Disney World sometimes closes rides, attractions, and restaurants for changes and scheduled maintenance.

We keep track of the refurbishments schedule and let you know every week what’s going to be closed in the parks and hotels. But now that a new year isn’t too far away (first of all, how did that happen so fast??) we’re taking a look at everything that’s going to be closed in Disney World in 2022. Some of these closures are on the calendar already, and others have just been announced as happening sometime in the year. And some spots on the list have not reopened yet from the Resort’s temporary 2020 closure. It’s a LONG list, so buckle up!

Looking for everything that will be closed in Disney World in 2023? Click HERE!

We’ll start out with rides, attractions, and entertainment in the Disney World parks because each of the four parks has a few refurbishments on the list.

Magic Kingdom Attractions and Entertainment

Walt Disney World Railroad — REOPENED on December 23, 2022!

When we initially published this post — AND as we’ve continued to update throughout the majority of the year — the Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed. JUST IN TIME for the holidays, Disney World gave fans a terrific gift with the LONG-AWAITED RETURN of the Walt Disney World Railroad Train on December 23rd, 2022!! Get ready for your GRAND CIRCLE TOUR around Magic Kingdom once again!!

The Railroad closed waaaaaay back in 2018 to accommodate construction for the TRON Lightcycle Run coaster. Now that TRON is also nearing completion (it is slated to open in Spring of next year!), the train can now chug safely through Tomorrowland (where TRON is located) once again, and we are THRILLED to hear that “CHOO-CHOO” and RIDE THE RAILS again!

RIDE THE REOPENED TRAIN with us HERE!!

TRON: Lightcycle Run

Speaking of TRON… the upcoming TRON: Lightcycle Run roller coaster was originally meant to open for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary back in October.

However, because Walt Disney World was closed for several months in 2020 due to the global health crisis, the project met with delays. However, a NEW opening timeline has been announced: TRON Lightcycle Run will open in SPRING 2023!

Other Entertainment

There are several more entertainment options that still haven’t reopened in Magic Kingdom as well, including the following:

• Enchanted Tales With Belle
• Citizens of Main Street
• Main Street Trolley Show
• Meet Ariel at her Grotto
• Meet Alice and Wonderland at the Mad Tea Party
• Meeting Disney Pals as Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Side Show — Disney has confirmed that this Meet-and-Greet will return at a to-be-announced date, and you may currently find characters appearing outside of the Pete’s Silly Sideshow building!
• Meet Gaston near his Tavern
• Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater
• Once Upon a Time

Disney hasn’t given a reopening date for these attractions (except where noted), but we’ll let you know as soon as we know when they could return!

Also, keep in mind that traditional face-to-face character meet-and-greets are now officially in the process of a phased return to Disney World! 

The traditional meet-and-greets are coming back in phases throughout spring and early summer, so not all locations are available immediately. But the phased return of traditional meet-and-greets at some spots officially started on April 18th. Guests are now able to go up to the characters and give them hugs, and characters are able to sign autographs! (It is largely a return to “normal” in terms of what many guests were used to prior to the pandemic.)

So, it’s possible that several locations you see listed above may be open again soon!

See pics and videos of the return of traditional Character Meet-and-Greets HERE! And find our FULL LIST of Character Meet and Greets that have returned to normal HERE!

EPCOT Attractions and Entertainment

EPCOT has been going through a massive transformation over the last few years, and it’ll still be a while before it’s complete. But surprisingly, there are very few attractions that are closed. You may have to navigate through a maze of construction walls, but you’ll still get to experience all of EPCOT’s charms.

The EPCOT Experience

Speaking of the park’s major transformation, guests learned about ALL of the aspects changing in the park at the EPCOT Experience… until March of 2022.

The EPCOT Experience closed permanently on March 14, 2022. In a post from Disney Imagineer Zach Riddley, he wrote that “with the transformation now well under way” they decided to close the EPCOT Experience and “make way for exciting new activities of the Odyssey pavilion to create a great experience for our guests.”

Click Here to Learn All About the EPCOT Transformation

Other Entertainment

Other entertainment that has not yet returned to EPCOT includes character meet-and-greets as well as a couple of shows:

• Jeweled Dragon Acrobats (China)
• Meet Ralph inside ImagineWorks at Epcot (you CAN, however, meet Vanellope!)
• Serveur Amusant (France)
• Viva Mexico (Mexico)

And when international travel restrictions start to relax more, we’re looking forward to see more of EPCOT’s Cultural Representatives back in World Showcase.

Click Here to See Answers to the WEIRDEST Disney Character Questions You’re Too Afraid to Ask

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Fantasmic!

One of the biggest shows in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Fantasmic! This show didn’t reopen with the parks last year, but we have GREAT NEWS… Fantasmic! is BACK in Disney’s Hollywood Studios as of November 3, 2022!! Mickey and LOTS of friends (and a few foes) are taking center stage once again in this nighttime spectacular!

If you’ve seen Fantasmic! before, the show looks a bit different from the last time you watched it. An entire segment of the show has been replaced, so you’ll get to enjoy new animation, characters (like Encanto‘s Mirabel!), songs, and stunt performers! Additional characters now featured in the show include Elsa, Moana, Pocahontas, Aladdin, and Mulan.

WELCOME BACK, FANTASMIC!

Click HERE to see PICS and VIDEOS of all of the NEW things in Fantasmic!

A couple of other shows have not yet returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and unfortunately, they don’t have reopening dates yet.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

 Voyage of the Little Mermaid has been closed for a while in this park.

Disney hasn’t given any information on when it might return.

Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

Another nighttime show, Star Wars: a Galactic Spectacular, is not available now.

We don’t know yet when this show will open again in the park. In the meantime, you can always check out the other nighttime shows in Hollywood Studios, like Wonderful World of Animation or Disney Movie Magic (both of which take place on the Chinese Theater).

Other Entertainment

The other entertainment that has not yet returned includes:

• Citizens of Hollywood
• Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple
• Meet the Incredibles at Pixar Place
• Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Also, keep in mind that traditional face-to-face character meet-and-greets are now officially in the process of a phased return to Disney World! So even more of the spots listed above may be reopening soon!

Click Here to See Our Ultimate Guide to Eating in Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Primeval Whirl

Over in DinoLand U.S.A., the Primeval Whirl ride closed permanently.

The attraction was removed in November 2021, and Disney hasn’t said yet what might replace it.

Other Entertainment

Other entertainment offerings that you won’t find right now in Animal Kingdom include the following:

• Meet Pocahontas on Discovery Island Trails — Look for Pocahontas (and sometimes Meeko, too!) on Animal Kingdom Flotillas sailing throughout the day!
• Meet Russell and Dug at Discovery Island — Look for Russel and Dug on the NEW Adventure Flotilla!
• Meet Timon and Rafiki at Discovery Island — Look for Timon and Rafiki on Animal Kingdom Flotillas sailing throughout the day!
• Pandora Drummers – Swotu Waya
• Pandora Rangers

Also, keep in mind that traditional face-to-face character meet-and-greets are now officially in the process of a phased return to Disney World! So more of the spots listed above may be reopening soon!

Click Here to See the Five BEST Rides in Disney’s Animal Kingdom (and the Five Worst)

Disney Springs

In March 2022, the AristoCrepes kiosk in the Disney Springs Marketplace closed permanently.

The good news is, guests can still find the spot’s popular Bubble Waffles, which are now being served at Marketplace Snacks. And the former AristoCrepes kiosk itself is now serving a fun assortment of DOLE Whips under its new name, Swirls on the Water!

Disney World Hotels

As of fall 2021, most of the Disney World hotels had reopened again, with the latest addition being Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter Resort in late October.

And Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort was going to reopen sometime in December 2021, but its opening was delayed.

Disney shared that the reasoning for the closure was so the Sports-themed area could be refreshed at the hotel. But now we are happy to say that All-Star Sports reopened on March 31, 2022! We’re especially excited because this means ALL of Disney World’s resort hotels have now officially reopened following the pandemic closures.

Click HERE to check out Reopening Day at All-Star Sports!

Other Disney World Closures

Blizzard Beach

Blizzard Beach Water Park has been closed for refurbishment since January 1st of this year, with only Typhoon Lagoon in operation. But Blizzard Beach reopened on November 13th, 2022!

We got to check out the NEW Frozen-theme for the kids’ Tike’s Peak area (and were able to sip on a few drinks for grownups, too…).

There is also some EXTRA FESTIVE fun happening for the holidays at Blizzard Beach! Limited-time holiday offerings are available through December 31st and include holiday treats, daily snowfall, holiday music, and festive inner tubes. And, guests can even meet a tropical-dressed Santa Claus!

Click HERE to explore the NEW Frozen-themed area at Blizzard Beach!

PLEASE BE AWARE that Typhoon Lagoon Water Park closed for refurbishments on November 13th, 2022. So, on the same day that Blizzard Beach opened, Typhoon Lagoon closed.

Minnie Van Service

Minnie Van service has been unavailable since the reopening on Disney World Resort in the summer of 2020. But Minnie Vans (which are connected by Lyft) officially rolled back into Disney World on June 29, 2022!

Minnie Vans offer guests a unique way to get around Disney World property. The Minnie Vans work with the Lyft app. All you’ll need to do is open the Lyft app and request a ride specifically for a Minnie Van.

Check out more about Disney World’s Minnie Vans HERE!

Disney World Restaurants

There are several restaurants in Disney World (in the parks and hotels) that have not returned since the parks reopened last year. Several restaurants on this list do not have reopening dates yet, so we don’t know when they’ll be back (but we’re hoping it’s sometime in 2022!). But we’re updating the restaurants with their reopening dates as they are announced, so stay tuned!

Disney World Hotel Restaurants

• Garden View Tea Room (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa)
• 1900 Park Fare (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa)

• ESPN Club (Disney’s Boardwalk Inn) UPDATE: ESPN Club is now closed on Disney’s BoardWalk. The location will become home to The Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, which is slated to open in 2023. 

• Funnel Cake Cart (Disney’s Boardwalk Inn)

Additionally, over on Disney’s BoardWalk, you’ll now find that BoardWalk Bakery is CLOSED (as of July 25, 2022). The good news is that the spot closed to welcome the NEW BoardWalk Deli, a Northeastern-style deli with a brand-new menu which opened on August 15th!

The new restaurant serves fresh hot and cold deli sandwiches, freshly baked bread, and a selection of bakery items (including some favorites from the now-closed BoardWalk Bakery) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Disney had revealed previously that a sandwich shop would replace BoardWalk Bakery, but this new Deli is only one of several changes coming to the BoardWalk, so stay tuned for more…

EXPLORE the new BoardWalk Deli with our full Photo Tour here!

EPCOT Restaurants

• Restaurant Marrakesh (EPCOT)

• Tangierine Cafe (EPCOT) — Currently being used as a Marketplace Food Booth for EPCOT’s seasonal Festivals

We’re always looking out for the latest news in Disney World, so we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we hear when these restaurants return.

Click Here to See 8 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Booking a Disney World Restaurant

Disney World Gift Shops

Some merchandise locations are still closed around Disney World, including at the parks and hotels. These shops may reopen at any time, but Disney has not yet announced their return:

Magic Kingdom Gift Shops

• Agrabah Bazaar
• Casey Jr. RailRoad Mercantile
• Briar Patch
• Main Street Chamber of Commerce (Package Pickup)

Animal Kingdom Gift Shops

• Tiffins Cart
• The Outpost Shop
• Colors of Mo’ara

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Gift Shops

• Disney Studio Store
• Indiana Jones Adventure Outpost
• It’s A Wonderful Shop
• Stage 1 Company Store

EPCOT Gift Shops

• The Brass Bazaar (Morocco)
• Casablanca Carpets (Morocco)
• Der Teddybar (Germany)
• El Ranchito del Norte (Mexico)
• Marketplace in the Medina (Morocco)
• Mitsukoshi Kiosk (Japan)
• Tangier Traders (Morocco)
• Trading Post (Canada)

Disney Springs Gift Shops

• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique — Reopening in 2022! (Please Note: The Magic Kingdom location reopened in August 2022.)

Resort Gift Shops

• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa — Reopening in 2022! (Please Note: The Magic Kingdom location reopened in August 2022.)

A few gift shops have also closed or at least been low on merchandise due to the global supply shortages. We’ll let you know whenever we see those closures happening in the parks. In addition to these closures, Disney has also paused the perk of resort package delivery. In the past, Disney World hotel guests had the option to send souvenirs purchased in the Disney parks and to their Disney World resort hotel while at Disney World. This convenient perk has not returned yet, but we’ll keep you posted when it returns!

Click Here to See How a Stock Issue Could Impact Your Disney World Shopping

That’s it for our list of everything that’ll be closed in Disney World in 2022. Keep following DFB for more of the latest news and some great planning tips as you plan your upcoming Disney World trip!

Click Here to See the Dates in 2023 that You NEED To Know If You’re a Disney World Fan

Are you visiting Disney World next year? Let us know in the comments.