Over the past couple of years, Universal Orlando Resort has been growing pretty significantly with a diverse range of new additions. Attraction-wise, they added Skull Island: Reign of Kong, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, and this year’s Fast & Furious – Supercharged, not to mention an entire third theme park with the spectacular Volcano Bay. But there have been other changes at Universal Orlando as well. The Virtual Line system allows parkgoers to bypass standing in long lines for hours and instead come to the attraction at an allotted time, and the Cabana Bay Beach Resort continues to be one of the best themed hotels in all of Orlando.

But that’s the past. There’s even more on the horizon, and when I recently went down to Orlando to attend the premiere of Fast & Furious – Supercharged along with some other journalists, we got a tease of what’s ahead for Universal Orlando Resort. And let me tell you, it is exciting. Here’s what’s coming up in the next year or so.

A New Harry Potter Roller Coaster – 2019

 

Universal Orlando has been very tight-lipped about their 2019 attraction, but guests couldn’t ignore the construction going on at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade area in the Islands of Adventure theme park. The Dragon Challenge roller coaster—which actually preceded the construction of Hogsmeade and was repurposed when the area was transformed into Harry Potter world—was torn down last year, and teams have been hard at work building… something.

At the Fast & Furious – Supercharged event, it was revealed that coming in 2019 to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade will be “the most highly themed roller coaster in the world.” That’s literally all the information we got, but it’s mighty enticing. Hogsmeade was a terrific addition to Universal Orlando Resort, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley in the neighboring Universal Studios park improved on everything that made Hogsmeade so great. Together, they are reason enough to visit Universal Orlando and a must-see destination for Potter fans. So the prospect of a brand new Harry Potter ride in and of itself is extremely exciting.

Unconfirmed rumors have swirled that this new roller coaster will be themed around the Forbidden Forest, which does not yet exist at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction. That would certainly make sense, and would expand the footprint of Hogsmeade to be more in line with the vast and intricate Diagon Alley area, but again nothing’s confirmed just yet.

We’ll hopefully hear more details in the coming months, especially as construction begins growing higher and higher and park guests can see what’s going on behind those walls. But for now rest assured that the Wizarding World

Aventura Hotel – August 2018

universal-aventura-hotel
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

Opening in August 2018 is Universal Orlando’s sixth hotel, the Aventura Hotel. Located right next door to Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Aventura is a prime value hotel with a price range right in line with the extremely affordable Cabana Bay Beach Resort. But in contrast to Cabana Bay’s 1960s throwback vibe, the Aventura Hotel is ultra modern and stylish, with floor-to-ceiling windows and tablets in each room that control the TV, temperature, and even allow guests to order pizza directly to their door.

universal-aventura-room
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

The Aventura Hotel will feature 600 rooms and 13 kids’ suites, as well as Universal Orlando’s first-ever rooftop bar with a view of the entire Universal Orlando Resort. The rooftop bar will house the Bar 17 Bistro, which will feature cocktails and small plates inspired by global cuisine. And for a more family friendly option, the Aventura Hotel will feature a food hall in the vein of Cabana Bay’s Bayliner Diner, in which guests can experience a wide range of fresh cuisines in one location. As if that wasn’t enough, the Aventura Hotel will also house a virtual reality gaming room.

While Universal Orlando’s resorts like Sapphire Falls and Portofino Bay offer relaxing places to stay during your vacation, Cabana Bay very much seems like the future, and it’s incredibly smart for Universal Orlando to be offering another similarly themed and reasonably priced hotel like Aventura. Families can feel comfortable in a more affordable, family friendly space that features the same park amenities as the other hotels—including early park admission and shuttles that take guests directly to the parks—without breaking the bank.

But Aventura is only the beginning, as Universal Orlando aims to change the game with two additional hotels opening in 2019…

Unviersal’s Endless Summer Resort

universal-endless-summer-resort
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

Universal’s Endless Summer Resort marks Universal Orlando’s first high-value hotel options, with rooms starting at lower than $100 a night—the cheapest hotel rooms in the entire resort. The Endless Summer Resort will be made up of two hotels in the same complex. The Surfside Inn & Suites opens in Summer 2019, followed by the Dockside Inn & Suites in 2020. Once the entire Endless Summer Resort is open, it will add a combined 2,800 rooms to Universal Orlando Resort, bringing the total number of on-site rooms available to 9,000.

universal-endless-summer-surfside-inn
Image via Universal Orlando Resort

While lower in price than Universal’s other hotels, Endless Summer doesn’t skimp on quality. It’ll feature a combined three pools, two food courts, coffee bars, poolside bars, fitness rooms, car rental facilities and more. With a laid-back coastal feel, Endless Summer Resort will highlight a free-spirited and beachy tone, allowing guests to sit back and relax without bursting their wallets. Guests will also enjoy early park admission and complimentary transportation to and from the parks.

This is kind of a game-changer. Universal Orlando Resort has grown exponentially more popular since adding The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and the addition of a value resort makes the experience more affordable than ever. Given how terrific Universal Orlando’s other hotels are—including the prime value hotel Cabana Bay Beach Resort (my personal favorite)—it stands to reason Endless Summer won’t be some cheap-o knock-off that pales in comparison to Universal Orlando’s other hotels.

And that’s just within the next year. Universal Orlando has already announced they’re teaming up with Nintendo for a highly themed area within the next couple of years, and then there’s that conspicuous patch of land that Universal recently bought which seems to suggest they’ll be opening a fourth theme park sooner rather than later. Luckily they’ll have plenty of hotel rooms available when and if that time comes.

But even now there's a bounty of new additions that are already open to park guests at large. The delicious Voodoo Doughnut just opened at the nearby Universal City Walk, and fresh off the success of "The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle" at Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade, a new nighttime light show is now running called "The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle"—and it is a must-see for Harry Potter fans.

So sit tight and stay tuned, folks. It appears Universal Orlando Resort is only just getting started.

universal-orlando-nighttime-lights-at-hogwarts
Image via Universal Orlando Resort