The idea of Disney adding a fifth park to its sprawling Orlando complex has been a topic of conversation for years. Last week, however, Disney CEO Bob Iger seemingly put a damper on the idea, confirming at the Annual Shareholders Meeting that Disney is focusing on expanding its existing parks and destinations right now.
Disappointing though some found that comment, we’ll admit that we’re not overly surprised.
While many Disney fans were thrilled that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) previously approved a new 15-year development agreement with the resort—calling for a $17 billion investment from Walt Disney World over the next 10-20 years, including at least $8 billion in the next decade—there are plenty of reasons to believe we’re still a long way from being ready to welcome a fifth gate in Orlando anytime soon.
Logistical Obstacles Facing a Fifth Disney World Park
For one thing, there are simply too many logistical hurdles at play. Fans like to chatter about the amount of potential expansion land at play at Disney World. However, as one Reddit user noted, “A fair chunk of [Disney World property] is wetland conservation that they can’t or isn’t financially feasible to build on.” This makes further expansion in certain areas not only difficult but also potentially costly.
Maintaining Disney’s “bubble” is another challenge.
One Reddit user explained, “There’s a bunch of reasons for the space. They have made a bubble so that for the most part, when you’re in Disney there is nothing else around you unlike Disneyland which is smack in the middle of a small city. Maintaining the bubble means having lots and lots of land. Some of it is water mitigation. Without it, the parks would flood regularly.”
Does Disney Really Need a Fifth Gate Right Now?
Additionally, many believe the current parks need attention before a new one becomes a priority.
“There isn’t much need for a new park at the moment when their current parks need a lot of work. AK and DHS need more attractions. If it wasn’t for the long rides, those 2 parks would be half a day parks at most,” another Reddit user commented.
The focus may be on enhancing existing parks, with Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios in particular in severe need of more attractions and updates to stay competitive. The former, in particular, requires a lot more than simply the addition of Tropical Americas to become more than a “half-day park” in some people’s eyes.
Staffing is yet another issue standing in the way of a new park. “There is zero need for another park. Also, there’s not infinite staffing. There’s no way they’d ever find enough employees for another park. They’ve been understaffed since 2020,” one user pointed out.
With the ongoing staffing shortages Disney has faced since the pandemic, the idea of opening a new park—requiring an even larger workforce—seems unrealistic in the immediate future.
We hate to be a buzzkill. However, with limited space, a need for more development in existing parks, and staffing concerns, the reality is that a fifth Disney park is likely a distant dream – at least for now.
Do you think Disney World needs a fifth theme park?
Well let’s see. “Although Disney has an enormous amount of land, it is not all available for development.” That is true. HOWEVER, no one said to use ALL the land for development. There are thousands of acres that can be developed. In fact, Disney could build a fifth gate AND a housing development ‘city’ for its employees and not even scratch the amount of available land at its disposal.
NOW about AK and DHS being only half-day parks. That is mostly true. So how is Disney addressing that problem? They are tearing down existing areas and building over them! WHAT??? Yes, they COULD expand the two parks, but they choose to destroy existing areas and build new item over them! I guess that idea just went out the window.
Now STAFFING is a concern. There is only a finite amount of employable people in any particular area. HOWEVER, IF Disney built a housing area for its employees, that problem would be resolved quickly. Additionally, right next door is THE VILLAGES which is jammed packed with senior citizens and it is expanding rapidly. This is an untapped area of employable people just waiting for an opportunity. Could they be used? Probably. Would Disney WANT to use them? Probably not. Too old. Too bad.
You can ALWAYS find an excuse to NOT do something you don’t want to do.