Here’s What’s Coming to Disney Parks in 2024
Since the start of 2017, Disney theme parks have embarked on a bold path of reinvention.
Disneyland and Walt Disney World have added several E-ticket attractions and themed lands.
Notably, plenty of stuff remains in the pipeline for this year.
Here’s what’s coming to Disney parks in 2024.
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground
Okay, I said Disney parks, but I’m also counting the resorts since you’ll spend plenty of time at them.
One of the most exciting developments, at least for me personally, will take place at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground.
In 1971, Disney almost accidentally invented the concept of glamping by building a plugged-in campground near Magic Kingdom.
Of course, many of those structures have taken a beating over the past 50 years.
So, Disney officials chose to raze the former Cabins at the campground.
The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground will open in their stead this summer.
These new Cabins embody the pinnacle of modern conveniences, solving all the structural issues with the prior Cabins.
Even better, when you stay here, you’re just a ten-minute boat ride from Magic Kingdom!
I looove the Tri-Circle-D Ranch and cannot believe some of the nicest hotel rooms at Walt Disney World will be right beside it!
CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza
Here are the final two steps of what is now year seven of Disney’s modernization of EPCOT.
In Disney’s defense, nobody listed a global pandemic on the drawing board when Imagineers made their plans.
Over the past two years, Disney has introduced signature elements of the new EPCOT.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana have wowed guests.
Meanwhile, World Celebration Gardens has added the subtle infrastructural improvement the front of EPCOT sorely needed.
Now, we’ll get these final two locales, which will become the hub for Disney gatherings.
Simultaneously, Disney will pay tribute to the early days of EPCOT when CommuniCore/EPCOT Center seemed like a place where anything was possible.
I cannot wait.
Country Bear Jamboree
I would never ever never badmouth an attraction that Walt Disney personally touched.
When the founder planned a ski resort, he hoped that audio-animatronic bears would provide the entertainment.
Those plans ultimately fell apart, and Uncle Walt died around this time as well.
The people who built Magic Kingdom added Country Bear Jamboree to honor Disney’s wishes.
While Imagineers have performed the occasional tweak, the show is uncannily similar to how it looked decades ago.
For this reason, guests don’t watch the show as much as park officials would like.
So, Disney will update the Country Bear Jamboree for the first time. Now, it’ll feature country and western spins on Disney tunes.
Finally, you’ll have a new reason to visit Country Bear Jamboree.
But I’m happy to report that the show has experienced a recent resurgence as fans rushed to watch the old version one last time.
Haunted Mansion Expansion at Disneyland
In August 2023, Disneyland surprised everyone with welcome news.
Once Haunted Mansion Holiday closes on January 21st, it’ll stay shut down longer than usual.
I know that’ll bum you out during the year’s first half, but it’s happening for a great reason.
Disneyland will expand the Haunted Mansion campus to include more amenities, an outdoor garden area, and a new shop.
Later in 2024, Haunted Mansion will reopen, and it’ll legitimately be better than ever!
The Little Mermaid Show Part Two
A couple of years ago, Disney officials faced a choice with the Finding Nemo show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Park officials could reclaim the space for something new, or they could update the old show.
In a way, the decision mirrored what’s happening with Country Bear Jamboree.
Ultimately, Disney saved the show by introducing a more modern version, Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
I’m happy to report that something similar just occurred with The Little Mermaid at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Critics were dancing on the show’s grave long before the pandemic, believing Disney would cancel it soon.
Welp. Y’all got this one wrong. Disney has chosen to double down on the concept, just as it did with Finding Nemo.
We’ll get a newly updated version of The Little Mermaid show in the second half of 2024. And I’m thrilled. It’s one of my favorites.
New Scenes in Star Tours
I give Imagineers a ton of credit for how well they’ve maintained Star Tours.
The original attraction embodied the pinnacle of Imagineers in the late 1980s.
By the turn of the millennium, that was no longer the case. So, Disney re-themed with an updated take on the premise.
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue! elevates the attraction experience in every way.
However, the most impressive part has only come to light in recent years.
Disney can easily add scenes to it, altering the ride to keep it fresh.
In 2024, we’ll get more new Star Tours scenes, and even as someone who doesn’t love Star Wars, I’m excited by that thought.
Pixar Place Hotel and Pixar Fest
You may have forgotten by now, but Pixar Fest was once a popular event at Disneyland Resort.
Park officials would host events at both parks. One of them was the popular Pixar Play parade.
Fast forward to 2024. We’re about to experience the year of Pixar on the Disneyland campus.
You’ll know this on January 30th, 2024. That’s when Pixar Place Hotel opens to the public.
Well, okay, the hotel technically never closed during its re-theming.
Still, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel officially goes away on January 29th. Then, the Pixar theming becomes permanent.
Next, on April 26th, Pixar Fest arrives and will stick around through August 4th.
Notably, this event will offer a parade as well. The new one is entitled Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!
So, we’re gonna have a LOT of Pixar events to discuss over the next few months.
The Polynesian’s Expansion Tower
I’m such an evangelist for Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort that I’ll tell random strangers about its greatness.
So, you can imagine my joy when I learned that Disney would build an expansion tower facing the water here.
Alas, the joy quickly turned to sorrow as I realized that Luau Cove had to die for this new hotel building to live.
That’s the opportunity cost that drives many Disney decisions, but this one hurt since I’m also an evangelist for Spirit of Aloha.
Sadly, I’ve seen the last of that dinner show, but that’s a small price to pay in exchange for dramatically more hotel inventory.
Soon, guests can book a hotel stay in rooms facing the east side of Magic Kingdom.
It’s kinda like the Bungalows…but not at Bungalow prices!
To a larger point, more rooms at the Polynesian is just plain better for fans.
The expansion tower should open during the fourth quarter of 2024.
Return of Fantasmic! at Disneyland
Sometimes, life imitates art. Or, in other instances, a mechanical structure of a giant fire-breathing dragon catches fire.
Remarkably, this oopsy-daisy has happened to Disney twice now, yet we’ve somehow managed to be surprised both times.
Most recently, Fantasmic! took an unplanned vacation after the creation’s gas belly imploded, turning the show into an unplanned spectacle.
Disneyland Resort officials have confirmed the return of Fantasmic! on May 24th.
As free advice to Disney, I’d keep a few fire extinguishers on hand that night, just in case.
Once is an accident. Twice is a design flaw. Thankfully, Disney knows this and apparently has rebuilt the internal combustion system.
Hopefully, the new one is, you know, less combustible.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Hey, Disney is rebooting Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Maybe you heard…
Yes, I’m joking. The permanent closure of Splash Mountain garnered international headlines.
Disney’s former ride, the one unfortunately themed to Song of the South, was legitimately in the conversation for the most popular attraction ever.
So, the thought of closing it proved divisive.
Notably, park officials are demonstrating tons of confidence in the new version, though.
Disney has frequently updated fans about the progress on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure since the day after Splash Mountain closed.
I’m excited to ride this one, but let’s be blunt. Disney needs this one to be a masterpiece.
On the plus side, the two most recent examples of this kind of re-theme, Frozen Ever After and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, are both brilliant.
And One Potential Surprise…
I’ve been writing at MickeyBlog since 2017, and this story is my personal Groundhog Day.
Every time a particular attraction closes for refurbishment, fans speculate whether it will return in a different form.
Yes, I’m talking about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, an attraction currently *checks notes* undergoing refurbishment.
Yup, it’s that time of the year. Fans are breathlessly debating whether we’ve seen the last of the Aerosmith theming.
This situation has turned into a Chicken Little scenario for me. Even if the sky were falling, I’m not sure I’d believe it.
Still, the fact that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will close for half the year at least opens the door to the possibility of a reboot.
I mean, Steven Tyler is 75. He’s not rocking any roller coasters these days.
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Feature Photo: Disney