We started our Substack publication in the midst of some of the worst days of the pandemic with the hope that reflecting and dreaming of traveling would help us all get through the tough times until we could actually travel again. Thankfully, we did get to that point and it was awesome! To be out on the road again and to see so many of you going to new and old places was true joy!
Now, it’s December 2021, almost exactly a year later, and it’s starting to look like we could be in a similar situation again. As we reflect on our most recent adventures in Florida to end the year, here’s to dreaming that 2022 will be a year of good health, healing, and the discovery of new destinations for all of us. Let’s work to make 2022 the year we all finally put the virus in our rearview mirror and live out South Carolina’s beautiful and simple state motto…”While I Breathe, I Hope.” Here’s to breathing, hope, and new travel adventures.
After going to Universal Studios twice and trying to do both parks (Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure) in one day with Unlimited Express Passes, we finally slowed down and got it right on our 3rd attempt! This time we did several things which led to the most amazing visit yet. We were able to ride everything in both parks once without waiting for any rides! The only wait we had was our second ride of the day on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure for which we waited 60 minutes. On our previous visits to Universal, Hagrid’s wait times fluctuated between 2 and 4 hours; so, after riding it with no wait time the first time on this trip, we were totally fine with waiting an hour for a second ride. It is worth the wait!
So, what did we do different this time?
First, we took two days to do the parks instead of trying to knock them both out in one day.
Second, we finally got reservations at the Universal Resort Hotel-Portofino Bay. This is a beautiful property where your room price (yep, it’s up there!) gets you Unlimited Express Passes (your room keys are utilized as the passes in order to skip the lines) AND you get into the park an hour early!
My friends, with the Unlimited Express Passes and the hour early entry, you can ride almost everything you want in the first 3 hours of the day with no waits including the new Jurassic World VelociCoaster and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
Additionally, staying at the Portofino Bay Resort includes a lovely boat ride to the parks for free starting at 7 a.m. and going until 1:00 a.m. We accomplished so much in the morning we were able to come back to the hotel in the afternoon, take a nap, then return to the park later for more rides!
Finally, the Portofino Bay Resort has wonderful restaurants where you can sit outside and enjoy the weather and good food. Returning from walking almost 10 miles each day to a lovely Italian dinner outside by the water, all I can say is…La Vita e Bella! Life is beautiful!
So, here are our best experiences at Universal starting with Universal Studios Florida. Next week, we will do Universal’s Islands of Adventure. We hope you enjoy them!
Chris
I love old scary movies. The Mummy, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dracula…I watch them every Halloween over and over again. They never get old for me. Many times I find myself rooting for the creatures, feeling like if they could just find someone to love or someone with a little more patience, they wouldn’t have to resort to their worst tendencies!
At Universal Studios Florida, the Monster’s Cafe (and one of the gift shops) bring these old monsters back to life! We didn’t even have to eat at the Monster’s Cafe to enjoy hanging out with our old friends. We just walked through the restaurant bothering everyone that was eating there. Yes, I know it’s crazy that with the cool Harry Potter ride and Jurassic Park and Transformers and the Simpsons, my favorite part of the park is still looking at the old monster movie film memorabilia in a cafe near the entrance; but, the emotional nostalgia I get outweighs the thrills at this point in my life at age 50.
Seeing a life size mold of the Creature from the Black Lagoon (you can buy it for just $25,000) and staring face to face into the eyes of the Bride of Frankenstein made me feel like I was a part of these movies and because I have watched them so many times they are certainly a part of me.
Michelle
Universal Studios Florida is a celebration of the fictional worlds created in movies and books. For anyone who watches movies and wishes they could be transported into the screen, Universal will take you there.
So many of the rides utilize live action and 3 D projection sending riders into an unfolding story. One of the best is Escape from Gringotts in Diagon Alley. As soon as we entered the queue, we left the Florida sunshine behind for London and into the bank of choice for wizards and witches. The goblins were hard at work inside the bank as we passed through and wound our way through the bank deeper into the vaults. Elaborate sets and props leading us to the ride continued to erase the outside world replacing it with the world of Harry Potter.
The true magicians, of course, are the engineers that make these rides. The technicians and the designers that bring this fictional world to life through screens and sets and tracks. Once I’m seated and launched into Gringotts, I feel like I’m in the pages of a book….. my favorite place to be.
Henry
Universal is my favorite place on earth. Today I will be writing about one of my favorite rides at the park: Rip Ride Rocket. I was lucky enough to ride it 3 times on our most recent visit. My favorite part of that ride is the ability to listen to music while riding. I listened to Can’t Touch This by MC Hammer, Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys, and Break on Through by The Doors.
It was such a great experience dropping 167 feet while having “BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE” blasting in your ears. The actual ride was so fun and intense. I also rode with my brother so that added such a fun aspect to it. I completely recommend this ride.
Emma
A new experience we had at Universal Studios Florida this trip was the Bourne Stuntacular, a modern stunt show, which opened in June 2020. This mesmerizing show blends live theater performances, intricate set design, and crystal clear screens to create a seamless depiction of the hunt for Jason Bourne for audiences of all ages. I had no idea what to expect when we stepped into the massive theater – the stunt shows we had seen before at other parks had all taken place outside with no real advanced technology. This show proved to be almost futuristic in the way it utilized perspective and high-tech screens to show us incredibly believable car chases, skyscrapers, and helicopters with real life actors, explosions, wind, and fire. It was believable for me even with the knowledge that this was the work of intricate choreography and advanced technology; so, to younger kids it must be truly amazing to see. I would definitely recommend it if you want to sit in the air conditioned theater and can handle some loud noises. It was absolutely a highlight of our time at Universal Studios Florida.
Jack
Universal Studios Florida is always a good time for bringing back childhood memories. No experience encapsulates that more for me than the Transformers ride near the front of the park. Close family members will remember the floor of my childhood room constantly being covered in a literal carpet of Transformers toys. I would spend hours battling away, Autobots vs Decepticons vs toy soldiers. Watching my childhood imagination come to life inside the transforming ride vehicle of this awesome Universal invention is thrilling and nostalgic all in one attraction.
In addition to reliving the Transformers experience, going to Bikini Bottom at the SpongeBob Storepants was another throwback to my childhood. I have to give a shout-out to this trip down memory lane gift shop in the back corner of the park; it manages to include more inside jokes from the show’s early years in its endless decorations than I could ever have imagined. I loved its attention to detail and I feel like it is a true dedication to the show’s simple and effective humor I still find so funny to this day.