Disney World News: Entertainment Changes, Cosmic Rewind Previews, Restaurant Refurb
We’re back with another Walt Disney World news roundup. This one covers the latest extensions and additions to park hours through Summer 2022, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Cast Previews, more charges to entertainment at Epcot and Animal Kingdom, an event at ESPN Wide World of Sports, Grand Floridian restaurant refurbishment, and more.
As usual, we’ll start with the latest release of new and modified operating schedules. All four theme parks have had hours for another week added to DisneyWorld.com’s park hours, and the current calendar now runs through June 18, 2022. Here are the hours for the newly-added dates in Summer 2022:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 10 pm
- Epcot: 10 am to 9 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 9 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 8 am to 8 pm
- Typhoon Lagoon: 10 am to 7 pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 11 pm (11:30 pm on Fridays & Saturdays)
These are boilerplate hours that are simply a placeholder that’s subject to change if or when internal forecasts show higher attendance at Walt Disney World. With that said, there are a couple of interesting changes for the most recent week to be posted in mid-June 2022. First, Animal Kingdom extends its hours to 8 am to 8 pm, from a baseline of 9 am to 7 pm. Second, Typhoon Lagoon gradually extends its closing time from 5 pm to 7 pm, and adds the H2O Glow After Hours on top of that, which will end at 11 pm nightly.
In addition to these updated boilerplate hours for June 2022, there are also extensions to park hours for April 17-23, 2022. These are more or less the same extensions that’ve been occurring since the start of spring break season, and make beating the crowds much easier–so long as you don’t mind getting up a bit early!
Here are the current Walt Disney World park hours through April 23, 2022:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 11 pm
- Epcot: 8:30 am to 9 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 8 am to 9 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 7:30 am to 8:30 pm
As of right now, these revert to normal on April 24, 2022. That might end up happening, but we highly doubt it. Even though that would normally be the end of spring break season, Disney Park Pass reservations are already filling for April 24-26, and those dates are still several weeks away. As such, we expect extensions more or less in line with what’s listed above for the foreseeable future.
UPDATE: Walt Disney World park hours have now been extended through April 30, 2022. The same hours listed above apply through (at least) then.
It’s looking increasingly like attendance isn’t going to let up at Walt Disney World anytime soon. Even after spring break season ends, summer is right around the corner. With Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewinds likely throughout mid-May 2022 and its grand opening after that, there’s a decent chance mid-August 2022 will be the next sustained reprieve from crowds.
Honestly, as much as I’d like to enjoy some quiet days in the parks, I’ll happily take heavy attendance and the parks operating at full throttle once again. Seasoned Walt Disney World visitors know how to outsmart the crowds. What we cannot “outsmart” is Fantasmic, Finding Nemo: the Musical, etc. being dark.
To that end, we (once again) recommend checking out Genie+ v. Savvy Standby Strategy at Walt Disney World, which is the result of extensive ‘testing’ to determine the best and worst ways to beat the crowds. Genie+ is only the clear winner at Magic Kingdom. In the other 3 parks, there are superior strategies for saving time waiting in line.
Even Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which has a lot of popular rides with long lines, has better ways to beat the crowds. If you’re overwhelmed by all of the recent changes, crowd reports, and everything else, that’s the most succinct resource for current strategy.
In our latest Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind “preview watch,” registration for Cast Member previews will begin on April 11, 2022. While dates are not yet official, these are highly likely to begin in the second half of April and run through (very) early May 2022.
As covered yesterday, registration for the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind D23 Preview is April 12, 2022. Given that, our expectation is that AP and DVC preview registration will open sometime next week. Again, we strongly recommend trying for the D23 preview if you’re eligible, for the reasons discussed in that post.
In restaurant news, Narcoossee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort will close starting June 18, 2022 for a lengthy refurbishment that currently does not have an end date. Citricos will operate daily beginning June 26, 2022 to accommodate the displaced Cast Members and provide needed dining capacity.
As you might recall, Citricos opened from its own Mary Poppins “reimagining” last year. That plus a new menu resulted in it jumping up our restaurant rankings. (See Citricos Reimagined Restaurant Review for thoughts, food & interior photos, recommendations, etc.) If it’s anything like that, we’re cautiously optimistic about the Narcoossee’s reimagining.
This also comes as rumors swirl about room and lobby refurbishments at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We’re decently in the loop when it comes to construction at the resorts, but we haven’t heard anything from credible sources about this project, its scope or scale. With that said, we have been stressing the urgent need for this (particularly in hotel guest rooms) and the likelihood that it’s on the horizon.
Even without knowing anything about the veracity of these Grand Floridian rumors, our expectation is that it’s an inevitability at some point this year or in 2023. Then again, we would’ve said the same thing about an overhaul of the Grand Canyon Concourse and absolutely nothing has happened there. So who knows. We have a lot more thoughts on what needs to happen (and what absolutely does not) at the Grand Floridian, but we’ll save those until an actual announcement is made beyond this.
Next, as part of Walt Disney World’s support for military service, the ESPN Wide World of Sports will host the 2022 Department of Defense Warrior Games from August 19 to 28, 2022. The DoD Warrior Games celebrating the resiliency and dedication of wounded, ill, and injured active duty and veteran U.S. military service members.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is being donated for use and will host the DoD Warrior Games for the first time. If you have deja vu reading this, it’s because the 2021 Department of Defense Warrior Games were originally scheduled to take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex last September before being cancelled due to the Delta variant.
Walt Disney World will also host the 2022 Veterans Institute Summit presented by Disney Institute August 19-20, 2022 at ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. The summit is designed to empower companies to build effective veteran hiring, training and support of their own. The two-day forum will include speakers from Disney’s Heroes Work Here initiative, U.S. government officials, veterans and military spouses, among many others.
Next, a flurry of entertainment updates. Let’s start with Animal Kingdom, which will soon see updates to the cult-favorite KiteTails. According to Walt Disney World, here’s what’ll happen: “we’re shifting the focus of the show so guests will be able to experience ‘Disney KiteTails’ from anywhere around the Discovery River Lagoon, with shorter and more frequent performances throughout the day.”
I’m mixed on this news. From my perspective, the only reason KiteTails “works” is because of the energetic performers who hype up the crowd, near-misses as the kites graze the water and unpredictably swing around, and the epic up-close crash-landings. This will eliminate two of those things.
However, I also understand that KiteTails might underwhelm casual audiences who take time out of their day and stake out spots to see a show. While we love it, KiteTails doesn’t deliver in the “traditional” ways one would expect of a Disney entertainment production. The only way this would be a net-positive for everyone is if the kites just start crashing at random, everywhere around the park. Make it a truly “immersive” kite crashing experience, Disney.
@disneyparks It…is….time 🐵 Tumble Monkeys are making their return this Summer #Disney #DisneyParks #DisneyWorld #AnimalKingdom #FestivalOfTheLionKing #Monkey ♬ original sound – Disney Parks
Walt Disney World has also announced that a certain group of high-flying primates are making their return to Festival of the Lion King this summer. That’s right, the delightful Tumble Monkeys be back to their acrobatic hijinks and the show’s iconic birds will once again soar above the stage. Now this is unequivocally good news. (Honestly, we were worried a little that once these cuts happened, they’d never be undone.)
In addition to that, Disney teased that Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond is opening “in the coming months” at Animal Kingdom. This was more or less known, but it’s somewhat significant that the opening date still hasn’t been set. Our expectation is around Memorial Day.
In other entertainment news, pianist Carol Stein announced on her Facebook page that she will be moving from the United Kingdom Pavilion to the American Adventure Rotunda to debut a new musical presentation this Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 11:30am. Some of you may better know her as the “Hat Lady” in Rose & Crown, but recently, she’s been playing outside in the UK bandstand. She performed her last set at the United Kingdom Pavilion yesterday, concluding her run in fitting fashion with “When You Wish Upon A Star.”
This might seem like an odd move, but students of the American Adventure are undoubtedly aware of the country’s rich history of stealing from the British–it’s covered right in the attraction! Joking aside, the Voices of Liberty will still perform in the rotunda, and it’s expected that an announcement will come soon about a replacement act in the United Kingdom.
When green is all there is to be, who’s better to celebrate Earth Month with at EPCOT than @KermitTheFrog himself! 🌎 #DisneyPlanetPossible pic.twitter.com/eZyGWlaQXt
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) April 8, 2022
Finally, in other Epcot entertainment news (sorta), Walt Disney World invited a celebrity to the park for Earth Month and shared their visit on social media. That’s right, I’m talking about lead Muppet, Kermit the Frog!
This actually isn’t really news–to my knowledge, no new Beacons of Magic segment is debuting for Earth Month–but it’s an excuse to raise Muppet awareness, so I’ll take it. As a reminder, the “Colors of the Wind” segment continues to run on Spaceship Earth nightly. It’s a great enhancement, and we love to see seasonal additions like this–the little things make a big difference. Nothing’s going to top the Muppets, so we might as well wrap up this week’s Walt Disney World news roundup here.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about all this Walt Disney World news? Pleased to hear more entertainment updates for Epcot and Animal Kingdom? Hope more is on the horizon? On pins and needles waiting for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind previews? Thoughts on the reimagining of Narcoossee’s and potential changes to the lobby and rooms at Grand Floridian? What about extended hours v. crowds at Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Using your advice, I did early entry for HS during the ridiculous spring break crowds. Kiddo and I were one of the first 12 on Rise due to the unofficial opening and we were off by 10 minutes before early entry officially began. That first hour of the day was absolutely the best for us. Otherwise it was so insane. Needed to hit the race expo, so we chewed up time waiting for our Lightning lanes by riding Disney transportation to and from the expo. 🙂
Thank you for this blog and love your writing style. Information you provide, it’s not only helpful for planning visits for us out-of-state travelers, but also, enjoying to read.
Hi Tom thank you for the updates. Any idea on when they will release park hours for July 2022? We will be there the week of July 4th and I was wondering if the holiday would change the extended evening hours? Since it is on a Monday would they switch extended hours that night to MK instead of Epcot?
That image of the updated rooms at Grand Floridian – beautiful! Every detail is perfect. Now, if they’d just return the orchestra to the lobby, I’d quit hating that hotel.
I’m excited to see Narcoossee’s get some love, it’s one of our go-to restaurants for a non- park dinner. Also, Kite -tails is campy and fabulous, both my husband and kids loved it when we were there in November and we watched from the Yak-n-Yeti area. We will watch 9/10 times.
Hi Tom,
My son will be moving to Florida this June and wanted to know when Florida Annual Passes, other than the Pixie Pass, will again become available. Any word yet?
They’ve been replaced by the Weekday Florida Resident Ticket. The company has to prioritize the tourists who spend the big bucks—tickets, merchandise, genie+, dining, etc. Crowding is the worst it’s ever been in history. Florida is full.
Citricos is one of my most memorable dining experiences. I still dream about that citrus-cured hamachi, and, unlike in my other dreams, it stays a delicious piece of fish and doesn’t morph into my dad making fun of me for my letterman’s jacket I got from being the basketball team’s equipment manager. Citricos is also memorable because I jumped up so fast when they called my name for my reservation that I face-planted on the Mary Poppins-inspired rug. I weathered a good deal of “safe travels!” and “watch your step!”s when I left, but the food was well worth the sarcastic farewells. Citricos is delicious, is my point, and it’s good to see some expanded access.
I also have mixed feelings over the proposed Kite Tails changes. I am not a Disney shows guy, but on my last day at Animal Kingdom I believe I watched that show five times in a row (3 Lion King, 2 Jungle Book, 3 “water landings” total, all of which I failed to think to sarcastically shout “safe travels!” until I was already back at Wilderness Lodge and thought over everything while eating a Geyser Point burger. By then, of course, the witticism was far too late, and I’d had yet another slip-and-fall mishap in the nearby lake (no crocodile or snake encounters, and all charges were dropped.)) I think Disney is really missing the appeal of kites and/or people smacking into cold water unexpectedly and if they only knew, they would order more of it.
Entertaining writing, Darren!!
Waiting for the update on Dining Plan. Hopefully it will be in June
Any clue when Kite Tails is changing? We are going in a couple of weeks and I was really looking forward to front row seats for crashing kites!
So bummed that we are this far into the 50th Celebrations and we still are quite a ways from still being normal and anyone who planned a trip years ago to be there for this “monumental” event still isn’t getting what we should be able to experience. It’s getting better but disappointed. Disney has the money and means to have contractors working around the clock to at least get the shows back before now. Bummed about Guardian and Tron but I totally understand that was delayed because construction halted due to Covid, but I just don’t understand the other aspects. Monkeys returning in the Summer to Lion King, why can’t they return sooner??? Anyone who is going prior to Summer (including me) is really getting less than they should adn shouldn’t be paying the same price as people who will be there when it’s back to 100% normal. Are Prices lowered because we aren’t getting the full 50th Celebration? of course not. Disney needs to get on track with the vision instead of the bottom line.
“There’s a decent chance mid-August will be the next sustained reprieve from crowds.”
Nice try but not only will it be crowded but steamy hot Hellish miserable weather.
I suggest everyone stay home from Aug 12th to Sept 4th
Better still wait till stagflation hits later this year and turns into a recession in 2023 for your best deals since 2019.
Oh yes I’ll be there but outside the WDW gates like Kevin McCarthy trying to warn people to turn their cars around.
Unfortunately, we’ll be missing the reopening of Hoop Dee Doo by a week. Now we’re anxiously awaiting any news about Fantasmic being brought back by June.
We’re in the same exact boat. Crossing our fingers for Fantasmic and/or Nemo.
We happened upon the end of a kite-flying performance and it was sufficiently entertaining. But I don’t think I would’ve wanted to wait and stake out a “good” spot to see it. More frequent, and hence seemingly-spontaneous shows seems like an improvement.
I’m surprised that the new magic band 2.0 hasn’t been released. I’ve been looking forward to them! There’s so much “coming soon” I almost forget what will be new next month when we go!
I just gave in and ordered ones I needed for July so NOW m sure they will come out seeing i just spent $130 LOL
Agreed, I was hoping because the selection of magic bands were so limited it meant magic band + were being released. I will be so disapointed if they are released just before my trip. I was running out of time for ordering one so had to make a decision and get one.
For what it’s worth, the limited selection of MagicBands is not a sign that MagicBand+ will be debuting soon. (Regular MagicBands are not being discontinued anytime soon.)
To the contrary, the root cause of the former is also a big part of why the latter has not yet debuted–and doesn’t even have a date. Unless there’s some hangup with programming the features that I haven’t heard about, lack of supply is what’s delaying the release.