The resort’s first theme park, Universal Studios Florida, opened to the public in 1990 and offers an array of attractions based on famous movies. For many years, it offered little more than a day trip for visitors to the larger, more popular Walt Disney World. Universal’s first attempt to transform the resort into a multi-day destination came with the debut of the Islands of Adventure park in 1999, but real success came with the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010.
The new CineSational: A Symphonic Spectacular which debuted at Universal Studios Florida on Friday June 14th and uses music, projection mapping, water effects, fireworks as well as a fleet of drones has certainly wowed guests with online reviews hailing it as the best nighttime spectacular Universal has ever created. Beginning with the classic Jurassic World,…
UPDATE June 11 – It was back in February when we first learnt that Universal would be opening at CityWalk to showcase all that will be on offer at Universal’s Epic Universe when it opens in 2025. Well, the Epic Universe Preview Center is set to open very soon and there has been a lot…
UPDATE June 10 – Although there were rumblings earlier in the year that The Simpsons could be leaving Universal theme parks earlier than was once thought, it now looks like Universal has a different plan. According to a new Universal Orlando update video which has been posted to YouTube by Theme Park Stop, it now…
UPDATE June 10 – There is nothing more a Universal fan likes to hear than the potential return of a classic IP, so recent rumors have certainly generated a lot of excitement. We now know that the new Cinesational lagoon show and the Universal Mega Movie Parade will both include The Ghostbusters with the latter…
UPDATE June 9 – According to the recent Universal Orlando Update posted to YouTube by Theme Park Stop it looks like the latest speculation regarding a time frame for the potential closure of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is mid-2025 at the earliest. Original rumors began back in August 2023 when Universal cut the song…
UPDATE June 8, 2024 – As Dreamworks Land soft opens with its official opening less that a week away on Friday June 14, Universal appears to have also turned its attention to one of its existing iconic attractions, E.T. Adventure. It has been reported that new ride system improvements were done on E.T Adventure during…
Universal has confirmed that an interactive preview center with exhibits, merchandise and more will be opening soon at Universal CityWalk!
THEME PARK TOURIST’S IN-DEPTH COLLECTION LIBRARY: For years, Theme Park Tourist has been building collections of in-depth entries on some of the world’s most well-known rides and attractions. The secret attraction histories Disney and Universal don’t want you to know? They’re here in our full (and ever-expanding) collections of detailed explorations, yours to explore: Lost Legends, Disaster Files, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands.
LOST LEGENDS: Back to the Future – The Ride: When Universal first eyed the opportunity to bring a version of its famed Hollywood studio park to Florida in the mid-1980s, the idea of taking on Disney was simply too daunting… to become a contender in Disney’s own back yard would take an out-of-this-world E-Ticket ahead of (and in this case, also behind) its time. Headed up by Spielberg himself, this closed classic is the reason Universal Orlando exists! This is the full story…
