Universal Orlando, officially Universal Orlando Resort, is an entertainment resort complex located in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is composed of three theme parks, one water park, and 11 resort hotels. Spanning 1,291 acres (522 ha), the resort is the flagship of the Universal Destinations & Experiences theme park chain.
Following the success of Universal Studios Florida, which opened in June 1990, MCA Universal – and later Seagram – shifted into transforming the area into a large resort, with the intention of competing with Walt Disney World. The first major expansion occurred in 1999 with the opening of a second theme park, Universal Islands of Adventure, along with a shopping promenade and nightlife district called Universal CityWalk. Both additions helped to form the new resort, which was briefly dubbed Universal Studios Escape. The resort expanded further in 2017 with the addition of Volcano Bay, a 30-acre (12 ha) water theme park, and again in 2025 with a fourth theme park, Universal Epic Universe.
Notable additions over the years include multiple hotels and The Rising Star karaoke bar within CityWalk, as well as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter themed areas, which spans both theme parks and significantly boosted attendance at the entire resort. It also features well-known annual events, such as Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, along with a variety of live entertainment and shows. The majority of the resort's hotels are managed by Loews Hotels & Resorts, including the Hard Rock Hotel, which is jointly operated by Hard Rock International.
Universal Orlando ranks as one of the most visited resorts in the world with an annual attendance of 21 million as of 2017. Guests staying at certain hotels receive special perks such as early admission into The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Universal's Volcano Bay, or in some cases, benefits such as free Universal Express Pass, which gives access to shorter lines at major attractions. The resort also features an organized transportation system, including water taxis, pathways, buses, and moving walkways that connect many of the area's hotels and theme parks. Universal Orlando exceeded three of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks in estimated 2021 attendance.
Contents
History
Background
The original portion of the resort, Universal Studios Florida, opened on June 7, 1990, as a theme park that let visitors "Ride the Movies". The park is composed of themed areas, rides, and attractions based on the film industry. Visitors also get to experience themed dining, shopping, and a variety of special events throughout the year.
The themes of Universal Studios Florida are targeted at making guests feel like they are on movie sets with rides, shows and attractions inspired by popular film, television, and music productions, such as The Simpsons Ride, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem as of 2026.
1993–2000: Development and opening
Universal Entertainment, which was owned by MCA Inc. at the time, formed a 50/50 joint venture with British conglomerate The Rank Organisation, and announced on September 16, 1993, that Universal Studios Florida would undergo a multibillion-dollar expansion to transform it into a full-scale resort initially known as Universal City Florida, designed to compete with Disney Springs and Walt Disney World Resort. A second park would be constructed, heavily themed around Jurassic Park, and director Steven Spielberg signed on as a creative consultant for the new dinosaur-themed park and attractions. 5,000 construction jobs, and 14,000 permanent jobs were estimated to be created.
Five hotels, a nighttime entertainment district for dining and shopping that would initially be called the E-Zone would be added, alongside additional sound stages and recreational facilities would be added. In late 1995, construction began with the demolition of the original open parking lot for Universal Studios Florida. Universal partnered with Loews Hotels & Co., a subsidiary of Loews Corporation, in early May 1996 to develop a 750-room Portofino Bay resort. In 1997, Universal, which was now owned by Seagram Company at the time, publicly announced final plans for the $2.5 billion expansion, which would now be known as the Universal Studios Escape resort. The 30-acre (12 ha) entertainment district would be rebranded from E-Zone to Universal CityWalk, following the success of the concept and complex of the same name near Universal Studios Hollywood. The Jurassic Park-themed attraction was renamed Universal Islands of Adventure. The Preview Center opened in the New York area, replacing The Screen Test Home Video Adventure, giving guests a preview of the upcoming Islands of Adventure park, as well as the resort expansion.
In March 1998, Universal Studios Escape had its grand opening celebration. Universal acquired Wet 'n Wild Orlando in October of that year. In October 1998, the Wet 'n Wild Orlando water park was acquired by Universal Parks & Resorts, adding it to the planned resort.
Hard Rock Cafe relocated from its original Universal Studios Florida location to a larger, multi-level flagship at the new resort on December 11, 1998. By that date, the opening for CityWalk was delayed due to final building plan approvals being stretched into the summer, several unfinished individual venues, and an ongoing lawsuit between Universal and its general contractor, Baker Mellon Stuart Construction. Universal CityWalk had its grand opening celebration on February 4, 1999, with NASCAR Cafe and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Hard Rock International would open a 3,000-seat arena known as Hard Rock Live, or informally, the "Coliseum of Rock", on March 12, 1999, designed by Morris Architects, Inc. to resemble a vintage coliseum featuring Roman arches, columns, and distressed rock-work details.
2001–2019: Hotel expansions
A 650-room Hard Rock Hotel, which was the resort's second on-site hotel and Hard Rock's third hotel in the world, had a soft opening on January 19, 2001, which would be followed by a grand opening at around late February of that year. On June 19, 2002, the 1,000-room Loews Royal Pacific Resort opened as Universal Orlando's third on-site hotel.
On May 31, 2007, Universal, in partnership with Warner Bros. Entertainment, officially announced that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade would be built as the seventh of the Islands of Adventure park. The attraction opened on June 18, 2010. Blackstone Capital sold its interest to NBCUniversal for $3.165 billion in June 2011, giving the latter full ownership of the resort. On December 2 of that year, Universal announced that Jaws: The Ride – along with the entire Amity area of Universal Studios Florida – would close permanently on January 2, 2012, to "make room for an exciting, NEW, experience", which would be the second phase of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Shortly after the success of the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade, rumors began to swirl once again, this time of a second Potter-themed area in Universal Studios Florida. It was announced shortly thereafter that Universal would begin construction of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley, replacing Jaws. Phase I of Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort opened on March 31, 2014, with the hotel planning to feature 1,800 rooms with retro 1950s and 60s aesthetics. Phase II would open on June 16, 2014. Diagon Alley officially opened to the public on July 8, 2014.
Universal Orlando's fifth hotel, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, opened on July 14, 2016, with 1,000 guest rooms and 77 to 83 suites, bringing Universal Orlando's total on-site hotel room count to 5,200 at the time. Wet 'n Wild would close permanently on December 31, 2016, as Universal Studios Water Parks announced that it would be replaced with a new water park called Universal Volcano Bay, which opened on May 25, 2017. It was announced on March 21, 2017, that a portion of the land once occupied by Wet 'n Wild would be transformed into what would become the property's seventh and eighth hotels. In early November of that year the plans were altered to split the property into two hotels that were part of one resort.
On October 20, 2017, the 600-room and suite Universal's Aventura Hotel, which was the resort's sixth hotel, was under construction. Its first images were released that date, and the hotel was projected to open in August 2018. Universal unveiled the specific plans for the two hotels in mid-November 2018, detailing that a 750-room hotel with two suites would be added, known as Universal's Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites. The opening date for the hotel was projected to be the summer of 2019.
2019–present: Universal Epic Universe
As of August 2019, Universal Orlando Resort occupied 541 acres (219 ha). Universal Parks & Resorts announced the closure of the resort effective March 15, 2020, due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, initially until the end of the month. In April 2020, NBCUniversal announced the park's opening would be delayed until 2024 due to the pandemic. In July 2020, NBCUniversal announced that they would be pausing development on the new theme park "until the future becomes more certain". Work on Epic Universe resumed in May 2021.
The second hotel of Universal's Endless Summer Resort opened on December 15, 2020, known as Dockside Inn and Suites. It was originally supposed to open on March 15 of that year, but the pandemic significantly stalled it. The Universal Epic Universe Preview Center opened in June 2024, providing a scale model of the new park, as well as selling merchandise of the four lands that are part of it. Epic Universe opened on May 22, 2025, featuring three hotels: Universal Stella Nova Resort and Universal Terra Luna Resort, with 750 rooms, and the 500-room Universal Helios Grand Hotel. It introduced five immersive worlds to Universal Orlando Resort being, Celestial Park, How To Train Your Dragon: Isle Of Berk, Super Nintendo World, Dark Universe, and the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter: Ministry Of Magic.
Theme parks
Universal Islands of Adventure
Universal Islands of Adventure is composed of eight distinct "islands" that are themed to various forms of literature, adventure genres, cartoons and comics, and mythical fantasies. Visitors start off in the Port of Entry and make their way through the various islands – Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Skull Island, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade, the Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, based on the popular Harry Potter franchise, as well as Skull Island, based on the 2005 King Kong film, are the only islands that were added after the park opened. Hogsmeade opened to the public on June 18, 2010, and Skull Island opened to the public on July 13, 2016.
Universal Volcano Bay
Volcano Bay is a 27-acre (11 ha) water theme park, replacing Wet 'n Wild. Wet 'n Wild was founded in 1977 by SeaWorld founder George Millay as one of the first major water parks.
There were eighteen water slides and attractions at the water park. Popular attractions included the Storm, Bomb Bay, Disco H2O, Mach 5, and the Surge. Wet 'n Wild was located at the intersection of International Drive and Universal Boulevard, about half a mile south of the Universal Orlando parking garage.
Universal Epic Universe
Epic Universe is located a few miles south of the existing resort within a larger 750-acre (300 ha) site. There are five lands including a central hub, Celestial Park, and four other areas themed to How to Train Your Dragon, Wizarding Paris from the Fantastic Beasts franchise, Universal Monsters and Super Nintendo World. Stella Nova and Terra Luna are space themed hotels, while the Helios Grand Hotel is a hotel themed to the god Helios. The complex also includes dining and retail facilities.
Universal CityWalk
The resort's shopping mall and entertainment district, Universal CityWalk Orlando, was designed by HOK Group, the SWA Group, and Universal Creative. Sussman/Prejza & Company designed the signage and storefronts.
History
On February 2, 1999, a dispute between Universal Studios, Inc. and Motown Cafe happened; the restaurant was supposed to open on Sunday, but it was announced on Friday Afternoon that it was delayed for at least several weeks. The restaurant had already been operating at CityWalk since January 17, 1999. Loews Cineplex Entertainment, which was also owned by Seagram at the time, opened the Loews Universal Cineplex 20 movie theater on June 11, 1999, with the showing of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. The Orlando Sentinel described that the theater made CityWalk "almost complete".
On September 13, 1999, NBA City opened at CityWalk, which was developed as a joint venture between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Hard Rock Cafe International. On August 24, 2005, it was announced that Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. – a restaurant chain based on the 1994 film Forrest Gump – would open in a 12,000 sq ft (1,100 m2) space previously occupied by the Decades Cafe Arcade, marking Bubba Gump's third Florida location and 20th overall. In late January 2006, AMC Theatres acquired Loews Theatres, leading to the rebranding of the 20-screen movie theater to AMC Loews Universal Cineplex 20.
By June 28, 2006, The Cordish Companies of Baltimore, Maryland, purchased the mall's NASCAR Café, and announced that the two-story, 20,000 to 25,000 sq ft (1,900 to 2,300 m2) building would be renovated into a contemporary sports bar and restaurant concept for $5 million. The restaurant reopened as the NASCAR Sports Grille on February 14, 2007, featuring appearances by NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, driver Robby Gordon, and rock band Collective Soul. The 530-seat NASCAR Sports Grille had race simulators, a 37-foot media wall, museum-grade racing memorabilia, and an adjacent merchandise store.
Burger King opened the first "Whopper Bar" concept at Universal CityWalk on March 10, 2009. Moe's Southwest Grill and Panda Express also opened that year. In January 2010, Fusion Bistro Sushi & Sake Bar debuted, while a golf course called Hollywood Drive-In Golf opened on March 12, 2012.
An expansion was announced on December 12, 2013, which would add several new restaurants and to Universal CityWalk. This included the Hot Dog Hall of Fame, Red Oven Pizza Bakery, The Bread Box, Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, Pranzo Italian Kitchen, Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food.
Resort hotels
The resort features eight official on-site hotels, totaling up to 11,000 rooms. All 11 hotels are located in close proximity to the Universal Orlando theme parks, and are sorted into three categories: Signature Collection, Prime Value Hotels, and Value Inn and Suites.
Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando was developed as a joint venture between Universal, Loews Hotels & Co., and the Rank Group, featuring a 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m2) pool, and a massive front fountain showcasing 42 bronze guitars in a double helix, and over $1 million worth of music memorabilia. The hotel was designed by Hill Glazier Architects.
A renovation that cost nearly $40 million was completed in early September 2025, with the addition of the restaurant The Kitchen, and Velvet Bar, a lobby bar. The building's exterior and rooms were also updated to a "California sunset" aesthetic, designed by architect KTGY. As of September 2025, the hotel is co-owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Loews Hotels, and Universal Destinations & Experiences. The Holiday Inn & Suites Across from Universal Orlando undergone a multimillion-dollar conversion and full redesign into Courtyard by Marriott Across Universal Orlando.
The Cabana Bay Beach Resort's first phase opened with the Jack LaLanne Physical Fitness Studio, a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) pool, the North Courtyard, a bowling alley known as Galaxy Studio, and Bayliner Diner. Its second phase debuted with The Hideaway Bar & Grill, and the Lazy River Courtyard.
The Loews Sapphire Falls Resort featured a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) pool, a 100 feet (1,200 in) water slide, a children's water play area, and hot tub when it opened, with restaurants StrongWater Tavern, Drhum Club Kantine, New Dutch Trading Co., and the Amatista Cookhouse. Prior to closing at CityWalk, Emeril's Tchoup Chop at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort would close permanently on December 31, 2017.
When the high-tech Aventura Hotel opened, its original restaurants were Starbucks, barVentura, Bar 17 Bistro, Urban Pantry, and Bar Sol.
Events
Universal's Halloween Horror Nights
On select nights in September through early November, Universal Studios Florida is transformed for the annual Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights, or commonly shortened to HHN. It is one of the largest Halloween events in the U.S.
Rock the Universe
Rock the Universe is an annual Christian rock music festival that is located within Universal Studios Florida. It began in 1998 and has been running ever since. The event typically occurs in early September and lasts for two days. In 2019, Rock the Universe took place in early February for the first time ever. Many Christian rock artists play throughout the event both nights.
Grad Bash and Gradventure
Grad Bash and Gradventure are two separate events held in April and May at the parks. Grad Bash is an event for graduating high school senior classes who can gather for an exclusive, all-night party at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. It allows attendees to ride all attractions at both parks. This event also features live performances by some of the most popular artists, dance parties with DJs, and pre-parties at the Universal Music Plaza Stage in the Production Central section of Universal Studios Florida. Gradventure is very similar but is promoted for graduating middle school students. Both events are sponsored by Coca-Cola.
Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy's
Macy's Holiday Parade brings authentic balloons that are based on attractions in the parks in an event that lasts in November and December, highlighting the Christmas celebrations within Universal Studios Florida.
Mardi Gras
From February through April, a parade and concert series inspired by New Orleans' Mardi Gras party, is held within Universal Studios Florida. The event features merchandise especially for the celebration and is held usually on Friday and Saturday nights. Every event night guests will hear some of Louisiana's bands performing blues and zydeco. It is included in park admission.
Attendance
The longstanding rivalry between Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, intensified in 2025 with the opening of the resort's newest theme park Universal Epic Universe. This development marks a significant step in Universal's ongoing efforts to challenge Disney's dominance in the Central Florida tourism market. Analysts from MoffettNathanson estimate that Epic Universe could draw approximately one million visitors away from Disney World between mid-2025 and 2026.
Transportation
The transit system at Universal Orlando Resort consists of water taxis, buses, escalators, elevators, moving walkways, and pathways; all services connect the parking structures, hotels, CityWalk, and theme parks. Additionally, strollers, wheelchairs, and electronic convenience vehicles can be rented for a daily fee.
An organized bus transportation system is provided, shuttling guests between onsite hotels, Universal Partner Hotels, theme parks, Orlando International Airport, and other area attractions. Mears Transportation runs this system.
Universal's Super Star Shuttle
Several hotels and a major airport are located within 20 minutes of Universal Orlando. Universal's Super Star Shuttle service is broken into two main routes. One provides transportation to all thirty Universal Partner hotels while the newest route began service to Orlando International Airport in 2016. Universal's Super Star Shuttle provides free transportation between Universal Orlando, SeaWorld and Aquatica. Airport service is available for a fee to onsite hotel guests booking through Universal Parks and Resorts Vacations. The airport shuttle is run by Mears Transportation. The Seaworld/Aquatica shuttle is run by ESCOT.