Biggest Disney Changes in 2022

The one constant with Disney theme parks is change.

That statement has proven doubly true during the pandemic, as Disney has struggled to maintain some semblance of normalcy during impossible circumstances.

Frankly, Disney fans don’t recognize just how much at Disney is different than a year ago.

Here are some remarkable changes at Disney during 2022. Remember, not all change is good.

Disney Eliminates Facemask Policy

We are barely eight months removed from one of the signature moments in Walt Disney World history.

Throughout the pandemic, park officials had no choice. Disney had to enforce face mask requirements for the safety of its guests.

Nobody remembers now, but 2022 started with a historic outbreak and record-setting COVID infection rates.

For this reason, face-covering mandates remained in place during the first quarter of 2022.

However, everything changed in April.

On April 19th, Disney dropped all mask mandates permanently. Disney covered its bases by recommending face coverings for its guests, especially the ones who are immunocompromised.

Still, the parks stopped enforcing all measures in April and never looked back.

Cast members, in particular, are grateful since they never signed up to work as glorified hall monitors.

Hugs Return at Disney Theme Parks

 

Once Disney dropped its face-covering requirements, it could adjust another irksome policy.

Due to social distancing requirements, the parks had banned physical interactions with Disney characters.

For many guests, that was the most frustrating aspect of the pandemic. They genuinely missed hugging Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

For this reason, April 18, 2022, could’ve easily been called Disney Hug Day.

MickeyBlog happily explored the parks and hugged as many characters as we possibly could.

Seriously, half our content that day involved hugs and cuddles.

Other than the face mask policy, the return of personal interactions with characters best exemplified Disney’s return to normalcy.

Magical Express Ends

Have you ever watched a couple fight at a New Year’s Eve party and know that they’re going to have a miserable New Year?

That’s how 2022 began for many Disney fans. On New Year’s Day, Disney officially discontinued Magical Express service, the free transportation to/from Orlando International Airport.

Thankfully, two replacement services have risen in popularity this year, but they’re not free.

Also, while we like both new services, they don’t extend the Disney bubble to the airport the way that Magical Express did.

One Virtual Queue Closes; Another Opens

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opened on the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World.

At the time, Disney employed a virtual queue to ensure that all EPCOT guests shared the same opportunity to experience the new E-ticket attraction.

As a reminder, virtual queues are still new at Disney. Park officials quickly realized that Ratatouille had better throughput, thus rendering this particular queue unnecessary.

However, the park soon added another virtual queue during Memorial Day weekend.

That’s when Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened to the public.

The massive popularity of this storytelling roller coaster has forced Disney to maintain a virtual queue for twice as long as Ratatouille needed.

Welcome to Xandar

On the same date that Guardians of the Galaxy opened, Disney unveiled oh so much more at this ride building.

For the first time ever, EPCOT hosted an otherworldly pavilion called Wonders of Xandar.

Citizens of Earth could explore this pavilion and learn about Xandar’s civilization. They could even take home some of the goodies at the building’s gift shop, Treasures of Xandar.

Welcome Aboard the Halcyon

Disney didn’t stop there with its intergalactic adventure. In March, Disney unveiled its state-of-the-art new hotel, Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser.

This hotel fundamentally changed tourist expectations about what’s possible during a Disney vacation.

For the first time, the theme parks proved secondary to the experiences at the hotel.

This fully immersive encounter starts the instant you arrive at Galactic Starcruiser.

The theming suggests you’re at an outer space port-of-call, waiting to board a transfer ship to your destination.

Once you arrive on the luxury cruise, the outside world ceases to exist.

Instead, Disney cast members control all your entertainment options for three days and two nights.

Guests DO spend one of those days at a Disney theme park. However, they maintain the illusion by visiting Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge most of the time.

In this manner, Disney has revolutionized hotel stays in a way that Walt Disney himself would have admired.

Leadership

If you’re reading MickeyBlog – or anything else, really – you know this one. So, we won’t elaborate extensively.

In June 2022, Bob Chapek signed a contract that suggested he’d be CEO of Disney for three years.

Instead, Disney threw him out on his hindquarters in November.

Somehow, that’s not even the most remarkable part.

Disney persuaded its longtime leader, Bob Iger, to return as CEO. And there was much rejoicing.

All the Disney changes we discuss next year in this space will tie into Iger’s wildly improbable return.

Typhoon Lagoon Opens After Extended Absence

In 2020, the pandemic’s sudden arrival forced Disney to close its water parks.

When Walt Disney World finally reopened, water park visits weren’t in high demand. Honestly, there wasn’t any demand at all. So, Disney only operated one water park throughout 2021.

Disney’s Blizzard Beach satisfied guests throughout that time, while Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon remained closed.

In January 2022, those roles were reversed.

Typhoon Lagoon reopened at the same time that Blizzard Beach closed.

After all, Disney still had no need for twin parks throughout 2022. Hilariously, the roles were reversed again before the year ended.

Blizzard Beach returned with new Frozen theming in one section, while Typhoon Lagoon closed anew.

So, the water park situation changed in 2022 and then changed back.

Harmonious and KiteTails End

One has already happened; one will happen in a matter of months.

When Disney introduced these two new presentations as part of its 50th-anniversary celebration at Walt Disney World, both attractions appeared permanent.

However, KiteTails at Disney’s Animal Kingdom proved disastrous from the start.

Disney couldn’t keep it operational, with several mishaps occurring.

Did you know that kites could get stuck in trees? Disney apparently did not.

KiteTails lasted exactly 365 days before Disney mercifully ended the experience.

Meanwhile, Disney intended Harmonious at EPCOT as the long-term replacement to IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

Sadly, the barges for Harmonious quickly proved to be an eyesore that ruined some elements of the sightline at the World Showcase.

Also, fireworks occasionally set the barges on fire. This fiasco has legitimately happened multiple times since Harmonious debuted.

For this reason, Disney has announced that Harmonious will close around the time that the 50th-anniversary celebration ends.

Disneyland Finally Gets Magic Bands

Walt Disney World introduced Magic Bands in 2013.

Disneyland got them in 2022. Maybe it’s a time zone thing.

No matter the cause for the delay, the arrival of Magic Bands was cause for celebration for Disney fans who had asked for them for the body of a decade.

Disney Demolishes Luau Cove

There’s not much to say here beyond the headline.

During 2022, hotel management decided to add an expansion tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Sadly, they needed room for the new building. So, Disney tore down Luau cove and also ended Spirit of Aloha.

I’m sure we’ll love the expansion tower, but the opportunity cost is high. 

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Feature Photo: Disney