{"id":2206,"date":"2025-05-07T15:35:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T15:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/?p=2206"},"modified":"2025-05-13T13:12:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T13:12:03","slug":"a-new-disney-theme-park-is-coming-to-abu-dhabi-with-one-major-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/07\/a-new-disney-theme-park-is-coming-to-abu-dhabi-with-one-major-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"A new Disney theme park is coming to Abu Dhabi \u2014 with one major difference"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Disney has announced plans for the Middle East\u2019s first Disneyland (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Calling all Disney<\/a> fans: A new theme park<\/a> is on its way.<\/p>\n

The Walt Disney Company has announced it will open its seventh resort in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

But the park, which is Disney\u2019s first major attraction in the Middle East<\/a>, is different: it will be fully built and developed by another company.<\/p>\n

Disney has collaborated with Miral, a leader in immersive experiences and the face behind many of the United Arab Emirates<\/a>\u2019 world-famous destinations.<\/p>\n

The resort will be constructed on man-made Yas Island, one of the UAE\u2019s largest tourism<\/a> projects.<\/p>\n

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@yasisland<\/a> <\/p>\n

A whole new world awaits, on #YasIsland<\/a> Abu Dhabi \u2728 Watch the magic unfold as we introduce the first and only @Disney Theme Park Resort in the region \ud83e\ude84 #InAbuDhabi<\/a><\/p>\n

\u266c original sound \u2013 Yas Island \u062c\u0632\u064a\u0631\u0629 \u064a\u0627\u0633<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D\u2019Amaro has claimed the resort will be \u2018one of the most advanced theme parks<\/a>\u2019 ever built.<\/p>\n

He told USA Today<\/a>: \u2018We\u2019ve got an opportunity here to build from the ground up and really put on display all of this ambition, all this innovation, all this new technology that we have at hand to create something incredibly special for our fans.\u2019<\/p>\n

What can Disney fans expect?<\/h2>\n

Disney will have full creative control of the resort and will oversee the entire process. Miral is tasked with developing and building the ambitious venture.<\/p>\n

Due to the location of the new park, there will be a strong emphasis on United Arab Emirates culture, along with Disney\u2019s signature feel.<\/p>\n

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger emphasised this, saying: \u2018Disneyland Abu Dhabi will be authentically Disney and distinctly Emirati.<\/p>\n

\u2018When you walk into it, it will feel Disney. But it will also reflect the Emirati culture. It will reflect the cultures from around the world that come into this beautiful place.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The Disney resort will open on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi\u2019s renowned tourist hub (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zooming in on Abu Dhabi\u2019s reputation as a forward-thinking and state-of-the-art city, Iger said the park will \u2018rise from this land in spectacular fashion.\u2019<\/p>\n

He said it will blend \u2018contemporary architecture with cutting-edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways.\u2019<\/p>\n

As for rides, it\u2019s still early days. However, D\u2019Amaro has teased that there\u2019ll be a strong focus on water because of Yas Island\u2019s coastal location. <\/p>\n

Though water slides and epic log flumes have yet to be confirmed, one can make an assumption.<\/p>\n

D\u2019Amaro added: \u2018We will be right up against water, so we\u2019ll be able to play with water in a completely new and unique way that we haven\u2019t been able to do in some of our other destinations. You can think about that water coming into our resort almost playing a character in a way.\u2019<\/p>\n

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@thetravelshack<\/a> <\/p>\n

Would You Visit The Island That Didn\u2019t Exist? | Yas Island. Follow for more! . . . #travel<\/a> #fyp<\/a> #tiktok<\/a> #foryou<\/a> #foryoupage<\/a> #funny<\/a> #youtube<\/a> #youtubeshorts<\/a> #edit<\/a> #edits<\/a> #instagram<\/a> #beauty<\/a> #vacation<\/a> #destinations<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u266c Aces \u2013 dkj<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

When will the new Disney park open?<\/h2>\n

Again, as the announcement has just been made, Abu Dhabi locals \u2013 and anyone who loves to holiday there \u2013 will have to wait a while.<\/p>\n

Iger has also confirmed that they\u2019re \u2018not pinning down a date yet.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Instead, he said that Walt Disney Imagineering, the company responsible for creating, designing and constructing Disney attractions, has started the design process.<\/p>\n

Speaking with CNBC<\/a>, Iger explained the process that goes into a project this size. He said designing and developing a resort usually takes between 18 months and two years. It then takes approximately five years to build.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019re not making any commitments right now,\u2019 he concluded.<\/p>\n

However, should this timeline prove true, designs would finish in 2027. This means theoretically, the park wouldn\u2019t officially open until 2032.<\/p>\n

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While you wait for the new resort, there are plenty of other incredible Disney theme parks to enjoy (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where are the other Disney resorts?<\/h2>\n

Thankfully, there are six other Disney theme parks and resorts around the world that we can enjoy in the meantime.<\/p>\n

These include: Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort.<\/p>\n

What to do on Yas Island<\/h2>\n

Yas Island is already a world-famous holiday hotspot. <\/p>\n

Currently, it\u2019s home to a slew of glamorous entertainment and retail experiences. <\/p>\n

From Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros and Yas Waterworld, there\u2019s also the Yas Marina Circuit, one of four Formula One tracks in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

The island also boasts Abu Dhabi\u2019s largest mall, Yas Mall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disney has announced plans for the Middle East\u2019s first Disneyland (Picture: Getty Images) Calling all Disney fans: A new theme park is on its way. The Walt Disney Company has announced it will open its seventh resort in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. But the park, which is Disney\u2019s first major attraction in the Middle East, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2206"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2212,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2206\/revisions\/2212"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}