Disneyland Abu Dhabi could open before Universal’s planned UK theme park, according to Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism department.
The new Disney park was announced in May. Located on Yas Island, it will be developed, built and operated by Miral, and could open as early as 2030.
Via Forbes, DCT Abu Dhabi’s official Experience Abu Dhabi website states: “Disneyland Abu Dhabi is still in the early design stages. While no dates have been officially communicated yet, expect the opening of Disneyland Abu Dhabi to be sometime between 2030 and 2032.”
This comes after Josh D’Amaro, chairman of the Disney Experiences theme parks division, told Reuters in May that the project could take one to two years to design, and another four to six years to construct.
At the same time, Disney’s CEO Bob Iger told CNBC that “it typically takes us between 18 months and two years to design and fully develop and approximately five years to build”.
Disney’s publicity team told Forbes that “we have not been giving an estimated opening date” for the Abu Dhabi theme park.
Universal targets 2031 opening for UK park
As for Universal’s planned UK theme park, the company is targeting a 2031 opening.
This was confirmed by Mark Woodbury, chairman and CEO of Universal Destinations & Experiences, at last week’s Bank of America 2025 Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference.
On the park’s design, Woodbury said: “It’s a full-blown Universal theme park with a 500-room hotel that is part of it, very much like Epic in terms of a park with a hotel.
“We’ve created a different mix of attractions that we think will work great in the UK.”
In response to Disney’s Abu Dhabi theme park announcement, Woodbury said Universal’s “priorities right now are driving Epic to full throttle and to execute on [the] UK”.
Images courtesy of Disney and Universal
