Category Archives: Universal Studios

Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure

Sometimes my clients say to me, “We’ve done Disney. We want to do something different. How about Universal?” That’s exactly what I said not long ago, when we wanted to go somewhere for my son’s birthday. We enjoyed one day in both parks. Being Disney lovers, we made most of our observations in the form of comparisons against WDW, so some of what I’m going to tell you is a view through that lens.

Universal has the big, scary, intense rides like the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and the Incredible Hulk coaster. Those are too much for me, so I said no thank you to those. But if you like the more intense coasters, Universal is your spot. Without those, there are still some great coasters that are more geared to wimps like me: Flight of the Hippogriff (delightful), Revenge of the Mummy (awesome), and Harry Potter’s Escape from Gringotts. I just don’t do the upside down rides or the ones that drop you thirty stories.

Universal and Islands of Adventure are connected by the Harry Potter train, which is a fun experience. If you purchase the pass that allows you to go into both parks, there’s no reason you can’t tackle both parks in one day happily. Many of the rides are motion simulators, which honestly make me a little sick. If you space them out carefully and choose the ones you’d really like to do, you can avoid motion sickness. The most nausea-inducing one we did was the The Simpsons ride. I just had to close my eyes to avoid hurling. Another trick is to look up at the mechanism moving your vehicle and keep in mind that you are really just in a seat that’s being moved. But for the love of all things Bart, just don’t look at the screen, if you feel sick.  If your equilibrium is not bothered by these rides, then more power to you!

Another ride I really enjoyed was the Jurassic Park River Adventure. A word of advice: wear a poncho, because you will get wet! The big drop is super fun, but it will catch you by surprise.

Unless you’re there in a very slow season, I do recommend getting the Express Line passes if you’re trying to do both parks in one day. But the appeal of all the rides is so very broad that it’s unlikely you would want to do absolutely everything. If you paid the same amount for one day of Disney with a Hopper pass, you’d never be able to do all four parks in one day. But with Universal, it can definitely be done.

Lest you should think it’s all big coasters for older kids and adults, there are sections like Seuss Landing that appeal to the little ones in your family, too. And let’s face it, do you ever really age out of Dr. Seuss? It’s wonderful just to walk through there and imagine you’re in one of his books.

There’s much more to Universal, so don’t hesitate to contact Azalea Travel to help you plan your Universal vacation!

Cabana Bay Beach Resort – an Orlando favorite

20161202_163730

Whether you are visiting Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and the new Volcano Bay water park opening in 2017 or not, the Cabana Bay Beach Resort is a fantastic place to park yourself when in Orlando. As an official Universal hotel that is connected to the parks via shuttle bus service, it certainly has a lot to offer if those attractions are your destination. Aside from that, the 1950s and 1960s decor is so much fun, you might just find yourself wishing we were still living in that era. When you call guest services for things like extra towels, the person on the phone will tell you to “have a swell day” before you hang up. They are all in when it comes to the theme, and I love it!

20161202_155643

On the day my family and I checked in, everything was decked out for Christmas, which made it even more spectacular. The teals, oranges, blues, and crisp whites in the color scheme had me thinking I had just gotten out of one of those classic cars parked out front and left my gigantic hard suitcases in the back seat.

20161203_083309

This lobby is actually one where you might spot a few Universal characters. We saw Scooby Doo wandering through when we first arrived. A few minutes later, we had the most delightful visit with Lucille Ball, who gave my son an extra “free piece of cake” coupon since it was his birthday. The employees and characters go the extra mile and make the place truly special – even down to the folks at the cash register in the gift shop.

20161202_184352

20161202_195518

There are several dining choices at the resort, but we tried Bayliner Diner, which is similar to a food court in that you have many choices, and Galaxy Bowl, because my son had become obsessed with the cosmic bowling on the first night, so we elected to just let him bowl while we ate there on the second night.  There is also a Starbucks, Swizzle Lounge for procuring your adult beverages, and the Hideaway Cafe near the lazy river.

20161202_175136

What a beautiful Florida night this was (see picture above).

We were upgraded to a suite in the Starlight building, which was quite pleasant and welcome, considering I had just booked a standard room with 2 queen beds. We had a small living room, a tall kitchen counter with stools where we could eat, and a small kitchenette with fridge, sink, microwave and Keurig (because let’s face it, some modern conveniences are “the most”). There was a sliding door separating all of that from the bedroom, where we had 2 queen beds and a closet area. The sink and mirror were in the same room, but the toilet had its own room to the left, and the shower plus another sink had their own room to the right. Fantastic set-up with 2 televisions. The rooms do mostly have outer entry, like an old-style motel, but some have interior entry if you prefer that.

20161202_170550

20161202_170518

20161202_172716

20161202_170529

There was more to Cabana Bay Beach Resort that we didn’t even have time to explore, since we were there to enjoy the Universal Parks, too. Speaking of which, there are regular shuttles that run back and forth to the parks and City Walk every 10 to 15 minutes from 7am to 2am. You also get into the parks an hour earlier than the general population, since you are staying at one of Universal’s hotels. This also means you have some dining plan options at your hotel, if you are on the Universal meal plan.

This was such a fun place to stay. I think we would stay there again even if we were not going to the Universal parks, but just visiting Orlando for other reasons.

To book your stay at Cabana Bay, contact Azalea Travel, a proud member of ASTA and CLIA.