Now that the excitement and news around the D23 Expo have settled down, it has allowed us time to slow down and reflect on what we actually learned about the future of the Disney Company.
Although we saw some big announcements regarding Disney Cruises with a new ship (Disney Treasure) and a new private island. As we as big information for Disneyland with new nighttime shows for both Parks as well as the expansion of Avengers Campus with a new ride focus on King Thanos.
With all these announcements, there were still a lot of things that were left quiet. We are still wondering about a lot of things. Let’s take a look at the announcements that didn’t happen at D23 Expo.
No Specific Dates
We are glad that Walt Disney World has a lot of projects going on right now at both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. What we were hoping for however was more concrete information on opening dates for these experiences.
Over at EPCOT, we have been following the progress of Journey to Water: Inspired by Moana. We have seen updated pictures and have been given information about the amazing 16-foot statue of Te Fiti that will be included in the attraction.
Besides this information, we haven’t heard much about the attraction at all. We were hoping that we would get a specific or at least tentative opening date for this attraction, but all we were given was late 2023. This seems like a long way away still, especially with the 40th anniversary for EPCOT coming this October.
The biggest date we were looking for was the opening of TRON: Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom. This highly anticipated coaster has been under construction for a few years now. It has been exciting to see it being tested in the Magic Kingdom- even Josh D’Amaro took a ride. Once again though, besides sharing the video of his ride all we were told was 2023 for an opening date.
We realize that providing a specific date might not be Disney’s style anymore; however, it would be nice to have a more concrete outline for some of these projects that are already underway at Walt Disney World.
No Evening Parades
Many Walt Disney World fans were holding out hope that the 2022 D23 Expo would once again bring a nighttime parade to the Parks. It has been since 2016 when the Main Street Electrical Parade left Magic Kingdom that any Walt Disney World Park has seen a nighttime parade.
The Main Street Electrical Parade was brought back to Disneyland on April 22nd, 2022, and just recently made a final performance on September 1st, 2022. With this closure announced, it had many hopefuls that we would see it return to Magic Kingdom once again.
Well, D23 Expo has wrapped up and we didn’t hear anything at all about a nighttime parade for Walt Disney World. Here’s to hoping Disney will surprise us.
It was announced that two new nighttime shows will come to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure as part of the 100th celebration. With those announced already, maybe something is still in the plans for Walt Disney World.
When Is Fantasmic Returning?
Fantasmic is the extremely popular nighttime show that calls Disney’s Hollywood Studios home. This show features amazing water projections, fireworks, characters, music, and so much more. It is a top show in all of Walt Disney World and fans are anxiously awaiting for it to return.
The show has already returned to Disneyland Park, but we are still waiting for it on the East coast. If you look at Disney’s website, it says “coming 2022” but the reality is we are getting awfully close to the end of 2022.
Recently, Disney did release a teaser video that showed a Cast Member cleaning and the Fantasmic poster lit up. Because of this tease, we were really hoping the D23 would bring us an official date, but that didn’t happen.
We know that Cast Members have been rehearsing and it is a highly technical show, but we sure do hope that it makes 2022 an opening date. Disney’s Hollywood Studios isn’t the same at night without it.
Disney, Where Is the Dining Plan?
Walt Disney World Guests all over are asking this question of Disney- where is the dining plan? We were told that it would be returning in the future, but we haven’t heard anything since then.
The Disney Dining Plan is a favorite of many Guests traveling to Walt Disney World. Guests are able to prepay for their meals by choosing one of the plans provided. It was a great way for families to pay for their meals prior to their vacation and remove the stress that comes with meal times during vacation.
We knew when the Parks reopened that this wouldn’t be offered as there were limited restaurants opened. Now we have the major of the dining locations opened throughout the Walt Disney World Resort Property so it seems like a good time for it to return.
Other Misses
There were a few other areas that we were hoping to hear more announcements around during the Expo. In EPCOT, we wanted to know more about the previously announced Mary Poppins Attraction, the Play! Pavilion, and the reimagined Spaceship Earth plan.
More information was needed on if and when the Walt Disney World Railroad would be back in Magic Kingdom.
We love the Disney Company and are grateful for the magic and dreams that it brings us each and every day. Looking at the announcements from the D23 Expo, we just have a few areas that left us wanting more.
