As part of today’s earnings call, Disney released supplemental material that outlines the key openings, and upcoming theme park projects for the company. For domestic theme park fans, the upcoming projects list is starting to dry up despite continued promises of “turbocharging” the business.
Domestic theme park highlights include the opening of CommuniCore Hall, the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and the opening of two Disney Vacation Club properties. Beyond that, much of the highlights are focused on Disney Cruise Line, which is a line of business that Disney sees a ton of growth in, and the highest guest satisfaction scores in the company. Other highlights include the opening of Fantasy Springs in Tokyo DisneySea, and the first residents moving into the Cotino Storyliving by Disney development.
The dwindling highlights list reflects a number of openings in international theme parks such as openings at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland. Tokyo DisneySea is also on the precipice of a major expansion to its theme park.
That said, a final vote is expected from the Anaheim City Council tonight on the DisneylandForward rezoning efforts, which Iger & Co. seem very excited about. If DisneylandForward is approved, it will allow for a significantly expanded footprint for both theme parks at the Disneyland Resort.
The most high-profile carrot that Disneyland has dangled is the Avatar-themed land that is expected to be a part of Disney California Adventure. While the Pandora land is not expected to utilize the footprint allowed by DisneylandForward rezoning, adjustments related to the DisneylandForward project will be crucial in developing the land. Other expansions are expected to be rolled out over the next four decades.
At Walt Disney World, work is set to begin soon on a Tropical Americas-themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and the Beyond Big Thunder Mountain project that will increase the walkable average of Magic Kingdom. We expect to hear more about Walt Disney World plans, and Disneyland plans for expansion at this year’s D23 Expo in August.
Here’s a look at the slides highlighting the currently announced and upcoming projects:
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!