What Didn't Open in 2021
Despite being planned for 2021, the following attractions missed their expected opening and will instead open in 2022... or later...
1. STAR WARS: Galactic Starcruiser
Scheduled for: March 2022
While not a ride or attraction per se, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is nonetheless the talk of the town when it comes to theme parks. Envisioned as the next generation of "immersive" attractions, the Galactic Starcruiser thrusts guests into the heart of the Star Wars universe for a two-night "cruise" that's nearly entirely contained aboard the luxury space cruiseliner, the Halcyon.
Initially planned to open in 2021, the Starcruiser's ride has already been a wild one. Momentarily, the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive cuts Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products took to its bottom line seemed like a potential death knell for the ambitious and untested Starcruiser concept. Given that the pandemic would likely lead to a multi-year or even decade-long downturn in tourism, would Disney really find enough guests to keep its 100-room Halcyon full for decades? But with Star Wars as a leading brand (and with millions of die-hard fans to boot), construction continued.
At least on paper, the Starcruiser experience will let guests truly live a Star Wars adventure by exploring the ship's decks, interacting with crew members and Droids, training with Lightsabers, dining on "in-universe" eats, and making a port excursion to the planet Batuu (that is, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge) to be caught up in a Resistance operation. It's a totally-immersive, all-inclusive experience that's so insulated, guests who need to step out for a smoke will find the only outdoor access is explained in-story as a "hologram chamber" set to recreate the appearance and weather of Florida.
Of course, when Disney released prices for the 2-night, all-inclusive experience (starting at $5,000 for a pair in the off-season), the Internet was alight with criticism. That's been made a whole lot worse by "sneak peeks" inside the experience, which have largely been derided by the very Star Wars loyalists Disney expected to drop thousands of dollars for the two-day trip. At least from what Disney's shown, "manning the ship's controls" looks to be a video game interface designed for elementary schoolers, "lightsaber training" uses "toy" lightsabers and laser pointers, and – worse – Disney appeared to miss the Star Wars aesthetic and architecture promised in concept art entirely...
At least one Disney-produced video touring the ship and its "lounge" had such stinging reception, Disney literally scrubbed it from the Internet and weilds DMCA take-down notices against anyone who dares re-upload it in full or in part. Basically, public perception has turned sharply against Disney's ludicrously expensive Star Wars hotel, and there's a sense that fans increasingly await the schadenfreude of seeing Bob Chapek's costly pet project and 1-percenter bait fail...
Since this feature serves as a "time capsule" of where things stand at the end of 2021, it'll be interesting to see what becomes of the Galactic Starcruiser. Will the first guests who board in just a few months return with glowing reviews that see the ultra-deluxe, boutique experience sell out for every "sailing" on the calendar? Or will Disney's bold next step into immersive theater and entertainment design become its own episode of Defunctland by the decade's end, with the operation converted to a standard Deluxe Resort Hotel with nightly cash room rates? We'll see...
2. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Location: EPCOT
Scheduled for: Summer 2022
It's likely that somewhere out there in the multiverse, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened on October 1, 2021 as an anchor of Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, that's not our reality. Though the Lost Legend: Universe of Energy vacated its pavilion in August 2017, its Marvel-themed replacement has been very slow to move in. Rumors suggested that pandemic-related slowdowns at Marvel Studios made it difficult for Guardians director James Gunn to film the ride's show scenes, while physical construction slowed to a crawl at EPCOT.
As for the ride themed to the ragtag superhero team featured in the eponymous 2014 movie, Disney has provided brief glimpses inside the showbuilding, and Marvel has provided some (seriously pandering) fan service backstory as to why a superhero ride fits in EPCOT. We also know that "Cosmic Rewind" will be an entirely-indoor "story coaster" that includes a backwards launch and several show scenes. (The popular theory is that guests will be propelled backwards in time to witness the creation of the universe... and maybe, the six Infinity Stones born from it.)
The good news is, Disney has officially narrowed the ride's opening to "Summer 2022," which at least means it'll open during the 18-month 50th Anniversary, and just slightly under the five-year construction-to-debut mark (which, unfortunately, can feel like a rarity with Disney)! The bad news is, that means that "Cosmic Rewind" is being given priority over another much-delayed ride on this list, all-but-assuring that that ride will miss 2022 altogether... But we'll get to that momentarily...
3. Super Nintendo World (Hollywood)
Location: Universal Studios Hollywood
Scheduled for: TBD (likely, late 2022)
If things had gone according to plan, Super Nintendo World would've made its worldwide debut at Universal Studios Japan in 2020, at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2021, then at Universal Orlando Resort as part of the new Epic Universe theme park in 2023. The pandemic seems to have basically shifted each back a year. As of the end of 2021, construction is continuing on Universal Studios Hollywood's version of the land, which will be located in the park's "Lower Lot" near Transformers: The Ride and the Modern Marvel: Jurassic World: The Ride.
Hollywood's version of the land will omit the Yoshi's Adventure attraction entirely (consider Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash the park's replacement), essentially making the land a very elaborate supporting environment for Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge, with all the now-requisite food and souvenirs that the Wizarding World model requires.
Weirdly (and in keeping with that "worst kept secret" model), Universal Studios Hollywood never really announced the specifics of the land. Construction made it obvious, Studio Tour guides talked about it like it was something that everyone knew, then construction walls gained Super Nintendo World logos. And... that's kind of it. Closing out 2021, there's no page for it on the park's website; no official opening date; just the unspoken certainty that it'll be ready sooner rather than later.
4. TRON Lightcycle / Run
Location: Magic Kingdom
Scheduled for: TBD
TRON Lightcycle / Run has become a bit of a running joke in theme park circles. That's because construction officially began in February 2018 and at least standing at the start of 2022, there appears to be no end in sight. Sure, like many projects, TRON Lightcycle Run had its construction paused by the 2020 closure of the parks... and like many Disney projects, even once the parks re-opened, construction didn't resume right away or at full speed. Instead, work continued on the ride throughout 2020... then throughout 2021...
TRON's expected October 1, 2021 opening date (which would've seen it as the anchor of Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary celebration) came and went. Frankly, at the moment, it would be risky to bet that the new TRON ride will open anytime in 2022, either.
After all, there's no need to rush the opening of TRON if Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be the big draw of 2022's summer, fall, and winter seasons. It seems highly likely that TRON will end up as the "big, new ride" of spring and summer 2023, hitting the ultra-frustrating landmark of being under construction for five years.
Obviously adding to the frustration is that Magic Kingdom's laboriously-late TRON ride is an exact duplicate of the Modern Marvel: TRON Lightcycle Power Run at Shanghai Disneyland, where the entire park including TRON was built in just four years!
Add new comment