Disney World can only watch while neighboring parks continue to expand
By Brian Miller
Disney has ruled the roost in central Florida since Walt Disney himself flew his private plane down the runway near what is now the Disney campgrounds. The grip it has is starting to slip.
In the last few months, Disney has announced plans for new attractions at its theme parks in Orlando. A new ENCANTO area will replace the current dino area. Indiana Jones will eventually take over the dinosaur ride.
At Magic Kingdom, Tiana's Bayou will open and changes to Country Bears Jamboree are already underway now as well. Disney has done a lot over the years with new shows and new attractions but despite all of that, they are falling behind.
Just up I4 eastbound, Universal Studios will soon be opening their 4th gate, 3rd if you don't include Volcano Bay. This new park will be massive and continue the Harry Potter experience as well as other big additions.
At SeaWorld, new rollercoasters continue to be rolled out. The latest will open this summer near the penguin experience. Last summer a standup roller coaster opened and the year before that another coaster opened nearer Shamu Stadium.
SeaWorld will soon have seven rollercoasters and they are rebranding themselves away from just being a place to see sea life. Over the years SeaWorld has focused more on their conservation initiatives and becoming a premier spot for coasters.
The park is also creating a massive 250 room hotel that will be its second hotel near their parks. They have three parks. SeaWorld, Aquatica, and Discovery Cove.
Disney still has four gates. Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Magic Kingdom but they have plenty of property for a 5th gate that would bring more excitement to the area. We have looked previously at what a 5th gate might look like and you can read that here.
Disney has held off on adding a 5th gate and there hasn't been any discussion on doing so but it could provide more money to the company and solve some of their more pressing issues with larger crowds. With Universal's expansion and SeaWorld's continued quest to rebrand, Disney has an opportunity to keep a step ahead of other entertainment parks in the area.
Will they? Probably not any time soon. There was no mention of expansion at the recent Disney D23 events and it seems as though they are content with upgrading some of their current attractions instead. That's a shame.