Universal Orlando Resort is THE premier vacation destination for families! It boasts 5 on-site hotels, three parks (including the recently opened water park Volcano Bay) and the bustling entertainment center Citywalk, which consists of a variety of restaurants, shops, miniature golf, night clubs and even a movie theater. Universal has something for everyone! This past weekend my family was invited to join 30 other Macaroni Kid publishers and their families to explore Universal firsthand. What we found was a destination that was perfect for my entire family, including my 3-year-old daughter Abbey, my 9-year-old son Peyton and my husband Keith. Both kids and parents are guaranteed to love it!
Univeral's Cabana Bay Beach Resort
* Why the kids will love it: Cabana Bay is so much fun - the lobby is big and bright and seeing various characters walking around is not unusual. Betty Boop was there during our check-in and my kids loved to visit with her. Once we were all checked in, it was off to one of the most important parts of the hotel - the pool! Cabana Bay has not one, but two huge swimming pools (open from 8AM to 11PM daily) plus a lazy river. Abbey enjoyed the kid's play area with water shooters and fountains while Peyton went down the water slide about 100 times. Besides swimming, there are a lot of other activities to enjoy at the resort, including a 10-lane bowling alley, an arcade, fire pits perfect for s'more making and nightly outdoor movies that the whole family can enjoy.
* Why the adults will love it: My husband and I adored this hotel with its vintage designs that takes you back to the 50's beach era. I loved the attention to detail, from the classic cars parked outside to the old time TV shows playing at the Bayliner Diner to even the toiletries and retro alarm clock. My family of 4 was comfortable in the standard room which comes with 2 queen beds, but larger families or families staying for a longer duration may opt for the family suite which can accommodate up to six guests and includes a kitchenette, two flat screen TVs, a sliding partition to the bedrooms for privacy and an extra-large bathroom area. The resort is moderately priced with nightly rates starting in the low $100s. Another major perk of staying at this resort is the early park admission one hour before the park opens to the public. Take the complimentary shuttle bus (which was a highlight for Abbey every single time!) or water taxi to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Citywalk, while Volcano Bay is just a short walk away! We spent a lot of time at the pools and never had a problem finding a chair or umbrella as there were plenty of them to go around. There are even cabanas available for rent. Dinners were easy too thanks to the on-site Bayliner Diner featuring a five station food court and various grab and go items.
Universal's Volcano Bay
* Why the kids will love it: If you have driven down I-4 in Orlando lately you can't help but notice a HUGE volcano towering 200 feet above the ground with streaming waterfalls during the day and fiery lava at night. And what kid doesn't want to explore a huge volcano?!!? I was worried before we went that there would not be much for Abbey to do here (or at any of the parks really) and I could not have been more wrong! While she was not tall enough to go on any of the larger rides, there was still so much for her to do! We spent a majority of time at the kid's area - Tot Riki Reef and Runamukka Reef - which is a play area for children 48" and under. Age-appropriate water slides, jungle gyms, water sprayers and more kept Abbey happily occupied for hours on end!
When we could finally drag her away from the kid's area, another favorite spot for both kids was the Kopiko Wai Winding River, known to some as a "lazy river". Grab a tube and ride the current through beautiful scenery including darkened caves with "stars" shining above you. You may want to grab a complimentary life jacket as the water moves you along pretty fast - they are available in all sizes.
We could enjoy the bigger rides with Peyton, and I really loved that many of the rides could accommodate our entire family at once - many of the rafts fit 5 to 6 people at a time. One of my favorite rides was the Krakatau Aqua Coaster, which is - you guessed it - a cross between a roller coaster but in the water. It was a lot of fun and like nothing I have ever been on before! The Punga races, which is 4 lanes of single ride mat sliders, was also fun for my competitive boys to see who could reach the bottom first. So, whether you are looking for thrill rides or chill rides, there is something for you at Volcano Bay! If you are feeling especially brave, I heard that the Ko'okiri Body Plunge is a huge adrenaline rush - you stand on a drop door that opens and you plunge 125 feet straight down from the top of the volcano. Yeah, I didn't make it on that one but let me know what you think! Playing in the wave pool at the base of the Krakatau volcano is a good spot to wind down after riding the water slides. Both kids also enjoyed building sandcastles on the beach while my husband and I lounged on the chairs under an umbrella and enjoyed a fruity drink. Which leads me to....
* Why the adults will love it: Any parent with kids knows that waiting in long lines is no fun. Universal's solution to this is the TapuTapu, which is a new water-resistant watch that you use to "tap into' a ride which saves your space in a virtual line. So instead of standing in line, you get to explore the rest of the park and then return to the ride when it is your turn! But this device is so much more than just skipping lines. You can also take advantage of exclusive photo opportunities around the park, unlock special interactive features such as activating water windmills and sprayers, get locker access and even hook up your credit card to it so you don't have to carry cash or your credit card to the park. Genius! Unfortunately, you do not get to keep these neat little gadgets - they are collected when you leave. So, did we have to wait in line with these? Once the park got busy, yes. But it does save you some time and we definitely did not have to wait as long as we would have waited if it were not for the TapuTapus. Another big bonus of this park is not having to carry your rafts and tubes around the park thanks to the conveyor belt system that brings the tubes up to the rides.
As with Cabana Bay, there were plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas for everyone and the complimentary life jackets were great as well. Don't forget your towel and sunscreen! Volcano Bay was an amazing park, and I will for sure be planning a return trip soon! Below are just some of the pictures of the amazing rides!
Universal's Islands of Adventure
* Why the kids will love it: Smaller kids will absolutely LOVE Dr. Seuss Landing! Walking into this part of the park is like walking right into the pages of Dr. Seuss's books ~ bright colors, Seusical-inspired music and not a straight line to be seen! Enjoy rides, attractions, live shows and dining that bring Dr. Seuss stories to life. Rides include the Caro-Seuss-el, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish (a Dumbo-inspired ride that if you are not careful on you may get wet!), a twisty ride on The Cat in the Hat and the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Ride. One of Abbey's favorite spots was the If I ran the Zoo area which has a toddler play spot consisting of mazes, caves to crawl through, slides to slide and lots of hands-on activities. There are also some water areas here so don't forget your swimsuit!
* Why the adults (and older kids) will love it: Six words - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. AMAZING! Seriously, this area could be a park in itself! There is so much to see and do. Explore Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure - tour Hogwarts castle, fly with Harry, ride on a dragon, experience the magic of Ollivanders or brave one of the many rides, including the thrill ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the dueling roller coasters of the Dragon Challenge and the training flight on the Flight of the Hippogriff. Ride the iconic Hogwarts Express, which features a tour through the British countryside complete with characters from the Harry Potter series and encounters with magical creatures, to Diagon Alley at Universal Studios and the fun continues! Experience incredible shops with windows full of magical surprises, authentic dining experiences (Butterbeer anyone?), live performances and the 3-D thrill ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts which is housed in the Gringotts bank, atop of which sits a 60-foot, fire-breathing dragon.
* Why the kids will love it: Got smaller kids? Head over to the Woody Woodpecker Kid Zone. There you will find Fievel's Playground with tubes, slides, a giant spider web and a water slide all for the little ones. Close by is A Day in the Park with Barney where kids can sing and clap along to a musical show staring Barney and his friend Baby Bop and BJ. Also be sure to catch the adorable live show featuring animal actors that the whole family will enjoy. There is even audience participation. We saved the Curious George Goes to Town water play area for the peak of the afternoon so we could cool down in the water, plus the Yellow Hat's Ball Factory is a fun indoor (air-conditioned!) playhouse where kids can throw, blast and launch thousands of foam balls. If your little one is feeling brave, the E.T. Adventure ride is child friendly with a minimum height of 34 inches.
Another fun family ride is the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Join Gru, his daughters and the mischievous minions on a hilarious 3-D ride following by an interactive, Minion-inspired dance party. Feeling a little bit braver? Then hit the Revenge of the Mummy ride - but be forewarned that you are not only battling swarms of insects, warrior mummies and even fire on this thrill ride, but high speeds, steep declines and darkness. If you love an adrenaline rush, this one is for you!
* Why adults will love it: If you are a Tonight Show fan, I have great news for you! The Race through New York with Jimmy Fallon attraction is now open! Experience the history of the Tonight Show while standing in line and enjoy snippets from past shows. I have to admit I was almost sad when it was our turn to get on the ride because I was enjoying watching the TV segments so much! Put on your 3-D glasses and join Jimmy Fallon and other favorite characters from The Tonight Show and race through New York (which I have never been to before, so it was pretty neat to see). It's also pretty fun to "ride the movies" and my husband turned right back into a big kid on rides like Men in Black Alien Attack, Springfield: Home of the Simpsons, Terminator 2: 3-D and Shrek 4-D. Plus, we saw coming soon signs for Fast & The Furious: Supercharged...coming Spring of 2018! We will definitely have to make a trip back for that.
Universal Citywalk
Why the kids love it: Citywalk is so much fun to walk through because there is so much to see and do here! Kids will love the Hollywood Drive in Golf miniature course and the AMC Universal Cineplex 20 with IMAX theater. There are so many fun restaurants including one of our favorites, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, the Hot Dog Hall of Fame and the recently opened Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen (doesn't that just sound AMAZING?!?)
Why adults love it: I'm going to take a moment here and take a walk down memory lane. When my husband and I started dating (oh so many years ago!), I lived in Orlando. We often visited Citywalk for its nighttime entertainment and Pat O'Briens was one of our favorite spots to go! Their hurricane drinks are world famous, and we spent many hours singing along at the piano bar - what great memories we have here! There are a number of clubs to frequent at Citywalk including Bob Marley: A Tribute to Freedom, the Red Coconut Club and another one of our favorite places to dance, The Groove. If you are not into the club scene you can also see a concert most nights at the Hard Rock Live Orlando or catch a hilarious show featuring the Blue Man Group.
1. Get Express tickets! Yes, I know that is an additional price, but it is So. Worth. It. The lines can be long and waiting in line all day in the hot sun is not fun for anyone. We had express tickets for Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure and the longest I think we waited in line was 15 minutes. We got to go on all of the rides and some of them more than once. So, again...So. Worth It.!!!!
2. Get Park hopper tickets!
3. Get a (waterproof) lanyard to hold your tickets, especially if you have express tickets as you will have to show them at the beginning of each ride. This is easier than digging for them in your pocket or bag each time.
4. Take advantage of the early park access. If you stay at an on-site resort, you get early admission before regular crowds are let in. DO THIS.
5. When you get to a park, head towards the back. Most people go on the first ride they see. If you head towards the back, you'll have some time to enjoy the rides before everyone else makes their way back there.
7. If you are staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort (and why wouldn't you?!) bring your own tubes for the lazy river and s'more fixings for the fire pit.
