Tagged: orlando

The First Orlando Theme Parks Have Gone Cashless

The cashless revolution has reached Orlando. Five popular theme parks in Central Florida stopped accepting cash this week. Although the banishment of paper currency and coins has been…

Minion Land Now Making Mischief at Universal Orlando Resort: Check Out the Videos

Minions, the animated yellow capsule creatures (think sentient Percocet pills, but adorable) from the Despicable Me cinematic universe, now have their own theme park area at Universal…

Disney World Attendance Is Way Down, but Don't Blame Politics

On the Fourth of July at Walt Disney World in Central Florida—a day when crowds are usually shoulder to shoulder—the pathways were shockingly clear. Wait times for most rides were 30…

The World's Busiest Cruise Port Has Been Dethroned

What cruise port would you say is the busiest in the world? Last Friday, a new winner claimed the heavyweight belt based on 2022 passenger data. It's not New York City. It's not…

4 Signs That Disney Parks Are in a Lot More Trouble Than People Think

In November, the proverbial wishing star really came through for Disney fans. The company's boardroom power struggles culminated in the abrupt firing of former CEO Bob Chapek. Many…

Does Universal Orlando's Private VIP Experience Tour Deliver What It Promises?

How much would you pay to have a theme park all to yourself? Pretty much no one has the kind of cash it takes to buy out a theme park—no one you'd probably want to hang out with for…

2022's Most Exciting New Roller Coasters

This is a thrilling year for thrill rides. Roller coasters that were supposed to open in 2020 and 2021 but didn't due to the pandemic are finally ready to begin inducing screams and…

PHOTOS: Peppa Pig's New Florida Theme Park Might Be the Most Adorable Ever

February 23, 2022 Orlando just got a new competitor for the family theme park dollar, and she's one sassy pig. The new Peppa Pig Theme Park opens this week in Winter Haven, Florida,…

How to Get to Walt Disney World from the Airport Now That Magical Express Is Gone

As Frommer's has diligently reported over the past few years, Disney has been doggedly slashing customer benefits in an effort to squeeze more profit out of its parks. One of the…

WATCH: Orlando Opens Two Insanely Tall, Record-Breaking Thrill Rides

Update: In March 2021, a 14-year-old boy fell from the FreeFall and died. Investigators later accused the ride operator of manually altering the restraint system to accommodate larger…

Fully Revised for 2022, Our Guide to Disney World, Universal, and Orlando Is Now on Shelves

In July 2020, months before Covid-19 vaccination was available, grateful crowds tearfully swarmed back into the theme parks of Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Nothing, it…

Can a Computer-Literate Great-Grandmother Figure Out Disney World's Genie+?

Disney's parks did not emerge from the pandemic unscathed. They're in a period of drastic change. As thousands of the brand's biggest fans return to theme parks after several years…

Look Inside Walt Disney World's Swan Reserve Hotel

In early 1990, when Florida's Walt Disney World cut the ribbons on the 1,509-room Dolphin and the 756-room Swan hotels, the resort made architecture history. The two towering…

Make The Delicious Drinks, Cocktails, and Mocktails from Disney’s U.S. Parks

LeFou’s Brew at Magic Kingdom, Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshakes at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Frozen Sunshine from Beaches & Cream at Disney's Beach Club—Disney certainly knows…

Walt Disney World's First 50 Years—Through the Lens of Orlando's Newspaper

Nowadays, Florida's Walt Disney World—the most popular theme park destination on the planet—cultivates its global image through heavyweight marketing, synergistic sister brands, and a…

Walt Disney World’s 50th Birthday Is an Anticlimax—So When Should You Go?

In 2021, Walt Disney World in Florida turns a half-century old. On October 1, 1971, Walt Disney's brother and business partner, Roy, dedicated the East Coast version of California's…

Disney Officially Kills FastPass, Will Charge Extra to Use the New "Lightning Lane"

FastPass is dead. Long live FastPass! For a generation, Disney's iconic FastPass was a famous signifier of the company's premium product and its generosity with its customers. For no…

The Prices for Disney's New Star Wars Hotel Are Out of This World

Disney’s groundbreaking Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel sounds like the coolest idea in hotels since pillows. Starting next spring, the new luxury hotel, which was recently…

As Disney World Strips Away Its Perks, What Will Replacing Them Cost You?

This week, it was confirmed that Disney Parks will receive a $580 million tax break from the state of Florida to relocate about 2,000 key workers from Southern California, where the…

Disney World Guts Guest Benefits at Its Hotels: Why Would You Stay Now?

From a value standpoint, it's already a highly debatable decision to stay within the borders of Walt Disney World at a Disney-owned hotel. Those properties easily cost at least twice…

High-Speed Trains to Connect Miami's Cruise Port and Orlando

The possibility of a car-free Florida vacation just rolled a little closer to reality.Brightline, which currently operates high-speed rail service connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale,…

12 Ways to Find Discounts for Disney

Updated August 26, 2019Disney parks don't grant many discounts. They don't need to—they're packed year-round. There aren't even reduced prices for senior citizens, and children are…

Why Universal Orlando's Just-Announced Theme Park Is a Game Changer

It's official. Universal Orlando is building a third Florida theme park.Universal's Epic Universe, officially confirmed Thursday morning, is being built on 750 acres about four miles…

Now Streaming: A Social Media–Themed Water Park near Orlando

A new water park with a social media theme has just opened next to Margaritaville Resort Orlando in central Florida.Dubbed Island H2O Live!, the park has eight water slides with names…

Arthur Frommer: Universal Orlando Cuts Hotel Rates to Lure Visitors

For at least twenty years, Universal Orlando Resort has been on a hotel building spree. One after another, giant lodging has been squeezed onto its grounds, supplying close-at-hand…