20. Permanent Festival Center
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Downsized/cancelled
A permanent Festival center was in the planning phases for Epcot, and was intended to host live events while providing a stunning elevated view of the entire park with a beautiful three-level structure featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level. However, Theme Park Insider reports that this project has been put on the back burner or potentially cancelled outright, Disney has confirmed that it will be taking a "different approach" to this project than what was originally announced. We're not quite sure yet what that means, but hopefully we'll have some more information soon.
21. UK pavilion redesign/Mary Poppins attraction
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: TBD
Status: Downsized/cancelled
Disney announced last year that the UK pavilion in the World Showcase would be getting a Mary Poppins facelift in the near future that would see the fictional neighborhood of Cherry Tree Lane added to the pavilion and a new attraction inspired by Mary Poppins added behind the facade. However, Disney has confirmed that the project is being "reevaluated" and has been removed from The Epcot Experience.
22. Play Pavilion
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Delayed indefinitely/cancelled
Much like the permanent Festival Center and Mary Poppins attraction, Epcot's new "Play" pavilion has been in the works for some time, but with construction not actually started (and a heavy emphasis on interactive components and character interactions), this is likely another project that Disney will be reassessing over the coming months. As of right now this is still included as part of the Epcot Experience presentation, but that could change in the near future, so stay tuned for updates on this particular Disney project.
23. Universal's Epic Universe (The whole park)
Park: Universal's Epic Universe
Original Opening Date: 2023
Status: Delayed indefinitely/cancelled
Comcast executives confirmed last month that due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all construction on Universal's Epic Universe has been paused, and the target opening date has been moved. The new Universal Orlando Resort expansion was originally set to open in 2023, and while Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did not say specifically how much delaying construction would impact the project’s overall timeline during the phone call, Orange County mayor Jerry Demings said in a separate meeting that he had spoken to Universal officials and was told that the project has been delayed by a year, making a 2024 theme park opening the new target.
And while 2024 sounds pretty far away now, there's no telling how things may develop in the future, so that is likely a "best case scenario" target for the resort, as it is possible that the project could be delayed indefinitely or cancelled. During a recent earnings call, a Comcast executive confirmed that this project was still on hold, and Universal would have updates about its future at another time.
Add new comment