Walt Disney World is always in a state of change, frequently undergoing ride and restaurant developments, large-scale refurbishments, and new projects.
Disney World construction is no stranger to delays, and the COVID-19 pandemic has led to quite a few of them.
Let’s go over the Disney World projects that were (and still are!) majorly delayed.
Can you guess which Disney Park has the most delays? It’s time to discuss!
Magic Kingdom
Tron Lightcycle Run
Let’s start this off with Tron Lightcycle Run, which will be based in Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland. Tron was announced at D23 in 2017, and the original plan was for Tron Lightcycle Run to open along with Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, October 1, 2021.
Tron Lightcycle Run was subsequently delayed and does not have an official opening date, but it is possible it may open sometime in 2022. Compounding this delay is the fact that the Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed due to TRON construction, leaving many guests heartbroken to miss their circle tour around the Magic Kingdom.
Splash Mountain
Disney announced in 2020 that Splash Mountain would be undergoing a major makeover and be re-themed as an adventure for characters from The Princess and the Frog, but so far there has been no word on the plans for this big refurbishment. Has there been any progress backstage, or have the plans been tabled for now?
We have yet to see the plans for Splash Mountain be turned into action, and we have only had minimal glimpses into the coming attraction’s design. As Splash Mountain is not currently scheduled for refurbishment on Disney World’s website, we can’t know when this project will actually begin.
EPCOT
If you guessed that EPCOT is the winner of Disney World’s Most Delayed Attractions Award, you win! EPCOT is undergoing a huge transformation, and many of its projects have been delayed.
Journey of Water: Moana
Journey of Water: Moana will be a magical, watery walking trail in Future World West, and we don’t know a ton about what it will look like yet. When the attraction poster was first listed on shopDisney, the product info listed an opening date of 2021. However, that info disappeared from Disney’s website with no replacement projected date.
At this point, it’s possible that 2021 remains the opening timeframe for Journey of Water, but we have no word from Disney either way. Aerial shots show that work is in progress, but it’s impossible to tell just how much has been done… and how much remains.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was announced at the 2017 D23 Expo and will be an indoor roller coaster based on the Guardians of the Galaxy films. This ride was announced with plans to open with the 50th anniversary, but there’s reason to believe it won’t open until at least 2022 now.
We’ve seen plenty of construction progress, but with no opening plans or projections, it’s possible that we may have to wait awhile longer for news.
Space 220 Restaurant
What hasn’t gone wrong with the opening of Space 220 Restaurant? Will this restaurant EVER open? Space 220 was announced in 2017, was supposed to open in early 2019, but has endured a ton of issues and delays. This Table Service restaurant will take guests to “space,” 220 miles above the Earth.
There’s been signs of the project progressing, and recently we learned that it has a current opening timeframe of mid-September 2021, which is coming up fast. It’s going to be a relief (and hopefully a blast!) when this place finally opens!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was supposed to open in summer of 2021, but it was delayed to October 1, 2021 to align with the 50th anniversary of Disney World.
When we consider some of EPCOT’s other projects, Remy didn’t have to wait quite as long, and at least we have an opening date!
La Creperie de Paris
La Creperie de Paris was scheduled to open alongside Remy’s, and it was also delayed. It is currently set to open on October 1st. This restaurant will offer Table Service and Quick Service for all your crêpes needs.
Like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, at least we have an opening date for this new restaurant. We don’t yet know when reservations will open up, so stay tuned! We DO have the menus now, though, so start salivating!
Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth was scheduled for a major refurbishment to begin in May 2020, and some reports projected a closure for upwards of 18-24 months! When Disney World reopened in July 2020, however, Spaceship Earth opened as usual, and there was no construction taking place.
As far as we know, the refurbishment plans have been delayed indefinitely. The major remodeling was to add a new narrator, new scenes, and a new storyline. Now we’ll have to wait to see when — and maybe if — this icon gets a refurb.
Harmonious Nighttime Spectactular
This brand new fireworks show was originally scheduled to debut in Spring 2020. Instead, the Harmonious Nighttime Spectacular was delayed until October 1, 2021.
Harmonious will involve choreographed platforms with water fountains, lights, lasers, and pyrotechnics. We can’t wait to see it (although the permanent floats on World Showcase Lagoon aren’t earning this show any points…)!
Mary Poppins Attraction
A Mary Poppins Attraction was announced at D23 in 2019 to be located in the United Kingdom pavilion. We never heard a lot of details about it, and in July of 2020, Disney announced that it was indefinitely postponed.
Mary Poppins takes her place alongside Spaceship Earth’s indefinitely delayed refurbishment. We don’t know when or if the Mary Poppins attraction plans may return to EPCOT.
PLAY! Pavilion
The EPCOT PLAY! Pavilion will be a space for games and hands-on activities where guests can also interact with Disney characters. PLAY! Pavilion was supposed to open alongside the 50th Anniversary celebration on October 1st, but it has been delayed with no current opening date.
We continue to see construction progress, but this is another instance of waiting for more updates from Disney.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios has one particular project that Disney may or may not want us to forget.
Woody’s Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant
When we heard about Roundup Rodeo BBQ Restaurant, a Table Service restaurant to be added to Toy Story Land, we were excited! A restaurant featuring BBQ and western foods served alongside Toy Story characters sounds so fun.
Roundup Rodeo was supposed to open in 2020, and Disney has been completely silent about its progress. Is it scrapped? We have no idea, but it seems to join the “indefinitely delayed” crowd.
Disney Springs
Cirque du Soleil’s new show, Drawn to Life, is designed to be a tribute to Disney Animation. This show was originally set to debut in early 2020 but was rescheduled to open in February 2021… and then was delayed again.
However, the show now has an official opening date of November 18th, 2021, with tickets now on sale!
And that’s thirteen major delays in Disney World! As soon as we know any new dates or even prospective dates for any of these delayed projects, we will be sure to let you know. Keep reading AllEars for your Disney World updates!
Are you disappointed by these delays? Let us know in the comments!
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Hate that Disney has multiple ambitious plans taking forever to complete and existing rides breaking down or closed for a day or so. All very disappointing.
I definitely agree with your dislike of the industrial equipment that resides in the waters of Epcot…takes away from the coastal scenery that defines Epcot’s creativity.