DisneyTips.com Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
It can be extremely difficult to keep up with everything that is constantly changing at Walt Disney World. When you are planning a Disney vacation for your vacation, you want to make sure you are up to speed on what is going on, and that can be difficult right now as Disney planning has become more complicated. Don’t worry, though; we have a quick rundown of what is opened, adjusted, closed, and new at Disney World right now to help you plan a fantastic Disney World vacation.
What is Opened
The great news about a Disney vacation right now is that most big experiences have opened back up at Walt Disney World. When it comes to the Theme Parks and the Disney Resorts, we are glad to see that most things opened for Guests. All four Disney Theme Parks are opened, and Resorts minus All-Star Sports are currently opened, with Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter welcoming Guests back just recently. When it comes to dining, most big dining locations have opened up since, giving Guests more and more dining options for eating throughout Disney Park. This includes the highly anticipated Space220 in EPCOT. Fans are thrilled to dine in space after waiting years for this dining experience to open. Also in EPCOT is the new Le Crepe in France. With both a sit-down and quick-service option, fans have a great choice for dining. Finally, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opened on October 1st and welcomed Guests on this adventure. We are so pleased to have so much opening and coming back to Disney World for Guests throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
Chef Mickey’s (Credit: Disney)
What Has Been Adjusted
Even though so much has opened, there are still experiences that are modified or adjusted. When it comes to character dining throughout Disney, it remains modified. Guests that want to dine with Mickey and friends can do so throughout Disney property at places such as Chef Mickey’s in Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera, Minnies’ Hollywood and Dine at Disney’s Hollywood and Vine, and even at Tusker House in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The characters will come around and wave from a distance during these meals, but there won’t be hugs or autographs. Just this weekend in Magic Kingdom, in door meet and greets have returned. Mickey himself is meeting Guests in Tony’s Town Square Theatre in his 50th Anniversary Celebration EARidescent suit. Guests can take pictures and have a one-on-one conversation with Mickey from a distance which we love. Over in Fairytale Hall, a few princesses are back and greeting Guests. We are so happy to see these coming back even if they are adjusted.
Be aware that some dining experiences have also been adjusted. Menus might not be the same, and some have even gone to a prix-fixe menu. At Disney’s California Grill, there is a new prix-fixe menu to celebrate the 50th anniversary. Keep this in mind, and make sure you check the menus before deciding where to eat on your Walt Disney World vacation.
What Is Not Available?
As we mentioned before, All-Star Sports remains closed. This Value Resort was scheduled to open in September, but Disney announced suddenly that it would not be opening, and we haven’t heard much since. As the last Resort is yet to open, we hope that we will learn more soon. In Magic Kingdom, the Walt Disney World Railroad remains closed as the construction on Tron continues. This is a huge missing piece from Magic Kingdom, and we anxiously await when we can hear the whistle once again throughout the Park. Both Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind remains unavailable for Guests. We haven’t been given any major updates on Tron; however, we know that Guardians will be coming in 2022. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Finding Nemo the Musical has yet to open as it was announced that a new Nemo show would be coming in 2022. We have yet to learn much about this, but we hope that the beautiful puppets and music will remain.
credit: Disney
What is New?
There are so many new, magical experiences in Walt Disney World. In Magic Kingdom, Disney Enchantment brings a nighttime spectacular to the sky. This evening show is perfect for wrapping up a night in Magic Kingdom with music, projects, and fireworks. Over in EPCOT, Harmonious has started to show on the lagoon and is also a fantastic nighttime spectacular that uses the water for projections that bring a whole new story to EPCOT. Beacons of Magic has been a sleeper hit that can be found in all four Theme Parks. Each evening, the four major icons come to life with light. Although they are all fantastic to see, Spaceship Earth is breathtaking. These are short light shows that happened throughout the evening so make sure to catch them. We mentioned earlier that France in EPCOT’s World Showcase has a few new experiences. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is a family-friendly ride that shrinks Guests to the size of a rat and then takes them on an adventure through the kitchen as they dart and dash around. If you work up an appetite on the ride, you can enjoy the new crepe in France as well. Try sweet or savory crepes. In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there is a new afternoon show called KiteTails. This show uses beautiful larger than life kites from either Jungle Book or Lion King for a beautiful experience. If you want to get out of the crowd, this is a great way to do so. Finally, don’t forget that Disney Genie is now active and super important for your Walt Disney World vacation. This free planning tool is located within My Disney Experience. You can choose to upgrade to Genie+ for $15/person/day to access Lightning Lanes to 40 rides and attractions throughout Disney Park. If you need more information on this new feature, we have you covered with a few articles here and here.
We hope that this quick rundown of what is opened, adjusted, closed, and new in Walt Disney World will help you as you plan a wonderful Disney World vacation.
