Disney shocked the world earlier this week by announcing a partnership with Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences, to open Disney’s first Middle Eastern theme park in the United Arab Emirates. It’s been 15 years since Disney announced its last theme park opening, with Shanghai Disneyland opening in 2016.
Miral will own and operate the new theme park, with Disney providing its intellectual property and Disney Imagineering providing the oversite and creative design.
The waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island in the UAE. The location was chosen specifically because the UAE is within a four-hour plane ride of one-third of the world’s population and boasts the world’s largest airline hub, with more than 120 million passengers passing through the country annually.
However, there were some who weren’t thrilled with the new park’s location, especially members of the LGBTQ community. The UAE has criminalized homosexuality and banned gender-affirming care.
Despite those concerns, Disney decided to create a partnership in the UAE and build its seventh theme park there. But when can guests expect the new Disney Park in Abu Dhabi to open its gates?
Iger and D’Amaro on Disney Parks’ Timeline
Shortly after the announcement, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Chairman of Parks and Experiences Josh D’Amaro sat down with CNBC for an interview on the new venture and laid out a loose timeline. Iger said:
It typically takes us between 18 months and two years to design and fully develop, and approximately five years to build, but we’re not making any commitments right now.
Iger would later say that this new park’s design and development process is already underway. Given that, one can assume that Disney and Miral are at least three to six months into the process, especially given the scope of the concept art.
That said, fans could expect more details on the park by this time next year and shovels in the ground by mid to late 2026. That would put the opening around 2031, but more likely, given Disney’s recent track record, 2032 or 2033.
As a point of reference, Disney announced Shanghai Disneyland on November 5, 2010, and the park opened on June 16, 2016. However, Disney was further along with the planning process for that park.
The initial opening for Shanghai Disneyland was in 2015, but it was pushed back into 2016 due to construction delays. Including the pre-announcement planning for Shanghai Disneyland took roughly seven years and four months to complete.
If Disney’s newest park keeps to a similar timeline, 2032 or 2033 seems like a safe bet.
What do you think of Disney’s newest park in the United Arab Emirates? Let us know in the comments.
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