My not-so-bold prediction is that the $60+ billion investment in Parks & Resorts over the next decade will include at least one new in-park hotel at Walt Disney World. This follows a new report emerging from court records revealing that Imagineering was considering resorts (plural) as part of Magic Kingdom expansion.
Veteran theme parks journalist Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics obtained the records via a public records request; details about Walt Disney World’s hotel expansion plans for Magic Kingdom came via a deposition given under oath by Todd Rimmer, a master-planning executive with Walt Disney Imagineering.
Rimmer was deposed during the legal proceedings as part of the whole Disney vs. DeSantis debacle, at which point the Walt Disney Company and State of Florida were suing each other. As you might recall, the Reedy Creek Improvement District was dissolved and replaced by the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which is now basically the same thing as before, but under new leadership.
Rimmer was deposed in February 2024, with the records first requested by Russon way back in October 2024. They were only received recently, but nevertheless paint a picture of what was in development and being considered at that time for what was then known as the ‘Beyond Big Thunder’ expansion.
As you might recall, something else happened in between, back in August 2024 with the formal announcement of Magic Kingdom expansion plans at the D23 Expo that would include the Piston Peak Cars Land and Villains Land replacing the Rivers of America.
During his February 2024 deposition, Rimmer described the Magic Kingdom expansion as “still under development” and said it “included new attractions and redevelopment of existing attractions and potentially new hotels.”
Here’s the pertinent exchange, as reported by Florida Politics:
“And you referred to hotels; how many hotels are being looked at?” asked lawyer Nicole Moss, who represented the state-controlled Disney World governing Board.
“One or two hotel locations,” Rimmer answered.
“And would these be new hotels or development of existing hotels?” Moss asked.
“New,” Rimmer replied.
“And where would they be located?” Moss asked.
A Disney lawyer objected to the line of questioning.
But after a brief pause, Rimmer answered by saying, “Generally, it’s within the same area that we’re expanding. There are no specific locations decided yet.”
Fast forward to today, and Walt Disney World shared this in an emailed statement to Florida Politics when asked for comment: “There are no plans for new hotels as part of the Magic Kingdom expansion. We’re focused on bringing to life all we’ve already announced, which you can find the details on at DisneyExperiences.com.”
Perhaps it’s a matter of confirmation bias, but it’s wild to me that this story is being reported on (not by Florida Politics, but within the fan community) as if Walt Disney World considered in-park hotels but ultimately abandoned the idea.
The story here isn’t the statement, it’s the deposition. Even if a half-dozen new in-park hotels were going to be announced tomorrow, Disney’s comment for such a story today would be something like this. The company makes announcements on its own timeline, and is not going to make a big reveal via investigative reporting. That’s just not how this works.
Disney is incredibly adept at equivocation, and normally employs it to issue ambiguous statements. Disney’s go-to weasel words are “at this time” and “currently” when stating what they plan on doing (or not doing). When you see or hear those words used by Disney, it’s safe to ignore whatever’s being said as the surrounding language renders it meaningless.
In fairness, there are no weasel words here, but the animating idea is the same. Plans are ever-evolving and everything Disney does is subject to change. Until the final greenlight has been given right before the announcement, we often hear statements that there are “no plans” for this or that, even things that have credibly rumored, leaked, or even (sometimes) publicly permitted.
Examples of this include (but are not limited to) Maelstrom, Universe of Energy, Tower of Terror (California), and other things. Ditto the construction of multiple DVC resorts. At one point, Disney denied having plans to change or close all of those attractions. One quick Walt Disney quote about forward-motion or progress later, and their fates were sealed.
Suffice to say, the statement is utterly meaningless to me. I’d give that one a bit more credence if it were given under oath. The real news is what the master planning Imagineer stated during his deposition.
Part of the reason this might be confirmation bias on our part is because we’ve been openly speculating that the Magic Kingdom expansion plans could include a new in-park hotel since Disney Filed the First Permits for Cars & Villains Land Construction back on August 14, 2024.
That article covered the initial permitting package filed with the South Florida Water Management District relate to stormwater displacement modifications and construction laydown yards. As basic background, there are low-lying areas to the northwest of the former Rivers of America that have necessitated additional work to establish usable gravel laydown yards in the first place.
We’ve discussed those laydown yards and their massive size a lot since then, mostly to provide context that the actual expansion wouldn’t be as large as it appears, since much of it is for construction staging.
At the time, I wrote that what’s most interesting about these staging areas is that they should result in land that was previously ‘marginally suitable’ for construction attaining a status of ‘suitable’ for building. Meaning that the staging areas themselves could be construction sites in the future based on the groundwork being done to turn them into prep sites.
That could mean this area is an expansion pad for the Villains Land. Should it be well received, Walt Disney World might greenlight another attraction to be built in this space. That would certainly make sense, especially with Villains Land being more of an open concept land instead of another single intellectual property expansion. Maybe Josh D’Amaro’s first “big swing” as CEO will be expanding the size of the Villains Land, with an announcement at D23 Expo that they’ve already greenlit the second phase and are pulling forward its construction timeline.
Equally likely, from my perspective, is an in-park hotel overlooking the Villains Land. Purely speculative, but Walt Disney World management salivates at the prospect of more high-dollar hotel inventory, and this would certainly check that box–and in a highly desirable location.
From the outset, this has struck me as a way to ‘sell’ the Villains Land project internally, as the room capacity would be incredibly valuable and help recoup the costs of the expansion.
In fact, there’s already pretty much a blueprint for this: Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea, which is also at the back of that park and has a hotel overlooking the new land (see photos above and below). Even though such a Magic Kingdom hotel wouldn’t be on the monorail line, it could probably dethrone Grand Floridian as the flagship Walt Disney World resort.
As for why Walt Disney World wouldn’t have announced that back at the last D23 Expo along with the Cars and Villains Land plans, the easiest and most obvious answer is because it’d be a second phase of the project. Construction on any theoretical hotel(s) couldn’t commence until the land had served its purpose as a laydown yard, meaning the hotel(s) would likely open after Villains Land.
With Villains Land already looking like a 2030 project, it seems unlikely that Walt Disney World would want to announce a 2032 (or so) hotel at that point. Back at the last D23 Expo, that would’ve been ~8 years into the future–or ~4 more D23 Expos away!
The lack of an announcement at that time would make even more sense if it were a mixed use property with both hotel inventory and Disney Vacation Club. The company has barely acknowledged Disney Lakeshore Lodge, which is currently speeding towards its opening in (probably) less than one year.
There’s no way they’re announcing another DVC project until at least 2028, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another resort on the timeline between Lakeshore Lodge and theoretical Villains Land hotel(s). That means no announcement at this coming D23 Expo, and maybe not even the next one.
Then again, that’s assuming it’s a mixed use resort with DVC inventory, which is not an assumption I’d make despite Disney’s proclivity to expand DVC. To the contrary, I’d be surprised if any resort(s) built to overlook Villains Land include DVC inventory. This is one time when I suspect Disney would opt against that, as the first in-park hotel(s) at Walt Disney World would be a license to print money at cash rates.
These would be the rare properties that would better off without DVC wings. I mentioned Fantasy Springs Hotel for a reason, as I suspect that would be the quite literal blueprint for such a project. For those who are unfamiliar with it, Fantasy Springs Hotel is comprised of two buildings: the Fantasy Chateau and the Grand Chateau.
The Fantasy Chateau offers “deluxe-type” rooms adorned with motifs of the flora and fauna of Fantasy Springs, while the Grand Chateau offers “luxury-type” rooms that provide guests with (supposedly) the finest accommodation experience at Tokyo Disney Resort. (I do not care for Fantasy Springs Hotel, so I hope that it’s not the thematic or stylistic blueprint–just the approach used for selling the hotel. See Biggest Disappointment of Disney’s New $2 Billion Expansion for my full take.)
The Disney vs. DeSantis deposition was clearly referring to new hotels on the backside of Magic Kingdom, overlooking Villains Land. However, that’s not the only parcel that could conceivably become the next park entrance hotel at Magic Kingdom.
If this entire topic sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve already been down this road recently in Disney Delays World Drive Construction That Opens Door for New Magic Kingdom Hotel by 447 Days. The short version of that is the re-routed Floridian Way will free up a large parcel of land that the current road cuts through that’s to the north of the Grand Floridian (see the aerial photo above, courtesy of bioreconstruct).
This would be an extremely convenient location for a hotel within walking distance of Magic Kingdom. This could be a fairly sizable resort complex, likely the size of Lakeshore Lodge depending upon just how suitable all of that land is for construction and how much Disney wants to retain for other purposes.
At this point, a new resort being built adjacent to Magic Kingdom is purely speculative, as opposed to rumor. It’s all a matter of looking at the plans, which seem to pretty clearly lay the groundwork for a new hotel, and making educated guesses on that basis. Also worth mentioning is that this World Drive North Phase III project in total is costing well above $100 million. It’s necessary work, but that’s nevertheless a lot to spend on infrastructure alone.
We also know that the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District 2045 Comprehensive Plan, which provides the basis for future decisions regarding land use, development, conservation and infrastructure, allows for significant hotel expansion. That 2045 plan also allows the addition of 53,076 hotel rooms.
However, just as we’ve been quick to cast doubts about 5th gate daydreaming, there’s ample reason to question just how much hotel development Walt Disney World can sustain. Even assuming the 10-year plan for Walt Disney World park expansion is backloaded, meaning the biggest projects have yet to be announced (aside from Villains Land, which is probably part of that), there’s little reason to believe Walt Disney World is doubling its hotel inventory between now and 2045.
As mentioned above, Walt Disney World is currently building Lakeshore Lodge on the shores of Bay Lake between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. That will add the first brand-new hotel to the Magic Kingdom resort area in decades. It’s also the biggest pure addition of room inventory since Art of Animation and Animal Kingdom Lodge, as most developments since have been at least partial replacements.
It follows hot on the heels of Island Tower at the Polynesian and other DVC expansion projects, many of which have not sold out. This probably kicks the can out on a new Magic Kingdom area resort until at least 2030, which is fine, since that’s probably the earliest conceivable opening if the project started as soon as the new Floridian Way opens.
Also on the DVC side is those 2042 contracts expiring (including BoardWalk Villas, Beach Club Villas, Boulder Ridge, some of Old Key West). How that will unfold remains to be seen. Will Disney kick the can down the road by extending some of those resorts a la what they’ve already done at Old Key West? Will other resorts be resold? Will some be torn down and replaced by higher efficiency and occupancy towers? It’s unknown how all of that will unfold, but it will undoubtedly impact both supply and demand on the resort side.
Then there are the other rumored and/or speculated projects. Another future project is the Western Way widening and interchange overhaul, which is another expensive infrastructure project that could open the door for a new resort and maybe Skyliner expansion over by Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Over at Walt Disney World’s second gate, Rumors of an in-park hotel at EPCOT have floated around for the last decade, with possible locations outside the front entrance adjacent to the monorail station or backstage between the Living Seas and Land pavilions.
Ultimately, there are a lot of possibilities for future hotels at Walt Disney World. Not all of them are going to be built; to the contrary, most will not. Even with aggressive park expansion, which will undoubtedly be accompanied by more room inventory, there’s no way that Walt Disney World is doubling its room inventory.
That’s inconsistent with the company’s approach from the last decade, which was largely a story of treading water with resort growth (despite what fans might believe). Although Lakeshore Lodge will meaningfully expand the room count, we don’t expect it to be the first of a half-dozen hotels of its size and scale on new parcels.
With all of that in mind, if I had to bet on the projects most likely to happen, I’d pick those connected to Magic Kingdom. The most likely of these is probably the ‘park entrance’ hotel north of Grand Floridian. It’s just too appetizing of a possibility to pass up, especially as Walt Disney World has spent the last decade shoehorning properties into ‘next best’ parcels.
‘Park entrance’ does not ‘inside the park’ hotel, but this could still be billed as the closest hotel to Magic Kingdom, with an entrance adjacent location and rooms overlooking the park. It probably wouldn’t need (or be able to have) a monorail station, but that wouldn’t matter since it’d be easily within walking distance to the park.
That also might make sense as a mixed use project, with hotel and DVC inventory–although I could see it just being a hotel depending upon whether the DVC beast “needs” to be fed. There’s also the fact that this Magic Kingdom park entrance hotel could be built without major additional future roadwork.
Those are a lot of upsides for a future flagship hotel that wouldn’t require much infrastructure work, and even though hotels behind Villains Land could likely fetch higher room rates, they also come with higher development and opportunity costs. On all those bases, the park entrance parcel near Grand Floridian seems like the most realistic candidate for future hotel expansion at Walt Disney World.
Ostensibly, a new flagship luxury hotel inside Magic Kingdom overlooking Villains Land seems like another sure thing. It could follow the Fantasy Springs template, and would likewise be a license to print money with pricey rooms and competitive reservations.
The big difference between Fantasy Springs Hotel and the Villains Land location is that the former connects to an existing monorail station behind Tokyo DisneySea (and the rest of the resort district), whereas the latter would be largely backstage at Magic Kingdom. That could pose unique challenges from a logistical perspective that are deemed insurmountable or too much of a hassle–especially with that optimal ‘park entrance’ plot between Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom freed up.
I’d still put the Villains Land location as highly likely–perhaps #2 in all of Walt Disney World–but it feels like less of a sure thing. Obviously, there’s also a ton we don’t know, and Walt Disney World might need or want more Value or Moderate Resort inventory, and none of those resorts would occupy this prime real estate so close to the crown jewel castle park. So perhaps we’ll get a wildcard announcement or two, further reducing the likelihood of a Villains Land hotel.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts on the possibility of new in-park hotel(s) at Magic Kingdom? Think this will happen as part of a follow-up announcement to Villains Land at the 2026 D23 Expo? Or do you think the park entrance hotel near Grand Floridian is more likely to come first? Or something else entirely? Any preferred theme you’d like to see for such a flagship resort? Agree or disagree with our assessment? If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please post them in the comments. We love hearing from readers!