October 2019

Between exciting new theme park lands, attractions, restaurants, accommodations and more, 2019 was a banner year for Orlando — but we’re not the kind of destination that rests on its laurels. Instead, we’re launching into 2020 at full speed with fresh additions at our theme parks, the world’s tallest slingshot and drop-tower rides, our latest celebrity-owned restaurant, unforgettable places to stay, and many other reasons to visit … and we don’t want you to miss a second of it!

Learn more: New Reasons to Visit Orlando

New Orlando Attractions for 2020

Immersive experiences dominated Orlando’s new theme park offerings in 2019, with Walt Disney World® Resort opening Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®, Universal Orlando Resort adding Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™ to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ — Hogsmeade™ at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Sesame Street Land™ bringing sunny days to SeaWorld® Orlando, and THE LEGO® MOVIE WORLD™ premiering at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort. In 2020, beloved characters, wild rides and even more fan-favorites are joining Orlando’s dynamic lineup of attractions.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Opening Dec. 5, 2019, at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios® in Orlando (Photo: Joshua Sudock & © Disney/Lucasfilm)

Walt Disney World® Resort

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: Although this attraction joins Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Dec. 5, 2019, many visitors will experience it for the first time in 2020. Billed as one of the most ambitious, immersive experiences ever undertaken by Walt Disney Imagineering, it will place you aboard a Resistance transport that’s captured by an Imperial Star Destroyer. Accordingly, expect plenty of action!

Learn more: Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Concept Art for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Coming Spring 2020 to Disney’s Hollywood Studios® at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando (© Disney)

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway: Believe it or not, Mickey Mouse has never starred in his own ride at a Disney theme park — but that all changes on March 4, 2020, with the premiere of this attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios®! Using cutting-edge technologies to transform classic 2-D cartoons into immersive 3-D adventures, it’s your ticket to entering the worlds of Mickey and Minnie’s beloved animated films.

Get discount tickets: Walt Disney World Resort

New Shows and Films at Epcot®: Walt Disney World Resort is making big changes to Epcot in the lead-up to the park’s 40th anniversary in 2022, and the transformation continues in January 2020 with Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along at the World Showcase’s France pavilion; Awesome Planet, a new film at The Land; and an update for Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 at the Canada pavilion. Later in 2020, a new nighttime spectacular, HarmonioUS, will take the place of Epcot Forever, which recently started its limited-time engagement.

Concept Art for Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Coming Summer 2020 to Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando
Concept Art for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Coming Summer 2020 to Epcot® at Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando (© Disney)

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: Scheduled to open in summer 2020 at the France pavilion in Epcot, this ride will shrink you to the size of Chef Remy before sending you on a wild adventure through Gusteau’s restaurant. The attraction will be complemented by a delicious new eatery, La Crêperie de Paris.

Cirque du Soleil: Drawn to Life: Coming to Disney Springs® in spring 2020, this all-new production is a collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering. Previews begin on March 20, 2020, with the official premiere set for April 17, 2020. The show will follow the story of a courageous, determined girl who embarks on an inspiring quest after discovering an unfinished animation piece left by her late father.

Learn more: Disney Springs

Universal Orlando Resort Is Bringing The Bourne Stuntacular to Universal Studios Florida in Spring 2020

Universal Orlando Resort

The Bourne Stuntacular: In spring 2020, Universal Studios Florida at Universal Orlando Resort will debut this all-new, cutting-edge, live-action stunt show based on the blockbuster Bourne film franchise. Using a never-before-seen hybrid of stage magic and cinema, the edge-of-your-seat experience will follow Jason Bourne around the globe as he’s pursued by sinister characters.

Concept Art for Ice Breaker at SeaWorld Orlando
Concept Art for Ice Breaker™, Coming to SeaWorld® Orlando in Spring 2020

SeaWorld® Orlando

Ice Breaker™: SeaWorld Orlando’s first launch coaster is set to offer family-friendly thrills starting in spring 2020. Riders will dive through four launches that run both backward and forward, ending with a reverse launch into a 93-foot-tall spike and 100-degree angle. As a result, it will boast the steepest vertical drop in Florida!

Get discount tickets: SeaWorld Orlando

Riptide Race: Coming to Aquatica® Orlando, Florida’s first-ever dueling water slide will feature side-by-side racing lanes through nearly 650 feet of slide.

ICON Park in Orlando
The World’s Tallest Slingshot and Drop Tower Attractions Are Joining ICON Park™ in Orlando

Beyond the Theme Parks

New Attractions at ICON Park™: Already home to The Wheel, Orlando StarFlyer, Madame Tussauds Orlando, SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium and other reasons to visit, ICON Park will gain two gigantic new thrills in 2020. The Orlando Slingshot will catapult you 450 feet in the air, while the Orlando Gyro Drop Tower will rocket you 400 feet up before sending you back to Earth in a freefall with speeds reaching 75 mph. Once complete, both will be the tallest attractions of their kind in the world.

Learn more: ICON Park

Pointe Orlando: This shopping, dining and entertainment district on International Drive will benefit from a $32 million makeover by summer 2020.

Learn more: Pointe Orlando

Experience Pompeii — The Immortal City at Orlando Science Center (Pictured) From June 6 – Sept. 7, 2020

Pompeii — The Immortal City: Coming to the Orlando Science Center from June 6 – Sept. 7, 2020, this acclaimed touring exhibition is dedicated to the ancient Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The Orlando Science Center is part of Loch Haven Park, just 10 minutes north of downtown Orlando.

Learn more: Unique Public Parks in Orlando

New Additions at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts: Opening in 2020 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando, Steinmetz Hall will be an acoustically pure theater perfect for social, educational and creative functions — not to mention award-winning arts performances. Also joining the Dr. Phillips Center in 2020, the Green Room will add a 3,000-square-foot dynamic performance space to the crown jewel of Orlando's performing arts scene.

Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets®: This discount shopping mall will add a reimagined food hall, enhanced Wi-Fi and other amenities by the end of 2020.

New Orlando Restaurants for 2020

Delicious New Dining Options Are Coming to Orlando in 2020

From fresh local concepts to celebrity chef-driven dining, the diversity of Orlando’s food scene continues to impress. Here’s how we’re getting even tastier in 2020.

Norman’s

Celebrity chef, James Beard Award-winner and Florida native Norman Van Aken’s signature restaurant is moving to a new location on Orlando’s famous Restaurant Row, minutes from International Drive. It was previously located at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes.

Learn more: Orlando’s Celebrity Chefs

Ole Red

Headed by country-music and The Voice star Blake Shelton, this restaurant is coming to ICON Park. Serving Nashville hot chicken and waffles, fried catfish, and more, the venue will blend Southern hospitality, good food and live country music in a 2-story, 15,000-square-foot space.

Ox Grill

Also joining ICON Park, this eatery will offer contemporary fare with steaks, pasta and a selection of international dishes.

Pointe Orlando

As part of a major reimagining, this all-in-one dining, entertainment and shopping hub on International Drive will be welcoming several new eateries in 2020, including Kavas Tacos + Tequila, a new contemporary Spanish concept from the owners of Pointe Orlando’s Taverna Opa and ICON Park’s Tapa Toro Tapas Bar & Paella Pit. Other changes at Pointe Orlando will improve connectivity throughout the center, create gathering places and add artistic experiential elements. Stay tuned to Visit Orlando’s blog for more details as they become available.

Learn more: Pointe Orlando

City Works Eatery & Pour House

Opening at Disney Springs in 2020, this new eatery will be the perfect place to catch live sports thanks to a wealth of high-definition TVs, including one with a 165-inch screen. Its menu will feature gourmet American favorites, 80 beers on tap, wine and more.

Space 220

Although this new Epcot restaurant is actually opening in winter 2019, it will be new to a majority of visitors in 2020. It will replicate the experience of dining on a space station 220 miles above earth, complete with daytime and nighttime views of the globe depending on the time of your visit.

Camelo Pizzaria

Marking the Brazilian thin-crust pizza parlor’s first location outside Brazil, this new International Drive restaurant is set to open in early 2020 with a bar, wood-fired ovens and seating for up to 160 people.

Knife & Spoon

Led by Chef John Tesar, this steak and seafood restaurant is coming to The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes. The restaurant will feature a lounge area decorated with Persian rugs that drape over low walls and flow to the floor, burled-wood cocktail tables, and a Pantheonic dome resembling a cave opening to the sky.

Sixty Vines

Known as “the winemaker’s restaurant” and opening this spring, this eatery will offer Napa Valley-inspired seasonal cuisine and 60 types of wine on tap.

New Orlando Hotels & Resorts for 2020

Artist Rendering of Universal's Endless Summer Resort — Dockside Inn and Suites at Universal Orlando Resort
Artist Rendering of Universal’s Endless Summer Resort — Dockside Inn and Suites at Universal Orlando Resort

Orlando has the second highest number of hotel rooms of any U.S. destination, and with a record-setting 75 million visitors in 2018, our lodging options continue to expand. New options opening in 2020 will bring thousands of additional rooms to the area, further guaranteeing that you’ll find the right accommodations for your budget when you visit.

Universal’s Endless Summer Resort — Dockside Inn and Suites

Designed and created by the same people who bring Universal Orlando Resort’s theme parks to life, this 2,050 room hotel will open on March 17, 2020, as a companion to Universal’s Endless Summer Resort — Surfside Inn and Suites, which debuted in 2019. Both are part of Universal Orlando Resort’s Value Hotels offerings. Featuring a calm, coastal vibe and sunset theming, the new property will have two large pools, a sandy beach and a food court. It will also be one of Universal Orlando’s most affordable properties, including two-bedroom suites that sleep up to six. Guests can look forward to amenities such as early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ and Universal’s Volcano Bay, as well as complimentary, resort-wide transportation and more.

Learn more: Universal Orlando Resort Hotels

Disney’s Riviera Resort

Opening late in 2019 and celebrating the grandeur of Europe, this Deluxe Villa Resort and Disney Vacation Club property will offer studios, one- and two-bedroom villas, and three-bedroom grand villas. It will also be connected to the new Disney Skyliner gondola system. Guests can look forward to numerous resort benefits, including early access to FastPass+ planning (up to 60 days before arrival), additional time at Disney’s theme parks via Extra Magic Hours, optional Disney dining plans, and complimentary MagicBands, transportation and parking.

Learn more: Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

Lobby Concept Art for JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa

JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa

Set to open in February 2020, this resort will boast 516 guestrooms, a Spa by JW®, a resort pool with splash pad, specialty restaurants, and a rooftop terrace boasting nightly views of theme park fireworks. It will be the brand’s second Orlando location, following JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes.

Learn more: Amenity-Packed Hotels in Orlando

Cover image courtesy ICON Park.

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