These Disney Expansion Announcements Are Getting Out of Control

Big changes are coming to Disney World — and we mean BIG.

Magic Kingdom’s adding new lands, hotels are getting new pools and courts, and the roads to Disney might finally stop being a parking lot during rush hour. It feels like Disney’s expansion plans are multiplying by the week, and permits are flying around like confetti. Let’s walk through a few of the latest updates that prove Disney’s not slowing down anytime soon — they’re just getting started.

Magic Kingdom Is About to Look VERY Different

Let’s start with Magic Kingdom, because honestly, this park is going through a major glow-up — or maybe a full-on identity shift.

First up, Frontierland is getting completely reimagined. The Walt Disney World Railroad is about to enter what Disney is calling “shuttle mode,” starting July 7th, 2025. That means it’ll only run between the Main Street, U.S.A., and Fantasyland stations while the Frontierland station goes behind construction walls.

The new permit Disney just filed specifically mentions electrical and construction work at the Frontierland Train Station, which matches up with everything we’ve been hearing about the big changes headed to that part of the park.

This isn’t just a small station upgrade. Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America are closing to make way for an entirely new area: Piston Peak — based on the Cars spinoff Planes: Fire & Rescue. So yes, we’re getting a Cars land in Magic Kingdom. And that’s just the beginning.

Villains Land is also officially in the works. That’s right — Disney is building an entire section of Magic Kingdom dedicated to the iconic baddies we “know and loathe.”

There will be two major attractions along with new dining and shopping options “on an incredibly twisted grand scale,” as Disney puts it. Imagineers are already clearing land just west of the park, and while we can’t see much from inside the parks, recent aerial photos show that dirt is moving — a lot of it.

Aerial overview of land clearing West of Magic Kingdom.

At top left to center is also work for a new routing of Floridian Way. pic.twitter.com/jfhXs9gVFv

— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) June 28, 2025

The whole vibe sounds chaotic, mysterious, and pretty thrilling, and if you’ve ever rooted for the villains just a little bit, this land might be your new favorite. Between the Cars area, the Villains land, and the upcoming update to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Magic Kingdom is stacking up some seriously big changes — and it’s not even close to done yet.

Fort Wilderness Is Getting a BIG Pool Upgrade

Meanwhile, over at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, there’s something else brewing — and it involves pool noodles and sunscreen.

The Meadow Swimmin’ Pool, which is already a guest favorite, is getting a serious expansion. Disney’s plan? Add a new zero-entry pool and deck area that will double the current size. So yeah, it’s about to be twice as splashy.

They’re also adding a tennis court and two pickleball courts. This is on top of everything Fort Wilderness already offers — horseback riding, archery, bike trails, Hoop Dee Doo, the works. Now the pool won’t just be a midday break spot — it’s going to be a full-on destination. We don’t have exact dates for when construction starts or ends, but if it’s anything like other Disney resort upgrades, it’s probably going to take a while (and involve a lot of construction walls along the way).

New Road Expansions Are in the Works

If you’ve ever tried driving to Disney World during peak times, you know the roads can be brutal, especially around Buena Vista Drive and Western Way. Good news: two huge road projects are officially in the design phase, and they’re aimed at making your arrival less of a nightmare.

The first project is a new grade-separated interchange. Basically, Buena Vista Drive will be elevated over Western Way, with a bunch of ramps added to keep traffic moving. If that sounds intense, that’s because it is. The redesign spans over a mile of roadway, stretching all the way from World Drive to near the entrance of Disney’s Winter Summerland Mini Golf. They’re also adding stormwater systems and relocating utilities while they’re at it, which just tells you how serious this project is.

Project #2 involves widening Western Way from four lanes to six, from the SR 429 interchange all the way to Coronado Springs Resort. This stretch of road handles a lot of the resort traffic, so the hope is that widening it will help ease congestion for resort guests, cast members, and commuters alike.

There aren’t any hard timelines for either project yet, but they’re going to be done in phases, which likely means roadwork (and detours) for quite a while.

What’s Coming in the Next 20 Years? A LOT

If all that wasn’t enough, we’ve also seen some long-term planning documents that give a peek into what the next two decades could look like — and spoiler: it’s not exactly small-scale.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (formerly Reedy Creek) has approved the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, and buried in all the zoning maps and land-use jargon is this little nugget: there are large patches of land marked as “suitable” for new development right next to the current parks.

That includes land west of Animal Kingdom, between World Drive and I-4, and near the Magic Kingdom parking lot. So no, Disney hasn’t announced a fifth gate, but these maps make it very clear that big expansions are absolutely being considered.

And while we’re on the topic of Animal Kingdom — Pueblo Esperanza is already under construction, where DinoLand U.S.A. used to be. This is a brand new land, not an expansion. It’s themed around the Tropical Americas and will include attractions based on Indiana Jones and Encanto, plus one of the largest quick-service dining locations in all of Disney World. Construction is underway now, and it’s expected to open in 2027. So don’t worry — we didn’t forget it, and it’s a big deal.

Disney’s clearly looking ahead — not just one or two years out, but decades. That includes land development, road infrastructure, and reimagining what each park can offer. It’s ambitious. It’s bold. And if even half of it gets built, Disney World is going to look very different by the time 2045 rolls around.

There’s a lot of excitement around what’s coming, but there are also a LOT of construction walls on the horizon. If you’re heading to Disney in the next year or two, it’s going to be a strange mix of old favorites and big question marks. Frontierland won’t feel like Frontierland, and even your resort pool might be under construction. We’ll keep tracking every permit and announcement as it drops, so stay tuned.

Check back with AllEars again soon for more.

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How do you feel about all these expansion plans? Let us know in the comments!

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