Presto, Change-o! New Attractions To Appear In Orlando In 2019 And Beyond

By Georgina Cruz

New themed lands, new roller coasters, new themed resorts… Each year Orlando, like a gifted magician, unveils new attractions to mesmerize visitors. And 2019 is no exception. Here is some of what is new and on tap for this coming year and the near future:

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – From a galaxy far, far away, this new attraction comes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with an expected opening in the fall. The Star Wars-themed land will lure guests with two signature attractions including one, “Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run,” that offers the ability to take the controls of the fabled Millennium Falcon on a customized “secret mission,” and an adventure, “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance,” that puts visitors in the middle of a climactic battle. Visitors will also be able to meet and greet such characters as BB-8, Chewbacca, Rex and Kylo Ren.

A new Star Wars-themed resort hotel will be inspired in the new Star Wars Land and it will immerse guests in an environment that will be out of this world. Combining a luxury resort stay with a multi-day attractions adventure, the resort will be seamlessly connected to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and guests will be able to don proper intergalactic attire in the resort and every room will have a view of “space.”

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is another new attraction coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2019. Celebrating the 90^th anniversary of Mickey Mouse, it will be the first-ever Mickey-themed ride-through attraction and will take visitors inside the wacky world of the Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts with state-of-the-art 3D special effects.

New Harry Potter-themed Roller Coaster coming to Universal Orlando. This new addition to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Hogsmeade in Universal’s Islands of Adventure park, will enable visitors to meet some of the Wizarding World’s rarest magical creatures and visit new and mysterious places.

The Tigris Roller Coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa will be located near Jungala, where the tigers reign and will be Florida’s tallest launched coaster –riders will be launched up to 150 feet up and travel along more than 1,800 feet of steel track. Riders will be catapulted forward at more than 60 mph and fall back down backwards before taking on the inverted heartline roll. This new addition to the park is scheduled to open in spring of 2019.

The Lego Movie World at Legoland Florida is a new land opening in spring of 2019 with two new rides and one completely re-imagined one, a themed play area for kids and chances to meet favorite characters from the film. One of the attractions will be a re-imagined version of the interactive boat ride, The Quest for Chi, as this area will be replacing The World of Chima land at the park. One of the new attractions will expand the land even further, adding an immersive new adventure through Emmett’s hometown of Bricksburg.

At SeaWorld Orlando Sesame Street is coming with new kid-friendly rides and a new parade. And Aquatica Orlando is opening a new water thrill slide called KareKare Curl.

Resort novelties include expansion for Disney’s Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach Resorts, with Coronado Springs planning a 15-story lakeside tower, adding 500 rooms, suites and concierge-level services. A new centralized location adding waterside dining and a marketplace is planned for Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. Caribbean Beach, Disney’s Pop Century, Disney’s Art of Animation and the new 15th Disney Vacation Club property, Disney Riviera Resort –expected to open in the fall—will all be connected by a new gondola transportation system called Disney Skyliner delivering guests seamlessly to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot.

And looking ahead to Walt Disney World’s 50^th Anniversary in 2021, Epcot will unveil a family attraction, Ratatouille (inspired in the animated movie of the same name) in the French pavilion and a new attraction based on Guardians of the Galaxy. Other new attractions to come include Green Mission at Mission: SPACE treating visitors to a stunning tour around the Earth and an updated Orange Mission to make the trip to Mars more spectacular. And in the Magic Kingdom, a thrill ride, based on the Tron movie franchise will be added in a new area of the park near the Space Mountain roller coaster.

IF YOU GO: For additional information, go to www.visitorlando.com.