Major Disney World rides, resorts, construction projects until 2022
(Updated Nov. 12, 2018)
The next four years at Walt Disney World will be busy as the resort continues with its massive building boom as it prepares for the 50th anniversary of the resort in 2021. And now, we even know of some things happening after the 50th anniversary.
The resort will be transformed as new rides, transportation options, attractions, resorts, restaurants, and roads are being constructed and refurbished.
To help keep everyone on the same page, we’ve created this scorecard on all of the major projects underway. (If we missed something, please let us know.) As a reminder, we also have a list of attraction closings and refurbishments we also update. One for Disneyland and another for Disney World.
Here’s all the major project that has been announced for the next few years and their status:
Wine Bar George. Opened May 19, 2018. This new wine bar at Disney Spring next to Raglan Road is being opened by Master Sommelier George Miliotes. The menu will include a selection of small plates, sharable plates, cheese and charcuterie boards, and desserts with the wines.
Toy Story Land. Opened June 30, 2018. This new 11-acre land at Hollywood Studios contains theSlinky Dog Dash roller coaster, new Alien Swirling Saucers, Toy Story Mania and Woody’s Lunch Box.
Terralina Crafted Italian. Opened June 2018. This restaurant is a revamped version of the Portobello Country Italian Trattoria at Disney Springs.
World of Disney refurbishment at Disney Springs. Official grand opening Oct. 27, 2018. The store is now open and operational with the exception of some small areas where new animations will be unveiled during the official grand opening.
“Disney Junior Dance Party!” Scheduled to open Dec. 22, 2018. This new show replaces Disney Junior Live on Stage at Hollywood Studios, which closed Sept. 1, 2018. The new “Disney Junior Dance Party!” is a live show experience that takes inspiration from the most popular Disney Junior shows on TV, including “Mickey and the Roadster Racers,” “Doc McStuffins,” “The Lion Guard” and the newest hit series “Vampirina.”
Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill. Scheduled for late 2018.
Jaleo. Scheduled for late 2018. This new Spanish restaurant at Disney Springs is under construction. Operated by Chef José Andrés the restaurant includes an extensive tapas menu and rich traditional and contemporary Spanish cuisine. Having spent a lot of time at other Jaleo restaurants in the U.S., this will be a nice addition to the offerings at Disney Springs.”
Flyover road at Magic Kingdom. Completed. This flyover bridge at the Magic Kingdom should ease congestion and simplify and speed up the route for those heading to the Magic Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom resorts.
Reconfiguration of the Osceola Parkway. Opened Nov. 8. The reconfiguration of Osceola Parkway and Victory Way, just north of ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex should help the traffic flow and allow for a new entrance to Hollywood Studios. The road will allow people to continue on Osceola Parkway without stopping and allow traffic onto Victory Way for a new entrance to Hollywood Studios.
Cirque Du Soleil. 2019. A new show focusing on Disney’s rich history of animation will open at the location at Disney Springs. No date has yet been announced but with it closing on Dec. 31, 2017, we can’t imagine they would want to keep the venue closed more than a year.
New restaurant in Japan Pavilion. 2018 or 2019. An additional table-service restaurant will be coming to the Japan Pavilion in Epcot. The restaurant will “draw from both nature and takumi, which means ‘artisan’ in Japanese, and the relationship between Japanese craftsmanship and the natural world will be evident throughout the space. No specific date or location has been announced.
Disney Springs parking garage. Scheduled for 2019. This new 3,000-car parking deck is located on the south side of Buena Vista Drive across from the Lime garage.
The Riviera Resort. Scheduled for 2019. This is a new resort and will be the 15th Disney Vacation Club property. This 300-unit resort will be eight stories high with a rooftop restaurant that will be able to see fireworks from Epoct and Hollywood Studios.
Coronado Springs Tower and expansion. Scheduled for 2019. Disney is adding a 15-story tower to the resort as well and doing room refurbishments and other enhancements. While many people do use this location for vacation, it is also a major location for business meetings and conventions.
Old Key West refurbishments. Scheduled for Spring 2019. Guest rooms and some areas are undergoing refurbishment and should all be complete by 2019. The resort is fully operational in the meantime. As of October 2018 about two-thirds of the resort has been refurbished.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Scheduled for Fall 2019. This will be the second immersive land constructed at Hollywood Studios. The first will be Toy Story Land, opening in June 2018. The new land will contain two major attractions. The first will have you piloting the Millenium Falcon on a critical mission. The second puts you inside a hanger bay in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Scheduled for 2019. The Mickey-themed ride will open at Hollywood Studios at Disney World in the beginning of 2019. The ride will feature an original story as it takes guests into a Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts. New technologies will transform the two-dimensional cartoon world into an incredible multi-dimensional experience.
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy. Scheduled for 2019. A new show-attraction will bring guests face to face with Lightning McQueen, Mater and Cruz Ramirez. They will demonstrate racing techniques on a new simulator and share career highlights with his guests.
Epcot World Showcase Lagoon update. Schedule unknown. The Reedy Creek Improvement District set a preliminary budget of $1.8 million for electrical upgrades at the World Showcase Lagoon at Epcot. It also approved $325,000 to buy materials and set aside $220,000 for engineering and construction inspection. This could be a pre-cursor to a show to replace Illuminations.
New Swan and Dolphin Hotel Tower. Scheduled for 2020. A new 14-story hotel tower will be built on the Swan and Dolphin resort complex. The 349-room hotel tower will feature more than 21,000 square feet of meeting space, a restaurant, a full-service health club and an outdoor pool. It will be built next to the Swan hotel on the hotel’s tennis courts.
JW Marriott Hotel. Scheduled for 2020. The 516-room hotel will be built on the last available site zoned for hotel use in Bonnet Creek, a 482-acre, mixed-use resort community near Orlando’s popular theme parks. Marriott International’s turnkey management solution, Managed by Marriott (MxM), will operate the hotel when it opens in first quarter 2020.
Ratatouille attraction at Epcot. Scheduled for 2020. This new ride at Epcot is causing the France Pavilion to expand. Entrance to the ride will be behind the Eiffel Tower. The attraction is based on the popular Disneyland Paris ride. It is a 4D experience you are shrunk down to the size of Remy. he and his friends are cooking up a delicious meal, but are discovered by Chef Skinner, who chases you through the sights, sounds, and smells of Gusteau’s famous Parisian restaurant.
Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. Scheduled for 2021.The new Marvel-themed ride in Epcot will be one of the longest enclosed roller coasters in the world. Based on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie, it will open in 2021 in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World.
Tron Lightcycle Power Run. Scheduled for 2021. This new coaster a the Magic Kingdom is based on the Tron series. Guest go one a light cycle and take a ride through the Grid. A version of this exists at Shanghai Disneyland.
New Magic Kingdom Theater – This project was announced at the D23 Expo 2017. But is now dead. It has been removed from the official Coming Soon page on the Walt Disney World site and new permits filed by Disney have the project removed.
Space-themed restaurant. Scheduled for 2021. A new space-themed restaurant will open in Epcot between Mission: Space and Test Track. The restaurant will be operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, which operates several other restaurants at Disney World including Tutto Italia and Via Napoli at Epcot and Morimoto Asia at Disney Springs. The restaurant will feel as if it is on a space station and you will have a view from space at every window.
Star Wars-inspired resort. Scheduled for 2021. This new resort will open be The new Star Wars-inspired resort will be built at Hollywood Studios and guests will be “seamlessly connected” to the new 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. When guests arrive they will start their trip by departing together for multiday Stars Wars adventures by boarding a starship alive with characters and stories. Every resort window will have a view of space.
New natured-inspired resort. Scheduled for 2022. This new Disney mixed-use resort will be along Bay Lake between the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. The new resort, which does not yet have a name, will have 900 hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas.
Black Lake Hotel. Scheduled for 2023. This new 14-story tower is part of a number of additions to the Best Western Lake Buena Vista Hotel. The hotel is located Hotel Plaza Boulevard northeast of Disney Springs The project adds a new tower, a new meeting space, pool and parking in an area just under 9.5 acres.
