Universal Destinations & Experiences facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Universal Destinations & Experiences

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Theme park
Founded	July 15, 1964; 60 years ago (1964-07-15)
Headquarters	Orlando, Florida
Key people	Mark Woodbury (CEO)
Owner	Comcast
Number of employees	25,000
Parent	NBCUniversal
Subsidiaries	Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Orlando Resort Universal Studios Japan Universal Studios Singapore Universal Beijing Resort Universal Creative

Universal Destinations & Experiences is a company that creates and runs amazing theme parks and resorts all over the world. It used to be called Universal Parks & Resorts. This company is part of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast. Its main office is in Orlando, Florida.

Universal Destinations & Experiences is famous for its rides and areas based on popular movies, TV shows, books, cartoons, and video games. These come from both Universal's own stories and other companies.

The idea for Universal theme parks started way back in the 1910s. It began as a tour at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California, near Los Angeles. In 1964, it became the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. Here, visitors could see how movies and TV shows were made. They could also enjoy rides based on their favorite films. Because Universal Studios Hollywood was so popular, Universal decided to build more parks in Florida and other countries.

In 2017, nearly 50 million people visited Universal Studios theme parks. This made it one of the biggest theme park companies in the world. In 2020, after parks reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal Orlando even had more visitors than Walt Disney World for a few months.

On March 8, 2023, the company changed its name to "Universal Destinations & Experiences." The CEO, Mark Woodbury, said the new name shows their goal. They want to be the top choice for fun and exciting experiences. They plan to bring Universal's stories and characters to life in new ways for fans everywhere.

Steven Spielberg and Universal Parks
Universal Theme Parks Around the World
Future Universal Parks and Experiences
Past and Cancelled Universal Parks
Universal Park Attractions and Lands
See also

Steven Spielberg and Universal Parks

Famous director Steven Spielberg has worked with Universal Destinations & Experiences for a long time. He started as an intern at Universal Studios in the 1960s. He also directed or produced many famous movies for the studio. These include Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park.

In 1987, Spielberg became a creative consultant for Universal theme parks. At that time, Universal was planning to build its first big theme park in Orlando. They wanted to compete with Walt Disney World. Thomas L. Williams, who was in charge of Universal Parks, said that Spielberg helped a lot.

He said Spielberg came up with the main idea for Universal Studios Florida. The idea was to let guests "Ride the Movies." This meant putting visitors right into their favorite movie scenes.

Since 1987, Spielberg has helped create many attractions. Some of these are E.T. Adventure, Jaws, Jurassic Park: The Ride, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. He also has a special agreement where he gets money from park ticket sales. This deal covers Universal parks in Florida, Japan, and Singapore. It does not include Universal Studios Hollywood.

The deal also means that movies Spielberg directed cannot be used at rival theme parks. The only exception is the Indiana Jones movies. Spielberg directed them, but the story was created by his friend George Lucas. Lucas often works with Walt Disney Parks on attractions.

Universal Theme Parks Around the World

Universal has amazing theme parks and resorts in different parts of the world. Each one offers unique experiences based on popular stories.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood was the first Universal Studios theme park. It opened on July 15, 1964. Before that, it started as a studio tour in 1915. This was after Universal's founder, Carl Laemmle, opened Universal City, California.

In May 1993, Universal CityWalk opened right outside the park gates. It has 65 restaurants, nightclubs, shops, and fun entertainment spots. There's also a Universal Cinema with 19 screens, including an IMAX Theatre. The park and film studio cover about 415 acres.

Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort opened on June 7, 1990, in Orlando, Florida. It started with Universal Studios Florida, which has areas and rides based on the film industry.

On May 28, 1999, Universal Orlando grew into a full family vacation resort. This happened when Islands of Adventure theme park opened. This park has different themed islands with adventures and characters. At the same time, Universal CityWalk was added. It connects the two parks and has many places to eat and shop.

Universal Orlando also has several hotels. The first one, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, opened in September 1999. More hotels followed, like Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort.

In 1998, Universal Orlando bought the Wet 'n Wild water park. It was their main water park until it closed on December 31, 2016. It was replaced by a new water park called Volcano Bay, which opened on May 25, 2017.

Volcano Bay has 18 attractions, including slides and lazy rivers. It's Universal's first park not based on famous movies. It has two volcano-themed rides: Ko'okiri Body Plunge, a steep 125-foot water slide, and Krakatau Aqua Coaster, a canoe ride. Visitors get a wristband that lets them check in for rides without waiting in long lines.

In August 2019, Universal announced a third theme park called "Epic Universe." It will have areas and rides based on Nintendo, Universal Monsters, and DreamWorks Animation. Epic Universe is planned to open in Summer 2025.

Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Japan opened on March 31, 2001, in Osaka, Japan. It was the first Universal Studios theme park outside the U.S. It was also the first Universal park in Asia.

This park has attractions from both Universal Orlando and Hollywood. It also has a CityWalk district. This shopping area has Universal hotels, restaurants, and shops. You can buy Universal Studios items and souvenirs from Osaka. The park covers 108 acres. It is the second most visited amusement park in Japan.

Universal Studios Singapore

Construction for Universal Studios Singapore began on April 19, 2008. It is located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa, Singapore. The park had a soft opening on March 18, 2010, and fully opened on May 28, 2011.

It was the second Universal Studios theme park in Asia and the first in Southeast Asia. Like other Universal parks, it has attractions from Universal and other companies. These include Jurassic Park, Madagascar, Shrek, The Mummy, Waterworld, and Transformers. The park is 49 acres in size. It is known as a "one-of-its-kind theme park in Asia." Unlike other Universal parks, Universal Studios Singapore is owned by Genting Group. They have a special agreement with Universal Parks & Resorts to use the Universal name.

Universal Beijing Resort

Universal Beijing Resort opened on September 20, 2021, in Beijing, China. It has rides and attractions based on Universal movies, TV shows, and music. It also includes licensed properties from other companies like Warner Bros..

The project was announced on October 13, 2014. It was a huge investment. It is owned by Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co., Ltd. and Universal Parks & Resorts. The main park, Universal Studios Beijing, was finished in April 2021. Phase 2 of Universal Beijing Resort is planned to open in 2025.

Future Universal Parks and Experiences

Universal is always planning new and exciting ways to bring its stories to life.

Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe is a new theme park coming to Universal Orlando Resort. It is expected to open in the summer of 2025. This park will feature a special Super Nintendo World section.

New Theme Park in Frisco, Texas

On January 11, 2023, Universal announced a new theme park idea. This park will be designed for families with young children. It will be built in Frisco, Texas. The park will have immersive themed areas and celebrate Universal's fun entertainment and characters.

Horror Experience in Las Vegas

Also on January 11, 2023, Universal announced a new "horror experience." This will be a permanent attraction in Las Vegas at the Area15 entertainment district. Unlike Universal's temporary Halloween Horror Nights events, this will be open all year. It will be a large, creative space for fans of horror.

Past and Cancelled Universal Parks

Universal has had some parks that are no longer open. They also had plans for parks that were never built.

Cancelled Parks

Universal Studios Europe, Melun-Sénart, France.
Universal Studios, Manila, Philippines
Universal Studios Dubailand, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Construction stopped in 2009)
Universal's Hollywoodland, Krefeld, Germany
Universal Studios Moscow
Universal Studios South Korea, Hwaseong, South Korea (Cancelled in 2017)

Former Parks

Universal Mediterránea, Salou, Spain (1998–2004)

Port Aventura opened in 1995. In 1998, Universal Parks & Resorts bought a large share of the park. It was renamed 'Universal's Port Aventura' in 1999. This made it the first Universal Studios Theme Park in Europe. In 2002, two hotels and a water park called Costa Caribe were added. The resort was then called 'Universal Mediterranea'. In 2004, Universal's parent company sold its share. The park went back to being called 'PortAventura'.

Former Water Parks

Costa Caribe Aquatic Park, Salou, Spain (2002–2004)
Wet 'n Wild Orlando (Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida, United States) (1977–2016)

Universal Park Attractions and Lands

Universal Studios parks around the world often have similar attractions and themed areas. The links above list all the attractions and lands you can find at Universal theme parks. Most of these are based on Universal's own stories and other popular licensed properties.