Should You Visit Disneyland in 2026 or Wait Until 2027?

Disneyland Resort has a lot coming.

The problem, if you are deciding whether to take an expensive trip now, is that most of it is not coming in 2027.

Disney has two new Avengers Campus attractions under construction. There is a Coco ride being built near Pixar Pier. Tomorrowland is finally getting a major reimagining. An Avatar destination is planned for Disney California Adventure.

After Disney’s D23 announcements, the future of the resort looks considerably more ambitious than it did a few weeks ago.

But if your question is simpler—should you visit Disneyland in 2026 or wait until 2027?—my answer is different from the one I gave for Walt Disney World.

I would not postpone a Disneyland trip for a year simply to wait for 2027.

There will be some worthwhile entertainment returning next year, and construction will be farther along. But Disney’s biggest new Disneyland attractions are either scheduled for 2028 or do not have opening dates at all.

If 2027 fits your schedule better, there are good reasons to go then. If 2026 works better, you are not arriving one year before a dramatically better Disneyland Resort opens.

And if what you really want is the next generation of Disneyland attractions, the year you are waiting for may be 2028—or later.

Disneyland 2026 vs. 2027: The Short Version

| Visit in 2026 | Wait Until 2027
Disneyland Park | Most of the classic park remains intact; Millennium Falcon has its new Mandalorian and Grogu mission; Bluey is here | Remember… Dreams Come True returns in February; Magic Happens returns in summer; Tomorrowland’s future may be clearer
Disney California Adventure | Soarin’ Across America is new; Avengers Campus and Coco are active construction projects | Updated original World of Color returns in February; construction will be farther along, but no major new ride is currently announced to open in 2027
Avengers Campus | Expansion under construction | Still waiting—the two new rides are scheduled for 2028
Coco | Construction underway | Opening date not announced
Avatar | Still in early development | No announced construction or opening date
Construction | A major new building cycle has begun | Potentially more noticeable as multiple projects move forward
Best for | Most visitors, especially if 2026 is more convenient | Fans of Disneyland entertainment or travelers who simply prefer 2027

Why the Answer Is Different From Disney World

We recently asked the same question about Disney World in 2026 versus 2027.

There, I would probably wait.

Walt Disney World has already removed a remarkable amount of attraction capacity while the replacements are being built. DinoLand and DINOSAUR are gone. The Rivers of America, Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyer Island are gone. Muppet*Vision 3D is gone. Carousel of Progress is closed.

Several substantial replacements are scheduled for 2027.

Disneyland is in a different stage of its construction cycle.

As we detailed in our complete guide to Disneyland changes in 2026, California has so far been considerably less destructive.

There are construction walls and there are losses. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! has closed as Disney prepares the eventual Avatar area. Avengers Campus is torn up for its expansion.

But Disneyland Park itself remains largely Disneyland.

Pirates is there. Haunted Mansion is there. Indiana Jones is there. The Matterhorn is there. Space Mountain is there. The railroad still circles the park. The Rivers of America still has water in it.

That last sentence should not have to sound like a luxury.

In 2026, apparently it does.

What Is Actually Better About Disneyland in 2027?

The clearest reason to wait until 2027 is entertainment.

Disney announced three significant returns at D23.

Remember… Dreams Come True Returns in February 2027

A refreshed version of Remember… Dreams Come True returns to Disneyland in February 2027.

The nighttime spectacular originally debuted for Disneyland’s 50th anniversary and is unusually rooted in the park itself. Attractions and Disneyland history are part of the show rather than merely serving as a backdrop for a collection of current movie franchises.

The new version will add projections around the park, including at the Rivers of America, “it’s a small world” and Main Street U.S.A. Fireworks will accompany the show on select nights.

I am happy to see this coming back.

Disneyland is at its best when it remembers that Disneyland itself is worth celebrating.

The Original World of Color Returns in February

Disney California Adventure will also get an updated version of the original World of Color beginning in February 2027.

Again, this is a meaningful improvement if nighttime entertainment is important to your trip.

It is not a new E-ticket attraction.

Magic Happens Returns in Summer 2027

Magic Happens will return to Disneyland in summer 2027.

Put the three together and 2027 should have a stronger entertainment lineup than Disneyland has at the end of 2026.

For some people, that is reason enough to wait.

If your family loves parades and nighttime spectaculars as much as rides, I can make a reasonable argument for choosing 2027.

What About All the New Disneyland Rides?

This is where the case for waiting only one year gets much weaker.

Disney has announced an impressive pipeline.

It just isn’t a 2027 pipeline.

The Avengers Campus Rides Open in 2028

Disney finally put a year on its enormous Avengers Campus expansion at D23.

Both Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab are scheduled to open in 2028.

The expansion will roughly double the size of Avengers Campus.

Infinity Defense appears to be the more elaborate of the two. Guests will travel through multiple worlds while helping the Avengers fight King Thanos, with an enormous collection of Marvel actors returning for the attraction.

Stark Flight Lab will put guests into robotic test vehicles inspired by Stark technology.

Construction is real. This is no longer a piece of blue-sky concept art Disney can quietly forget about.

But if these attractions are the reason you are delaying your Disneyland vacation, 2027 is too early.

Wait for 2028.

You can see Disney’s current Avengers Campus plans here.

The Coco Ride Is Being Built—but Disney Hasn’t Given It a Date

This may be the Disneyland project I am most interested in.

Disney’s first Coco attraction is now under construction near Paradise Gardens Park and Pixar Pier.

It will be a family attraction with no height requirement, and Imagineering says it is drawing inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.

Even better, Disney is talking about elaborate Audio-Animatronics rather than simply putting riders in front of a series of screens.

That sounds promising.

Very promising.

It also does not have an opening date.

Disney confirmed at D23 that construction is underway, but it did not say the attraction will open in 2027.

I would not delay a trip until next year on the assumption that Coco will be waiting for you.

Tomorrowland Is Finally Getting Attention

This is the D23 announcement I have wanted to hear for years.

Disney is going to reimagine Tomorrowland.

Not repaint a wall. Not change the menu at Alien Pizza Planet. Not put another temporary thing into the old Innoventions building.

Disney says the project will include new attractions, more open spaces and new places centered on optimism, innovation and the future.

Good.

Disneyland’s Tomorrowland has spent an astonishing amount of time being a land about tomorrow whose most visible evidence of the future is an abandoned elevated transportation system from 1967.

The bones of the land remain wonderful. Space Mountain is one of Disney’s best roller coasters. The Monorail still passes overhead. The lagoon gives the area water and space. Walt’s original idea—that Tomorrowland should represent optimism about where technology could take us—is still worth preserving.

What the land needs is a coherent reason to exist again.

Disney’s announcement sounds like it understands that.

But there is an important detail if you are planning a vacation:

Disney has announced no construction schedule and no opening date.

The company says Imagineers are beginning work on the next chapter of the land.

That makes Tomorrowland a reason to be excited about Disneyland’s future.

It does not make it a reason to book 2027.

Disney’s Tomorrowland announcement is here.

Avatar Is Even Farther Away

The Avatar destination planned for Disney California Adventure remains in development.

Disney intends to transform part of the Hollywood Backlot into a new area inspired particularly by Avatar: The Way of Water and the later films.

This is supposed to be a different version of Pandora than the land at Animal Kingdom.

It could be huge.

It is also still early enough that Disney says additional details will come later, including the construction timeline.

Do not wait until 2027 expecting Avatar.

We do not yet know what year you should wait for.

2027 May Actually Have More Construction

There is another wrinkle in the idea that you should wait a year for Disneyland to be “finished.”

It probably won’t be.

Disneyland Resort has entered a multi-year expansion cycle.

The Avengers project is already underway. Coco construction has begun. On August 24, Disney broke ground on its enormous new east-side parking and transportation project, including roughly 6,000 parking spaces, a transportation hub, security screening, a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard and a new arrival esplanade.

Tomorrowland is now officially in the development pipeline.

Avatar comes after that.

This is not a resort racing toward completion next spring.

It is a resort that may be under some form of major construction for years.

Waiting until 2027 simply to avoid construction walls could therefore produce the opposite result.

What Is New Enough in 2026 to Make a Trip Worthwhile?

There are also things you can actually experience now rather than admire on a construction rendering.

Soarin’ Across America

Soarin’ Across America debuted at Disney California Adventure on July 2.

The new film takes the existing Soarin’ ride system across American landscapes and cities.

I still have a soft spot for Soarin’ Over California, particularly in a park originally built around California.

But changing the movie is an elegant way to keep Soarin’ fresh without demolishing a good attraction simply because Disney wants something new to advertise.

I would happily see Disney go farther and eventually operate several films in rotation.

The Mandalorian and Grogu Are on the Millennium Falcon

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run received its new Mandalorian and Grogu mission on May 22.

Again, this is an existing attraction getting something new to do.

I like this model.

The Millennium Falcon is supposed to be capable of flying across a galaxy. There is no reason it should have to repeat the same adventure forever.

Bluey’s Best Day Ever

For families with younger kids, Bluey’s Best Day Ever! debuted at Fantasyland Theatre in March and continues through 2026.

It is not a reason for most adults to schedule a cross-country Disney trip.

If you have children currently living through the particular period of life when Bluey is the most important cultural figure on Earth, your calculation may differ.

What You Miss by Visiting After the 70th

One thing a late-2026 visitor cannot get back is Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration.

The official celebration ended August 9.

Paint the Night and Wondrous Journeys continued briefly through August 20, but that chapter is now over.

I enjoyed that Disneyland used the anniversary to celebrate some of its own history.

There is always another movie Disney can promote.

There is only one Disneyland.

Fortunately, 2027’s return of Remember… Dreams Come True suggests Disney has not entirely forgotten that.

Should a First-Time Visitor Go in 2026 or 2027?

I would go when the trip works best for you.

This is where Disneyland differs dramatically from Disney World right now.

A first-time Disneyland visitor in 2026 is not walking into a park missing several of its defining attractions while waiting for their replacements.

Disneyland still contains an absurd concentration of important Disney attractions.

Pirates of the Caribbean. Haunted Mansion. Indiana Jones Adventure. Space Mountain. Matterhorn Bobsleds. Peter Pan’s Flight. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Alice in Wonderland. “it’s a small world.” The Disneyland Railroad. The Monorail.

Then there is Galaxy’s Edge, Mickey’s Toontown and the rest of the modern park layered around them.

You could spend several days at Disneyland Resort today without running out of things worth doing.

I would not tell a family to put that trip off for a year because a fireworks show is returning.

Who Should Wait Until 2027?

I would wait if:

You particularly care about Disneyland’s nighttime spectaculars and parades.

You specifically want to see the refreshed Remember… Dreams Come True.

Magic Happens is an important part of the trip for your family.

Your dates are equally convenient in either year and you simply prefer seeing the resort farther into its current construction cycle.

You visit Disneyland often enough that waiting costs you very little.

Who Should Visit Disneyland in 2026?

I would go in 2026 if:

This is when your schedule works.

You find a particularly good airfare, hotel or ticket deal.

You are primarily interested in rides rather than parades and nighttime entertainment.

You want to ride Soarin’ Across America while it is still relatively new.

Your kids are excited about Bluey.

You do not want to gamble that 2027 will somehow be a construction-free year.

What If You Can Wait Until 2028?

Now the calculation changes.

If this is an expensive, once-every-five-or-ten-years Disneyland trip and you are genuinely willing to wait, 2028 has a much stronger argument than 2027.

Disney has explicitly said that Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab will open in 2028.

That means Disney California Adventure should have two substantial new attractions and a much larger Avengers Campus.

Coco will also have had another two years of construction by then, although Disney has not promised a 2028 opening.

We should know considerably more about Tomorrowland.

We may know where Avatar sits on the calendar.

For an infrequent visitor interested in seeing the largest possible batch of genuinely new attractions, that is a much more meaningful wait.

So: Disneyland in 2026 or 2027?

If those are my only two choices, I would choose based on price, schedule and which seasonal events I wanted to see.

I would not pay substantially more or delay a trip that works well in 2026 simply to reach 2027.

Next year will bring better entertainment. That is worthwhile.

It will not bring the Avengers Campus rides. Disney has scheduled those for 2028.

There is no announced opening date for Coco.

There is no announced opening date for Tomorrowland.

There is not even an announced construction date for Avatar.

And Disneyland Resort has now begun enough overlapping construction projects that 2027 may look more like the middle of the transformation than the end of it.

Fortunately, Disneyland is unusually good at surviving around its construction.

The original park has changed almost constantly since 1955, but much of what makes it Disneyland remains remarkably intact.

I have plenty of concerns about where Disney is taking its parks. We have written about many of them.

But California is not currently in the same position as Florida.

You do not need to wait for concept art to become concrete before Disneyland is worth visiting.

If you want the park that exists now, go.

If you want the next genuinely different version of Disneyland Resort, I would skip the arbitrary one-year wait and start looking toward 2028 and beyond.