Universal Orlando Resort’s Christmas at Hogwarts (Rendering courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort)
Universal Orlando Resort is debuting several Christmas/winter holiday attractions, which will run from November 18, 2017 to January 6, 2018. Access to the festivities is included in regular admission to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Packages start at $165 (U.S. dollars) per adult, per night (tax inclusive) and include four-night hotel accommodations at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, a four-day/three-park ticket that includes admission to all three Universal theme parks, including Universal’s new water theme park, Volcano Bay, which grand opens on May 25, 2017,and early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Volcano Bay.
Here are the details, according to a Universal Orlando Resort press release
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will give guests a special opportunity to see, feel and even taste what it’s like to celebrate the magic of Christmas in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.
As night falls, a magical holiday transformation of Hogwarts castle will take place right before guests’ eyes. Incredible state-of-the-art projection mapping and special effects will wrap the iconic castle, bringing holiday spirit and memorable Christmas moments from the Harry Potter series to life like never before.
Festive decor like ornate garlands will line the streets of both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Each storefront will be decked out with uniquely-themed decorations, and guests will enjoy special holiday themed food, drink and entertainment.
Universal’s Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s
A brand-new holiday parade experience will also join Universal Orlando’s resort-wide Holiday celebration beginning this November. Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s will take place in Universal Studios Florida and feature magnificent new, incredibly-detailed floats and balloons, and beloved characters like the mischievous Minions from Despicable Me, popular DreamWorks characters from “Madagascar” and “Shrek” – and even Santa Claus himself. Universal is partnering with Macy’s, the global leader in balloon entertainment, to bring this new parade experience to life. More details will be released soon.
Pandora at Disney Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (Rendering courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort)
The following is a press release from Walt Disney World Resort:
Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom opens May 27, 2017 at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The all-new land will immerse guests in a mystical world of massive floating mountains, bioluminescent rainforests and breathtaking new experiences.
The largest addition in the history of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Pandora carries on the park’s tradition of celebrating the intrinsic value of nature, transformation through adventure and a personal call to action.
Based on Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron’s record-breaking box-office hit, “Avatar,” the new land welcomes guests to the lush world of Pandora long after the human conflict with the native Na’vi inhabitants has ended. The dramatic daytime beauty of the land transforms to glow by night when bioluminescent flora and intricate nighttime experiences add a dreamlike quality to Pandora.
Pandora – The World of Avatar is a creative collaboration of Walt Disney Imagineering, Cameron and Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment.
“We are taking our guests on a journey to this world in an experience that’s as realistic and immersive as possible,” says Joe Rohde, Walt Disney Imagineering portfolio creative executive. “In the movie, the world of Pandora is a setting for the action and characters whose story we follow. Here, guests are the primary characters immersed in an extremely vivid, authentic experience.”
Guests to Disney’s Animal Kingdom cross the park’s Discovery River into Pandora – The World of Avatar and continue along a winding rainforest path for their first glimpse of the land’s iconic floating mountains.
“When guests come across the bridge, they are transferred light-years away, to the Alpha-Centauri solar system and Pandora,” says Jon Landau, “Avatar” producer, Lightstorm Entertainment. “It’s an otherworldly, fully-themed experience.”
As guests explore the verdant terrain sprawling beneath mountains that appear to float in the sky, they see waterfalls cascading down the mountainside into meandering streams and pools, and they discover two thrilling new expeditions: Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey.
Avatar Flight of Passage launches each guest on an exhilarating, wind-in-your-face experience on a winged mountain banshee over the awe-inspiring world of Pandora. Guests will actually feel the banshee breathe beneath them as they soar through the forest and past floating mountains. What was a rite of passage for Na’vi in Cameron’s film becomes a multisensory experience for guests seeking the ultimate adventure – a faceoff with the most feared predator of Pandora, the Great Leonopteryx.
On the family-friendly Na’vi River Journey, guests travel down a sacred river deep into a bioluminescent rainforest. The eight-seat reed boats float past exotic glowing plants and Pandoran creatures into the midst of a musical Na’vi ceremony. The mystical journey culminates in an encounter with a breathtakingly realistic Na’vi Shaman of Songs who is deeply connected with Pandora’s life force and sends positive energy through her music into the forest.
“The Pandora landscape will be alive with creatures,” Rohde says. “We’re bringing to life everything from the largest creature you might encounter to the most microscopic. Animals will appear out of the underbrush – big Pandoran animals will appear at the edge of the forest and you’ll hear the very complicated calls they issue back and forth.”
The thriving Pandoran landscape conveys intrinsic park messages of the value of nature, transformation through adventure and conservation and stewardship.
The artful storytelling in Pandora continues as guests stop for sustenance at the land’s Satu’li Canteen (pronounced “Sa-too-lee”), a Quonset-hut-style building. The fast-casual restaurant is inspired the healthful bounty of Pandora – wholesome grains, fresh vegetables, and hearty proteins. Guests can grab a drink at nearby Pongu Pongu.
Windtraders is a shopper’s delight where guests can choose from Na’vi cultural items, toys, science kits and more.
Authenticity and realism were drivers in the creation of Pandora, and the result is a world beyond belief.
“The attractions have very deliberate emotional moments crafted into them, the way a good story does, the way a good film does.” Rohde says. “It’s not as simple as just coming to a place that looks realistic. It’s a place that’s been deliberately imbued with the emotions of awe, of wonder, of respect, of harmony.”
“The LEGO Batman Movie,” from Warner Bros. Pictures and LEGO System A/S, LEGOLAND Parks and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers around the world will celebrate the Caped Crusader with an exclusive new event—The LEGO Batman Movie Days—taking place on select dates in 2017. The event, developed with The LEGO Group and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, will take place on select dates at LEGOLAND locations worldwide in early 2017. For a list of planned activities, attraction hours and ticket prices at each site, visit www.LEGOLAND.com.
(Photo courtesy of Merlin Entertainments)
The LEGO Batman Movie Days Schedule
LEGOLAND Parks
LEGOLAND California Resort (Carlsbad, Calif.): Feb. 18-19, 25-26
LEGOLAND Florida Resort (Winter Haven, Fla.): March 4-5, 11-12
LEGOLAND Windsor Resort (outside London): March 10-April 16
LEGOLAND Deutschland Resort (near Günzburg, Germany): Early April
LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort (Johor, Malaysia): Feb. 17-March 31
Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon (Photo courtesy of Universal Orlando)
Universal Orlando Resort has announced that its ride Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon will officially grand open on April 6, 2017.
According to a Universal Orlando press release, the attraction will give guests the ultimate “Tonight Show” experience as they get up close and personal with the show’s most hilarious segments before taking off on a wild and action-packed race through New York City against “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon himself.
To celebrate the attraction’s Grand Opening, “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” will take the show on the road with tapings from Universal Orlando Resort from April 3 through 6. Additional details on celebrity guests and how to become a part of the show audience will be released over time.
As they experience the attraction, guests will make their way through Studio 6B to board the world’s first-ever flying theater, which seats up to 72 audience members, for the race of a lifetime. They will speed through the streets of New York City and all the way to the moon and back, encountering iconic landmarks from the Statue of Liberty to the Empire State Building to everything in between.
“Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon” will be the first attraction at Universal Studios Florida to feature an all-new Virtual Line experience, allowing guests to spend less time waiting in line and more time discovering even more incredible thrills throughout Universal Studios. The Virtual Line system is accessible via the Official Universal Orlando Resort App or at kiosks located outside the attraction entrance.
