Will Disneyland Abu Dhabi Bring Fortune to Disney?

~ Chris Wada

The Walt Disney Company’s announcement of Disneyland Abu Dhabi gives us mixed feelings as to how the technologically advanced resort will work.

The announcement of Disneyland Abu Dhabi

On May 7, 2025, The Walt Disney Company announced a new theme park to open in Abu Dhabi:

The Walt Disney Company and Miral, Abu Dhabi’s leading creator of immersive destinations and experiences, announced an agreement to create a landmark Disney theme park resort in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The waterfront resort will be located on Yas Island, a world-class destination for entertainment and leisure, connecting travelers from the Middle East and Africa, India, Asia, Europe, and beyond. This seventh Disney theme park resort will combine Disney’s iconic stories, characters and attractions with Abu Dhabi’s vibrant culture, stunning shorelines, and breathtaking architecture.

The theme park is described as Disney’s seventh theme park resort, with the others being:

The theme park promises to be the most advanced Disney theme park in existence. According to Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Experiences:

“Our resort in Abu Dhabi will be the most advanced and interactive destination in our portfolio. The location of our park is incredibly unique – anchored by a beautiful waterfront – which will allow us to tell our stories in completely new ways.”

We’ll see exactly how advanced of a theme park it ends up being as it gets closer to opening. As of this time, there is no opening date shared. However, Reuters reports that on the most aggressive timeline, it will take five years. Realistically, expect it to take longer than that.

Why Abu Dhabi?

Disney’s press release mentions the following:

The UAE is located within a four-hour flight of one-third of the world’s population, making it a significant gateway for tourism. The UAE is home to the largest global airline hub in the world, with 120 million passengers traveling through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year.

Perhaps Disney makes it obvious right up front what they’re hoping from this. They want access to a segment of the world’s population that they feel is otherwise untapped. What’s within four hours of Abu Dhabi? How about India, which is the world’s most populated country. That’s where likely much of Disneyland Abu Dhabi’s guests will come from.

Abu Dhabi has also been on a park opening spree lately, with the following theme parks opening in the capital of the U.A.E.:

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Abu Dhabi is looking for even more options to make itself a destination. Combine Abu Dhabi’s desire to have a Disneyland for many years, with this new potential to reach new customers and this is what you have.

Our thoughts on the new park

Those temperatures…

First and foremost, the first thing that comes to mind is the heat. If you go to the park anytime between May and October, expect high temperatures. Of course, the heat can also feel worse than the stated temperatures due to humidity, making it feel like it’s over 130°F (54°C). That’s going to limit what you can do at a theme park. Disney suggests that at least part of the park will be indoors, but I’m not sure I’d even want to go outside when it’s that hot.

Perhaps other theme parks have found a way to make it work financially under such extreme heat. It just seems like a risky strategy for Disney to take. I’d rather not melt at Disneyland Abu Dhabi.

Different norms and standards

Next is related to personal freedoms. The U.A.E. is known for a restriction of freedom in the country when compared to other countries. For example, hugging in public isn’t considered acceptable. Will customers from other countries unfamiliar with these restrictions (or just used to their own norms) get in trouble here? Again, it feels like a risky proposition for Disney to open a theme park where things might feel different. Though, Shanghai Disneyland isn’t allowed to have a Main Street U.S.A. due to its relation to democracy and freedom. So perhaps Disney doesn’t mind after all.

We’ll likely go at some point

At some point, we anticipate likely paying it a visit. We do have a running list of the best Disney resorts in the world and we have curiosity on how this will turn out. It ultimately depends on what they do to entice us to come out and if our schedules allow for visiting outside of the blazing summer. I can’t say I feel much excitement about it at the moment, but maybe that will change. There are more questions than answers at this point.

What are your thoughts on Disneyland Abu Dhabi?

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