CFTOD Plan Mentions Fifth Disney World Theme Park, But Don’t Get Excited

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) recently adopted its 2045 comprehensive plan, which includes mention of a fifth Disney World theme park. WDWMAGIC was the first to report this news. Before I write another word, the answer is no. This doesn’t mean Disney is planning a fifth gate in Orlando. In fact, provisions for future parks have been included in past District comprehensive plans, most recently in the 2032 plan.

The CFTOD’s comprehensive plan serves as the official policy guiding land use and development within the district. It’s designed to manage Disney World’s future growth while protecting the environment and maintaining health and safety standards.

What today’s update reveals is that Disney continues to have the green light to pursue a significant expansion without needing to amend the 2045 plan. That expansion could include a major theme park up to 550 acres in size, plus two additional “minor” parks up to 147 acres each. Most would probably assume those would be water parks. But given the changing theme park landscape (see Universal Kids Resort), who knows what the future holds?

The plan also confirms that any such development could move forward without impacting Disney’s conservation efforts. That’s great for the environment and great for those of us who appreciate that beautiful Disney World bubble.

Michael Eisner’s time as Disney’s CEO made Disney fans a little greedy. After he greenlit MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom, we all assumed Disney would add a fifth gate in the first decade of the new millennium. It didn’t happen then, nor in the second, and it won’t happen in the third. The earliest a fifth Disney World park could debut would be 2035.