Orlando theme parks
Eleven theme parks across three resorts — Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando (now with Epic Universe) and SeaWorld. Here's what to ride, what's on in 2026, today's live hours, and the smartest way to plan it.
Orlando, Florida
No other city on earth packs this much in. Within about fifteen miles of each other sit Walt Disney World (four theme parks and two water parks), Universal Orlando (now four parks after Epic Universe opened in 2025), and SeaWorld Orlando — plus their water parks, dining districts and dozens of resort hotels. It is genuinely more than any one trip can cover, which is exactly why a plan matters.
This guide is built to be the honest, up-to-date starting point: the headline rides at each park, the seasonal events actually happening in 2026 with their dates, and live park hours you can check before you go. When you're ready to turn it into a real trip — tickets, a hotel in the right spot, and the days mapped so you're not crossing the resort twice — that's where a real advisor earns her keep.
The three resorts
Each resort is a full guide of its own — rides, lands, 2026 events and live hours.
Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom — from Rise of the Resistance to Avatar Flight of Passage, plus Food & Wine and the Christmas parties.
Explore Disney World →
Now home to Epic Universe — five brand-new worlds — alongside Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida and the legendary Halloween Horror Nights.
Explore Universal →
Seven world-class coasters (Mako, Manta, Kraken, Pipeline and more), up-close animal experiences, and the new SeaQuest dark ride for 2026.
Explore SeaWorld →Planning
The two clear low-crowd windows are September (after Labor Day through late month) and mid-January (after New Year through mid-month). September is warm — 82–88°F with quick afternoon thunderstorms — but the parks are quiet and hotel rates dip. January is cooler at 60–72°F and just as calm.
The stretches to avoid if you can are mid-March spring break, the week of July 4th, Thanksgiving week, and December 20 through January 3 — these are the busiest, most expensive days of the year. Good shoulder seasons beyond September and January include late April–early May and early November.
A first-timer doing all three resorts wants 6–8 days; Disney alone is comfortably 4, Universal 2–3 (3 now that Epic Universe exists), SeaWorld 1.
Disney and Universal are separate ticket ecosystems. Doing both in one trip is common but needs the days planned so you're not wasting a park day in transit.
All three use multi-day tickets. Disney's Park Hopper lets you visit more than one park a day; Universal's Park-to-Park is required to ride the Hogwarts Express between its two Harry Potter parks.
Location changes everything — on-property vs. nearby, and which end of the resort. The right hotel saves an hour a day. This is the single biggest thing an advisor fixes.
You've done the reading — now hand it to someone who does this every week. I'll price tickets, put you in the right hotel for the parks you actually care about, and map the days so a big trip feels easy. Planning through me costs you nothing extra.
Good to know
Orlando has 11 theme parks across three resorts: Walt Disney World has four (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom) plus two water parks; Universal Orlando has four (Epic Universe, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida and the Volcano Bay water park); and SeaWorld Orlando is one park, with sister parks Aquatica and Discovery Cove nearby.
The two lowest-crowd windows are September (after Labor Day through late month) and mid-January (after New Year through about January 17). Avoid mid-March spring break, the week of July 4th, Thanksgiving week and December 20–January 3, which are the busiest and priciest dates.
For a first visit covering all three resorts, plan 6–8 days. On its own, Walt Disney World is comfortably four days, Universal Orlando two to three (three now that Epic Universe has opened), and SeaWorld one full day.
Yes — most first-timers do. They're separate ticket ecosystems about 15 miles apart, so the key is mapping the days so you're not losing a park day to transit. That day-by-day plan is exactly what a travel advisor builds for you.
No. Planning and booking through an advisor generally costs you the same as booking it yourself — suppliers pay the commission. You get the tickets, hotel and day-by-day plan handled by a real person instead of piecing it together alone.