In 2022, What's Going to be New at Walt Disney World?

Exciting Attractions, Resort Upgrades, and Dining Experiences Await Disney Vacation Club Guests in 2022

Disney Vacation Club members planning their 2022 vacations can look forward to new attractions, resort enhancements, and dining experiences across Walt Disney World. These updates create fresh magic for your visits and often provide practical advantages like improved access and more flexible planning options.

Whether you're considering your first DVC purchase or you're a longtime member planning your next trip, understanding what's new can help you make the most of your points and resort reservations. Here's what opened in 2022 and how DVC members can take advantage of these additions.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

EPCOT welcomed one of its most ambitious attractions with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This indoor coaster features a reverse launch and rotating ride vehicles that keep you facing the action while Star-Lord and his crew guide you through the story. As EPCOT's first major thrill ride, it became an instant centerpiece of the park's ongoing transformation.

For DVC members, the location advantage really shows here. If you're staying at Beach Club Villas or BoardWalk Villas, you can walk to EPCOT's International Gateway entrance in about 10 minutes. This means you can experience Cosmic Rewind without the main entrance crowds, and you'll have early theme park entry as a resort guest.

The 11-month home resort booking window can be particularly valuable for these EPCOT-area resorts during busy seasons. Since everyone wants to try the new attraction, securing your preferred dates early gives you the best shot at the rooms and view categories you want. Beach Club Studios start around 14 points per night during value season, while a standard one-bedroom villa ranges from 22 to 34 points depending on the season.

New Rooms at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

Polynesian Village Resort completed a reimagining of its Deluxe Studios with Moana-inspired décor and updated amenities. The rooms blend the resort's classic Polynesian theming with modern Disney storytelling, creating spaces that feel both familiar and fresh.

What makes this particularly appealing for DVC members is the transportation flexibility. You're on the monorail line to Magic Kingdom, which means no buses or boats needed for your morning rope drop. You can also take the monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center and transfer to the EPCOT line, though many guests find it faster to use other transportation to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.

The Polynesian's location on Seven Seas Lagoon also provides excellent views of Magic Kingdom's fireworks from many rooms and resort areas. Some studio and villa categories include this as a selling point, though you'll pay more points for lagoon views. A standard studio at Polynesian Villas ranges from 16 to 28 points per night, while bungalows over the water start around 65 points per night in value season.

Disney Enchantment Nighttime Spectacular

Magic Kingdom introduced Disney Enchantment as its new nighttime fireworks spectacular, replacing "Happily Ever After." The show features projections that extend down Main Street U.S.A., not just on Cinderella Castle, creating a more immersive experience throughout the hub area.

DVC members staying at Bay Lake Tower or Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort have unique viewing opportunities. Many rooms at these resorts offer direct views of the fireworks, and both resorts have outdoor areas where you can watch without the Main Street crowds. This can be especially valuable during busy seasons when finding a good viewing spot in the park requires arriving 45 minutes early.

Bay Lake Tower rooms with Magic Kingdom views typically require more points, but you're paying for the convenience of watching from your balcony or the resort's outdoor observation deck. A Magic Kingdom view studio at Bay Lake Tower costs about 5 to 8 more points per night than a standard view, depending on the season.

EPCOT's Continued Transformation

Beyond Cosmic Rewind, EPCOT continued its multi-year reimagining in 2022. The park began work on the Play! Pavilion, designed as a digital playground for families with interactive games and experiences. Spaceship Earth also received ongoing updates to its post-show area and storyline elements.

These changes represent Disney's largest investment in EPCOT since the park opened in 1982. For DVC members, this creates a park that offers something genuinely new on repeat visits. The construction can mean some areas are temporarily closed or rerouted, but it also means you're witnessing EPCOT's evolution firsthand.

Staying at EPCOT-area resorts during this transformation period can be particularly rewarding. You can easily pop back to your room during construction-heavy times of day and return when crowds thin out. Beach Club Villas and BoardWalk Villas both offer this flexibility, with beach and boardwalk areas for relaxation between park visits.

Transportation Updates and Improvements

While not entirely new in 2022, the Disney Skyliner continued to prove its value for DVC members staying at Caribbean Beach, Riviera Resort, or Pop Century (though Pop Century isn't a DVC resort, some members book there with leftover points). The gondola system connects these resorts directly to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, eliminating bus transportation for two of the four parks.

The monorail system also received ongoing maintenance and updates throughout 2022, improving reliability for guests staying at Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary resorts. These transportation improvements matter for DVC members because they affect your daily park routine and how much time you spend traveling versus experiencing attractions.

When planning your DVC stays, consider how transportation factors into your daily schedule. If you're planning multiple EPCOT and Hollywood Studios days, Riviera Resort or Caribbean Beach might offer more convenience despite potentially higher point costs. A Deluxe Studio at Riviera ranges from 17 to 32 points per night, depending on season and view category.

Making the Most of Your 2022 DVC Experience

With all these updates, timing your DVC reservations became more important than ever in 2022. New attractions create higher demand, especially during traditional peak seasons. Your 11-month booking window at your home resort provides the best chance to secure reservations during these busy periods.

If you're considering purchasing DVC or adding points to your existing membership, 2022's additions created more reasons to book longer stays. New attractions mean more time needed to experience everything, and having a DVC home base allows you to pace your visits rather than cramming everything into a short trip.

We've helped hundreds of families navigate DVC purchases and point allocations, and the consistent advice is to estimate your realistic vacation patterns for the next 2-3 years, then purchase based on that average. The additions in 2022 might influence how many days you want to spend at each park, which can affect your total point needs.

For current members, 2022's new offerings provided great opportunities to explore different DVC resorts. If you typically stay at your home resort, consider using the seven-month booking window to try Beach Club or BoardWalk for EPCOT access, or Polynesian for the Magic Kingdom connection. Different resorts can enhance different types of Disney experiences.

The dining scene also continued evolving in 2022, with restaurants reopening and new offerings appearing throughout the year. DVC members often find they can be more flexible with dining since they're not trying to pack everything into a few days. You can try new restaurants across multiple trips rather than feeling pressure to experience everything at once.

Planning your 2022 DVC visits meant staying informed about capacity limitations, reservation requirements, and new procedures that came from recent operational changes. Disney's park reservation system, while sometimes frustrating, can actually work to DVC members' advantage since you can often adjust plans more easily with multi-day stays and nearby resort accommodations.