5. The return of Disney's Polynesian Village Resort

One of Walt Disney World's original resorts is currently undergoing a major renovation that will see it re-emerge under its original name. The Polynesian Resort will revert to the Polynesian Village Resort moniker, with work due to be completed in 2015.

The updates will include the overhaul of the Nanea Volcano feature pool, introducing a new children's water play area, an enlarged deck to accommodate polside seating and a hot tub with views of the Seven Seas Lagoon. Nearby, a new food and beverage outlet dubbed the Pineapple Lanai kiosk will be introduced, serving up the world-famous Dole Whip.

Other updates include the transformation of the famous lobby, as well as the opening of Trader Sam's Grog Grotto. Similar in style to Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel in California, this will feature a highly-themed lounge area and will offer handcrafted tiki cocktails and Polynesian-themed small plates.

Work is progressing quickly, and the Captain Cook’s quick service dining location reopened last week. Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is confirmed as opening in spring 2015.

4. More Disney Vacation Club properties

Disney's timeshare division, which allows guests to buy a real estate interest in a Disney Vacation Club resort, is expanding rapidly. At Walt Disney World, this has meant more DVC properties being added to existing resorts.

We've already seen 147 DVC timeshare units being added to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and work is well underway to add a host of DVC villas to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. Disney will be converting two existing buildings into DVC units and will be adding bungalows over Seven Seas Lagoon.

3. Star Wars Land

Star Wars Land has long been rumored for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but it seems as though Disney is finally ready to move forward with the project.

On a recent earnings report call with investors, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Disney is "developing designs for a far greater Star Wars presence in the parks," and added that, “When we grow Star Wars' presence, which we will do significantly, you will see better bets being made that will pay off for us than were made in the past."  Iger stopped short of saying exactly what form this new expansion would take, but he did say that an announcement would be made in 2015.

Plans for Star Wars Land were first teased at the D23 Expo back in 2013. At the time, it is believed that Disney was planning to include an indoor, more-fully-fleshed-out, audio-animatronic-equipped Jedi Training Academy, a Mos Eisley Cantina-themed restaurant, and possibly a larger, E-Ticket attraction to be added in a second phase.

However, a series of behind-the-scenes delays have since severely hampered progress. The first of these was the need to focus on Shanghai Disneyland ahead of its Q4 2015 debut. The second was a requirement to include elements from the upcoming Episode VII movie – a difficult task, given that director J.J. Abrams has locked down access to the script, even within Disney.

The latest rumor, courtesy of our friend Len Testa of Touring Plans fame (speaking on the excellent Parkscope podcast), suggests that Disney has added a few hundred extra million dollars into the budget for Star Wars Land, in response to Universal’s accomplishments with Diagon Alley. So it seems that we could be seeing something far more ambitious than originally proposed.

2. Even more advanced planning tools 

It's already possible to schedule time slots during which you can experience major attractions without queuing using the FastPass+ system. And we expect that to evolve even further over the next couple of years.

One concept that seems certain to become a reality is the ability to book every single course of a meal in advance. Disney is already trialling this at the Be Our Guest restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, with guests being asked to select their entire meal right down to the beverage and dessert in advance of their visit.

What's the benefit? Well, potentially it will enable Disney to turn over tables much faster, making reservations at popular restaurants at least a little less difficult to come by.

1. Pandora - The World of Avatar

Disney's decision to base a new land at Disney's Animal Kingdon on James Cameron's Avatar has divided opinion among fans, but there's no doubt that the company is going all-in to try and make the collaboration a success. Due to open in 2017, Pandora - The World of Avatar will be more on less on the same scale at Disney California Adventure's sprawling Cars Land, and will be anchored by a very impressive looking "floating mountain" centerpiece that may rival the park's existing Tree of Life icon in terms of scale.

The entire land will replicate the dense, alien forests of the planet Pandora from the film. Paths will be scattered along twisting gigantic roots, exotic flora, and perhaps an appearance or two from local creatures as guests make their way to the mountain in the distance. Recreating the most impressive of the visually-stunning film's scenes, Pandora will come alive at night as every tree, plant, stream, and even path glows with supernatural, alien bioluminescent colors.

We can expect two main attractions in Pandora when it opens - the first will replicate a flight over the massive and mystifying terrain of the planet, no doubt encountering flying creatures and hovering landscapes. The second will be a boat ride through Pandora's forests, complete with a host of audio-animatronic creatures.

Construction work is currently underway, with cranes visible above the treeline and the entire area walled off. The initial work is expected to include the demolition of the former home of the Festival of the Lion King show (since moved to a new home in the park’s Africa land), and other former elements of Camp Minnie-Mickey.