There has never been a better time to visit the happiest place on earth! With so many new Disney World rides, you're bound to find something that will bring you lots of magic and excitement. Whether you're curious about the new rides, shows or attractions, Disney has something in store. Chances are there is already something new since your last visit!
We will explain all of the exciting additions around Walt Disney World, even looking into some of the amazing “blue sky” ideas that Disney has in the works! From rides to shows, we're excited to share them all here with you.
In this article:
Tiana's Bayou Adventure—Magic Kingdom
After winning the hearts of Disney fans all over, Splash Mountain officially closed in 2023 to make way for the exciting retheming that will transform the mountain into a musical bayou adventure!
Tiana and all her friends have moved into the mountain and will bring to life all of your favorite music and pals from the movie The Princess and the Frog. We're excited to see this fan-favorite film come to life and sing along!
No word has been issued on an official opening date, but the ride is projected to debut in late 2024. It might seem like a long time away, but as long we stay optimistic, we're almost there…!
TRON Lightcycle/Run—Magic Kingdom
After years of waiting, TRON Lightcycle/Run finally made its debut at Magic Kingdom on April 4th, 2023. Located in Tomorrowland, this long-anticipated ride has definitely been worth the wait! It's hard to miss its large presence in Tomorrowland and it even looks cooler at night with all of the neon lights that illuminate the ride's track.
Guests mount a motorcycle-type vehicle and are whisked away at thrilling speeds. The reviews so far have been excellent, so be sure to check it out on your next visit! TRON utilizes a Virtual Queue and has no walk-up line (similar to Remy's Ratatouille Adventure). You can also purchase an Individual Lightning Lane if you want the ultimate experience!
Happily Ever After Fireworks Spectacular is Back!—Magic Kingdom
Now that the Magic Kingdom 50th anniversary celebration has ended, Disney also ended the Enchantment fireworks show. However, not too many people were sad about that, because back in the skies above the Magic Kingdom is Happily Ever After! This show is the favorite of many Disney fans and definitely the Magic Kingdom's most famous fireworks spectacular. The show illuminated the skies once again on April 4th, 2023 and instantly reclaimed its throne as the most loved Magic Kingdom show.
No official word has been said on how long the show will run, so be sure to check it out as soon as you can!
NEW Pirates of the Caribbean Lounge—Magic Kingdom
At this year's Destination D23 event, Disney announced that a new Pirates of the Caribbean Lounge will be coming to Adventureland in Magic Kingdom, and Imagineers are currently designing this experience, with more information to come in the future.
Country Bear Jamboree Update—Magic Kingdom
When the show debuts in 2024, the bears will have learned favorite Disney songs in new genres of country music, like rockabilly, bluegrass, pop-country, and more! Disney is working with Nashville musicians “to get the authentic country sound.” Country Bear Jamboree will still feature the same beloved characters but will have some refreshed music for audiences to enjoy!
The Haunted Mansion's Hatbox Ghost—Magic Kingdom
A new haunt is moving into the haunted mansion at Magic Kingdom and we're dying to see it! Fans of the Disneyland attraction will instantly recognize the famous Hatbox Ghost, who made its return to the Disneyland attraction some time ago. For the longest time, fans have been eagerly waiting for the same at Magic Kingdom, and we can expect to see this new ghost in late November of 2023.
What's Beyond Big Thunder Mountain?—Magic Kingdom
In what is perhaps the most exciting thing to look forward to, Disney continues to tease what could be built just beyond Big Thunder Mountain. We're talking park expansion! While nothing official has been declared, Disney did release some teaser images showing what could be beyond the “wildest ride in the wilderness.”
The three options include a potential new villains lair themed to all Disney villains. An Encanto-themed land was up next with a full-scale model of the famous magical house! Lastly, we make our way over to a land themed to the film Coco. These are all big ideas, and nothing is set in stone. It would also not be all three lands together, but perhaps just one. In any event, we're excited to see what can happen here!
At the Destination D23 event, Disney shared that this huge expansion will be similar in scale to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Pandora – The World of Avatar, featuring new attractions, restaurants, shows, and more.
Construction and Themed Lands—EPCOT
There are so many new projects at EPCOT both here today as new attractions and some still to come! Let's take a look at what's new and upcoming.
If you've been to EPCOT recently, you've surely noticed all of the gray and black walls that hide a bunch of construction in what was once Future World. For any newcomers, Future World is the land that is located in the front of the park right around the iconic Spaceship Earth attraction. Over the past few years, Disney has been reimagining this area and has split it up into three newly-themed neighborhoods: Celebration, Discovery, and Nature.
At this time, the famous World Showcase will not see any major changes. World Showcase is famous for its World Pavilions and, truth be told, we're lucky not much is changing here because we are huge fans of the World Showcase!
World Celebration—EPCOT
World Celebration will be the front and center world that you'll see upon entering the park from the main front entrance. Centered around Spaceship Earth, this new neighborhood will welcome guests into different celebrations that will change throughout the year. EPCOT is known for these types of months-long festivals such as its famous Food and Wine Festival.
To make this space even more inviting, guests will find lots of new garden spaces that will also reflect the festivals hosted by EPCOT. Depending on the time of day, guests will be immersed in a light spectacular that will highlight the natural beauty of the plants and flowers.
The other new additions to this land will be the new CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza. Both of these locations will serve as venues that will ultimately expand upon the existing festival traditions. They will host events, concerts, character meet-and-greets, and much more. It's a really exciting area to look forward to!
Lastly, Disney unveiled a new statue of Walt Disney that will be placed at the entrance to World Celebration. This will be such a neat addition and will remind you of the famous statue in Disneyland and Magic Kingdom of Walt and Mickey.
At the Destination D23 event, Disney announced that World Celebration will open this December to guests as a space that will “unite the front of the park.”
World Nature—EPCOT
After the huge success we saw with the film Moana, a new attraction naturally makes its way into World Nature as this neighborhood celebrates all that the beauty of nature has to offer. The new Disney World ride, Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana has guests completely immersed in the beauty of the natural world just like we see in Moana. Here you can expect to see and interact with lots of flowers, greenery, and, of course, water.
World Discovery—EPCOT
Discovery Celebration has already welcomed its star attraction of new rides at Disney World: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This new attraction opened in 2022 and is already a huge success among Disney fans! This neighborhood will also include the Mission Space attractions as well as the new Space 220 Restaurant and Lounge. We're sure that Disney will have more up its sleeve for this area in the coming years!
New Figment Meet-and-Greet—EPCOT
Hardcore Disney fans will be thrilled to hear about the return of the beloved Figment, the purple dragon-esque mascot of EPCOT, who is now greeting guests at the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT. If you're not sure who Figment is, he's a figment of your imagination—get it?
So, be sure to take advantage of this amazing opportunity and see Figment, as Disney loves to tease rare meet-and-greets and take them away for who knows how long!
DuckTales World Showcase Adventure—EPCOT
If you're craving even more nostalgia, Disney announced in 2019 that it would be incorporating a DuckTales-inspired adventure in the Disney Parks app that will have you exploring throughout the World Showcase Pavilions in ways you've never done so before!
All of the iconic characters from the beloved series take part in this adventure and are already live and ready to be enjoyed. This is a neat way of incorporating some nostalgia magic without having to build anything or put up any annoying construction walls. Nothing like a day in the park with Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, and Louie!
NEW Nighttime Spectacular—EPCOT
In case you wanted even more throwbacks, EPCOT has brought back its nighttime spectacular EPCOT Forever on the World Showcase Lagoon! This fan-favorite show includes fireworks, lights, and music from attractions throughout the park. Be sure to grab a spot early, as the standing zones around the World Showcase Lagoon do tend to fill up quickly!
We know that the EPCOT Forever spectacular won't be around forever! That's because Disney has shared that on December 5, 2023, a new Disney100 nighttime spectacular, “Luminous The Symphony of Us,” will premiere on the World Showcase Lagoon and will pay homage to all the things that bring the world together as one. This show will feature fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects, and music.
Test Track Reimagined—EPCOT
Test Track at EPCOT will be undergoing a reimagining, with Imagineers and teams from Chevrolet gleaning inspiration from the original World of Motion ride for this next iteration of the ride. Disney will share more details on the Test Track reimagining in the future!
New Disney World Rides—Animal Kingdom
Over at Animal Kingdom, Imagineers are dreaming about what we could potentially see in the coming years at Animal Kingdom for new Disney World rides. It's no secret that the DinoLand U.S.A. area in the park is in need of a major overhaul. While the concept of the land itself makes sense to the park's theme, it simply doesn't feel quite up to par. Therefore, it's the perfect location to think about what could be done to bring new life back into the park.
At the Destination D23 event this year, it was revealed that DinoLand will be undergoing a reimagining focusing on the region referred to as the “tropical Americas,” and Disney also teased that Encanto or Indiana Jones could be featured!
New Zootopia Show—Animal Kingdom
Disney shared that a new Zootopia experience will be coming to the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom. Disney describes the show as “filled with humor and action, taking you into some of the different biomes you see in the film and some you have yet to see yet.”
New Roundup Rodeo BBQ—Hollywood Studios
To round out our guide on new Disney World rides, we head over to Hollywood Studios. Here, crowds are loving the new Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Toy Story land. This whimsical restaurant opened in March of 2023 and is quickly becoming a fan favorite.
This immersive restaurant takes you inside of Andy's room, where you'll feel like one of the toys! To add even more fun, guests are enjoying the total stop moment when you hear, “Andy's coming!” The entire restaurant freezes just like the toys do in the movie. It's a lot of fun to see and of course, the food is also getting some great reviews. This is a great addition to this land, and we're excited that it's finally here!
Most Don’t Expect These Lines at Disney World—They Are Some of the Longest
While many come prepared for the most popular Disney World rides to have long standby waits, guests can be caught off-guard by some unexpectedly long lines at certain rides. Read our list of the most surprisingly long lines at Disney World and tips for how to still experience the most!
Easy Ways to Save Money at Disney World
A Disney World vacation can get expensive very quickly, between food, activities, lodging, and more. In our guide to the easiest ways to save money at Disney World, we’ll walk you through our best tips and suggestions for how to enjoy your trip without breaking the bank.
Disney World Roller Coasters Ranked Worst to Best 2023
Disney World is filled with thrilling rides, including unique rollercoasters designed with varying intensities. In our guide to Disney World’s rollercoasters, we’ll talk about the features of these coasters, intensity level and speed, who is best suited for each!
