The new year is well underway, to the point where people might have already forgotten their resolutions. Or maybe you’re just getting going on these resolutions! The good news is that you still have 11 months to make changes. I kept that in mind when thinking about Walt Disney World and how I’d like to see the parks grow or change this year. 2026 looks to be a fairly quiet year in terms of major openings but that doesn’t mean each of the four parks can’t get better. In this post, I’ll be writing about one fairly practical change I’d like to see Disney World’s four parks make in 2026.

Fairly practical should probably be underlined. Each of these suggestions, aside from Epcot’s, all fall in the category of “this is totally possible but would be a surprise if Disney did this.” By practical, I mean that there’s the infrastructure to make these changes in 2026. The ‘fairly’ is carrying quite a bit of weight here as I’m not always taking into account some of the financial aspects in the decision.

In other words, these are all relatively small suggestions that would make 2026 at Walt Disney World a better, more interesting experience. Do I want a new World Showcase Pavilion? Sure! But it doesn’t fit in this blog post. Would Animal Kingdom be better if they announced 5 new rides were opening? Absolutely, but that won’t be happening for a while. You get the point.

It will be interesting to watch how they generate excitement at Walt Disney World in 2026. We’re in the dead zone of projects that came via COVID, where nothing new was announced for the better part of 4 years. That will all start to change next year with a few openings but, for now, we’re looking for quick fixes (outside of my Epcot suggestion) to small problems.

I will say that some of these, especially one of them, is full on personal wishcasting. You’ll know when you get there. Otherwise, I think all of these would undisputedly make the guest experience better at each park. Enough with me explaining myself before actually getting to the content. Here’s what I’d like to see each Disney World park do in 2026.

Magic Kingdom – Counter-Service Lunch Back at Be Our Guest

Magic Kingdom needs better food. This is a drum I’ve been banging for a few years now and 2026 will be no different. Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot are all varying degrees of good food theme parks. In fact, all of Walt Disney World has been strong in the last few years outside of the castle park. There were marginal gains in 2025 but not anything to change my opinion of this being the worst counter-service and table-service spot in WDW.

Once upon a time (long enough for my photos to look pretty bad), Magic Kingdom had one of the best counter-service spots of any theme park. Be Our Guest opened as a counter-service spot during the day and table-service at night. That hasn’t come back since the pandemic. The reasoning isn’t hard to figure out, the restaurant surely makes more money with a prix fixe menu throughout the day. I can’t argue that and it’s why I’m skeptical about the restaurant ever returning to its former glory.

Still, it’s hard to ignore the improvement Magic Kingdom could make simply by making Be Our Guest a counter-service lunch option. There’d be less reason to leave the park, the offerings would be diversified and more people could experience one of the hallmark restaurant atmospheres in Disney World. I’m not saying this would totally solve Magic Kingdom’s dining issue but it would go a long ways.

Epcot – Spaceship Earth Refurb

This one is long overdue and was actually announced at one point before getting shelved. I’m expecting news of a Spaceship Earth refurbishment in 2026. Epcot has done a nice job of updating rides in the past year. Test Track, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After have all seen upgrades. Now it’s time for the ride in the iconic sphere to see some improvements.

I love Spaceship Earth already and am fine with much of it staying the same. But there are spots where the ride noticeably needs an update and/or makeover. While I would like other projects to be announced at Epcot more (I’m looking at you, Imagination Pavilion) a Spaceship Earth update seems the most realistic in the short term.

Hollywood Studios – A Muppet Takeover

This one is simple. All Muppets everything! The Muppets are already set to takeover Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster this summer. Give them that corner of the park. The Villains show there is fine but not many people are going to miss it when it’s gone. Put MuppetVision there and, baby, we’ve got a stew going!

Why stop there though? After we all watch the Muppet Show on February 4th (you’ll watch it, right? Right?!) then the Muppets will officially be back. Let Sweetums walk around Hollywood Studios. Heck, let him into Galaxy’s Edge to give Chewie a hug. We all know Rex and Kermit have some thoughts about being green. Let’s run wild with a Muppets 2026. Please?

Animal Kingdom – Embrace the Seasonal Events

2026 is a rough year for Animal Kingdom. Dinoland is closed and Tropical Americas is still a year away from opening. There will be construction walls and single digit attractions to experience. It’s not a great situation despite being a beautiful theme park. Is there a way to practically make up for that in 2026? Honestly, probably not. But if there was ever a year to throw a bunch of stuff at the wall in Animal Kingdom to see what sticks, this is it!

Merry Menagerie makes Animal Kingdom come to life at Christmas time. The whole experience is one of my favorite things to attend at Disney World. If they keep adding interesting things like that throughout the year, the park could have a great energy. Here are some ideas. Some are better than others.

• Animal Kingdom could have a mini Food & Wine event.
• Do a concert festival for a month featuring some staples like Burudika but add a few more stages throughout the park to give an event like atmosphere.
• Bring back KiteTails!
• Make an Earth Day celebration last the full month, with different crafts, exhibits and presentations.
• Discovery Island offers a street market for the summer.
• Let the animals out of their cages.

Look, I’m not an Imagineer and they clearly have better ideas than me. I’d just like to see Animal Kingdom try to drive guest interaction with something creative while we wait for a new land. The weirder it is, the better!

What would you like to see change at Disney World in 2026? Let us know, along with any questions you have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. This site offers discount tickets for those looking! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it