What's New in Orlando and the Parks
Prior to 1971, Orlando was a quiet town whose main industry was citrus. There was a new interstate highway and a nature park where you could see alligators, but that was about it. But then came Walt Disney World. The boom in tourism meant the city needed a more modern airport and new hotels. That, of course, meant Orlando would need more workers, which meant more housing and successively more theme parks, malls, as well as arts, culture, and industry to keep things going. Change is a constant in Orlando, and the city you see in the 2020s will transform gradually and constantly every year as the pace of growth increases. By 2021, a modern new terminal at Florida’s busiest airport, Orlando International, will make its premiere to increase its capacity by 10 million more travelers each year.
And there are always new shows, events, and attractions at the theme parks as creative teams at Disney and Universal try to out-tech and out-dazzle each other—as evidenced in their open rivalry. When Universal was creating its Wizarding Worlds, Disney responded with the world of Pandora. As Universal continues to enhance all things Potter with new attractions like Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Disney counters by applying its distinctive creativity to Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney film–theme experiences.
Unexpected Closures
The Covid-19 pandemic put the Magic Kingdom and all the other theme parks, attractions, restaurants, and many hotels in Orlando under lockdown during the spring of 2020. It was the biggest blow to tourism in Orlando since 9/11, and the ultimate effects are still being felt.
Walt Disney World
Just as Universal holds a monopoly on the highly creative (and lucrative) Harry Potter lands, Disney now has the wildly popular Pandora–The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom as well an ever-increasing number of attractions devoted to Marvel and Star Wars, in addition to its already impressive heritage of classic Disney characters.
In 2019 it premiered Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where the signature attractions are Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Also at the center of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad opened in Spring 2020 to become the first-ever Disney attraction to star Mickey and his best girl. Each evening at the Studios, the Wonderful World of Animation is a tribute to nearly 100 years of Disney and Pixar animation from Sleeping Beauty to the Incredibles. In early 2020, Cirque du Soleil (whose level of creativity and innovation rivals Disney's) launched the new show, Drawn to Life, at its iconic theater at the Disney Springs entertainment complex.
For its anniversary in 2021, Disney will complete a major EPCOT reconstruction project that has involved transforming half of the park once known as Future World into three distinct new neighborhoods: World Discovery, World Nature, and World Celebration, whose focal point, Spaceship Earth, is being given a new guide and all-new narration that focuses on bringing people together through storytelling. At Mission: SPACE, the Space 220 restaurant offers a culinary experience that’s out of this world—literally, as it appears as if you’re dining 220 miles above the Earth. A Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along show was added to the France pavilion along with the new attraction Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and new restaurant, La Crêperie de Paris. The Canada pavilion premiered a new Circle-Vision-360 film, while down the street in the United Kingdom a Mary Poppins Attraction is being developed on Cherry Tree Lane. Halfway around the World Showcase, Wondrous China is a visually stunning 70-mm film that carries you on a breathtaking journey across the country.
Outside the theme parks, another high-flying attraction is the Disney Skyliner, a scenic gondola ride that opened in 2019 to connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at EPCOT to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and the new Disney’s Riviera Resort.
And, in a bit of retro-futuristic nostalgia, guests in the Magic Kingdom will soon be able to board a line of two-wheeled Lightcycles and speed off into the high-tech universe at the TRON Lightcycle Run, a ride first developed at Shanghai Disneyland. What’s next? Who knows? Disney never stops dreaming.
Universal Orlando
Working to keep pace with Disney (just as Disney works to keep pace with it), Universal Orlando completed several large-scale projects and announced several others, which will be taking shape into the early 2020s, most notably the addition of a fourth theme park—Epic Universe—which is set to open in 2023 with new attractions, shops, entertainment, and restaurants.
In Islands of Adventure, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure became the latest epic attraction to enhance The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with a trip beyond the grounds of Hogwarts castle and into the Forbidden Forest. Next door at Universal Studios, the Bourne Stuntacular is a live-action stunt show based on the blockbuster Bourne film franchise. In addition, a Velocicoaster is under construction in Jurassic Park. With new parks and attractions comes a need for more accommodations, which Universal accomplished by razing the landmark Wet n’ Wild water park and replacing it with Endless Summer, whose two distinct resort hotels—Surfside and Dockside—combine to offer 2,800 rooms for relatively reasonable rates.
Beyond the Theme Parks
Not all the local developments are happening at the city's two largest theme parks. Music legend Jimmy Buffett turned his songs about Key West into an empire, and at his highly themed, 175-room Margaritaville Orlando Resort, the new, 14-acre Island H2O Live! Water park features waterslides, a lazy river, and live entertainment. On International Drive, you won’t miss the Orlando StarFlyer, which, incredibly, towers over the nearby 400-foot-tall Wheel at ICON Park. At 450-feet, the world’s tallest swing ride carries you to the top of the tower whereyou’re spun out into space at speeds up to 60 miles per hour—a thrill that competes with its ICON Park neighbor, the Orlando Slingshot that’ll propel you 450 feet straight up. These compete with a third attraction here, the 400-foot Orlando Gyro Drop Tower, which is billed as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower, allowing you to experience free fall at speeds up to 75 mph.
