Walk Time: Checking in on Disney Abu Dhabi
In theme parks and entertainment, "walk time" is the name for the final paid minutes of your shift, when you gather your stuff and start heading home. At Theme Park Insider, "Walk Time" is our weekend look back at the past seven days in theme park news.
Disney meetings
Bob Iger and Josh D'Amaro checked in on Disney Abu Dhabi this week. The Disney CEO and Disney Experiences Chairman visited the UAE capital, where they met with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council H.E. Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral Chairman H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, and Miral CEO Dr. Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi.
According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office, "the meeting discussed the development plans for the Disney Theme Park Resort project on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, announced in May 2025 following a strategic partnership agreement between Miral and The Walt Disney Company."
What those development plans specifically entail, well, no one is disclosing them just yet. But Disney has promised its most technologically advanced park ever, which is something that Miral certainly has the ability to deliver, given its strong track record developing successful Abu Dhabi tourist destinations. For more, see Why did Disney choose Abu Dhabi for its next theme park?
Back in the U.S., Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum also met with a VIP this week - Chef Gordon Ramsay.
Ramsey, Mickey Mouse and Mazloum. Photo courtesy Disneyland
Ramsey is partnering Earl of Sandwich for the new Gordon Ramsay at The Carnaby restaurant that Disneyland confirmed will be opening this year in Downtown Disney. That new building, on the far west side of the shopping and dining district, also will be the newest home for the Earl of Sandwich counter-service shop.
Universal announcements
Universal Orlando this week revealed that it is building a second installation of Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Florida. The Intamin coaster is taking over the site formerly occupied by Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit, which closed last year.
The first installation of the coaster is now testing at Universal Studios Hollywood. That coaster stands on a steep hillside, so Universal will have to change the track layout for the flat construction site in Orlando. But Universal has promised spinning, "drifting" cars - just like in California - as well as a 170-foot vertical spike over CityWalk. The new coaster will open in 2027.
In Japan, Universal this week also announced an expansion of its partnership with The Pokémon Company. The deal will see new "innovative, immersive, and world-class Pokémon experiences" coming to Universal Studios Japan - widely tipped to replace the former The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride. After that, the new Pokémon "experiences" (why can't Universal just say "attractions"?) will come to other Universal theme parks around the world, likely starting with Universal Orlando. No timelines yet.
On the Discussion Forum, we have had an insightful conversation about roller coasters valleying, following the incident on Stardust Racers at Universal Epic Universe last week: What's the deal with Stardust? Take a look if you would like to learn more about the tech behind when something really does go wrong on a theme park ride.
Replies (14)
I wonder if Robert has to meet a quota of pro-Saudi stories each month to keep getting free trips from them?
Where is Saudi mentioned in this story?
that’s a tough look lmao
With Epic Universe's opening I'm excited to keep up with the progress of both Disney Abu Dhabi and Universal Great Britain.
One day I'll make that trek out to the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai seem to have a lot to offer.
I feel bad for USH fans. USF stole the one claim to fame they had to themselves and then upsized it.
Orlando really is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to coasters. So many great and different coasters within a 1-hour (well, 1-hour-ish considering Die-4) radius.
Robert:
On the Preview that says
-Here is our week in review, including Bob Iger and Josh D'Amaro in Abu Dhabi,
Dhabi may not be in Saudi Arabia but same laundry basket different shirt...
But I do like the Preview addition of this site.
I am just sitting here waiting for the Snow to end tomorrow night. YIKES...
I would have thought USH’s unique claim to fame is the studio tour…
Did Universal somehow come to the conclusion that people wouldn't accept demolishing Supercharged unless they got a replacement Fast & Furious attraction? I think most if not all people were hoping for a Ghostbusters coaster/dark ride. I hope UGB doesn't abandon BTTF for "London Drift"
...if UGB opened a F&F attraction they'd still call it Hollywood drift anyway. . .
“Here is our week in review, including Bob Iger and Josh D'Amaro in Abu Dhabi,
Dhabi may not be in Saudi Arabia but same laundry basket different shirt...”
Lmao, imagine saying this about Germany and France. Just wild stuff.
@Chad H - Yeah, Ramsay teaming up with Burger King was both surprising and kinda disappointing. I expected better from him.
This constant chirping by certain folks criticizing Robert's coverage of developments in the Middle East is getting old. Regardless of your political or social views, it should not discount the fact that Disney's development in Abu Dhabi and the opening of Six Flags Qiddiya City are newsworthy stories on any theme park website. Also, if the creator/editor of this website has direct connections to the principles involved in the development of projects on the other side of the planet, the country that those projects are located should not diminish the importance of these perspectives to the industry at large. If Robert can produce stories with unique insights or exclusive behind the scenes access to how they came to be, I think it's definitely worth the attention, especially in an era when American theme park news is covered so thoroughly by other outlets.
FWIW, pretty much every major coaster site in the world has done pieces on SFQ with many taking trips to the park over the past month to provide POVs and other in-person coverage of the park - TPI offered very little coverage of the park's opening. I think Disney's CEO and his prospective successor traveling to the future site of the company's next theme park is certainly worthy of an article, most importantly that Iger and D'Amaro made this visit TOGETHER.
@Russell -- Well said we shouldn't be attacking Robert for covering theme park news regardless where it is coming from. I still want to see updates and what's going on over there even though I'll probably never set foot in those homophobic countries.
We should however remain highly critical of those places in the hopes they one day join the 21st century (socially).
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I used to be a Ramsay fan, but it’s got to the point where he will put his face on anything. He even endorsed a Burger King burger…. One that uses (not actually) Wagyu…. Something he’s dismissed as being pointless on his shows…