basilica of the national shrine of mary, queen of the universe

As a cathedral, this is one church you must go to. Very tradition, beautiful garden, grab a noon service if you can great side stop

The Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe is not a parish in itself. It seems to have been built specifically for tourists, which is a great idea. Although we live just north of Orlando, my wide and I found ourselves here. It is right next to the large outlet mall at Lake Buena Vista. If you have been there, you will know how difficult it is to get parking. So, whilst it might not be the best. Reason to go to mass, why not get to the mall at 10:00, pick any parking spot you like, shop a little and then walk to the Shrine for 11:30 mass. You will need to be there a little early as when we went in a Sunday morning, it was packed, even though it holds 2,000. The priest is from Ireland and has an easy manner. He starts by asking where people are from and they are from all corners. The choir is fantastic. Anither reviewer said they were Disney quality, and I agree. I would put them on a par with the Voices of Liberty.The gift shop is wonderful, it has a huge array of statues of varying sizes, pictures and a lot more. There is a small museum and the grounds are fairly large. We didn't walk around them but there is an outdoor stations of the cross. As with other Catholic Churches, you do not need to be catholic to go in or attend mass. It is well worth a visit and a great place to get away from the Disney madness. The adoration chapel is directly behind the alter and is open all day every day. I don't believe any other church can lay claim to that.

Going to the Shrine is tortuous for my family. From the incessant begging for money and the overly casual priests with their banal homilies, to the awful music, my family and I would rather accept the penance assigned to us for missing Mass than attend Mass at the Shrine.

This place is really beautiful and makes everybody feel welcomed !!! Great place to have a picnic in the Rosary Garden during cool fall and winter months. Most beautiful display of roses for Mother's Day and Christmas is gorgeous!!! They have a very nice gift shop with a museum. It's also a nice relationship that they have with Disney and where tourist and locals worship together. Take pictures here!!

The Shrine is so impressive and inspiring. To see so many arriving for Mass was wonderful. Although it is right next to a busy highway, it is peaceful and quiet inside. It was just an amazing place to visit and we would recommend it to all.

I've always lived in the Central Florida area but never visited Mary. I saw that it was one of the top ranked Orlando attractions, so I thought I'd give it a go. For the purposes of this review, I do not fall under the category of "religious", however when I travel, I do see religious sites of note. This shrine does not rank among top national religious sites, but it is nice for the relatively barren Florida landscape (when it comes to elaborate churches). The artwork on the outer doors is particularly cool. The inside is quite spacious with statues and stained glass here and there. I wouldn't really recommend a tourist stop here as it is neither significant or noteworthy in a destination sense. If you're a local though, it'd be worth a stop in just to check it out.

Beautiful church! Beautiful history! Your catholic home away from home!!! I love visiting here and going to Mass with all the other tourists! Amazing choir too!!! A must see!!!

Thought the priest offered a wonderful homily and the music is Disney quality! Was able to really feel Our Lord's presence and able to enjoy all the beautiful statues and grounds as well. However, leave 30 Full Minutes before you think you need to leave or you will lose you religion on the way into the parking lot. That part is NUTS!!! We have been to the Shrine over 10 times and it is always crazy getting in off of that main road! (Feb. 2015 GPS said 8 minutes took 40 minutes!) It is worth the wait and you will love it there. The gift shop is also beautiful with very nice quality religious items.

This church contains everything you can expect from a catholic church with a few extras. There is a holy water fountain when you enter, there is a taxi rank outside the church and there is a large gift shop where you can have a picture with a cardboard cut out of the Pope! Other than that there is nothing special about it other than its size as it is just a Catholic Church!

We happened upon this gem when looking for somewhere close to Disney World to attend Sunday Mass. This church is not a regular parish. It was actually built by the generosity of tourists. The stained glass windows are absolutely beautiful, especially in the little chapel in the back of the church. The window behind the chapel altar is cobalt blue glass with little clear stars throughout. I love to sit in this chapel to pray. I love going to Mass here and look forward to going each time we are in Orlando.

Beautiful church with wonderful altars on either side for silent prayers and worship--wonderful. Greeters make you feel very welcome. Parking is a little tight at the busier masses.

This is a lovely cathedral in Orlando. I was told by my Mears cab driver it sits on property donated by Disney. It is not a part of a parish. It relies on donations by Orlando visitors. The pastor was born in Ireland and a delightful speaker. He does ask, several times, for visitors to donate as much as they can. I miss going to Mass at Disney's Polynesian Hotel. It was more about going to Sunday Mass and less about tourism!

I came here on Ash Wednesday, on the last day of a 3 week vacation. It's a modern Catholic Church, with really nice statues. Mass just ended after we arrived, but they we still giving our ashes in the chapel. The place is really big. I'd want to see what it's like when filled to capacity.If you're Catholic and you need a church to visit, this is actually a must-see when in Orlando!

Beautiful Chapel, beautiful services. They do hit you hard for donations explaining that they do not have a congregation to lean upon. They pass the plate like 3 times per service trying to guilt you into giving them more money. That part is kinda gross. but their Holiday services are very good!

Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe is a Latin Rite basilica located in Orlando's thriving tourist district right next to Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets and not far from SeaWorld, Universal Orlando Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, or International Drive. The large 2,000-seat basilica is visible from Interstate 4. On June 3, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated the shrine as the 63rd minor basilica in the United States - one of 82 currently in the United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando. It is not a parish, so no regular sacraments are performed, and no weekly bulletins are distributed.You enter the basilica through large beautiful bronze doors. The narthex includes a Holy Water display with a marble base, ringed in brass and accented by two ascending arches. The main church is beautiful. It includes various sculptures, a 650-lb Crucifix above the high altar, a Rising Christ statue suspended at the rear of the nave, lovely stained glass windows, and two chapels (Adoration Chapel and Our Lady of Guadalupe Blessed Sacrament Chapel).The grounds are meticulous and well-manicured with nice brick, and water features. The grounds include a large Gift Shop, Museum of Religious Art, Mother and Child Outdoor Chapel, and a beautiful Rosary Garden with the Stations of the Cross. The brick path of the Rosary Garden is shaped like a rosary. It is very peaceful and tranquil with small ponds, flowers, native Florida landscaping, and a bronze sculpture of Pope John Paul II.I highly recommend a visit to the basilica. It is beautiful! If you just want to visit....go when mass is not scheduled. Good times for a visit are Saturdays between 10:00am - 4:00pm, Sundays between 1:00pm - 4:00pm, and during the week between 2:00pm - 5:00pm. If you want to attend mass, give yourself lots of extra time. The road to the basilica is frequently gridlocked with traffic and parking can be extremely challenging around mass times.