Should You Visit Disney in 2026 Or Wait a Year

Disney theme parks are currently spending tens of billions of dollars to expand. Within five years, you’ll barely recognize the parks, which is a good thing. By 2030, you’ll enjoy entirely new experiences at your favorite. 

The problem is that as a Disney Vacation Club member, you’re more worried about the now. You want to go to Disney, but you don’t want to bump into construction walls wherever you go. So, should you visit Disney in 2026 or wait a year?

Why You Should Visit Disney This Year

Let’s presume that you’ll book based on the seven-month window. In that scenario, you’ll discover several good reasons to visit Walt Disney World seven months from now. 

Park officials have already confirmed opening dates for new attractions such as Soarin’ Across America and the new Baby Yoda mission on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. 

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Meanwhile, Frozen Ever After should be operating its improved Audio-Animatronics by the spring. That’s also around the same time that Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will return in its modernized form. So, you’ll find several new experiences by the middle of the year.

I haven’t even mentioned the biggest one for families, which is the arrival of Bluey and Bingo at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests can hang out with the Blue Heeler pups at Conservation Station, and kids can even play Keepy Uppy with them!

Bluey will show up this summer, which is another inflection point at Walt Disney World. In April, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will perform its final limousine ride. At that point, the thrill ride will close for its re-theming. Disney has indicated that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will debut late in the summer. 

So, Imagineers are currently plussing several beloved attractions, all of which should be better by the end of the summer. While you could argue that only Bluey is a new experience, all the others will feature improvements. 

Some of them, such as Frozen Ever After, will feature minor changes. Others like Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets will feel substantially different. 

All these new experiences provide additional incentive beyond the other reasons you love a Disney visit. The EPCOT festivals, theme park after-hours ticketed events, holiday decorations, and so much more are back on the menu for 2026. 

Disney is also hosting another round of Cool Kids’ Summer, and it’s promising even more interactive activities to increase engagement. So, I could honestly argue that you’ll find more to do at Walt Disney World this year than ever before. 

Why You May Want to Skip a Year 

I Banked most of my DVC Points last year, and let me tell you. It feels good when I look at my available points. We still took a Disney vacation last year, but we went on a cruise instead. 

I mention this because DVC members aren’t hard-locked into spending our DVC Points each year. The program thoughtfully provides us with so many ways to use our points on our schedule. That’s important when we discuss a 2026 Walt Disney World vacation. 

Let’s be honest here. There’s a lot of chaos in the process this year. With DinoLand USA closing forever, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will only have a handful of attractions open for guests. Sure, you should visit mainly for the animals anyway, but fans of rides will consider it a half-day park. 

Then, we have the other aggravating part of all the closures. Construction walls at the park will annoy you. I still recall the worst day I ever had at Animal Kingdom. It was 100 degrees that day, and construction on Pandora – The World of Avatar had closed many of my normal pathways. 

Frustratingly, you’ll experience something similar at three different Walt Disney World theme parks in 2026. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is currently undergoing construction at the former Animation Courtyard and the former Muppets Courtyard. At Magic Kingdom, Disney has drained the former Rivers of America and reclaimed some of the land previously used by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 

You’ll discover an unprecedented amount of construction walls during your visit. Then, we have another problem. I haven’t mentioned specific opening dates for many of the attractions I referenced earlier. Disney is tossing around the letters TBA a lot right now. 

Since Imagineers sometimes run late on projects (albeit not as much lately), some of the experiences I referenced may not be ready when you visit. I cannot guarantee you anything other than Bluey, the easiest thing to bring to life. 

Let’s say that you visit in July. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets may not be open yet. Should you visit in mid-May, you’ll miss Soarin’ Across America by a few days, as it debuts on Memorial Day. Unless Disney offers sneak previews for DVC members, you’ll also not have a chance at the new mission on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. It debuts on May 22nd. 

Again, those of you using the seven-month window should be fine. I would expect all these experiences to be open by then, barring something catastrophic. Still, we all know how DVC works. Spontaneity is challenging. So, I cannot assure you that some of these experiences will be open. All I can say for sure is that the Tropical Americas and Monstropolis won’t open until 2027. 

For this reason, you should at least consider skipping a Walt Disney World vacation this year. Honestly, much of what I said applies to Disneyland as well, as Disney California Adventure is currently undergoing plenty of construction, too. If you need to feed your Disney addiction, just do what we’re doing. Book a trip on the Disney Destiny, which is pretty much a theme park at sea. 

The caveat is if you’re a parent with small children. If so, you’re going to Disney for the Bluey experiences. It’s the easiest vacation win that a parent can have.

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