to Universal Studios in Orlando?
Tarl and I are celebrating many years of marital bliss and getting away for the weekend. Each time we go to Orlando we have always done Disney, and to be honest, if we didn't have a Disney trip planned for the end of the year, we'd probably be doing it again, alas, we chose Universal and I am beyond ready to go. Tarl and I are both Universal Studios virgins!
First let's talk the hotel. One thing that Tarl and I always splurge on is the hotel. We always want something that's in a great location, with a nice pool/bar/lounge (for late night drinks w/o having to pay for a taxi) and of course, the cleanliness factor.
This time we chose the Crowne Plaza Universal Orlando which is located in the heart of everything. We have access to Universal Drive as well as International Drive. We have dining reservations that Friday night and the restaurant is one mile away from the hotel. We could walk if we wanted to, emphasis on "if" because I don't foresee me walking a mile in a maxi dress...just sayin.
Tarl and I are celebrating many years of marital bliss and getting away for the weekend. Each time we go to Orlando we have always done Disney, and to be honest, if we didn't have a Disney trip planned for the end of the year, we'd probably be doing it again, alas, we chose Universal and I am beyond ready to go. Tarl and I are both Universal Studios virgins!
First let's talk the hotel. One thing that Tarl and I always splurge on is the hotel. We always want something that's in a great location, with a nice pool/bar/lounge (for late night drinks w/o having to pay for a taxi) and of course, the cleanliness factor.
This time we chose the Crowne Plaza Universal Orlando which is located in the heart of everything. We have access to Universal Drive as well as International Drive. We have dining reservations that Friday night and the restaurant is one mile away from the hotel. We could walk if we wanted to, emphasis on "if" because I don't foresee me walking a mile in a maxi dress...just sayin.
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We plan on leaving early on Friday morning and getting to Orlando by the time the parks open at 9. Grab a quick breakfast on the way, and put on our best walking shoes! We purchased the park to park pass which is Disney's equivalent of the park hopper. Essentially, you can visit both parks in the same day. This way, we can get the most out of our time there.
The first park to visit will be Universal's Islands of Adventure, the park which has the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Am I a Harry Potter obsessed fan? No. Do I like Harry Potter? Absofreakinglutely. The parks close at 7 on Friday so we plan on seeing all of the Harry Potter stuff on Friday morning and then when we're finished with that head over to Universal Studios.
From reviews that I have read online I hear that you can do Universal Studios in half a day or so and you could spend days at Islands of Adventures because of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. So I figure get the Harry Potter stuff done on Friday, head over to Universal Studios on Friday afternoon, and then spend all day Saturday at Islands of Adventures & the WWOHP again.
To say I am excited is an understatement. A weekend away is just what I need and I pray the weather stays warm like it currently is right now in Orlando. A sunny 79!
It's also tradition for us to try our favorite restaurant in every city because the atmosphere and ambience is completely different in each, so I have reserved The Melting Pot in Orlando for Friday night. Yum! We're also Fondue Club Members and because it's our anniversary we get chocolate covered strawberries at no charge, which is like a dollop of chocolate frosting on top of the cake.
The rest of the time we will eat at the parks to utilize the time we have there.
So my question to you all is. If you have ever been to either of these parks, what is a must do/see? Please keep in mind we are really only going to be there for two days, so we're strictly doing Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.
Thanks for the advice!
For Universal, you have to do at least 1 classic ride: Like Jaws or Back to the Future. I mean, they're the history of the park. They're a little less fancy, since they've been around forever, but still great.
ReplyDeleteIslands of Adventure truly has everything. I like the superhero themed rides, they tend to be more exciting.
I haven't been in probably 5 years, so I don't know that much about the new rides, but we used to go all of the time when I was younger. I hope that helps! Haha.
Universal is awesome!! But just know it's not DIsney - like Jessa said, it's pretty old. BUT the cool thing about it is the Harry Potter world. It's amazing! They even make standing in like decent! By the way - make sure you get the FROZEN butter beer.
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