A Sprawling New $1 Billion Resort Has Just Entered the Central Florida Theme Park Wars

An expansive $1 billion luxury resort spanning more than 1,000 acres has just opened next door to the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, and stays at this first-of-its-kind luxury resort rival accommodations offered at both Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando in Central Florida. This could change everything!

Evermore Orlando Resort

Evermore Orlando Resort, Central Florida’s premiere, first-of-its-kind beach paradise, just opened to guests in January 2024, and the very design of the resort is groundbreaking in the hospitality and accommodations industry.

Evermore Resort has one goal–to “forever change the way families and groups vacation together by combining the comforts of home with the amenities of a premium resort”–and even though the resort has only been open for a few weeks, those who’ve enjoyed a stay at Evermore like what they’ve seen.

The 1,100-acre resort borders Walt Disney World and is a unique mix of exquisitely designed vacation rental and luxury hotel accommodations, and the amenities at Evermore are best-in-class.

The resort offers four types of accommodations. Guests can choose from vacation homes with five to 11 bedrooms that sleep as many as 32 guests, flats with four bedrooms and four bathrooms that sleep up to 11 guests, two-bedroom villas spanning 1,800 square feet, four-bedroom villas spanning 2,800 square feet, and more than 400 luxury hotel rooms at the Conrad Orlando Hotel.

Evermore: A Combination of the Best Things About Staying at a Resort

Evermore Orlando Resort combines the best things about accommodations so that guests can choose a stay that’s right for their visits and for their budgets.

The first-in-class approach melds the best features of renting an entire home with the upscale amenities and services traditionally associated with luxury resorts. By combining the comforts of home with the indulgence of a premium resort, Evermore revolutionizes the experience of staying in a vacation rental by creating the perfect environment to truly enjoy being together with family and friends.

Evermore is contiguous to Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Springs and proximate to Universal Orlando Resort and Orlando International Airport. Offering a diverse range of accommodations, including flats, villas, and houses ranging up to 11 bedrooms in size, the property is anchored by Conrad Orlando, showcasing 433 contemporary-styled guest rooms and suites, and two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses. Evermore [opened] with 2,013 bedrooms throughout 69 houses ranging in size from five to eleven bedrooms, 206 four-bedroom flats, and 41 two and four-bedroom villas.

“After five years of meticulous planning and building, we are thrilled to open Evermore Orlando Resort,” said Christopher Kelsey, President of Dart Interests. “We’re proud to have created Orlando’s first beach paradise designed intentionally for groups, friends and families to effortlessly vacation together.”

The layout and design of Evermore Orlando Resort is one that makes vacationing painless, no matter what size the travel group may be. Per PRNewswire:

This innovative development redefines the guest experience, presenting a first-in-class approach that melds privately owned and managed homes with the upscale amenities and services traditionally associated with luxury resorts. By combining the comforts of home with the indulgence of a premium resort, Evermore is poised to revolutionize the way guests engage with the destination.

Resort-Style Activities

In addition to its wide range of accommodations for all sizes of traveling parties, Evermore Orlando also offers activities sure to pique the interest of everyone who visits.

Evermore offers a variety of activities, including craft sessions, scavenger hunts, a hot sauce-tasting bar, outdoor movies, drawing and gardening classes, pickleball tournaments, family photography sessions, campfire sing-alongs, and more.

When it comes to water fun, Evermore offers kayaking, paddle boarding, the six-person paddle boarding Megalodon, and a huge family-sized water slide!

And for the golfers in the group, Evermore Orlando Resort offers two very different golf courses. Grand Cypress Golf is located inside the gates of the resort and is one of Jack Nicklaus’ most heralded designs. Each of the two courses–the Links Course and the Cypress Course (which will open later in 2024), offers golfers a unique experience.

Evermore Orlando Resort has so much to offer that it could quickly become where visitors stay during their Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort vacations. However, according to Travel & Leisure magazine, the offerings at Evermore could ultimately charm guests so much that they arrive onsite to stay–and decide not to go anywhere else during their vacation to Central Florida.

The periodical praises the Evermore Resort’s many offerings, saying, “The property’s activities program will seriously make you think twice about leaving the resort.”

Could the Evermore Be Disney’s and Universal’s Newest Competitor?

Though Disney World and Universal Studios have been engaged in Central Florida’s theme park wars since Universal Studios opened in 1990, the dueling duo may have met its proverbial match in the Evermore Orlando Resort–a luxury resort with all the comforts of home, five-star service, exciting and engaging activities for every age, and more–and, of course, smaller crowds.

Related: Here’s What Universal Studios Isn’t Telling You About Its Newest “Epic” Theme Park

It will be interesting to see what role the Evermore plays in the Central Florida tourism sector, especially as it shares a border with the Walt Disney World Resort. Only time will tell.

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