Universal Destinations & Experiences

Universal Destinations & Experiences (UD&X), formerly known as Universal Parks & Resorts, is the theme park part of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast. The main office of this company is located in Orlando, Florida.

UD&X runs Universal theme parks and resorts all over the world. These parks are famous for their many fun attractions and special areas that are based on popular characters and stories from movies, books, and other media. The ideas for these attractions come from both NBCUniversal and other companies that make popular stories and characters. Visitors can enjoy exciting rides, shows, and places that make them feel like they are inside their favorite stories.

History

Universal Destinations & Experiences started in the early 1900s as a place where people could watch movies being made at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California. In 1915, people could visit for just 25 cents to see how films were created. Over time, these tours grew into full theme parks.

In 1964, Universal Studios Hollywood made these tours even better with special trams and places to eat. This helped the parks grow, leading to new parks in Florida, Japan, and more places around the world. Today, millions of visitors enjoy these exciting parks every year. The company changed its name to Universal Destinations & Experiences in 2023, and new parks continue to open, like Universal Epic Universe in 2025.

Current theme parks

Universal Destinations & Experiences operates many exciting theme parks around the world. These parks bring favorite movies, characters, and stories to life with fun rides and attractions.

Universal Studios Hollywood opened in 1964 and was the first Universal Studios theme park. It includes a special area called Universal CityWalk with restaurants, shops, and more.

Universal Orlando Resort began in 1990 in Orlando, Florida. It grew to include many themed areas and hotels. In 2025, a new park called Universal Epic Universe opened, featuring worlds like Super Nintendo World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic.

Universal Studios Japan opened in 2001 in Osaka, Japan, and was the first Universal park outside the U.S.

Universal Studios Singapore opened in 2011 on Sentosa island. It features attractions based on popular movies.

Universal Beijing Resort opened in 2021 in Beijing, China, with more areas planned for the future.

Future theme parks and experiences

Universal Kids Resort

Main article: Universal Kids Resort

In January 2023, Universal announced a new theme park for families with children. This park, planned for Frisco, Texas, will include themed lands and celebrate Universal’s fun and creative entertainment. Construction began in November 2023, and the park is expected to open in late 2026.

Universal Horror Unleashed (Chicago)

In June 2025, Universal announced that Chicago would be the second home for Universal Horror Unleashed, marking the first Universal attraction in the Midwest. It is set to open in 2027.

Universal Studios Great Britain

Main article: Universal United Kingdom

In December 2023, Universal bought land in Bedford, United Kingdom, for a possible new theme park. By April 2024, Universal shared plans with local people and planned public events. The park will include new train stations, better roads, and a focus on nature and the environment. In April 2025, Universal and the UK government shared their plans for a theme park set to open in 2031 as part of a large entertainment area. Construction began on January 12, 2026 after receiving approval in December 2025.

Unnamed second park at Universal Beijing Resort

In April 2021, Universal Beijing shared news of a second theme park, planned to open by 2025. Construction for this expansion was set to start by 2025.

Universal Saudi Arabia

By December 2025, Universal Studios was in the early stages of planning a new theme park in Saudi Arabia.

Cancelled and former parks

Cancelled

After Disney opened a park in Europe, Universal considered building its own park there in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They looked at sites in Paris or London. A place in Sénart, France, was chosen, and land was bought in 1971. Plans included a theme park like Universal Studios Florida, a water park, a golf course, and other areas. But because of problems with Euro Disney Resort, the project was stopped. Universal later bought part of Port Aventura in Spain in 1998.

Other parks that were planned but never built include Universal Studios Dubailand in Dubai, Universal's Hollywoodland in Germany, Universal Studios Moscow in Russia, and Universal Studios South Korea, which was canceled in 2017 after many delays.

Former

Universal Mediterránea in Salou, Spain, opened in 1998. It was part of Port Aventura, which opened in 1995. Universal bought a big part of Port Aventura in 1998 and renamed it. Two hotels and a water park called Costa Caribe were added in 2002, and the resort was renamed Universal Mediterranea. In 2004, NBCUniversal sold its share, and the Universal name was removed, returning to PortAventura.

Water Parks

Former

• Costa Caribe Aquatic Park, Salou, Spain (2002–2004)
• Wet 'n Wild Orlando (Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida, United States; purchased by Universal in 1998) (1977–2016)

Theme park attractions and lands

Main articles: List of Universal theme park attractions and List of lands at Universal theme parks

Universal Studios has created many fun places and rides in its parks all over the world. These special spots and areas are inspired by famous stories and characters from movies and other media. You can find detailed lists of these attractions and lands by following the links above. Most of these exciting places are based on popular ideas that Universal has the right to use, as well as ideas from other companies.

Steven Spielberg's relationship with Universal Destinations & Experiences

Director Steven Spielberg has worked closely with Universal Destinations & Experiences for many years. This started when he was a young intern at Universal Studios in the late 1960s and continued through the movies he directed or produced for them, like Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park.

In 1987, Spielberg became a creative consultant for Universal’s first big theme park in Orlando. He helped come up with the main idea: letting guests experience scenes from their favorite movies. Since then, he has helped create many popular rides, such as E.T. Adventure, Jurassic Park: The Ride, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Because of this work, he receives a small share of the park’s ticket and food sales each year. This agreement also means that most of his movies can only be used in Universal theme parks, with a few exceptions.

Universal Products & Experiences

Universal Products & Experiences is the part of Universal Destinations & Experiences that helps spread their stories and characters through toys, games, clothes, and other fun items. They use famous names like Jurassic Park and Minions to make exciting products for fans all over the world.

Over the years, this part of Universal has grown and changed. It started with making things for mobile phones and later added games for computers and game machines. In 2022, it became part of the theme park group, and in 2025, it even got its own website, ShopUniversal.com, so people can buy Universal products online from anywhere.