Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort is a theme park resort in Orlando, Florida. It is a joint partnership between NBC Universal and the Blackstone Group. The resort consists of two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure), Universal CityWalk (a night-time entertainment destination), and three Loews Hotels. It is the largest property owned by Universal Studios Theme Parks, and is also the second largest resort in Orlando after the Walt Disney World Resort.The resort began with the original Universal Studios Florida which opened on June 7 1990. Expansion occurred in 1999, adding Islands of Adventure, Universal CityWalk, on-site hotels, and two multi-level parking structures. What was once a single theme park became a gargantuan resort destination much larger than Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as designed to be a head-to-head rival to Walt Disney World Resort. The resort was originally named Universal Studios Escape but the name was quickly changed to Universal Orlando Resort.

Universal Orlando is located at 28.475° -81.470, north of the International Drive resort area, on a parcel of land framed by I-4 to the south, Kirkman Road to the east, Vineland Road to the north, and Turkey Lake Road to the west. The resort is directly accessible from I-4 via Exit 74B, which empties eastbound onto Universal Boulevard and westbound onto Hollywood Way.

Universal Orlando is serviced by [http://www.golynx.com/ LYNX] Buses (Links) 21, 37, 40, 43, and 444.

The resort features three official hotels: Loews Royal Pacific Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel, and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. All three hotels have been given the AAA Four Diamond rating and are located in close proximity to the Universal Orlando theme parks. The hotels offer guests free water taxi or shuttle bus service to the Universal Orlando theme parks. Another benefit is that the guest room key works as an "Express Pass", allowing the guest to bypass the Stand-by line at any attraction with the "Express Pass" option. Theme park guests who are not staying at the Universal official hotels may be able to purchase "Express Passes" at an additional cost.

In 2007, Universal began considering the Wet 'n Wild park in Orlando, which it purchased in 1998, a part of Universal Orlando Resort. It is located adjacent to Universal Orlando property, across Interstate 4 at International Drive and Universal Boulevard.

Universal CityWalk

Universal CityWalk includes the 20 screen AMC Universal Cineplex, numerous restaurants, shops, and clubs. It is also home to Margaritaville, NBA City Cafe, Nascar Cafe, Hard Rock and Hard Rock Live, and Emerill's. The clubs at CityWalk include Latin Quarter, The Groove, Pat O'Brians, Rising Star, Bob Marley's, Red Coconut, and Cigarz.

Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida, opened On June 7 1990, is a theme park that lets visitors "Ride the Movies." The theming in Universal Studio's is targeted at making guests feel like they are in a movie set with rides that are inspired by popular films. The park consists of six themed areas - Hollywood, Production Central, New York, San Francisco / Amity, World Expo and KidZone.

Universal's Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure opened in May 1999. The park is currently composed of six distinct "islands", each having its own theme. Visitors start off in the Port of Entry and make their way through the various islands - Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. A new island themed to the popular Harry Potter film and book series was announced in May 2007, with a scheduled opening in 2010.

Halloween Horror Nights

Halloween Horror Nights is one of the largest Halloween events in the U.S., presented annually at Universal Orlando Resort. From 1991-2001, the event was held at Universal Studios Florida. The Halloween Horror Nights was expanded to Islands of Adventure in 2002, but the event was moved back to Universal Studios Florida in 2006.

External links

* [http://www.universalorlando.com Official Resort Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/universalorlando Universal Orlando Resort on MySpace]
* [http://maps.google.com/?t=k&om=1&ll=28.475538,-81.468043&spn=0.016372,0.026994 Universal Orlando Resort on Google Maps]