What Has Disney Added in 2022?
At the start of 2022, nobody knew what to expect from The Walt Disney Company. After all, the pandemic remained a consideration.
Disney had previously announced several significant projects, some of which had suffered repeated delays. Would they actually debut in 2022?
I’m happy to report that Disney’s theme park division is in the midst of a historic year, both financially and in terms of enhancements.
Let’s talk about the three massive additions to Disney’s theme park empire, plus two more hopefully coming soon.
The Disney Wish
Legitimately no other Disney project suffered more under the burden of the pandemic.
Disney had commissioned a massive new vessel in 2016. In a perfect world, Disney would have introduced it in 2020 or the first quarter of 2021 at the latest.
Instead, the shipbuilders at MEYER WERFTT in Germany suddenly discovered a world of social distancing and outbreaks.
No layperson could understand how much these challenges ramped up the difficulty in completing a 144,000 gross ton vessel. It’d be like one person building a bridge.
Understandably, nobody quite knew what to expect from the Disney Wish upon its arrival this summer.
First, Disney missed its forecasts on the maiden voyage by six weeks. Then, reports surfaced that one of the shows wouldn’t be ready for the first sailing.
This project screamed behind-the-scenes turmoil and potential disappointment. But then, MickeyBlog and others boarded the first cruise.
Our staff couldn’t believe the elegance, luxury, and Disney magic on display on this vessel.
Disney has redefined its already lofty status as THE cruise experience for families.
Somehow, the company achieved this in the face of impossible circumstances.
If you haven’t sailed on the Disney Wish yet, it should be your highest priority. Speak with a MickeyTravels agent to learn more.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Before the pandemic, Disney had announced two game-changing roller coasters coming to Walt Disney World.
Then, both suffered indefinite delays due to the unforeseen events. Currently, only one of them has opened.
Thankfully, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind more than lives up to the hype.
Guests enter the Wonders of Xandar pavilion and live out their Marvel fantasy. It’s a showcase for alien technologies!
Plus, the actors who portray the Guardians of the Galaxy appear here and during the ride experience.
Guests board what Disney calls “storytelling coasters” and venture into the great unknown.
They quickly learn that a Celestial named Eson rules this quarter of outer space. A humorless sort, Eson also isn’t a fan of the Guardians.
As someone working with them, you are quickly identified as Eson’s enemy. He tries to swat you out of the sky.
Cosmic Rewind plays out as a spiritual successor to Space Mountain. Even better, the musical accompaniment changes the ride experience.
You’ll hear one of a half-dozen hit songs, some of which are faster than others. So, you can ride Cosmic Rewind several times without the vibe feeling the same.
Reviews of Cosmic Rewind are absolutely glowing. The one catch here is that it does induce nausea in some guests.
The novel nature of the moving coaster carts combines with the disorienting nature of the surrounding digital projections to cause confusion.
The overwhelming majority of guests love it, but Cosmic Rewind joins Mission: SPACE as an EPCOT adventure that isn’t for those with weak stomachs.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Here’s the addition that makes me grin. For whatever reason, some sections of the internet took the con position on the Star Wars Hotel.
They randomly decided that this place would fail and never allowed for the possibility that anything else might happen.
An early promotional video for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser worked in their favor, as it did appear amateurish.
Also, the lackluster video quality made the ship’s bridge look cheap. So, many people swore that Star Wars Hotel would fail.
After all, Disney had priced this unprecedented space cruise as a deluxe vacation experience costing thousands of dollars. So it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype, right?
WRONG!
Since its opening weekend, Galactic Starcruiser has dazzled guests with a boundary-breaking series of immersive experiences.
While you’re at this hotel, you’ll forget the outside world exists. Disney has created a mesmerizing experience that allows loyal fans to live out their Star Wars adventures.
To the best of my knowledge, Galactic Starcruiser has sold out every cruise thus far, and it’s been open for six months!
Nobody knows the future, but the start of the Star Wars Hotel has gone so well that it’s probably exceeded Disney’s best-case scenario.
What’s Next?
We still have two significant Walt Disney World projects that should arrive within the next calendar year, possibly even during 2022.
Disney likely won’t provide clarification until the D23 Expo in mid-September. Still, I expect at least one of these to debut later this year.
Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana
This water feature sounds impossible. But then again, turning the impossible into reality is kinda what Imagineers do.
I presume that you’ve watched Moana, probably many times.
The show remains one of the most popular films on Disney+ and often falls in the top ten for all streaming services.
One of the most memorable parts of Moana is the moving water, which sometimes hugs and caresses Moana, even when she’s a child.
Somehow, Imagineers will turn this water feature into a standard part of World Nature at EPCOT.
When you visit the park, you will notice the makeshift irrigation in place as Disney prepares to activate the new water feature.
Out of every Disney project announced over the past few years, this one causes me the most problems with conceptualizing it.
I simply don’t understand how Disney can do this realistically. However, I cannot wait to study what they’ve done when it finally opens.
This project is one I’m not expecting until the first half of 2023.
Tron Lightcycle Power Run
Conversely, I believe that Tron Lightcycle Power Run will debut on October 1st. Disney hasn’t announced that, but it’s the prevailing belief among insiders.
Park officials had previously promised that this roller coaster would open for the 50th-anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World.
This birthday party ends in March of 2023. Disney wouldn’t gain much from introducing this one in February or March.
The parks gain the most attendance in December, while October and November are also strong months.
What’s the big deal about Tron Lightcycle Power Run? Watch this Disney video, and you’ll get it:
Disney has redesigned Tomorrowland to make this roller coaster the new star of the skyline. That speaks volumes regarding the expectations.
Magic Kingdom is already overflowing with spectacular roller coasters. You can expect this one to be the best, though.