DVC Questions We Will Need Answered in 2022

As we enter 2022, Disney Vacation Club fans are wondering about many unknowns. 

The Walt Disney Company hasn’t acted as transparently with its announcements lately. So, we’re all left guessing about some significant issues.

Here are some DVC questions we will need to be answered in 2022. 

When Will the Disney Dining Plan Return?

During the second half of 2021, Disney stated that the Disney Dining Plan would return. 

Of course, that’s like me saying that an eclipse is coming. Unless I tell you a date and a time, that’s useless information. 

We need to learn the when part, and that’s something Disney hasn’t provided. 

In a perfect world, the dining plan will return early in 2022. After all, Park Hopping came back on January 1st, 2021. 

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

Disney could feasibly do something at Walt Disney World when the calendar rolls over. I suspect that’s ambitious, though. 

Presuming COVID allows, my next trip begins on January 20th. I’m not expecting the dining plan to be an option for that visit. 

I believe Disney will need some runway to implement the dining plan. As such, I’m not even holding my breath about the first quarter of 2022.

Should Disney surprise us with an early announcement, let’s be appreciative of that gift. But, until then, we should just prepare as if the dining plan isn’t an option.

That’s my approach, anyway. 

Membership Points/Borrowing

Here’s the question I get asked the most, at least by DVC members. And I wish I had a better answer.

Near the start of the pandemic, DVC restricted the number of points that members could borrow. 

Disney did this because the closures of Disneyland and Walt Disney World caused an unexpected issue. 

For the first time ever, members couldn’t use their points anywhere. For this reason, everyone started to stockpile points, almost against their will. 

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

That’s a cascading problem for DVC management, and the sustained closure at Disneyland didn’t help matters. 

Owners at The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa couldn’t use their points there for more than a calendar year.

Obviously, they could exchange them at other places, but we still have a massive surplus on the ownership side at that resort. 

So, this is another instance where you should brace for the worst. Then, if Disney surprises you with good news, count your blessings!

Can Disney Fix Annual Passes?

In 2021, Disneyland and Walt Disney World both introduced the latest versions of the annual pass program. 

Frustratingly, the new system came with a dramatic change, though. Owning an annual pass doesn’t guarantee park admission, as crazy as that sounds.

Guests still need to schedule a Park Pass. Annual passholders cannot enter the parks without a Park Pass, even after Park Hopping hours begin.

At Disneyland, this decision has led to outrage from fans. Some have tracked entire months that lacked Park Pass availability. 

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

The angriest folks involved believe that Disney hasn’t lived up to its promises. Some have sued, and this could turn into a class-action case.  

Presumably, Disney recognized its exposure and proactively shut down most annual pass sales at Walt Disney World. Only Floridians can buy them right now.

I fully expect that Disney’s solution won’t involve dropping Park Passes. Instead, the contracts will likely add language explicitly stating that nothing is guaranteed.

Other potential solutions are also possible, but Disney seems committed to Park Passes.  That causes problems for current annual passholders and potential buyers.

Will Customer Service Improve?

I emailed DVC twice in 2021. The first response required eight days and was little more than a form letter reply.

A second response took 17 days. Obviously, I could have called instead. However, the phone system often requires a multi-hour wait.

In short, Disney customer service right now in no way resembles the treatment we’ve experienced in previous years.

The company laid off too many people during the pandemic. But then, the Great Resignation meant that a substantial percentage of those workers wouldn’t return.

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

Now, Disney finds its staff undertrained and overworked. Frankly, my heart bleeds for the people involved. 

That’s why I haven’t complained about some pressing membership matters. The person who tries to help us in no way caused our problems and wants to help. 

So, yelling at these dutiful cast members wouldn’t solve the problem. They’re all doing what they can, but we must wonder. 

Will Disney recommit to providing the highest level of customer support? Is the pandemic slippage in customer service temporary or permanent?

Is Reflections Dead?

We’ve all heard the same rumors. Disney filed permits to tear down the workstations here.

In the interim, DVC announced the conversion of a building at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. 

Was that a short-term move to keep selling a new product before construction begins anew at Reflections: A Disney Lakeside Lodge?

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

Conversely, is Reflections a dead project akin to the Newport Beach project in the early 1990s?

We’d all like some clarity, but I suspect most of us have braced for the worst. 

Will Tron Lightcycle Power Run Debut in 2022?

We’re all planning our 2022 vacations, and some of us have already moved on to 2023. 

After all, the 11-month window for those bookings is only a few weeks away.

Something that would help us plan is the knowledge of when Tomorrowland’s transformation will be complete. 

For that to happen, Magic Kingdom must open its next great roller coaster, Tron Lightcycle Power Run.

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

In a perfect world, this coaster would have opened in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th-anniversary. But, alas, the pandemic killed any chance of that.

Now, we’re left wondering whether the Tron coaster will arrive in 2022. 

I think the odds are 50/50 that it does, but many people believe a delay into 2023 is inevitable. 

Again, this is an example of planning as if you won’t have it. Then, you can feel fortunate if it does debut in 2022!