A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes: 31 Wishes for WDW in 2022
A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes
Part of the fun of being a Walt Disney World fan is awaiting the exciting announcements that drop throughout the year. Fans and vacationers eagerly anticipate dates & details to be released for beloved annual events. Likewise, there is always the hope that brand new attractions & experiences may be teased, revealed, or fleshed out.
This is especially true in this current era, after the unprecedented 4 month closure of the resort in 2020 for the pandemic. Projects previously announced have been substantially delayed or even scrapped. Experiences have yet to reopen or have been modified to accommodate for pandemic safety or labor shortages. There are certain things that we all want to come back (Dining Plan! Princess Dining!), and changes we are still getting accustomed to (Genie+, Lightning Lane!). Plus, the 50th anniversary is in full swing, with DTC marketing campaigns to match, stirring up a lot of excitement for the resort in general.
In light of all this, we thought the opening day of 2022 would be a good day for a listicle of all the WDW announcements we’re excited for, or hopeful for, in 2022! Some of these are fairly certain bets (whens, not ifs). A few others are stuff of our own wild imaginations—most likely things to happen only in our dreams. But I included them anyway, because part of the fun of being a WDW fan, afterall, is the license it gives us to imagine & dream.
Let us know what you’re most looking forward to in 2022!
Opening dates for:
Moana Journey of Water (Attraction, EPCOT)
Cosmic Rewind (Rollercoaster, EPCOT)
Tron Light Cycle (Rollercoaster, Magic Kingdom)
Rodeo Roundup Restaurant (Table service dining, Hollywood Studios)
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue...and Beyond (New show at Animal Kingdom)
We over at Symposia Disney cannot WAIT for these new attractions to have hard opening dates! Moana, the Journey of Water, sounds like a dreamy, beautiful addition to the new neighborhood in EPCOT, the World of Nature. Cosmic Rewind, a Guardian of the Galaxy-themed roller-coaster opening at EPCOT this year, along with the Tron Light Cycle coaster being constructed at MK, are two of the most anticipated thrill rides opening at WDW in recent memory. Rodeo Roundup is a new BBQ table service restaurant opening up in Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios; I can't wait to see how the theming plays out in this awesome addition to one of my favorite HS lands. And finally, over at Animal Kingdom, a new Finding Nemo musical will open this year, to replace the previous one that ran there since 2006. We hear this one is set in the timeline of Finding Dory, and we think we're going to love it just as much as the original one! (And it'll give me another excuse to wear my Dory Disney-Bounding outfit!) All 5 of these announcements are sure to come soon, so be on the lookout! And we can't wait. It’ll make it so much easier to plan our next trips when we know these highly anticipated attractions & dining experiences will be open!
Reopening dates for:
WDW Railroad (Attraction, MK)
1900 Park Fare (Character dining, Grand Floridian)
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Character dining, EPCOT)
Monsieur Paul (Fine/Signature Dining, EPCOT)
Restaurant Marrekesh (Unique/Themed Dining, EPCOT)
Fantasmic (Nighttime Spectacular, HS)
The only one on the above list that I’ve been able to experience is the restaurant Akershus, located in Norway at EPCOT, in the wonderful World Showcase. Prior to the pandemic closure, Akershus was one of the best princess experiences on property. It’s such a wonderful way to experience Norway and meet a lot of amazing characters. When it comes back, we highly recommend it!
The others on the list here are all on my bucket list. The WDW Railroad is something I especially want to take a ride on—seems like a perfect way to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of Magic Kingdom. I know fellow Symposia Disney podcasters Danica & Liz highly recommend Restaurant Marrakesh & 1900 Park Fare—from what they say, I agree: how can you go wrong with Moroccan delicacies, live music, and belly-dancers, or visits from Mary Poppins or Cinderella and her Stepsisters? Monsieur Paul is one of the finest signature dining experiences on property, and it's located in the newly updated France pavilion in the World Showcase; I'm pretty sure I could spend a full day just visiting this wonderful pavilion and topping the night off at Monsieur Paul's with some delicious classic French cuisine.
Fantasmic is the long-running nighttime spectacular over at Hollywood Studios. I know this show is on the older side (its run began at HS in 1996!), but it is a beloved live show and I feel like I must see it at least once before it retires! I hope all of these reopen soon! My prediction is that we'll hear about Fantasmic first—maybe this month!
Return of:
Breakfast at Be Our Guest
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show – Polynesian Village Resort
Hoop De Doo Dinner Show — Fort Wilderness
The Disney Dining Plan (and 180 day advanced reservations?)
Here, numbers 12,13, & 14 are dining experiences that are amazing options for theming, entertainment, and great food. Personally, I love ANY opportunity to dine in Beast's castle, and breakfast at Be Our Guest might be a cool option if you want to experience the castle for a slightly smaller price tag. The Spirit of Aloha dinner show is a beloved luau style dinner show that's held in the Luna Cove at the Polynesian Resort. Although I would LOVE to experience this show & luau, I'm not certain this one will be brought back, or at least in the same form. But we can hope! Hoop De Doo is another long-running dinner show held at Fort Wilderness, WDW's amazing campground resort just west of Magic Kingdom. This is another show that's on my bucket list (right up there with staying at Fort Wilderness!).
Number 15 is a bit more controversial, but I think generally speaking, fans of WDW love the options of the Disney Dining Plan, or DDP. If you don't know what that is, it's basically a pre-paid option to add to vacation packages so that all your meals are paid in advance. (And it's offered only for guests who book a vacation package and are staying at a WDW resort.) While I don't think it's necessarily worth it for my family, what I REALLY loved was being able to make advanced dining reservations 180 days out from your check in date. (Post-pandemic, it is now 60 days out for ADRs.) Some people thought it was silly/overwhelming to make ADRs 6 whole months in advance, but for me, it was a fun way to start dreaming of the vacation, albeit 6 months away. Of course, even if they do bring back the Dining Plan, there's no telling if the 180 day window for ADRs will also return; the powers-that-be may likely keep it at 60 days even if they relaunch the Dining Plan options. My hunch is that when the DDP does come back, they may switch it to 90 days, which is a sort of in-between number—guests who like to plan may be placated, while guests who need more flexibility may also be happy. Whatever the case, people are clamoring for the DDP to return! What are your thoughts on the dining plan? Let us know in the comments!
Character dining returning to:
Trattoria al Forno (Boardwalk)
Ohana breakfast (Polynesian)
Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)
All of these had amazing pre-closure character experiences, and I know my family would enjoy all of them on our trip next November. Who wouldn’t love breakfast with Lilo & Stitch, brunch with Rapunzel & Ariel, or lunch with Winnie the Pooh & Tigger? Fingers crossed some of them reopen in time!!
Pre-closure character experiences returning to:
Cinderella’s Royal Table (MK)
Be Our Guest (MK)
Toy Story Land (HS character meet & greets)
Pre-pandemic, you couldn’t beat the atmosphere and princess power of a meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table. It’s still really wonderful now, but I am hoping for a time when it’s safe enough to have those very talented princesses interacting with the guests! I know that for my daughter, it was a once in a lifetime experience that will not soon be topped! At Be Our Guest, fans of the movie really loved the Beast Meet & Greet. And in Toy Story Land, one of our favorite moments was meeting Woody, Jessie, and Buzz outside of Toy Story Mania. I hope these joyful experiences come back soon for future guests to enjoy!
Info/updates on:
EPCOT 40th Anniversary Celebrations
Re-theme of Splash Mountain (MK)
Play! Pavilion (EPCOT)
Extended evening hours (Hollywood, AK?)
2022 Halloween party
2022 Christmas party
As EPCOT lovers, we are hopeful that something special is in the works for the 40th anniversary of this very special park, which opened in 1982. Perhaps it will be connected to the overall 50th resort anniversary, which is slated to extend into March of ‘23. Perhaps extended hours? A parade? Special festival booths?
Next here (forgive the park hopping) is the re-theme of Splash Mountain over at MK. We’re huge Tiana fans, and we feel like she highly deserves her own ride. We are SO excited for more info on this re-theme!
Next up (back to EPCOT) is more info on the Play! Pavilion previously announced for the new World Discovery neighborhood of EPCOT. This sounds like a unique interactive space that would lay down some Disney metaverse foundations. We hope to hear more soon!
Speaking of “more,” we’ve been wondering if & when Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will ever be included in the Extended Evening hours? Currently, the extended evening hours are a perk for Deluxe resort goers, but only at MK & EPCOT on certain nights of the week. Where’s the love for HS & AK? I hear those parks are spectacular after sun down!
Last but not least, something on everyone’s mind is, will traditional holiday parties return in 2022, or will Halloween & Christmas events remain “After Hours”? I think we can look for a Halloween announcement in early May, and Christmas announcements in July.
New areas/attractions announced:
Animal Kingdom/Dinoland, USA
Hollywood Studios new land
New monorail resort
These are pretty far-fetched, but I feel like a huge announcement is going to be due soon for WDW and would help generate some positive energy for the WDW community, from fans to critics to Cast Members and Imagineers themselves. The demolition of Primeval Whirl in AK sparked some mild curiosity about future plans for Dinoland, USA—although currently the vacated spot is now home to some shiny new stroller parking. A new Hollywood Studio land seems unlikely given the recent additions of Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. Still, the Disney corporation could possibly have plans to make good on available land and expand again—maybe deepening the Muppets experiences? That’s our idea for it anyway here at SD. And a new eventual monorail area resort has been rumored for a while, due to the plot of land just off shore of Seven Seas Lagoon that’s been earmarked for it for years. We think an amazing Encanto themed magical casita resort, complete with magically hidden rooms like Antonio’s jungle playground and Isabel’s fantastical garden, would be perfect.
Other:
5th gate announcement
Ok this one is super-duper, out of the cosmos far-fetched, but just imagine how fun & exciting it would be for fans if this kind of news—a whole new park on the resort property—was announced in 2022! It would certainly bring a lot of happiness to make up for all the crappiness of 2020 & 2021. A villain-themed park has always been a fan-favorite idea. If a 5th park was created, what would you wish for it? Here’s to dreaming!
And that does it for our listicle to kick off the new year! Please let us know your thoughts, and what you're wishing for most for WDW in 2022!
—Liza
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