9. Cabana Bay Beach Resort

Remember when Disney Resort Hotels took you somewhere? There was a time when hotels on Disney property weren’t just a place to stay; they let you step into another world. Port Orleans, Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian Village… Don’t misunderstand – there are incredible hotels on Walt Disney World property. But it’s so pretty undeniable that the lower you sink in their pricing tiers, the less “immersed” you’ll be. Disney’s Value hotel tier – made up of the three All-Star resorts, Pop Century, and the Art of Animation – are all some manner of motel, lightly dressed with oversized pop culture cut-outs. And that makes total sense as a low-priced, “Value” resort… until you see that it can be done another way.

Opened in 2014, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort is probably one of the coolest hotels in Central Florida. And that’s saying something. Stylized as a mid-century beachside motel plucked right out of the Space Age, it’s an absolutely incredible, streamlined, modern masterpiece. Filled with parabolas, starbursts, Googie sculptures, boomerang patterns, and odes to classic cars, it’s an ode to golden age of Americana… complete with the Galaxy Bowl bowling alley, the Bayliner Diner restaurant, the Swizzle Lounge bar, two ultra mod pools with sand beach and lazy river, and even Zest soap in the bathrooms. 

Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort falls into the resort’s “Prime Value” category (retroactively the second of Universal’s four hotel tiers by the opening of the plain “Value” Endless Summer Resort in 2020, which requires a five-minute shuttle ride to CityWalk). Nightly rates at Cabana Bay generally range from $150 to $200 a night (versus a standard room at Pop Century, between $160 and $300 a night). No exaggeration – it may be the best family hotel in Orlando, and it’s shocking that Disney is missing out on that title. 

10. Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure

When Dragon Challenge (formerly, Dueling Dragons) took its last rides in 2017, the intertwined B&M inverted roller coasters were only briefly mourned. While they were cool, they were “just” bare steel roller coasters – clearly leftovers from the Wizarding World’s former life as Merlinwood, and oddly out of place in the otherwise immersive land. At the time, Universal announced that a new ride would take the place of the sprawling coasters in 2019. That ride ended up being Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. 

Narratively, “Hagrid’s” sees guests join Hogwarts’ gamekeeper-turned-Care-of-Magical-Creatures professor for a lesson gone awry when Hagrid’s Blast-Ended Skrewts (creatures described in the books, but never seen in the films) get loose. Magically-duplicated and enchanted motorbikes (complete with sidecar) give guests the chance to round ‘em up, all while exploring the edge of the Forbidden Forest and the ruins of an ancient, mossy stone abbey. Behind-the-scenes, Hagrid’s is one of the most sophisticated roller coasters on Earth, including (spoiler alert) a record seven launches, an instantaneous switch track, and a freefall drop track – to say nothing of the animated figures and effects along the ride’s course.

When Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened in June 2019, it made headlines for two reasons. The first was the wait – initially, up to fourteen grueling hours of reported misery, frustration, bathroom breaks, and utter rage at the technologically-complex ride and its continuous breakdowns. The second was that exiting guests unanimously decreed it one of the best rides on Earth. 

Somehow, that feels accurate! Despite being “just” a bare steel roller coaster itself, Universal’s “story coaster” is also something more. It’s packed with surprises, ludicrously fun, and utter joy from beginning to end. Somehow, it truly is unlike any other ride on Earth. The truth is, Disney doesn’t even have anything quite like Hagrid’s. It’s often compared to Expedition Everest (probably because it’s a “serious” coaster that’s very immersive and where storytelling and thrills fuse) but Hagrid’s is just one-of-a-kind. 

11. TapuTapu

For those of you who dream of the chance to #EliminateStandby, Universal’s Volcano Bay has got you covered. One of the unique revolutions of Universal’s “water theme park” is a simple wearable that all guests are given on the way in the door: TapuTapu. As its vaguely-Polynesian name suggests, the silicone, wearable, RFID bands are meant to be tapped against elements inside the park where – using the same basic idea as a MagicBand – they can activate geysers, lights, fog, or other effects, open lockers, or provide park updates.

But the real benefit of TapuTapu is that Volcano Bay doesn’t have lines. At least, not the typical kind. All of the park’s rides (save the lazy river) are guarded by tikis displaying a wait time. But unlike at a normal water or theme park, you won’t actually be in line for that wait time. Instead, Tapu Tapu’s TapTu Ride feature, one tap and you’re placed in the ride’s virtual queue with a display screen on the device counting down till it’s your turn to ride. In the meantime, you can grab a snack, relax on the beach, or ride a “Ride Now” attraction. 

A water park serves as a great testing grounds for what a “Virtual Queue Only” park could look like because it has lower capacity than a theme park proper, and plenty of things to do while you wait for a return time (like sleeping on a beach chair, playing in the wave pool, or enjoying a Waturi Fusion). The idea of distributing a ride's capacity entirely through a virtual queue to create a park with (pun intended) virtually no waiting has been a dream for a long time. It’s somewhat surprising that Universal beat Disney to making it real, though. And yes, you do have to return the TapuTapu on the way out. 

12. Ollivanders

For fans of Harry Potter and of the theme park industry, one of the most intriguing offerings in the Wizarding World isn’t a ride at all. After all, one of the most momentous occasions in a young witch or wizard’s life is the day they get their very own wand from Ollivanders – ”Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.” – in Diagon Alley (with a convenient satellite location in Hogsmeade Village, for good measure!). 

Yes, Ollivanders is a shop stocked with meticulously stacked boxes upon boxes of wands. But there are two ways to get into it: the front door that leads right into the shop, and the side door, which leads into a magical mini-show that’s known to jerk tears from the eyes of Potter enthusiasts… and Disney financiers. Inside a dark, lamp-lit room stacked floor-to-ceiling with boxes, guests gather around a Wandmaker, who selects one lucky volunteer to find their perfect wand. 

The short mini-show sees a few magical mishaps until just the right wand is selected, sending warm light and wind through the room as John Williams’ score begins. It is, indeed, one of the most magical moments in the Wizarding World. Of course, afterwards, guests exit into the rest of Ollivanders where everyone has the chance to purchase a wand. But the show has to more than make up for its operating costs and serves as a pretty incredible advertisement. 

There’s no doubt that Disney has its own “Ollivander’s” equivalent – Savi’s Hand-Built Lightsabers at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. However, there’s at least one important distinction: Savi’s is “paywalled,” so it’s not an attraction or even a store so much as it’s more like a high-priced tour that’s not even accessible unless you fork over $219.99 plus tax. Which is okay, except that like Ollivander’s, Savi’s is really one of the big highlights of Galaxy’s Edge! Now, sure, a whole bunch of onlookers crammed in the room wouldn’t make much sense, and part of the price is precisely because it’s a unique, sought-after experience. Savi’s is a five-star, must-see, tear-jerking experience… for those who can afford it. Which means Disney’s answer to Ollivander’s is actually something different entirely.