Walt Disney World is experiencing a lot of growth, and we’re not just talking about the opening of new attractions like Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway!
Indeed, Disney World is growing in many different ways, and by 2021 — just one year from now — our vacations to the World might look very different.
Epcot in 2021?
Let’s take a look at the changes coming to Disney World and what they might mean for you and your visit!
You might…stay somewhere brand new!
Three new hotels have been announced as opening in the next two years.
The Star Wars-themed hotel may be the most anticipated of the trio. It’s billed as an immersive experience in which guests are essentially characters in the Star Wars universe, isolated from the World outside. (Even the view out the windows will mimic space rather than central Florida!) Galactic Starcruiser is set to open sometime in 2021.
Star Wars Resort Concept Art
Click here for more info about the Star Wars-themed resort!
Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge will be a deluxe hotel with 900 hotel rooms plus DVC villas. It will be located between Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge and will reflect the natural world around it. (Click here to read about the announcement!)
Reflections Concept Art © Disney
The Cove is a Marriott Hotel in the vein of Swan and Dolphin — which are on Disney property but operated by Marriott. The Cove will open on March 1, 2021, and feature 14 stories and 343 rooms. Disney says about half of those rooms will convert into business spaces, too, making it a resort that will cater to the business set.
The Cove will join Swan and Dolphin!
You might…eat someplace new!
Several new dining spots are set to open around the World, including Epcot’s space-themed restaurant! This table-service spot remains shrouded in mystery for the most part; but we know it will be helmed by Chef Theo Schoenegger, who opened two other Patina Group restaurants in Disney World recently — Maria & Enzo’s and Enzo’s Hideaway. The space-themed restaurant will feature international cuisine along with craft beer selections and 1000 bottles of the world’s finest wines. It will open sometime this year!
Space-themed Restaurant Concept Art © Disney
Click here to see what we know about Space 220 so far!
Meanwhile, in Epcot’s France, a La Crêperie de Paris will open with both a table service and quick service component. The restaurant is set to open alongside Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure this summer! (Find Crêperie details here!)
Creperie Concept Art ©Disney
Toy Story Land is finally getting a much-needed table-service spot — Roundup Rodeo BBQ! This family-oriented barbecue join will be opening sometime this year. Woohoo!
Rodeo Roundup BBQ Concept Art ©Disney
New hotels also mean new places to grab a bite to eat, and Reflections, A Lakeside Lodge is set to open with a Princess and the Frog-inspired restaurant. We don’t know much about this spot but we sure hope they serve up some tasty down south cookin’!
You might… experience lots of new attractions!
New attractions are set to open at three parks in the next couple of years, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and a Guardians of the Galaxy coaster at Epcot; and Tron Lightcycle Run coaster at Magic Kingdom.
TRON Billboard ©Disney
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is set to open THIS summer, with Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind and Tron Lightcycle Run opening sometime in 2021 (ahead of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary in the summer).
©Walt Disney Imagineering
Another exciting new attraction coming soon is the Play Pavilion coming to Epcot’s Future World!
It’s hard to imagine this near future where all these new experiences are open and ready for us — but that future is coming! And we. can’t. wait!
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Do you think the Walt Disney World 50th anniversary celebration will begin in January 2021 or in October 2021 near it’s actual birthday?
Too many new rooms being built on Disney property. Isn’t it crowded enough now?
And Disney might cost $200 a day to get in the park.
You MIGHT need to pay for an extra ticket to a dessert party or early morning event just to do things you used to be able to walk on to 10 years ago.
You MIGHT not be able to get a room at your home resort if you’re DVC, even if you try to book exactly 11 months ahead of time.
You MIGHT get to enjoy a Magical new $30 dollar a day resort fee on top of your $300 / night hotel room.
You MIGHT need to take out a 2nd mortgage to take your kids to a sit down dinner.
You MIGHT not be able to get a fast pass to a newer attraction unless you stay at least 10 days.
Whee !
It is crowded enough already and 5 new hotels, there will come a time where if you don’t stay on Disney property, you will not be able to go to the parks. I know Disney is a business but enough already – next thing you know you will have to book a time slot to attend a park because of the crowds. Been coming since 1978 and it has changed SO MUCH and some not for the better.
Truth… more hotels , more people , less attractions…let’s update the older attractions , so people want to ride them again, instead of buiding more hotel . if your able to get fast passes.. that’s three attractions a day, then impossible wait times on lines. It is impossible to refresh those fast passes through the day. I really don’t want to have to add a $600 “ party “ just so I can get into the parks after hours and enjoy everything with out the crazy. Spending over $7000 already!!! Way too much planning needs to go into this vacation, dining reservations months, months in advance, fasspasses 3 months a head of time. Gets me nuts. We are going in July, staying at the yacht club . Paying a fortune, my whole family loves Disney but I think this is our last trip?
I love staying in Disney and will be going twice this year however I agree with other comments on this article that there are not enough new rides to match the number of new rooms. A park takes 10 years minimum to develop and as one has not been announced yet it will be likely to be the 2030’s before one opens. I have noticed that the imaginers appear to be more focused on $$ rather than experience. For example the new Riviera stands out like a sore thumb when you view Germany from Canada in World Show case and compare that to how carefully they blended in tower of terror when that was built 30 years ago. I would recommend that the whole imaginer department spend time working the parks and hotels as front of house cast members to keep them in touch with what guests are thinking. After all there is the chance that greed will kill the golden goose.
Disney is expensive, but the people keep coming!! It’s more crowded than ever! I wouldn’t mind they double the price for 1/2 the amount of people. I almost feel it’s a waste going now with all the crowds. It makes it very unpleasant.
Imagine they lowered prices?!?! It would be 100x more crowded with even worse quality people, cutting in line, being really loud, throwing up because they’re drunk, being rude…I say raise prices prices, get rid of the bad actors and the massive crowds.
There’s nothing magical waiting 2-3 hours with kids in 100 degree heat for 1 45 second ride
I wasn’t aware of a new movie coming to the France pavilion. I wonder if this means the Beauty and the Beast stage show that is going to alternate with the movie or if a new movie is actually coming. I hope they are retaining the old France movie.
It seems like they’re building a lot of deluxe resorts. How about another moderate one for those of us that can’t afford the big expense of deluxe? We could go to WDW more often if it wasn’t so expensive. It just gets more expensive every year which limits how often we can go and how long we can stay. More people would go and stay longer if the prices were more reasonable.
Unless Disney builds an entirely new park to accommodate current and future crowds (based on additional hotel capacity), I cannot image the experience will be anything but miserable (such a project would take years). I live in a Florida coastal resort town: over-run by tourists during our high season and spring break, adding massive apartment complexes, and without an infrastructure to support it all (they’re widening roads, so now is especially terrible). Disney seems to have a similar “pack people in at all costs no matter how it affects the guest experience” mentality. A few additional rides and restaurants won’t sufficiently dissipate the crowds. Of course, this is why Disney is adding so many extra-cost events outside regular operating hours. Here’s an idea: Tickets for different times of the day! $150 for 4 morning or evening hours and $130 for 4 mid-day “extra sun” hours!
I hope the new Japanese Restaurant incorporates some of the fun things you can get in Disneyland Tokyo less Hibachi/ Sushi you can get anywhere.
Tim, Bob Chapek described the Beauty and the Beast sing-along as “in addition to” Impressions de France, so it sounds like they’re retaining the movie. If we do hear differently, we’ll update!
I agree with all of the comments concerning crowding and high costs. Maybe they should build a second Magic Kingdom on WDW property. Or an entirely new park in say, Texas. Northwest of Houston, to pick a city at random.
These changes / additions are looking more & more like cater to the uber rich. We are upper middle class Florida residents. We have been going to Disney for over 30 years now usually four or five times a year. The last 3 years we have only gone once a year. Now I don’t see a trip planned in our future. Parks are way too crowded now without adding more hotels.
Lots of complaints here. Just got back from a trip(literally 3 hours ago). Rode every ride my family and I wanted to and waited no more than 30 minutes for anything. All it takes is a little planning and flexibility and not being grumpy to have a really great vacation. We had so much fun this week. Some parks were quite crowded on the days we went, but we made it work for us. If you start with a bad attitude you’ll have a bad time.
I am not destined to have a bad trip just because I share concerns. We are an experienced Disney World family.
As such, we have experienced some lovely days and some terrible days. The terrible days due to crowds even during “slow” times of the year!
What Disney World needs is another land or enlarging current lands. Guests want to see more than the behind of the person they’re crowded into. Creeping in heat is NO FUN. They need to get their act together and fix the problems instead of building more and more hotels. This is just nuts!
I wonder if the rumor of a train ride between fort wilderness the new hotel in rover country the wilderness lodge and the magic kingdom are true or not?????
Its just not fun anymore. I feel like I am visiting an Anthill and I am a very small, unimportant Ant.