We also posted some Harry Potter park photos for your enjoyment. These show the great care and attention to detail that make the attraction so popular.

In case you were wondering, if you count Walt Disney studios, parks and resorts, networks and interactive media corporate revenues, the Walt Disney company accrued over $180 Billion in revenues over the last 5 years (Source: 2010 Disney Annual Report).

The Harry Potter gross sales number is quite large (over $7 Billion), but is “dwarfed” by the multimedia revenues of Disney’s Mickey Mouse and friends. J.K. Rowling is only 45 years old, so there is a high probability that the prolific Harry Potter franchise could continue to grow and prosper for years to come.

Simultaneously to the Orlando Fl expansion announcement, it was also reported that Universal Studios Hollywood will increase its size to account for a new Harry Potter attraction as well. Since the Florida construction period took roughly 4 years, we would expect this attraction will come to fruition in Hollywood/Los Angeles over the next 4-5 years as well.

As the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Orlando Fl is built out, vacation homes near Harry Potter will be a hot item for years to come. The additional parcel of land Universal reportedly wishes to build on is well over 200 acres. The current Harry Potter attraction at Universal Orlando is only 20 acres in size, so there is plenty of adjacent land.

The epicenter of vacation homes is and always has been south of Orlando in Kissimmee and Davenport Florida. As the size of the Universal theme park continues to have a magnetic appeal, more and more vacation home guests will desire to stay closer to Univeral. Currently resort communities near Universal is mainly limited to Vista Cay and the Isles at Cay Commons. For those who have own or manage villas near Universal Orlando, the expansion of the Harry Potter attraction is welcome news.

For those wishing to stay in a vacation home rental near Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, consult our reviews on our main page. We have posted over 80+ detailed profiles on the most popular resort communities in Central Florida.

Where should you look for the best and most convenient vacation rentals in close proximity to Universal Orlando and Harry Potter?

• Vista Cay – Our opinion review of Vista Cay is a high quality resort within 5-6 miles of  Universal Orlando. This development consists of multi-family condominiums and townhomes. The Vista Cay Resort also has a spacious clubhouse with such amenities as a resort style pool, fitness center, game room and a concierge for guests.
  

  Vista Cay Orlando

• Isles at Cay Commons – This is also a condo style next door to Vista Cay. In fact, this resort development has a common share agreement to use the amenities at Vista Cay.

Both Vista Cay and the Isles at Cay Commons also have the good fortune of  being located near Sea World and the Orange County Convention Center.

We have seen an increase in demand for villas near Universal Orlando and this trend should continue for the foreseeable future. In many cases, rental inquiries are up which is consistent with Universal’s rise in attendance. If you want to save time in traffic, and you expect to visit Universal Orlando 2 days or more, Vista Cay and the Isles at Cay Commons are a good choice.

• September 24th, 25th, 30th
• October 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 20-24, 27-31

As we have blogged before, this is one of Orlando’s top events for the year. HHN events include a costume parade, spooky haunted areas, and live entertainment. Additional attractions include scary creatures, monsters and hellish beasts during each of the even dates. Due to the frightening theme, this will not be suitable for young children.

Make your Orlando travel plans now and maximize your holiday enjoyment by staying in an Orlando or Kissimmee vacation rental. Vacation homes provide excellent value and are extremely affordable. Luxurious amenities for many homes include wireless internet, private pools and well landscaped resort grounds.

To assist you with your vacation planning and to detail each of the resort communities available, consult our resort reviews on the main page of our site. This detailed research is designed to make planning easier and to better match your expectations with what each community has to offer.

Please Note: Dates are subject to change at any time. Please consult the Universal Orlando website for possible itinerary or event time changes.

HHN 2010

This is our first visit to an Orlando theme park attraction where we have seen visitors running to get to a section of the park. The lines to get into Harry Potter were long (1.5 hr wait for the main ride) at 8:45 a.m. We would anticipate that the lines will begin to die down as the initial thrill of this major new attraction dissipates.

We were able to take the following photos of the Harry Potter theme park to give you some idea of what to expect. In addition, we have also added a video of the Harry Potter theme park attraction.

If you are visiting the local Orlando, Fl area and planning to make a trip to see the Harry Potter theme park, the nearest Orlando vacation home (condo) rental community is Vista Cay and the Isles at Cay Commons just off Universal Boulevard near Sea World. You can click on our review on the right to learn more about the villas nearest Harry Potter Orlando.

Harry Potter Photos

Harry Potter Universal Pictures

Harry Potter Shops

Hogwarts Express

Harry Potter Images Orlando, FL

Butter Beer Universal Studios

Harry Potter Pics Orlando

Hogwarts Castle Photos Universal

Harry Potter Theme Park Attraction

As we recently blogged, May 28th had been discussed as a soft opening date for the attraction. The June 18th firm opening date now gives Universal the opportunity to work out any operational issues. This fits together to get all the elements of the $200 million attraction ready on time.

Vacation homes in Orlando present the ultimate lodging opportunity for families and travellers wishing to enjoy the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This site is one of the largest informational references on the net for Orlando vacation rentals. You’ll find over 80 detailed community profiles including reviews, distances to theme parks and details for each subdivision. Consult our home page for these individual community reviews.

The Halloween Horror Nights 2010 activities include a Halloween parade, haunted homes, frightening scare zones, lively dead entertainment, and themed performances. This year’s occasion also includes scary appearances by an array of monsters, beasts, ogres, hellions and devilish creatures.

For additional details on Halloween Horror Nights 2010, please visit Universal’s HHN website. Additional HHN pictures and photo gallery can be viewed here. This is certainly one of Orlando’s most anticipated events of the year.

Although HHN is a quite a scary attraction, you want your vacation accommodations to be much less dramatic. Vacation home rentals provide a “scare-free” environment that the whole family can enjoy while on vacation. This website provides profiles on over 80 resort communities that are located near the parks and major attractions.  Most vacation rentals have private pools, wireless internet, game rooms and other premium home luxuries.

Typically opening any new theme park would involve several weeks of testing operations to handle peak volume. This training period is commonly called a soft opening. Moreover, the park may pursue this soft opening option for several weeks, and then declare the park fully open on June 18th as the Theme Park Insiders indicate.

One thing for certain is the fact that Orlando will bask in the glow of Harry Potter’s media attention for the next several months. The opening of the Harry Potter attraction also helps build a healthy competition for quality entertainment with Disney.

Considering the state of the recessed local and state economy, the new Harry Potter attraction at the Islands of Adventure Universal will help fill up vacation homes and other accomodations from the first day of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s opening date.

The closest villas to Harry Potter World and Universal Orlando would generally be Vista Cay and the Isles at Cay Commons. Both of these resort communities are rated 4 Stars (out of a possible 5 Stars) and are located just minutes from the attraction. Consult our reviews of both Vista Cay and the Isles of Cay for more detailed information. This site also profiles over 75+ additional vacation rental choices in the Central Florida area on the main page of this site.

The Universal Studios Orlando employment requirements indicate the need for younger males in appearance with British speaking dialects for the opening of the Harry Potter World attraction. Call backs will be held on Monday evening at 6 p.m.

This website will continuously post updates on the Harry Potter World opening as we get new information. Vacation villa rentals in Orlando are an outstanding way to enjoy all the theme parks in the area including Harry Potter World. Consult our traveller reviews section for ratings on over 80+ villas in the area. Villa rentals contain all the amenities of home, but at reasonable nightly rates.

For Chistmas at Universal Studios this outdoor concert series will be held at The Universal Studios’ Music Plaza which showcases a 2,000+ square foot stage and a 20 foot projection screen. Holiday concert times for each performance are 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The concerts are free with a paid Universal Studios’ events admission. Entertainers and concert dates include:

• Mannheim Steamrollers – Saturday, December 5th
• Chris Isaak – Saturday, December 12th
• Natalie Cole – Saturday, December 19th

The upcoming holidays in Orlando are a great time to enjoy all the many activities and attractions that Central Florida has to offer. Vacation rentals offer value, luxury and comfort for thousands of Orlando visitors each year. This vacation reviews site blogs about this value and convenience along with providing detailed profiles of over 80+ resort communities in the area.

Universal Studios Orlando reported that their attendance was down 20% in the first quarter of 2009 according to the Orlando Sentinel (1).

The irony here is that a one day ticket price for the attraction is currently at an all time high.

Typically when most businesses face a downturn they often lower prices. This has not been the case with any of Orlando’s major theme parks for a one day pass. The theme park attendance pros in Orlando have instead focused on extending length of stays and discounting for longer term packages. The laws of supply and demand either do not apply to major Orlando theme parks or are being ignored, as basic economics would say they need to lower prices.

The good news is that the Orlando vacation home market has slashed their prices in an attempt to attract vacationers out of the hotels and into more spacious and fully equipped villa rentals which typically run about the same price.

The closest vacation homes to Universal Studios area Vista Cay and the Isles at Cay Commons (these are both condominiums).

Vacation Homes Near Universal Studios