It’s hard to believe, but 2022 is already halfway over!

Time sure does fly, right? We’re into the second half of the year and SO MUCH has already happened at Disney World in the past 6 months — a ton of entertainment has returned, character meet and greets are back to normal, the Star Wars hotel finally opened, and we got a brand new ride in EPCOT. But, there’s still a ton of things yet to come, like the return of Mickey’s Not-S0-Scary Halloween Party. However, there is some stuff that you’re going to do for the LAST time in Disney World this year — let’s break it down!

Ride Splash Mountain

As you may have heard, Splash Mountain in Disney World (and Disneyland) will be undergoing a transformation soon. The ride will turn into an attraction themed to The Princess and the Frog and be called Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! The change was announced back in 2020, but we just found out more details about the opening timeline.

We do not know for sure when the ride will close down, but we do know that it will be turned into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure by the end of 2024. We also think it’s pretty safe to say that this won’t be a quick transformation. If history tells us anything, its that Disney takes a while to transform rides or build new ones, and we’ve already heard executives say it will be a long transformation.

So, with the projected opening in late 2024, it wouldn’t be surprising to us if Splash Mountain closed in 2023 to start the project. If you’re going to Disney World in 2022, and not planning on going back until 2024, it could be the last chance you have to ride Splash Mountain in its current form.

Click here to read more about the Splash Mountain transformation

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary

Disney World’s 50th anniversary has been going on since October of 2021, and it will last allllll the way through 2022, finally wrapping up in March of 2023. So, can you technically still celebrate in 2023? Yes, but only for a short amount of time! If you have a trip planned for after March, you will not get the celebrations as they are right now in the parks.

And there’s SO much to do for the 50th, like see special fireworks, decorations, a cavalcades, character costumes, and eat special food. 2022 is the best time to celebrate! Also, some of the special 50th decorations probably won’t be seen in 2023. For example, during the Halloween season, there are special Cinderella pumpkins instead of Mickey pumpkins for the celebration.

If you want to experience the 50th anniversary to the fullest amount, 2022 is the year to do it!

Click here to see our FULL GUIDE to the 50th anniversary!

Visit BoardWalk Bakery

We found out earlier this year that Disney’s BoardWalk would be getting a pretty big transformation, complete with new restaurants. And those new restaurants aren’t being added on to the BoardWalk, they’re replacing current spots. BoardWalk Bakery will be replaced by BoardWalk Deli.

BoardWalk Deli is a Northeastern-style deli that will serve fresh deli sandwiches, freshly baked bread, and a selection of bakery items. And, the new spot is scheduled to open up THIS summer in Disney World! So, if you want to enjoy BoardWalk Bakery and their baked goods before they’re gone, you better hurry and do it soon.

Click here to learn more about this new spot coming to the BoardWalk

Deal with TRON Construction

Oh, TRON. What are we going to do with you? The ride has been under construction FOREVER. Okay, not really, but it has been like, over 4 years since construction began. The ride was supposed to open up in time for Disney World’s 50th anniversary, but was delayed due to the global pandemic.

BUT! We have seen a TON of progress on TRON over the past few months, with the canopy being completed and vehicles actually fully testing on the track. It looks like landscaping is being worked on currently, so that’s gotta be a good sign, right? If we’re lucky, this ride will open by the end of 2022 and we won’t have to keep looking at the construction every time we get on the PeopleMover. But, Disney has yet to set an official opening date.

TRON finally opening also means that the Walt Disney World Railroad could finally reopen! It’s been closed for just as long as the work on TRON has been happening, and even though we’ve seen testing of the train, we have no indication on when it will be back in action. But, 2023 is looking hopeful!

UPDATE: What’s Happening With the Walt Disney World Railroad

Stay in the Pirate Rooms

What are the Pirate Rooms, you ask? Well, they’re the special themed rooms over at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. The beds are shaped like pirate ships and the whole room has a ton of theming that will make you say “ARG!” Well, we found out in June that these rooms will be unavailable in 2023.

Now, this is not to say that the rooms won’t ever return, but when we tried to book one for next year, they were unavailable. And, when we asked a Cast Member, they told us that the rooms will be available through the end of 2022, but not available in 2023. This could mean that they’re getting a makeover to a different theme or just getting some renovations and keeping their theme. We’ll have to wait and find out!

Click here to see 10 Spots in Disney World That Will Be UNRECOGNIZABLE in A Few Years

Enjoy EPCOT Festivals as We Know Them

EPCOT and festivals pretty much go hand in hand at this point. There are only a few short periods during the year where there’s not a festival going on in the park. We check them all out in order to tell you what the BEST foods are at the food booths and what kind of entertainment to expect. But, EPCOT festivals could be changing next year.

Disney has announced plans for a new festival space — CommuniCore Plaza and CommuniCore Hall, both located in World Celebration. CommuniCore Hall will be the first fully-purpose built structure in festival programming! It will be a space used to host a wide variety of experiences with food, art, live music, and more.

CommuniCore Plaza will be an outdoor space where guests can come to relax and experience all that the Festivals have to offer, including hosting large-scale concerts or an intimate performance. So, if these spaces open up some time in 2023, we could see EPCOT’s festivals change drastically! More offerings could come back or things could move around. But, there is also a chance that the construction will not be finished by next year.

Click here to learn about the changes coming to EPCOT!

Use a MagicBand

MagicBands have become an essential for a lot of people on Disney World vacations. They can act as your room key, park ticket, and credit card. But, 2022 might be the last year you use the current bands!

Disney is introducing MagicBand+ sometime this summer and they’re basically completely upgraded versions of the ones we have now. They light up and sync to entertainment in the parks, and can even interact with those 50th anniversary statues! They will also let you complete new missions in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

But, the traditional MagicBands we have now will probably still be sold in 2023, or at least, the ones you can buy now will still work next year. But, 2022 could be the last time you use the current version of the MagicBand, since the new ones are pretty snazzy!

The ONLY MagicBand+ Guide You NEED to Read for Disney World

Only Have One Food Option in Toy Story Land

Right now, there is one place to eat in Toy Story Land — Woody’s Lunch Box. It’s a quick service spot with some decent food, but we would LOVE for there to be somewhere with air conditioning that you could hang out at in the land. Luckily, an option will be coming soon! Roundup Rodeo BBQ will be opening sometime in 2022 and be an indoor table service restaurant.

That’s right, there will be air conditioning in Toy Story Land!! Sure, there’s air conditioning in Toy Story Mania, but you can’t really hang out in there unless you’re in line for the ride. So, a spot where we can eat, drink, and relax in the air conditioning in the land will be awesome. And, you’ll have another food option available!

There’s also a lot to look forward to at Disney World in 2023! Fantasmic! will be back at Hollywood Studios, as it should be returning sometime in 2022. There will also be a brand new terminal at the Orlando International Airport for you to fly in and out of for your Disney World vacation.

But, if you want to make sure you enjoy everything Disney World has to offer at the moment, you gotta get there in 2022! Luckily, we have some great resources for you, like 5 Ways to Save $1,000 on Your Disney Trip (Really!), The Hardest Dates to Get a Disney World Park Pass Reservation in 2022, and What You Need to Know About Renting a Car in Orlando in 2022.

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates!

How Much It Costs a Family of 4 to Do Disney World in 2022

What are you looking forward to on your next Disney World trip? Tell us in the comments!