Facts and Myths about Disney in 2022
We live in an age of misinformation and intentional misstatements. For this reason, confusion has grown unavoidable.
That’s doubly true of Disney theme parks, where many YouTube channels and social media sites bait clickers with misleading headlines.
For this reason, you may not know what to believe about your favorite company.
Here are several facts and myths about Disney in 2022.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Failed
Myth!
I cover a lot of odd stories each year, but the misinformation campaign regarding the so-called Star Wars Hotel has baffled me.
Like, I’m not even a Star Wars fan in the least, and I don’t get the hate.
For some reason, a vocal minority of Disney fans (?) decided well in advance that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would fail.
These folks determined that the idea wouldn’t sell and repeatedly dismissed its chances of success.
Hilariously, the Star Wars Hotel proved itself one of the most impressive tourism options in recent memory.
Everyone loved the experience, and that’s not all. They visited in droves. In fact, the hotel sold out every booking during its first six months in operation.
I always stress that the future remains unwritten. Now that Disney has met that massive first way of demand, the tide could turn.
However, the inarguable truth about Galactic Starcruiser is that it proved wildly successful in year one. Even *I* want to go!
Florida Voted to Dissolve Reedy Creek
Fact!
You should know the details by now, but let’s go over the essential parts one more time.
Florida’s legislation punished Disney for taking a stand on the Don’t Say Gay bill. The legality of this maneuver remains up for debate.
Theoretically, that’s not how the law works, even though Florida wrote its own law stating otherwise. Would that hold up in court?
We will probably never know. I say that because Disney earns $1 billion back if the state government legitimately dissolves Reedy Creek.
That’s how much outstanding debt Disney pays through the so-called Improvement District. Those bills switch to Florida’s if Reedy Creek ends.
For this reason, the expectation centers on Florida and Disney reaching an agreement to change Reedy Creek’s operations.
In all likelihood, the updates will be modest and largely superficial. However, that’s speculation based on informed sources.
Right now, the technicality remains. Florida HAS voted to end the Reedy Creek Improvement District next summer.
For this reason, Walt Disney World’s next six months should prove fascinating.
Cosmic Rewind Makes Everyone Sick
Myth!
Okay, I cheated a bit here. If I’d changed the wording to “some people sick,” the answer would change to fact.
During Memorial Day Weekend, EPCOT debuted its new roller coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
This attraction stands as an unqualified masterpiece. Still, history has repeated itself a bit at the park.
During the early 2000s, Mission: SPACE debuted to much acclaim. However, the intense nature of the attraction caused illness in many riders.
For this reason, Disney introduced a calmer version, the Green ride for Mission: SPACE.
Park officials cannot do that for Cosmic Rewind, as the coaster tracks cannot change any. And they wouldn’t need to do that anyway.
In truth, the discussions about Cosmic Rewind-induced nausea have proven anecdotal in most instances.
Amusingly, *I* can describe one of those anecdotes, as I rode it twice in an hour. My body loudly screamed, “Never do that again!”
Still, we’re speaking in half-truths to say it’s a frequent thing. I suspect it happens to a handful of guests per hour.
Even so, if Disney can calm down the ride some or come up with ways to reduce nausea, it most assuredly will. A few times an hour is still too much.
Park Passes Are Still Required
Fact!
Please don’t shoot the messenger! I recognize how annoying this situation has become for park guests.
Disney ostensibly introduced Park Passes as a way to ensure social distancing.
Now that the pandemic has ended, we shouldn’t have the system in place any longer.
Alas, former CEO Bob Chapek recognized an opportunity. He could use Park Passes to forecast park attendance more accurately.
This knowledge empowered Disney to staff the parks more efficiently, thereby saving lots of money.
TL:DR – Park Passes stayed because Chapek loved money more than happy customers.
Now that Bob Iger has returned, insiders have hinted that the system will update soon. It might even go away at some point.
Don’t hold your breath, though. Disney has already listed Park Passes into 2024. So, they appear likely to stay for a while. But we can all hope that’s untrue.
Disney Closed Repeatedly Due to COVID
Myth and Fact?!
The answer depends on which Disney theme park you’re referencing.
Even though Orlando and Anaheim, the cities containing Disneyland and Walt Disney World, both suffered outbreaks in early 2022, the parks remained open.
Disney discovered that it could operate its parks safely while ensuring that no outbreaks occurred.
Had anything of note transpired, Disney would have closed its parks temporarily or possibly until the latest COVID-19 wave diminished in strength.
Thankfully, none of that proved necessary…in the United States.
Overseas, the situation proved quite different. Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland have combined to close/reopen 10 times during the pandemic.
That’s a real number, not a joke. In one recent, admittedly extreme example, Shanghai Disneyland reopened for less than a week before closing again.
While things got dicey at the start of 2022, Disneyland Paris avoided any prolonged closures this past year.
Similarly, the Oriental Land Company kept Tokyo Disney Resort operational throughout 2022.
As such, the repeating closures/reopenings thing only applies to Disney’s Chinese parks.
Annual Passes Are Gone Forever
Myth!
No, really! This is a myth, at least if we’re to take Disney at its word.
Late in 2022, Disney officials temporarily restored the option to purchase Magic Keys at Disneyland Resort.
Walt Disney World fans understandably screamed, “THAT’S NOT FAIR!” And we were right!
Disney recognized this as well. So, perhaps in anticipation of an extended outcry, the company stated that annual passes will return to Walt Disney World in 2023.
I don’t know when, and I’ll warn you that we’ve all been burned before. Disney Dining Plans were supposed to return in 2022. They didn’t.
As such, we’re taking a lot on faith here. But I trust the Iger regime night and day more than I ever trusted Chapek.
If Iger’s people are saying that annual passes will return, I believe them.
A Brightline Station Is Coming to Disney Springs
Was Fact, Now Myth, May Become Fact Again
How’s that for a confusing (but accurate) answer?
Disney ostensibly ended Magical Express service in anticipation of unveiling a new option in 2023/2024.
The pandemic delayed those plans, but the idea centered on a new Brightline station coming to Disney Springs.
Park strategists never confirmed where the station would go. However, the plan called for people to take a Brightline train from Orlando International Airport (MCO).
Then, when guests arrived at Disney Springs, Disney would do…something… to transport them to their resorts.
Alas, Comcast, the owner of Universal Studios, involved itself in the Brightline negotiations. It successfully lobbied for the Sunshine Corridor.
This station will reside near the Orange County Convention Center. More importantly, its existence would slow down travelers heading from MCO to Disney.
For this reason, Disney officials strongly denounced the decision and canceled all plans to host a Brightline station at Disney Springs.
Meanwhile, Brightline has stated that it will build one near Disney Springs with or without Disney’s consent.
As such, I’d slot this one in the category of, “Stay tuned.” It’s like Reedy Creek in this regard.