It was announced late last month that Walt Disney World will finally be reopening to guests with a phased system that will see parks gradually reopen from July 11-14. And when they open, the Disney experience will be a LOT different, with all existing dining reservations cancelled, FastPass+ service unavailable, and character interactions, fireworks, and parades unavailable indefinitely. 

And while this all is taking effect immediately, long term Walt Disney World, as well as other parks including Universal Studios Florida, Universal Studios Hollywood, SeaWorld and more are cancelling, downsizing and delaying future projects.   

1. Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life (Disney Springs) 

Park: Disney Springs

Original Opening Date: March 20, 2020

Status: Delayed, Possibly Cancelled 

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.”

This new show was supposed to begin preview performances on March 20th, but the show was suspended and postponed indefinitely. And instead of retaining performers, Cirque du Soleil has laid off 95% of its workforce, and has said that it may pursue bankruptcy filing, according to Forbes, which seems to make the idea of re-hiring workers and putting this show back on, an unfortunately distant possibility. 

And though Disney Springs has now reopened, there has been no news about the potential debut of this show. 

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 is now in flux as theme parks in California have had to put their reopenings on hold due to rising COVID-19 cases in the state.  

3. Fantasyland Expansion

Park: Tokyo Disneyland

Original Opening Date: April 15, 2020

Status: Delayed until park opening 

Earlier this year the Oriental Land Company revealed that the Fantasyland expansion at Tokyo Disneyland expansion which will include new rides like The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast and The Happy Ride with Baymax as well as the Minnie’s Style Studio meet-and-greet would open on April 15th, 2020. However, with Tokyo Disney Resort now closed though at least mid-May, the opening of this land has been officially delayed. Like many other projects on this list construction on this new land was basically complete before Tokyo closed earlier this year, with ride testing happening behind the scenes. And though the Oriental Land Company has not said much other than that they are reevaluating a new opening date for this upcoming land, we'd guess it will likely be ready to premiere either alongside the park's reopening or just a few days after. 

The Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea theme parks will reopen on July 1, but no grand opening for this new area has been announced yet. 

4. 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, whenever that may be. 

Though this cancellation has not officially been confirmed, Disney has updated the Spaceship Earth website to indicate that the ride will be reopening with Epcot in July, even though it was supposed to close for refurbishment last month. 

5. Space 220

Image: Disney

Park: Epcot

Original Opening Date:  Spring 2020

Status: TBA

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 Walt Disney World will not open at all this spring, meaning that this restaurant, which is basically ready to open, will of course miss its opening date. 

However, even when the parks reopen, Space 220 may not be able to operate immediately, as we don't know if staffing is available for this restaurant yet. 

6. 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, which could delay the opening of this coaster for several weeks or months after this park returns to operation. During a recent earnings call, SeaWorld has said that it is likely that this attraction's opening will be delayed until next year, when the park can return to full operation.