What Should You Expect at Walt Disney World This Summer
Are you visiting Walt Disney World this summer? If so, I’m jealous, as my next trip isn’t until the fall. So, I have Disney vacation countdown clock envy.
Obviously, if you haven’t visited Disney in a while, you don’t know what’s changed. But even if you have, we’ve got some new stuff coming soon.
Here’s what you should expect during a Walt Disney World vacation this summer.
A Birthday Party
You may recall that Walt Disney World celebrated its 50th birthday on October 1st, 2021.
Here’s the way that theme parks work differently than humans. When you reach a milestone birthday like 40, 50, and so forth, you pretend it doesn’t happen.
Conversely, Disney throws a party that lasts for 18 months. I’m not even joking. Its 50th-anniversary celebration will last through March of 2023.
So, you can still spend this summer pretending like the Most Magical Place on Earth just turned 50!
When you visit the parks, you’ll find Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse wearing their resplendent EARidescent garb.
The various special events at the parks will remain the whole time you’re there. I’m talking about Disney Enchantment, the nighttime presentation, and Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade.
Disney KiteTails will also satisfy guests throughout the summer. However, I must point out that Disney’s Animal Kingdom no longer lists showtimes here.
Instead, each performance will work like the boat cavalcades at the park. They’ll happen at random times to provide guests with a better chance to catch them.
The show has also changed a bit. When you visit this summer, you won’t find human performers holding court at the outdoor theater.
Instead, the only cast members you’ll see are the ones driving the boats and flying the kites.
Oh, and I should mention that the exclusive menu items and merchandise are still available!
You can eat and drink to your heart’s content. Then, you can shop for that special gear that will prove you visited Walt Disney World for its 50th birthday!
New DVC Hotel Rooms
This aspect will either dramatically impact your trip or won’t matter to you at all.
The answer depends on whether you’re spending any of your stay at The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
This resort will open its new DVC building on June 20th. However, you can already book reservations online at the official DVC website!
In fact, I’d strongly suggest that you do this, as the inventory just went online a few days ago. So, you may find availability for your travel dates.
If that’s the case, you can book at one of the new Resort Studios at Big Pine Key, the former Building Nine.
Imagineers have redesigned these rooms with a Mary Poppins theme. They’ll be brand new when you visit this summer!
Better yet, you can guarantee that you’re staying at one of the new villas. DVC has divided the room types at the Grand Floridian into two categories.
The previous DVC rooms are Deluxe Studios, while the Big Pine Key ones are Resort Studios.
This knowledge will allow you to pick the new DVC hotel rooms at the Grand Floridian if that’s your preference!
Real Character Greetings
The parks recently brought back something guests have requested since the pandemic’s start.
When Walt Disney World reopened in July of 2020, park officials had to maintain social distancing.
So, the old way of performing character greetings was a non-starter. Cast members stayed six feet away from guests for the body of two years.
During that time frame, tourists lamented the loss of the old style of character greetings.
I’m talking about the ones where you hug your favorite characters, slap them on the back, and high-five them. Unfortunately, even fist-bumps weren’t an option in 2020 and 2021.
For that matter, Disney hosted some character experiences wherein someone like Winnie the Pooh would hunt butterflies in a place where guests couldn’t go.
So, you’d find entertainment in watching Winnie the Pooh, but you couldn’t physically engage.
As of a few weeks ago, Disney has restored the kind of character greetings that we all know and love.
You can finally hug Mickey and Minnie Mouse again after two long years without the option.
For this reason, wait times at character spots like Princess Fairytale Hall, Hollywood Dreams, and Town Square Theater are way up.
You should expect to spend twice as much time in line to meet your favorites than you would have in 2019.
Plenty of New Stuff
On Memorial Day Weekend, EPCOT officially opens its latest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Imagineers describe the experience as a storytelling roller coaster. In practice, it feels like a next-generation version of Space Mountain with digital projections everywhere.
Remarkably, Cosmic Rewind is the second E-ticket attraction that Disney has opened since its 50th birthday.
The other one, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, remains one of the two most popular rides at the park, although that changes the moment Cosmic Rewind opens.
At that point, EPCOT’s new Big Three attractions will be the two new rides plus Frozen Ever After.
If you haven’t visited lately, you’ll also find a new restaurant at the park. Space 220 has turned into the hottest ticket at Walt Disney World.
In fact, Advanced Dining Reservations sell out so quickly here that Disney has started booking the lounge, too…and it sells out!
The other significant enhancement here happens at night. Harmonious, the official replacement for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, operates nightly.
Disney briefly squeezed in EPCOT Forever while building the elaborate sets for Harmonious. Still, the latter attraction was always planned as the long-term replacement.
You’ll find the show breathtaking, fittingly international in scope, and musically hypnotic.
Some other attractions and restaurants could feasibly open this summer. However, Disney hasn’t announced anything yet, and I don’t want to get your hopes up.
If anything surprises with a debut, it’s most likely Roundup Rodeo BBQ at Toy Story Land.
Returning Favorites
Perhaps the best news of all is how much the parks have returned to normal. Finally, it’s business as usual at Walt Disney World after two utterly chaotic years.
Disney has planned the return of several popular attractions and amenities, some of which are already operational.
Most of your favorite Disney restaurants are back in business at this point. The list of places that haven’t returned is less than 15.
With many of them, it’s fair to wonder whether Disney intends to bring them back. Personally, I need 1900 Park Fare, Akershus, and ESPN Club in my life. So, I remain optimistic.
The most significant returning dining experience is Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. Disney will bring back the dinner show on June 23rd.
I don’t have firm dates on some other stuff, but Fantasmic! should reopen by the summer’s end. Disney has done a lot of recent work on it.
Another returning attraction is Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. So, that park will have maximum Star Wars again.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we’ll get something new-ish. The old Finding Nemo show has ended. Its replacement, Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!, is coming soon.
Rumors suggest some other returns are coming this summer, but that’s all I can confirm for now.
Still, you get the gist here. For the first time since 2019, a Walt Disney World visit will feel totally normal again!
Better yet, you still get to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary during your summer visit! You’re going to have a fantastic time!