Here we go again, another round of excitement swirling around the idea of a fifth theme park at Walt Disney World. This time, the speculation has been sparked by the newly adopted 15-year plan from the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD). That plan includes a reference to the potential for a new gate. And I know I’m supposed to be thrilled by that. But honestly? I’m just tired of it.
The idea of a fifth park has been floating around for decades. For some fans, the idea has been something they’ve thought about since Disney’s Animal Kingdom opened in 1998. It’s practically a rite of passage in Disney fandom to dream up what that park might be. I’ve done it. I’ve been excited about it. But I’ve also lived through enough hypotheticals to know better than to get too caught up in it now, especially when the reality on the ground doesn’t support it.
Even if Disney did plan to announce something at the next D23 Expo in 2026 — which, for the record, they probably won’t — it would still be years before anything actually happened. According to the updated plans, a fifth theme park would not be allowed before 2035. Only one new major theme park is allowed through the end of the 2045 comprehensive plan.
Right now, Walt Disney World is already juggling major development across its existing four parks. The upcoming Piston Peak National Park and Villains Land in Magic Kingdom, the Monsters, Inc. Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the Tropical Americas project at Animal Kingdom are all either underway, preparing to break ground, or being prepped behind the scenes.
We still have huge holes in the current parks that haven’t been addressed for years. Tomorrowland still has an empty building where Stitch’s Great Escape used to be. EPCOT’s Wonders of Life Pavilion is frozen in development limbo. The Morocco Pavilion has lost much of its unique identity. There are still places within the four existing parks that feel unfinished or outdated. If we can’t maintain and evolve what we already have, why are we even talking about adding more?
To be clear, I love Walt Disney World. I love speculating about what’s next. But there’s a difference between dreaming big and setting ourselves up for constant disappointment. The fifth gate rumors and fan speculation has been dangling in front of fans since I was a kid. And every time they get brought up again, it’s hard not to feel like we’re being baited into another hype cycle with no real payoff.
The projects currently in motion, if delivered well, are more than enough to get excited about. They show that Disney is investing in the parks again after years of slower development. And if those new lands and updates come to life the way fans hope, that’s a big deal. But let’s finish what’s started before we start imagining an entirely new park.
So no, I’m not jumping on the fifth gate bandwagon this time. Not because I don’t want one someday, but because I’ve finally accepted that “someday” isn’t anytime soon, according to these plans, it is 10 years away minimum. Let’s stop chasing the next big promise and focus on making the parks we already have the best they can be. When Disney is ready to break ground on a new gate—and not just put the idea in a long-term land use document—I’ll be the first one to buy in. But until then, spare me the excitement. I’ve been here long enough to know better.
