Disney Texas Park? News, Rumors, Universal Expansion

Rumors of a Disney theme park coming to Texas have been a common occurrence for years. Texas is a suitable place for a theme park as the state matches many qualities found in both California and Florida but primarily the good weather and central location would make this a good business decision.

Universal's announcement to build its own theme park in Texas has further fanned the flames of these rumors. Universal has a theme park right by both of the United States Disney parks (and even some international ones!) so this does make logical sense.

Keep reading for the full breakdown of the Universal theme park coming to Texas along with our thoughts on if a Disney Texas theme park is feasible.

Universal Park Coming To Texas

In January 2023, it was announced that Universal would be building a brand new theme park in Frisco, Texas. Frisco has been a popular tourist destination for many years and has become full of booming development projects. The fast-growing population of Frisco has been a big part of its ability to draw in new businesses.

This new Universal Texas theme park area will span over 97 acres with about 30 acres dedicated to a theme park along with a 300-room hotel. Universal can use the remaining acreage for parking and future expansions. According to Universal, this theme park will have a different look compared with the existing parks to appeal to a new audience.

This new audience is in reference to the decision to build a Universal theme park that will focus primarily on kids and attractions will be designed for younger audiences. The target audience of the theme park is children aged 3-9 years old. This means that this new Universal Texas theme park won't be a replication of Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Orlando Resort. This will be an entirely new park devoted to this younger, family-friendly audience similar to how we see LEGOLAND operate.

Universal may expand eventually but the theme park will continue to primarily be geared towards children under 10. This new Universal Texas theme park will feature green landscapes along with immersive lands to celebrate Universal's brands. The brands brought to the park will be the ones designed to appeal to families with younger children. I imagine we'll see a form of the Minion Land come to this new Texas Universal park but a Harry Potter land is unlikely based on the demographic they are working with.

Since Frisco has become such a target for development and also one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, could this be a possible place in Texas for a Disney theme park?

Is Disney Building a Theme Park in Texas?

Now to the bigger question of speculation: is Disney planning on building a theme park in Texas? This has been a rumor for years which is mainly based on the past research Disney did on Texas lands and communities. There were never any announcements about a new theme park as a result of this research but it did not stop people from speculating anyways.

Now that Universal has announced plans to build a theme park in Frisco, although it is a smaller version of its other parks, it does beg the question that Disney may be considering the same thing.

As of now, there is no confirmation that Disney has any intentions to build a theme park in Texas. Anything you may have read to the contrary either spread from satirical sites or is simply just rumor mills churning.

Despite that, we can definitely speculate on the validity of these rumors and if they hold any weight. Aside from the central location in Texas and the good weather, Texas is also an extremely business-friendly state. Texas has some of the lowest business tax rates, no income tax for residents, and business-friendly policies. These are all appealing details for any business looking to open in Texas.

Disney already has two enormously successful resorts in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World with projects they are consistently developing. It doesn't seem likely that Disney would funnel money into a brand new theme park rather than continue on the projects it is already developing or teasing for the other two theme parks. Most guests in the central location of the United States do not mind traveling to either California or Florida to visit a Disney park and attendance remains fairly consistent at both parks.

Further rumors may also have been helped by the news that former Disney Imagineers are working on building a new Oklahoma theme park. The American Heartland Theme Park will be located along Route 66 in northeast Oklahoma. The 1,000-acre development, which includes a 125-acre theme park, 300-room hotel and indoor water park, is slated to open in two phases – the first in spring 2025 and the second in 2026.J

Despite all these rumors, Disney is not building a Texas theme park. Universal is the only new theme park with the same star status coming to Texas at this time.

Disney Cruises Departing Texas

Disney does still have a presence in Texas with Gaveleston, Texas being one of the ports for departures for the Disney Cruise Line. You can cruise the current 2024 Disney Cruise Line destinations to start planning your trip for next year. This is really convenient for Disney fans who live in Texas as this eliminates the cost of flying to the departure point before a Disney Cruise.

You can view the currently available dates for Disney Cruises 2024 on the Disney Cruise Line website. After viewing the dates be sure to come back and request a FREE quote from our travel partner for your cruise. For a limited time, Mickey Visit readers get up to a $400 onboard credit.

Currently, the Disney Magic is scheduled to depart January through April 2024 on two different cruise adventures. The ship will first embark on Caribbean adventures from four to six nights through the end of January. After it returns, it will then sail cruises ranging from four to seven nights along the western Caribbean during March and April for Spring Break.

Even if you do not live in Texas, if you live near the state these cruises might be more affordable than to fly to other ports for the Disney Cruise Line.

Disney On Ice Texas

Disney On Ice is also a way to get your Disney fix in Texas. Disney On Ice travels across the country and offers a fun ice skating show themed to different Disney films. This show is geared towards a younger crowd but Disney fans of all ages often turn out for these local shows.

Disney On Ice often plays at arenas that can support ice skating so this is a figure skating-based performance. There are multiple Disney On Ice shows available and they tour the country on various dates meaning you could see a different show each time they come to your area. For 2023 Disney On Ice in Texas, the current show is Find Your Hero focusing primarily on the stories of Moana and Frozen.

Many of the Disney On Ice shows also include special character offerings at an additional cost if kids are interested in meeting any of the Disney characters from the show.

While a Disney Texas theme park is not on the horizon anytime soon, Disney Texas guests can enjoy departures from Gavelestone for the Disney Cruise Line and frequent Disney On Ice offerings in their area. And for families with small children, can look forward to a brand new Universal theme park in the future.

Disney Texas Theme Park FAQ

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