, it closed TriceraTop Spin, the Fossil Fun Games, and Chester & Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures at DinoLand on Jan. 12.
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The company also said that many of DinoLand locations such as Dinosaur, the Boneyard, and Restaurantosaurus are still operating. However, when construction starts to ramp up, it will provide more info on when visitors can expect those locations to close.
When Tropical Americas opens, Disney World said the land will feature a hacienda, which will be one of the theme park’s largest quick-service restaurants.
The land will also have a large fountain and “a giant working carousel” that contains animals from Disney stories.
Disney World recently suffered a startling loss
While the new update on the closure of DinoLand from Disney is bittersweet, the upcoming debut of Tropical Americas may be exactly what Disney World needs to reverse low attendance numbers.
Disney’s fourth-quarter earnings report for 2024 revealed that while revenue for its U.S. theme parks spiked by 2% year-over-year, operating income (the company’s profit after expenses) for these locations fell 5%.
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Disney notes in the report that its theme parks faced “lower volumes attributable to declines in attendance” during the fourth quarter.
The company partially attributes this decline in visitors to the impact of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida in September, and Hurricane Milton, which directly hit Central Florida the following month.
However, the decline also comes after Disney World announced price increases in October for its annual passes, and tickets for busy days in November and December this year. Prices for food and beverages at several dining locations at the theme park also increased.
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