Islands of Adventure Preview Center
Universal's Islands of Adventure logo
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| Slogan |
Vacation Like You Mean It (as Universal Orlando Resort) |
|---|---|
| Location | Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida, United States |
| Coordinates | 28°28′18″N 81°28′17″W / 28.47167°N 81.47139°WCoordinates: 28°28′18″N 81°28′17″W / 28.47167°N 81.47139°W |
| Theme | Islands with myths, legends, dinosaurs, cartoons, superheroes, children's stories, and Universal franchises |
| Owner | NBCUniversal |
| Operated by | Universal Parks & Resorts |
| Opened | May 28, 1999 |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Rides | |
| Total | 15 |
| Roller coasters | 3 |
| Water rides | 3 |
| Website | Official website |
Universal's Islands of Adventure (formally Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, and commonly known as Islands of Adventure) is a theme park in Orlando, Florida. It opened on May 28, 1999, along with CityWalk, as part of an expansion that converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort. The slogan for this theme park, along with Universal Studios Florida, is Vacation Like You Mean It, introduced in 2013 as Universal Orlando Resort.
The park's overall theme is that of a journey of exploration, where guests depart from a main port to visit themed islands, all emphasizing adventure. Initially, the park had six islands. On June 18, 2010, the seventh island, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (themed to the popular Harry Potter franchise), officially opened at the park. This is Universal's largest investment since opening. In 2013, Islands of Adventure hosted approximately 8.1 million guests, ranking it seventh among United States parks and eleventh worldwide. The eighth island, Skull Island, opened on July 13, 2016.
Like Universal Studios Florida next door, Islands of Adventure has not limited itself to Universal's own library, because it licensed other characters from rival studios, many of whom did not own theme parks of their own, as attractions and lands. Some of these include:
Before Islands of Adventure was built, the site was originally planned as a shopping mall called Galleria Orlando. Plans were first drawn up for the mall in 1985, but it was ultimately canceled in 1990.
During the construction of the park, Universal opened a Preview Center (known as the Islands of Adventure Preview Center) at adjacent Universal Studios Florida. Opening two years before the new theme park, the Preview Center was designed to give guests a sneak peek at some of the themes and attractions for Islands of Adventure. The attraction was located in the Paradise Theater building located in the New York section of Universal Studios Florida, next to the Kongfrontation attraction. In the attraction, guests would walk through various rooms themed to the various "Islands" in the new park. The final room stated when the Islands of Adventure park would open, and showed guests Universal's future plans for the Universal Orlando Resort. The Preview Center was closed shortly after the opening of Islands of Adventure.
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