At theme parks and entertainment venues, “walk time” is the name given to the last paid minutes of your shift, when you pack up your stuff and start heading home. Here at Theme Park Insider, Walking Time is our weekend look back at the past seven days of theme park news.
disney conference
Bob Iger and Josh D'Amaro visited Disneyland Abu Dhabi this week. The Disney CEO and Chairman of Disney Experience visited the UAE capital and met with His Excellency Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, and Dr. Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral.
according to Abu Dhabi Media Office”, “The meeting discussed Miral’s development plans for the Disney theme park resort project on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, announced in May 2025 following a strategic partnership agreement with The Walt Disney Company. “
What exactly these development plans entail has yet to be revealed. But Disney has promised to build the most technologically advanced park ever, and Miral is certainly well positioned to deliver on that, given its track record of developing successful Abu Dhabi tourist destinations. For more information, see Why did Disney choose Abu Dhabi for its next theme park?
Back in the United States, Disneyland Resort President Thomas Mazloum also met with an important figure this week – chef Gordon Ramsay.
Ramsay, Mickey Mouse and Mazloum. Photo courtesy of Disneyland
Ramsey partners with Earl of Sandwich to develop new product Gordon Ramsay at Carnaby Hotel Disneyland has confirmed it will open a restaurant at Downtown Disney this year. The new building, located on the far west side of the shopping and dining district, will also be the newest home for an Earl of Sandwich counter service store.
General Announcements
Universal Orlando revealed this week that it is building a The Second Installation of The Fast and the Furious Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Florida. The Intamin roller coaster will replace the site of the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit and other roller coasters that closed last year.
The first installation of the coaster is currently being tested at Universal Studios Hollywood. The coaster sits on a steep hill, so Universal will have to change the track layout for Orlando's flat construction site. But Universal Studios promises spinning, “drifting” cars (just like in California) and 170-foot-tall vertical spikes on CityWalk. The new coaster will open in 2027.
In Japan, Universal Pictures also announced this week Expanding partnership with The Pokémon Company. The deal will bring a new “innovative, immersive, world-class Pokémon experience” to Universal Studios Japan, which is widely expected to replace the previous Spider-Man Bizarre Adventure ride. After that, the new Pokémon “experiences” (why can't Universal just say “attractions”?) will come to other Universal Studios theme parks around the world, most likely starting with Universal Studios Orlando. There is no timetable yet.
We had an insightful conversation on the discussion forum about roller coaster drops following last week's Stardust Racer event in Universal's Epic Universe: What does it have to do with Stardust? If you want to learn more about the technology behind theme park rides when something does go wrong, take a look.
