Walt Disney World Introduces New Attractions and Guest Systems for 2022

By  //  January 11, 2022

As Walt Disney World continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary, established attractions are still gradually reopening, and new rides, shows, and experiences are being introduced.

The anniversary festivities began on October 1st 2021 and are set to carry on throughout this year. While traveling to Disney World still requires precautions, the resort managed to stay open for the whole of 2021. With additional changes and even more attractions on offer in 2022, it is expected that this year will see a significant increase in visitors.

Making the Most of Disney Vacation Club Points

As well as booking vacations at Disney locations including Walt Disney World, members of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) will also be able to use their DVC points at a new range of timeshare properties. As of January 1st this year, DVC began a new affiliation with one of the world’s largest timeshare exchange companies, Interval International.

Members of DVC collect points every year that can then be used to book Disney vacation accommodations.  The points can also be used on a vacation exchange network, and this new affiliation means that DVC members can exchange their points for stays at over 3,000 properties worldwide and travel to several different branded clubs including the Marriott Vacation Club and the Hyatt Residence Club. 

With a handy online tool to calculate DVC points,members can quickly and easily confirm how many points they will need for a DVC Point rental reservation or DVC Resale contract. 

Optimizing Visitor Experience as Numbers Increase

Despite closures and restrictions during the pandemic, Disney World returned to profitability last summer and almost tripled its revenue from theme parks in the third quarter of 2021  As the Christmas holiday travel season began, Disney World was preparing for the largest inflow of guests for two years.

 To optimize their experience at the park, Disney World has recently introduced an app called Genie+ which allows visitors to avoid the standby line on some popular rides. In addition, for two rides that generate the longest waiting times, guests can pay extra to access an expedited queue with Lightning Lane+, a faster priority queue replacing the old FastPass system. 

New and Unique Attractions for the Coming Year

While some attractions such as the enduringly popular Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy afternoon parade will be reintroduced this year, new experiences are also set to open.  Scheduled to begin March 1st, the vacation package, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, is a new hotel experience where guests are immersed in their own bespoke Star Wars themed adventure.

Staying for two nights in their own ‘starship’, guests will be able to enjoy activities such as wielding a lightsaber, meeting Chewbacca and other familiar characters, and taking a tour of the ship’s bridge. 

While Disney World has retained its popular appeal even during the pandemic, its ongoing anniversary celebrations, improvements to queuing and booking systems, and the introduction of exciting new attractions, will continue to enhance the guest experience.