What’s cooking in Orlando 2024? Year after year, the imminent summer invites families from all countries to visit the theme park capital of the world. Many fans of Disney, Universal, LEGOLAND, SeaWorld and other properties return for their favorite attractions, but at the same time they long for something more.
Looking for an incentive to travel to Orlando, Florida this year? We’ll show you all the newest attractions and features debuting there in 2024.
1 Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Probably the most anticipated Disney World premiere, but definitely the most controversial one since Tiana’s Bayou Adventure boils down to a renovated Splash Mountain, that classic ride.
The original Disneyland and Walt Disney World attraction became famous for its final drop with aforementioned splash (not to mention the elaborate photos guests posed for during that drop). However, Splash Mountain’s setting was based on Song of the South, a film that has unfortunately aged poorly given its depiction of slavery in the United States.
Disney decided to close it back in May 2023. This new iteration is based on The Princess and the Frog, another Southern story, but much more modern and positive. The park ramped up promotion of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in recent weeks with new images and a video highlighting the advanced audio animatronic technology within the attraction.
If you liked Splash Mountain, fret not. The infamous drop will remain intact.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens inside Magic Kingdom in summer 2024.
2 DreamWorks Land
Disney is much more cautious about closing classic attractions to open new ones. On the other hand, Universal is the undisputed king of eliminating popular attractions to release more exciting ones. (For example, Revenge of the Mummy replaced Kongfrontation and Back to the Future: The Ride was replaced by The Simpsons Ride, among other casualties.)
To no one’s surprise, Universal Studios Florida closed a section of the park focused on children’s attractions such as Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster, Fievel’s Playland and Curious George Goes to Town in 2023. What will fans get in return? An entire area dedicated to DreamWorks Studios and their animated films.
In DreamWorks Land you’ll find a roller coaster based on the Trolls movies, an interactive training ground starring Po from Kung Fu Panda, and a replica of Shrek’s swamp where you can meet the green ogre and his fairy tale friends.
This barely represents a fraction of Universal’s plans for the near future. Its next park, Universal Epic Universe, will open to the public in 2025. This property include, among other new features, a land based on How to Train Your Dragon, another DreamWorks franchise.
DreamWorks Land opens inside Universal Studios Florida in summer 2024.
3 AREA15
If you haven’t had the chance to check out this psychedelic arts and entertainment venue in Las Vegas, it will soon land closer to you. AREA15, home to alien supermarket Omega Mart and other eye-popping attractions,, will open its second location right in the heart of Orlando.
Fisher Brothers and Beneville Studios, creators of AREA15, join forces once again to recreate their success in Orlando 2024. Like the original, AREA15 will serve as a venue for concerts, art exhibitions, live shows, bars, restaurants and all kinds of innovative experiences. If they decide to duplicate some of their attractions there, Universal may also become a spooky part of the property as it plans to be at AREA15 Las Vegas in 2025.
AREA15 Orlando is being built off I-4, a short distance from Walt Disney World Resort.
4 Penguin Trek
After a series of controversies, SeaWorld properties have reinvented themselves as marine reserves with pulse pounding rides such as Manta, Kraken and Journey to Atlantis.
Orlando 2024 will see the introduction of a new roller coaster at SeaWorld with a frosty twist. Penguin Trek will simulate a snowmobile expedition through Antarctica. This family-friendly attraction will take guests through an ice cavern at 43 miles (70 kilometers) per hour, culminating in a habitat with real penguins.
Penguin Trek will join SeaWorld Orlando in summer 2024.
5 LEGO Ferrari Build & Race
Southwest of Orlando lies a mecca for lovers of creative expression through colorful toy bricks. After opening in 2011, LEGOLAND Florida quickly established itself as one of the area’s top family destinations with its LEGO-themed attractions plus a water park and an exclusive area dedicated to Peppa Pig.
Now LEGOLAND joins forces with the Ferrari automobile brand and launches an attraction for gearheads. LEGO Ferrari Build & Race es to the Italian sports car manufacturer’s history. Similar to Test Track at Epcot, you can also design your own Ferrari, test its performance, and have it compete in a virtual race against other players.
LEGO Ferrari Build & Race opened at LEGOLAND Florida in March 2024.
More Recent Attractions
Although these rides and attractions opened earlier in Orlando 2024, they are recent enough to merit a spot on the list.
TRON Lightcycle / Run
Disney World’s newest indoor roller coaster is a Shanghai Disneyland import. Like the original, this Magic Kingdom version released in April 2023 is inspired by the TRON film franchise, specifically the sequel/reboot, TRON: Legacy.
Just like in the film, guests are “digitized” into the Grid, a neon-colored world inside a computer. Once there they must board lightcycles and speed through the Grid before being “derezzed” by ruthless sentient programs.
TRON Lightcycle / Run‘s popularity continues to grow even a year after its release, as evidenced by its long lines and loger virtual queues.
Find TRON Lightcycle / Run inside Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom.
Journey of Water, inspired by Moana
Those who visited Epcot in the past may remember an area with an interactive water fountain featuring jets that skipped from stone to stone. After years of closure, that area of the park has been revamped in 2024 based on the ocean-themed animated hit, Moana.
Just like the character Moana had a special relationship with water, guests at Journey of Water, inspired by Moana walk down a tropical trail where they can interact with water around them while under the watchful eye of Te Fiti, the goddess of water.
Explore Journey of Water, inspired by Moana inside World of Nature at Epcot.
Beyond Big Thunder, Frontierland’s Top Secret Expansion
We close this list with a surprise revelation from Disney. The Frontierland area, with the iconic Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride, bordered the western edge of Magic Kingdom. However, Disney executives announced their plans to expand that park area of the park even further, not just with the launch of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Disney revealed little about the secret project, dubbed Beyond Big Thunder. Michael Hundgen, site portfolio executive for Walt Disney World, would only clarify that the expanded land will have similar dimensions to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney Hollywood Studios.
The initiative is part of the company’s investment plan for its Orlando properties which will take 10 years at a total cost of 60 billion dollars.
As long as the mine train keeps rolling, keep premiering new stuff at Disney and Orlando.
Contact us to Book Your Orlando 2024 Adventure
If we maade you want to visit Orlando this year, go ahead and contact us to organize your trip. We’re licensed travel agents certified by Orlando, as well as the Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort parks. Additionally, we’re certified by National Geographic Expeditions and Disney Cruise Line.
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