Recorded Books Inc. - Fodors Walt Disney World 2016: With Universal, Seaworld & the Best Of Orlando

Visitors see Orlando as a shiny vacation kingdom bolstered by cartoon characters. Residents see it as a city on the rise, with a stunning arts center in the heart of Downtown, an increasingly popular commuter rail line, a totally refurbished football stadium, a blossoming Downtown technology hub, and a brand new major league soccer stadium. Orlando is becoming an increasingly sophisticated destination.

Theme parks also are staying cutting-edge with interactive exhibits and high-tech attractions. Disneys new MyMagic+ Experience invites guests to manage their vacations by planning both online and with mobile tools; then they can use a special card or the MagicBand wrist band for everything from park admission and hotel entry to FastPass+ attraction appointments and food and merchandise purchases.

Adding a new look to the Magic Kingdom is the parks largest-ever expansionto Fantasyland, with the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train family coaster. The redesign of this kid-friendly land allows guests to visit not one but three castles: the parks iconic and original Cinderella Castle, the new Beasts Castle that houses the lavish Be Our Guest Restaurant, and Prince Erics castle where Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid features a voyage with Ariel. Fantasyland also boasts a double-the-fun Dumbo ride and a French cottage where Belle herself meets guests for a storybook tale as old as time in the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction. The Princess Fairytale Hall, with its richly appointed greeting rooms in the Castle Courtyard, offers photo ops with Cinderella, Rapunzel, and visiting princesses like Snow White. In Adventureland, an interactive quest, A Pirates Adventure: Treasures of the Seven Seas, sends guests on a treasure hunt throughout Adventureland.

At Downtown Disney, the AMC Theater multiplex now offers six dine-in theaters with premium and casual dining experiences. Downtown Disney West Side turned the former Virgin Megastore building into Splitsville, a bowling mega-hangout across from House of Blues. Splitsvilles menu, including beef-fillet sliders and sushi, adds to the entertainment centers upscale vibe. Meanwhile, Downtown Disney is in the midst of a multiyear transformation into Disney Springs. When its completed, guests will find easier access with new parking garages; lots of new shopping, dining, and entertainment options; and open-air promenades along a waterfront. Epcot has its own thrill-a-minute custom-car adventure with the made-over, now-interactive Test Track by Chevrolet attraction.

Disneys luxury custom homes in the Golden Oaks community are built on - to -acre lots nestled beside the Magic Kingdom and Four Seasons.

Harry Potter became such a theme park star at Islands of Adventure that Universal Studios opened its own Potter playland: The Wizarding World of Harry PotterDiagon Alley , in 2014. This entire new land is filled with eye candy and wonderful wizardry that can keep you entertained for hours, and its marquee attraction is based on a spinning and whirling ride through Gringotts Bank. Just across the lagoon, park guests can immerse themselves in Homer Simpsons hometown. As if the cartoon came to life, here youll find the Lard Lad donut shop, Moes Tavern, the famed Kwik-E-Mart, and other iconic Springfield landmarks. Transformers: The Ride 3-D is an attraction packed with fast and furious explosions and attacks of an intergalactic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Plus, Universal Studios introduced the daytime Superstar Parade, starring animated characters and street performers, and the evening film-and-firework extravaganza Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories.

SeaWorld took a big PR hit with the release of the 2013 documentary Blackfish, and is looking at new ways to sustain their mission of celebrating marine life through the medium of a theme park. How it does this best is by presenting attractions like Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin and the parks TurtleTrek, which takes you on the underwater journey of a sea turtle via a 3-D film. But even before you get to the 360-degree domed theater, you walk past habitats filled with hundreds of freshwater and saltwater fish, gentle manatees, and more than a dozen sea turtles. At Discovery Cove, the main attraction isnt a show, but a calming and quiet natural vibe found in the tropical rain-forest environment that is Freshwater Oasis, which provides face-to-face encounters with playful otters and curious marmoset monkeys, and SeaVenture where you don a helmet equipped with a breathing apparatus so you can walk underwater through a reef filled with tropical fish and rays. In 2014, SeaWorlds third park, Aquatica, opened its new multislide thrill ride, Ihus Breakaway Falls, named after a colorful gecko that serves as the water parks mascot.