Get the scoop on brand-new reasons to visit Orlando in 2022, including fresh adventures, dining options, places to stay and much more. Have you heard the news? Orlando is set to welcome an amazing array of wondrous experiences in 2022, including a brand-new theme park, fresh dining options, and a hotly anticipated theme park hotel property that will transport you to a galaxy far, far away — among other wonders you won’t want to miss. Check out our guide to the newest reasons to visit Orlando and make plans now to experience it all for yourself! New Experiences Beyond Orlando’s Theme Parks. Even more fresh experiences are coming to Orlando in 2022, including can’t-miss attractions and incredible new ways to celebrate the arts!
Orlando Slingshot™ & Orlando Free Fall™
These sister attractions set world records when they debuted at ICON Park® on International Drive in December 2021. First, the dual-tower Orlando Slingshot will launch you and another rider out of an “exploding volcano” straight up into the sky, where you’ll reach speeds of 100 mph. It also stands at 300 feet, making it the world’s tallest slingshot attraction. Similarly, the Orlando Free Fall is the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower at 430 feet.
Cirque du Soleil — Drawn to Life
New at Disney Springs® at Walt Disney World® Resort, Cirque du Soleil — Drawn to Life presents a combination of Disney animation and awe-inspiring performances, including 10 unique acrobatic acts. What’s more, it’s the first-ever collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Disney!
Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex
Coming to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in March 2022, this 50,000-square-foot, multi-level attraction will feature a showcase of NASA and commercial spacecraft hardware with immersive displays, as well as a “journey” through space, unique launch viewing opportunities and more. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is on Florida’s east coast, about an hour from our main tourism districts.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
The Force will be with you when Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opens at Walt Disney World® Resort on March 1, 2022! After booking your stay, you’ll “board” the starship Halcyon for an all-inclusive experience that will make you a part of the immersive Star Wars galaxy. Choose your path, learn to wield a lightsaber, and travel to Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu, where your journey will continue at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®.
New Restaurants at ICON Park®
In the second half of 2021, ICON Park welcomed Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, marking the celebrity chef’s first restaurant venture in Orlando … and hopefully not the last! The legendary Key West saloon Sloppy Joe’s debuted in December 2021, offering live music and island-inspired food and libations.
New York Beer Project
Built to resemble a 1900s-era indoor beer garden in New York’s Lower East Side, will open March 2022 in Winter Garden just a short drive from Walt Disney World. The venue will feature a gastropub, indoor beer garden, tap room, brewery, sidewalk bistro, and three New York City-themed event spaces.
WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort
The World’s Most Magical Celebration at Walt Disney World Resort continues in full swing all through 2022 and into early 2023. Come be immersed in shimmering EARidescence and experience special touches, from embellishments on Cinderella Castle to decor throughout the theme parks and beyond. The 50th Anniversary celebration features new experiences at all four theme parks and beyond, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction at EPCOT® and new nighttime spectaculars courtesy of Disney Enchantment at Magic Kingdom® Park and Harmonious at EPCOT. And, there’s more on the way including the newly enhanced “Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire” stage show and the return of the “Festival of Fantasy” parade!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Opening this summer, the first “other-world” pavilion at EPCOT will include a thrilling new family-friendly coaster that matches the grandiosity and fun of the blockbuster films in what will be one of the longest fully enclosed coasters in the world.
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
Coming in 2022, this exciting stage show will invite you to discover the familiar tale of Nemo and friends from a whole new point of view at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park.
SeaWorld® Orlando
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has new experiences coming to SeaWorld Orlando and Aquatica® Orlando in 2022!
Ice Breaker
Set for a February 18, 2022, debut, SeaWorld Orlando’s first launch coaster will feature four airtime-filled launches, both backwards and forwards, culminating in a reverse launch into the steepest beyond-vertical drop in Florida — a 93-foot-tall spike with a 100-degree angle!
Reef Plunge
Just in time for Spring Break 2022, this new water slide at Aquatica Orlando will give you the chance to zoom past a vibrant array of marine life that includes Commerson’s dolphins, leopard sharks and a variety of other aquatic wonders.
Universal Orlando Resort
In summer 2021, Universal Orlando Resort added a brand-new ride that thrill-seekers and dinosaur fans alike will not want to miss!
Jurassic World VelociCoaster
Based on the blockbuster movie franchise, this new species of coaster has arrived at Universal’s Islands of Adventure! Spanning more than 4,700 feet of track, it is now Florida’s fastest and tallest launch coaster, featuring a story that expands what you’ve seen on the big screen. It also boasts a series of intense maneuvers that will catapult you up to 70 mph and 155 feet in the air with the swiftest of prehistoric predators, including two pulse-pounding launches and a 360-degree barrel roll, a zero-gravity inverted stall, and going airborne during the towering “Top Hat,” propelling you 155 feet in the air before an 80-degree drop. Brave the hunt!
But Wait … There’s More!
It’s not just Orlando’s theme parks, attractions, restaurants and accommodations that get better with each passing year. We also work hard behind the scenes to be one of the nation’s most forward-thinking destinations — and one of the easiest to visit.
South Terminal Complex at Orlando International Airport
Marking the largest construction project in the facility’s history, work is well underway on the South Terminal Complex at Orlando International Airport (MCO) with phase one of the $3.82 billion, multi-year project expected to be substantially completed in the first quarter of 2022. In addition to new shops, restaurants and lounge facilities, the project will add 15 gates and high-tech features such as interactive digital media, a state-of-the-art radio frequency baggage system, and the Intermodal Terminal Facility (ITF), which is designed to accommodate up to three train systems including the forthcoming Brightline high-speed rail with service to Miami.
Learn more: Flights to Orlando
4Roots Farm Campus
Founder of 4 Rivers Restaurant Group, John Rivers, will open the first phase of the 4Roots Farm Campus in late 2022. When complete, the 18-acre urban farm, located in The Packing District west of Orlando’s College Park neighborhood, will include classrooms, a community green space, a farm-to-table restaurant, and more than 49,000 square feet of greenhouses and a diverse range of growing systems focused on innovation, sustainability and education.
Read the Full Article HERE.