As Walt Disney himself once said, “Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious…and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” As our curiosity grows, it leads us down into new paths, new doors, new horizons; there never is a time in today’s culture where we will slow down as we are always in the ‘new.’ Curiosity is like a spark; it ignites a dream inside of us that then becomes reality. Once we have an idea, it floods our minds until we are so consumed by it that it simply changes the culture around us in ways for the better. It brings about new advancements in medicine, advancements in technology, advancements in science, and advancements in so many other things.
Just as curiosity “opens up new doors” in the real world, the same is definitely true for the Disney Parks themselves. When it comes to the Disney Parks, Imagineers are always looking to new horizons. They look at the current incarnation of the parks and ask themselves, “How can we make the park better? What can we do to change and make people’s vacations more magical, more memorable?” The answer to that is simple; they imagine new ideas and the way to do that is by using Walt’s Philosophy of “moving forward” and “opening up new doors.”
Star Wars Land (Galaxy’s Edge)
What if you could live your very own Star Wars adventure, choosing to be a part of the Rebel Alliance, take part in the First Order, become a Jedi, or even be a Bounty Hunter? Well, in Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort and in Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort, you can just do that in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge! If you have not yet heard, Galaxy’s Edge is the official land name given by Disney Imagineers. This land coming to both coasts is again, unlike anything Disney has ever done before. In fact, this is the largest, single-land expansion they have ever done which makes the completed land at 14 acres long! The land will consist of two rides: the “Battle Escape” and the “Millennium Falcon.” In the Millennium Falcon attraction, you get to take the controls of the famous ship and quite literally fly it yourself across the galaxy. If you fly the ship left, it will go left. If you fly it right, you will go right. If you crash the ship, well, you will then just have to make sure Chewie doesn’t find out as you may just end up in some ‘galactic debt’ if you do.
As for the other attraction, the ‘Battle Escape’, not much is known about the ride except that this ride is their most technologically advanced ride they have ever created in a Disney Park. We also know that we will be put into the middle of ‘a battle in between the First Order.” Other than that, you may just be wondering what else lies in store for Galaxy’s Edge? Well, the land will be completely immersive enveloping you in the Star Wars Galaxy like never before. YOU will get to live your own adventure, choosing what you do and do not do. There will be restaurants and even multiple vendors in a street market esque area. If you are just as excited about this new land as we are and cannot wait, we will have to suffice with looking at the concept art as the land at Disneyland does not open until Summer 2019, and Late Fall 2019 at Disney World!
Marvel Land
Since 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU for short, has been taking guests on many journeys with beloved characters we all know and love. We have traveled to space, traveled to New York, traveled to other parts of the world, fought villains, and in the end once were all day saving the day, we stopped to get some Shawarma! If you are wondering what lies in store for the future of the MCU, the future is in theme parks. Specifically, the future is at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Not much is known, but all we know right now is that at California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort they will be building a Marvel themed land. It is going to be big, immersive, and have your favorite heroes such as Spider-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and more! We do not have to wait very long as Disney themselves has said recruitments will begin in 2021!
New Disneyland Hotel
As of right now, the Disneyland Resort only has three hotels: Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel, and the Grand Californian. In 2021, that number will change to four hotels instead of three. There is not much that we know about this new hotel other than it will be open at some point in 2021 and the location of this new hotel which will be replacing a good chunk of Downtown Disney District. That being said, this new hotel will have about 700 rooms and feature “extensive landscaping on every level of the hotel along with playful water features, a rooftop restaurant, a ground floor lobby with multiple dining and shopping locations, and even be connected to all the other resorts via monorail.” This new addition to the Disneyland Resort will definitely be quite wonderful when it opens providing more rooms for guests to stay and even more jobs for future Cast Members!
These things are just some of the really awesome magical experiences coming soon to Disney Parks, and just as Walt himself once said, “Disneyland (Disney) will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world” so who knows what may lie in store over the next 50 years at Disney!