2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Disney, especially at places like Disneyland and the Walt Disney World Resort. However, as the company breaks ground on these new and exciting experiences, visiting guests might find their trips brought to a screeching halt.
With the announcement of a Magic Kingdom overhaul, a new Villains-inspired expansion, and even a special guest appearance from Bluey and Bingo, there's a lot to be excited about this year. However, even magic takes a little time, and that can make for some choppy waters for Disney trip planners everywhere.
Should We Stay or Should We Go?
Any theme park with such a long history like Walt Disney World is bound to have seasons of repair and refurbishment. However, WDW Magazine's refurb calendar for 2025 is absolutely loaded. So much, in fact, that it might be wiser to wait until 2026 before storming Cinderella Castle again.
It's not so much that Disney is entering its refurb season so heavily this coming year as much as it is what specifically is going under the knife. With big names like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney's Pop Century Resort, and even entire sections of the park like the late Dinoland USA going down, it'll certainly take a bite out of anyone's stay.
Additionally, many new and developing attractions are about to enter their construction phases. One only has to look back at EPCOT's recent work to get an idea of what that might look like. As the Magic Kingdom begins its reworking around Tom Sawyer Island and laying the groundwork for the Disney Villains, the illusion begins to dissolve.
It's Disney's dedication to keeping the illusion alive that continues to bring fans in from around the world. "Here you leave today and enter a world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy" are the words that welcome all into Walt's magical worlds. It becomes a problem when reality begins to set in.
One thing that the corporate side of Disney won't tell you is that along with the thousands of dollars spent on travel, tickets, and resort hotels, guests also pay a price for being fully immersed in Disney magic from the moment they arrive. That mindset washes away pretty easily with the sight of construction equipment and privacy walls.
Walt Disney intended for his parks to be in a constant state of improvement, but it's easy to understand why this feels like a lot of new developments all at once. After all, Epic Universe at Universal is about to put a real squeeze on the Mickey Mouse Club. Disney can't afford to pull any punches.
Not only that but potential guests can expect an influx of overcrowding and packed spaces once many of these fixtures reopen again. And that's not even including the new attractions and experiences already in the works.
We're not saying Disney can't be a wonderful time, even when making a few changes, but it might be better for larger parties to wait until the pixie dust settles before going all the way. After all, WDW is still the place where dreams come true,
Are you going to the Disney Parks this year?