Wow! On 12th April, as well as celebrating Disneyland Paris’ 33rd birthday (a belated Bon Anniversaire!), Disney made a lot of announcements about updates coming to the parks and resorts. In this blog we’re sharing an overview of what was announced, and how it may impact your upcoming trip!

World Premiere opening 15th May 2025

Since the closure of Studio 1 at the Walt Disney Studios Park in April last year, entering this park has been a bit, well… underwhelming. And very construction wall heavy. But the good news is that some of this construction is coming to an end soon with the opening of World Premiere on 15th May!

World Premiere replaces the old Studio 1 and provides a covered entrance way into the park. In the new storyline you’re entering Hollywood at the time of a World Premiere, and the building takes you into nighttime Hollywood complete with palm trees, studio buildings and movie theatre facade. Entering ‘into’ the movie premiere then takes you outside into the park where you can live your own adventure – neatly tying in with the new name of the Studios park, Disney Adventure World (from some point in 2026 onwards). If there’s one thing that Disney are good at, it’s tying details into a story!

Aside from providing an enticing entrance way into the park, this building will feature a large retail location and a large quick service – much like the old Studio 1! The new shop is Mickey’s of Hollywood, designed to resemble an old 1920s department store. (If the name sounds familiar that’s because there’s a shop in Disney’s Hollywood Studios park with the same name!). The quick service location has been reimagined into the Hollywood Gardens restaurant, looking rather more glamorous in the concept art than the former inhabitant, Restaurant en Coulisse. As yet no menu has been released so it’ll be interesting to see if they change it up from the former burgers and fries stuff. There will also be a small snack kiosk called Searchlight.

Behind the World Premiere building in the park, World Premiere Plaza (the new name for the areas next to the World Premiere building) is also undergoing a massive glow up, with some parts of this starting to be reopened now.

What does it mean for your trip? This is great news if you have a Disneyland Paris trip after May 15th this year, as instead of entering the Studios park by the side path as people currently are, you’ll get to enter through this much more attractive building into the park! It’s opening and work on World Premier Plaza behind should hopefully lead to less construction walls too, helping to open the park up a bit. It’s also great news that another quick service option is coming to the park because it’s badly needed here! Disney have shared that work on World Premiere Plaza (so behind the building inside the park) is continuing until 2026 so we’re not seeing an end of all the construction walls yet (sigh), but hopefully it’ll make the Studios much easier to navigate overall!

A new Up attraction is coming to the Studios park

There are a lot of new attractions already coming to the Walt Disney Studios Park / Disney Adventure World – but this week Disney announced another! A new ride themed to Pixar’s film Up is coming to the park!

This ride will be on Adventure Way, essentially a scenic path linking the current bit of the Walt Disney Studios Park to the new areas that will help it form Disney Adventure World. The Up ride will essentially sit opposite the already announced Tangled ride coming to this area (think teacups but a lot prettier).

As is pretty apparent from the concept art (unless Disney decide to really pull a 180 on us!), this ride will be a swing ride, where chairs are suspended from the top of the ride and then swung in a circle while the ride is spinning (like a carousel but way more intimidating!). These types of rides have been around for decades now so they’re not exactly new, and in fact one of them exists already in Disney California Adventure Park (there called Silly Symphony Swings). What’ll be unique about the Paris version is the Up theming.

What does it mean for your trip? Well Disney haven’t announced any opening dates for this one, but it’s unlikely to be open until the rest of Adventure Way opens in 2026 (and still may open a bit later because construction is only just starting). The good news about it being a near clone of a ride Disney already have (and many other theme parks too!) is that it should be relatively simple to build compared to say a full rollercoaster or water ride. As the ride is on Adventure Way its construction shouldn’t impact visits to the park this year much (beyond glimpses you might get of it over construction walls and maybe some construction noise).

Once this ride has opened, it’ll be something else to factor into any day planning for Disney Adventure World (formerly Studios. Man this name change is confusing!) I admit I have very mixed feelings on this one – I’m not a fan of this type of ride myself, and it’s a shame not to have something more unique coming to the park. One thing that might impact planning for park days is that it’s another Cycle Ride added to this park. For those that don’t know, cycle rides are ones where a group of people ride, then unload, a new group load and then ride, they unload etc and so the cycle continues. While cycle rides can be great, they are notoriously slow to load and unload and can build up big lines, which is why some theme parks tend to steer clear of them a bit. But with this ride Disney Adventure World will have SEVEN – the three rides in Toy Story Playland, Cars Quartre Roue Rallye, the Magic Carpets, the new Tangled ride, and now this swing ride. If you’re planning to ride all of them in one day expect to spend some time waiting in line… How efficient this ride is we’ll have to see once it opens.

Regal View Restaurant and Lounge – New Princess Dining Experience

Also adorning Adventure Way in the Sutdios / Adventure World will be Regal View Restaurant and Lounge. This spot will feature Princess dining, and Disney released some new concept art of both inside and outside the restaurant. It’s looking rather elegant! Disney made a point to note that it’ll also feature great views of the new lagoon and nighttime show (more on that in a bit…)

What does it mean for your trip? As with the Up ride, don’t expect this open until at least 2026. The other Princess dining spots in Disneyland Paris are notoriously hard to book so this is a welcome addition to the line up. No news on menus etc as yet but I’d expect it to be an expensive prix fixe affair. What this might do is make the other two locations (Auberge de Cendrillon and Lumiere’s) a bit easier to book as a lot of people are bound to want to try the newest option! (Including us to be fair).

The note that the restaurant offers lagoon views of the nighttime show suggest that getting a booking for the time the show is on is going to be VERY competitive. Once booking is open I suggest getting your reservation in ASAP (if that follows current booking windows, it’s as soon as your stay is confirmed up to a year in advance for Disney hotel guests, and 60 days for non-guests).

One thing I was interested to see is the note that this is a restaurant and lounge – in park lounges (or lounges attached to in park restaurants) aren’t really a thing at DLP at the moment so this could indicate a new direction, or that DLP is trying something new – popularity might then dictate if we see any more lounges pop up in the parks!

Rehearsals and testing now underway for the new nighttime show

The inclusion of a large new lagoon in the new area of Studios / Adventure World means a new nighttime show. Disney have announced that testing for this is under way, and the show will include water screens, fountains, projections and water drones. The concept art and test image from the show focus on Moana, and if the show lives up to these it will be rather stunning!

What does it mean for your trip? Again, probably not one to think about until 2026 when Adventure Way opens! But the addition of a second nighttime show may mean less of a scrum to see Tales of Magic in the Disneyland Parc next door, which can only be a good thing. As with that show though we expect a lot of competition for good spots to watch this when it opens, and probably a lot of pushing and shoving too! It also wouldn’t surprise me if Disney offer a paid for preferred viewing spot like they do for Tales of Magic, so if you’re travelling in 2026 keep an eye out for the option to add this to your reservation once the show’s opening date is announced.

The addition of this show does give people more incentive to stay in the Studios / Adventure World until closing, something that isn’t the case now. As a result we’re less likely to see the significant drop off in queue times during the last hour or so of opening that we see in the park as it stands. But with so much more to do here, it looks like we’ll need that extra time!

Work is well underway for World of Frozen

There was also an update on work taking place in the new World of Frozen at the Studios / Adventure World. Final touches are being added to the very impressive North Mountain, and inside the Frozen Ever After ride the audio-animatronics are being installed and programmed. Disney have noted these are ‘state of the art’, so should hopefully be the new edition of animatronics that are in the Hong Kong version of this attraction (and not the slightly creepy projected face versions in Epcot…)

It’s great to see work taking place on this area, and as work continues and construction walls move it’s likely to become more and more visible from within the park as it stands too! No opening date beyond ‘2026’ has been confirmed yet, but Disney have said that when it does will mark the park name change from Walt Disney Studios Park to Disney Adeventure World!

So what does it mean for your trip? In 2025, probably not a lot apart from a bit of construction noise and a few tantalising glimpses of the land! The big question is when it might open in 2026, and Disney aren’t sharing – which means for those booking a 2026 trip it’s a toss up of whether to wait until the date is shared to book, or to book anyway and hope! Really that’s down to you and your family what you choose to do. Disney tends to like spring / summer to open new areas and attractions, but that’s a complete guess on my part! What I would say though is that if you’re booking for early 2026 (Jan / Feb) don’t bank on this being open!

New concept art from the Lion King attraction released

The news for the Studios / Adventure World kept coming with an update too on the Lion King attraction, plus the first concept art from inside the ride! This features the ‘slimy but satisfying’ scene just before Hakuna Matata.

As well as the new artwork Disney confirmed that the ride will feature a 37m high pride rock on its facade (that’s over 120 feet), and include state of the art audio-animatronics. It’ll also feature several drops, including one that’s 16m (over 52 feet). For those that know their Disney rides, that’s same drop featured on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (formerly Splash Mountain) over in Walt Disney World and Disneyland. So it seems likely that this will be a reskinned version of those attractions – although building it new from the ground up does give Disney the chance to work out kinks and issues that make the versions of this ride in the States notoriously unreliable! Disney did also say that they’re planning to make sure the ride will be able to run year round – it’ll be interesting how that works in often freezing in the winter Paris.

How will it affect your trip? Disney said ground-breaking won’t start on the Lion King until Autumn 2025 so don’t expect to see any of this area soon, we’d guess we’re looking at towards the end of the decade for the opening. Hopefully once construction work is well underway we might get some glimpses of Pride rock appearing on the park skyline! As the park will have evolved a lot by then it’ll be interesting to see how this ride affects crowd patterns in the park, although it’s bound to be popular. I’m just really curious to see how they’re going to make the ride work in Paris’ winter!

Updates to Rivers of the Far West and Adventure Isle

Although the bulk of in-park construction is currently focusing on the Studios / Adventure World, that doesn’t mean that the original park is getting competely left out of the refurb game! Disney announced updates to the Rivers of the Far West and Adventure Isle here.

Rivers of the Far West are the waters you cruise in Frontierland on the Molly Brown Riverboat, circling Big Thunder Mountain. The riverboat has been closed since January alongside Thunder Mountain, but that doesn’t mean it’s just sat doing nothing – the boat itself is getting a complete overhaul. And once it set sails once again, there’ll be new scenes to enjoy around the river, inspired by original drawings by legendary imagineer Marc Davis.

Over in Adventure Isle, the walk-through caves are getting plussed up with a new scavenger hunt that will tie in with the nearby Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Through posters and props, characters on the ride will ask for help searching for their belongings – and you’ll be able to explore the caves to help find them! The new scavenger hunt is set to be complete in Autumn 2025.

So what does it mean for your trip? Neither Adventure Isle or the Rivers of the Far West might be the biggest draws in Disneyland Paris, but it’s lovely to see these classic areas getting plussed up and given some TLC. (It’s especially lovely for Rivers of Far West considering the Walt Disney World version of this will be closing!). Honestly I don’t expect the new additions to have much impact on crowds in either area, but it might be more of a reason to take time out of a day to explore Adventure Isle, and to enjoy a chill ride on the Molly Brown!

What actually might have more immediate impact is new covered areas coming to parts of the park to improve guests experience, including a new covered seating terrace for Casey’s Corner opening in June. Now that’s really needed!

New stores opening in Disney Village on April 19th

Disney Village has felt nearly as construction wall heavy as the Studios park recently, so it’s great to know that some of this construction is ending very soon with the opening of two new stores on 19th April 2025!

The new stores are a reimagined Lego store, and Disney Deco – dedicated to Disney Homeware. They follow on the heels of Disney Style, a clothing shop, and Disney Glamour, offering high end goods, that opened earlier this year.

And if eating and drinking are more your thing, a new waterside terrace for Rosalie will also be opening this summer!

So how does it impact your trip? Woo hoo, more shopping! (Or boo, more ways to spend money, depending on your outlook). Actually the opening of the new stores does bring to an end some of the construction walls in the Disney Village which can only be a good thing. Don’t expect them all to be gone though – the Sports Bar is still undergoing its transformation, and the former Planet Hollywood has been swept away ready for a new Italian restaurant. Disney have also announced that the Disney Store will close in the autumn to be reimagined, and that there’s work taking place on a new McDonald’s. Still, there’s not many places you can sit and enjoy the view on Lake Disney, so the new terrace for Rosalie will be a welcome addition in warmer weather!

Updates coming to Sequoia Lodge and Davy Crockett Ranch

From the parks and the village we finally come to the hotels. It’s long been rumoured that Sequoia Lodge would be next on the refurb schedule, and it’s finally been confirmed! Starting in 2026 the guest rooms and public spaces will all be overhauled. The focus will be on DIsney forest and animal characters, and on sustainability to fit the resorts woodsy feel. The good news is that the resort will be staying open during the updates, so we don’t have a hotel completely unavailable (like we did for the Disneyland and New York Hotels during their works).

Not to be left out, Disney’s only non-onsite hotel at Disneyland Paris, Davy Crockett Ranch is also getting updates. Featuring accomodations in cabins, these are being gradually replaced with more modern ones – that will be available to stay in starting late summer 2025!

How does this affect your trip? The work at Davy Crockett Lodge is well underway, so you may see a bit of construction work during upcoming stays! If you’re planning to stay here later in the year and into 2026, you might be able to stay in one of the new cabins. Note that it’s not guaranteed you’ll get a new cabin unless you specify it – once booking opens I’d guess either the new cabins will be more expensive, or you’ll need to request one at time of booking or check in. Please note though that check-in requests aren’t guaranteed – so please don’t yell at cast members if you end up in an older cabin!

As for Sequoia Lodge, anyone staying here in 2026 is likely to see and hear a bit of construction work during the day. As the rooms are grouped into separate lodges my guess is they’ll work on them one at a time so not to lose too many guest rooms in one go. The most disruptive bit will likely be when they work on the main building including lobby and restaurants – no word on when that it though. There is a chance that Sequoia Lodge may be a bit cheaper to stay in when the works are on (although no promises), so if you don’t mind a bit of daytime disruption you could grab a bargain! If you’re staying later in 2026 there might be a chance you’ll get a new room – no word though when they’ll be available so there’s no guarantees.

Phew! That was a lot! Hopefully this overview helps you discover what’s underway and what’s planned for Disneyland Paris! What change are you most excited for?