Though holiday celebrations at Central Florida theme parks like Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, and Walt Disney World are in full swing, some theme parks have had to get creative with how they celebrate the season, like Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is hosting a drive-thru holiday experience!
And though the holidays may look a little different in 2020, theme parks across the country are making plans for 2021 and beyond as the industry continues to grapple with the fallout of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
1. Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life
Park: Disney Springs
Original Opening Date: March 20, 2020
Status: Delayed until February 10, 2021
Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba at Disney Springs closed forever at the end of 2017, but just before it did, Disney confirmed that a new Cirque du Soleil production was being developed for this theater. But this time, this all-new show will have a uniquely Disney flair, and be unlike anything else either Disney or Cirque du Soleil have produced in the past. Based around some of Disney’s most iconic films, this new show will “draw its inspiration from Disney’s heritage of animation,” and will “celebrate Disney’s legacy of storytelling in Cirque du Soleil’s signature way, with a tribute to the one-of a kind craftsmanship that makes Disney so extraordinary.”
As long as there are no snags between now and early next year, this will be one of the first new attractions to open worldwide, as Cirque du Soleil is scheduled to begin performances at Disney Springs on February 10, 2021. Shows are currently scheduled from that day through March 31, 2021.
2. The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!
Park: Universal Studios Hollywood
Original Opening Date: March 27, 2020
Status: Delayed until reopening
One of the first casualties of the theme park closures due to COVID-19 was The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash! at Universal Studios Hollywood, which is a dark ride that takes riders on a journey through New York City to reach a pet adoption event and, using facial recognition technology, actually transforms guests into stray puppies in search of their forever homes. This new attraction will blend live, dimensional and animated characters with hyper-realistic media and projection mapping to achieve this effect, all while guests are seated within ride vehicles that resemble cardboard boxes.
This exciting new ride was scheduled to soft open to annual passholders on March 13 (the day Universal Studios Hollywood closed!), and then was to officially open on March 27, 2020. However, the good news is that this attraction is completely finished, and though it may require some testing when Universal Studios Hollywood reopens, we’d imagine it will be able to welcome its first guests within the first week of this park’s return to operation, which will likely happen sometime in 2021.
3. Super Nintendo World
Park: Universal Studios Japan
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Delayed until 2021
One of the most anticipated new lands to be built anywhere is Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, which features a new “realistic” Mario Kart ride, a Yoshi omnimover dark ride attraction that will be a hybrid indoor/outdoor attraction, and plenty of interactive experiences that make guests feel like they are inside their favorite Nintendo games.
And though this land was originally supposed to open in July 2020, Universal Studios Japan has confirmed that this new land will welcome its first guests next spring.
4. Avengers Campus
Park: Disney California Adventure
Original Opening Date: July 18, 2020
Status: Delayed until after reopening
Though the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus was supposed to open last summer along with the new WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure ride, with work completely halted three months before its grand opening, we’ll likely have to wait much longer before experiencing this new area at Disney California Adventure as Disneyland Resort will not reopen until 2021.
Though the theme parks remain closed, work continues behind the scenes in this new area, and Disney has released a quick video of this exciting new attraction, which you can check out here.
Disney has confirmed that work on this project is nearly complete and they will be opening it as soon as possible once the Disneyland Resort gets the go-ahead to reopen its theme parks, sometime in 2021
5. Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser
Park: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Original Opening Date: TBA 2021
Status: Delayed
Back when the COVID-19 Pandemic first hit, one of the projects that was quickly moved to the top of Disney’s to-do list was the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Originally, reservations for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser were set to open later this year in anticipation of a 2021 opening. However, with current health and safety regulations, its unknown if that is still moving forward, as the interactive nature of this experience will necessitate close contact with Cast Members and other guests, which would violate current health and safety guidelines.
In the meantime though, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared a first look inside a fully furnished room for the upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel at the IAAPA virtual event, which you can check out below:
As you can see, the entire room is in-theme, immersing guests in the Star Wars Universe, with virtual “windows” providing a look out in to space as guests live their own Star Wars adventure. Although this room looks a little cozy for a family of four, reports indicate there will be a variety of different styles and sizes of “stateroom”-style rooms, similar to what you would find on a cruise ship.
No opening date has been officially announced, but as soon as it is feasible to do so, we’d guess Disney will be opening this new hotel.
6. Spaceship Earth reimagining
Park: Epcot
Original Refurbishment Start Date: May 26, 2020
Status: Cancelled
Disney announced earlier this year that Spaceship Earth would close for refurbishment on May 26 2020 to begin its transformation into Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story. And though this ambitious project was set to close this attraction for 18-24 months, insiders have said that this was one of the projects that Disney has cut early on, which means that it looks like Spaceship Earth will stay in its current form indefinitely following the park’s reopening.
Though this cancellation has not officially been confirmed, this attraction never closed for refurbishment, and when The Epcot Experience reopened, the part of the presentation that included the Spaceship Earth refurbishment was removed, seemingly confirming that this project has been shelved.
7. Ample Hills Creamery
Image: Dakota Gardner
Park: Disney Springs
Original Opening Date: Fall 2020
Status: Cancelled
Despite operating a popular location at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort for the last 5 years, it has been announced that the Ample Hills Creamery will not reopen, and the Disney Springs location, which was in the early construction phases before the COVID-19 shutdown will not be moving forward. No reason was given for the abrupt removal of Ample Hills from Disney Property, but we’d guess the company is short on cash following its bankruptcy filing earlier this year and it could not reach an agreement to work with Disney
8. Beatrix
Park: Disney Springs
Original Opening Date: Fall 2020
Status: “On hold”
Beatrix, a new restaurant that was previously under construction at Disney Springs and was set to feature healthy foods including vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options along with fresh-squeezed juice cocktails has halted construction on their new location. As of right now the entire project is “on hold” according to an official statement by the company with “a restart date yet [to be] determined”. It is unknown if this project is simply delayed or will eventually be cancelled.
9. Space 220
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: Delayed
Space 220, an ambitious new dining concept that will be part of the Mission: Space pavilion, was originally slated to open earlier this year, but an issue with broken glass delayed its opening to Spring 2020. And unfortunately when Walt Disney World closed down back in March, this project missed its pushed back opening date. And though Epcot is opening new restaurants every day, Space 220 still has not reopened, and no information has been shared about its status.
10. Ice Breaker
Park: SeaWorld Orlando
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: Delayed until 2021
SeaWorld has been betting big on their new Ice Breaker roller coaster attraction which was supposed to open this spring, and will blast guests through four different launches, both backwards and forwards, culminating in a reverse launch into the steepest beyond vertical drop in Florida — a 93-foot tall spike with 100-degree angle.
And though this new record-breaking roller coaster has been fully built and its trains placed on the track, SeaWorld’s recent financial woes may keep it from testing for awhile. During a recent earnings call, SeaWorld confirmed this attraction’s opening will be delayed until next year, when the park can return to full operation, so we’d guess that this new ride will be open by next summer. While we’re waiting for an official release date, you can check out an official POV of this new attraction here.
11. Iron Gwazi
Park: Busch Gardens Tampa
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: Delayed until Spring 2021
Though Ice Breaker over at SeaWorld Orlando hasn’t been able to test at all, over at Busch Gardens Iron Gwazi was actually testing right up until the park closure last spring. And now it has been confirmed that this attraction will be opening in spring 2021! This gator-inspired attraction will be the world’s fastest and steepest hybrid wooden/steel roller coaster, plunging riders from a 206 foot-tall peak into a 91-degree drop all while reaching top speeds of 76 miles per hour. Riders on Iron Gwazi will experience a dozen airtime moments, including three inversions. And though we can’t ride this attraction just yet, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has released an official POV video for this attraction, which you can check out here.
12. Pantheon
Park: Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Will open in 2021
Pantheon, the new record-breaking roller coaster coming soon to Busch Gardens Williamsburg has officially been delayed until 2021. This new ride was announced several years ago and will reach speeds up to 72.5 mph with a 95-degree drop and heights up to 180 feet with four launches and a “switch track” similar to that used by Universal Orlando Resort’s Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure attraction. No official opening target has been released yet beyond 2021, but considering the seasonal nature of this park it seems safe to assume this ride will be open by summer.
13. Emperor
Park: SeaWorld San Diego
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Will open in 2021
The Emperor roller coaster at SeaWorld San Diego, is another completed ride that was in testing as of March, but has been delayed to 2021. This new attraction reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour, and when it opens it will be the tallest and fastest floorless dive coaster in the state of California!
14. Harmonious
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: Spring 2020
Status: TBA
Late last year it was confirmed for the first time that Harmonious would be making its debut at Epcot sometime in spring 2020, with work progressing quickly around EPCOT’s World Showcase Lagoon on infrastructure for this show. Of course, this nighttime show has been delayed significantly, likely until sometime next year.
Though we still don’t have an opening target for EPCOT’s new Harmonious nighttime spectacular, barges for this show will be out in World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT during the daytime, as fountains to offer a special visual feature for guests. No date was given for when we might see these special fountains in action, but with construction basically complete on these structures and no date yet for the nighttime spectacular’s debut, we’ll hopefully see them in action before the end of the year.
15. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: Summer 2020
Status: Delayed until 2021
Though Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was originally scheduled to open in an expanded France pavilion in Summer 2020 work in the area ground to a halt after March, and has only recently ramped back up again. And though well-placed sources seemed to indicate that this attraction was facing a delay due to the COVID- 19 Pandemic, now it has been made official: this attraction will not open until sometime next year.
Work on the attraction’s exterior has been continuing at a moderate pace over the last few weeks, and while reports seem to indicate that the interior of this attraction is all but finished, many believe that Disney is delaying this attraction to take advantage of what many are hoping to be increased travel next year after the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic have subsided and international restrictions related to the pandemic expire.
16. LEGOLAND New York
Park: LEGOLAND New York
Original Opening Date: July 4, 2020
Status: Delayed until spring 2021
Though we’ve seen delays announced for rides, restaurants, and full lands, LEGOLAND New York resort, which includes a whole theme park and hotel, delayed its grand opening a full year, and will now welcome its first guests in the spring of 2021. When open, this park will have over 50 rides, shows & attractions, including the Lego Factory Adventure, a one-of-a-kind trackless ride that shrinks guests down to the size of a minifigure!
17. Tron Lightcycle Power Run
Image: Disney
Park: Magic Kingdom
Original Opening Date: 2021
Status: Possibly delayed (?)
Though construction on Tron Lightcycle/ Run has been accelerating recently in anticipation of a fall 2021 debut in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, a recent rumor posted on the WDWMagic forums seems to indicate that all of this progress is about to grind to a halt.
Right now it looks like the current plan is for construction to continue through the end of the year, with workers focusing on building the exterior canopies of the attraction and then shut down for the better part of 2021, picking work back up in October 2021. With this latest rumored delay, the opening of this new attraction would be pushed to 2022, which was the original rumored opening date for the post-COVID shutdown strategy before work began ramping up again.
As you might expect, budget cuts are one of the leading culprits behind this latest development, as Disney is looking to cut costs everywhere they can as travel during the COVID-19 Pandemic remains depressed. In addition, physical spacing for workers has reduced the numbers of people on site, which has also led to slowdowns in construction.
18. Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge
Park: N/a
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Cancelled
Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge resort was announced as a deluxe-level property that was to be themed around Walt Disney’s love of the natural world. When completed, this new hotel would include more than 900 rooms as well as Disney Vacation Club villas spread across a variety of unique accommodation types.
However, it looks like this entire project has been scrapped, as construction contracts have not been renewed, and equipment has been removed from the site. As of September 2020, all mention of this project was also deleted from the Walt Disney World website, further cementing this project’s fate.
19. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2021
Status: Delayed until 2022
Like Tron Lightcycle Power Run, Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired attraction is very far along in development, with construction on this first-of-its kind roller coaster entering its final phases in preparation for its originally expected debut next year. However, according to several sources this project has also been delayed until 2022 as well. You can check out a small section of ride-through footage and additional details about this project here.
20. Permanent Festival Center
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Downsized/cancelled
A permanent Festival center was in the planning phases for Epcot, and was intended to host live events while providing a stunning elevated view of the entire park with a beautiful three-level structure featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level. However, Theme Park Insider reports that this project has been put on the back burner or potentially cancelled outright, and Disney has confirmed that it will be taking a “different approach” to this project than what was originally announced. We’re not quite sure yet what that means, but hopefully we’ll have some more information soon. In the meantime, images of the original concept have been removed from a poster series on ShopDisney, and Disney is now referring to a future “Festival area” leading many to believe this project has indeed been cancelled.
21. UK pavilion redesign/Mary Poppins attraction
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: TBD
Status: Downsized/cancelled
Disney announced last year that the UK pavilion in the World Showcase would be getting a Mary Poppins facelift in the near future that would see the fictional neighborhood of Cherry Tree Lane added to the pavilion and a new attraction inspired by Mary Poppins added behind the facade. However, Disney has confirmed that the project is being “reevaluated” and has been removed from The Epcot Experience.
22. Play Pavilion
Image: Disney
Park: Epcot
Original Opening Date: 2021
Status: Delayed
Much like the permanent Festival Center and Mary Poppins attraction, Epcot’s new “Play” pavilion has been in the works for some time, but with construction not actually started (and a heavy emphasis on interactive components and character interactions), this is likely another project that Disney will be reassessing over the coming months. As of right now this is still included as part of the Epcot Experience presentation, but that could change in the near future, so stay tuned for updates on this particular Disney project.
23. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Park: Disneyland
Original Opening Date: 2022
Status: Opening 2023
Though guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have been enjoying Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway since March, it looks like the efforts to bring this attraction to Disneyland park in California hit a major snag when work ground to a halt back in April. However, it looks like as of September 2020, work has picked back up, with the attraction finally going vertical, as you can see in the image above. As expected, the attraction will miss its 2022 original opening target, but Disney has confirmed that they are making this project a priority and are anticipating a 2023 debut for the west coast version of this attraction and are prioritizing this project at Disney California Adventure.
24. Super Nintendo World
Park: Universal Studios Hollywood
Original Opening Date: Unknown
Status: Under construction
Though Universal Studios Hollywood is currently closed due to local regulations in California, it looks like Super Nintendo World construction has finally kicked off at Universal Studios Hollywood, as first-look images of the Nintendo-themed expansion have surfaced on Twitter.
Like its counterpart in Japan, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood will feature rides based on Yoshi’s Adventure and Mario Kart, plus interactive elements, shops and a restaurant. No release date information has been released yet, but with this project finally ramping up on the West Coast, hopefully we’ll learn more soon!
25. Universal’s Epic Universe (The whole park)
Park: Universal’s Epic Universe
Original Opening Date: 2023
Status: Delayed indefinitely/cancelled
Comcast executives confirmed last month that due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all construction on Universal’s Epic Universe has been paused, and the target opening date has been moved. The new Universal Orlando Resort expansion was originally set to open in 2023, and while Comcast CEO Brian Roberts did not say specifically how much delaying construction would impact the project’s overall timeline during the phone call, Orange County mayor Jerry Demings said in a separate meeting that he had spoken to Universal officials and was told that the project has been delayed by a year, making a 2024 theme park opening the new target.
And while 2024 sounds pretty far away now, there’s no telling how things may develop in the future, so that is likely a “best case scenario” target for the resort, as it is possible that the project could be delayed indefinitely or cancelled. During a recent earnings call, a Comcast executive confirmed that this project was still on hold, and Universal would have updates about its future at another time.
