One of my most favorite things to do in this life is to travel. I don't get to do it as often as I would like due to work, money, etc. When my best friend mentioned early in the year that she didn't want to spend her birthday here in Utah, the travel bug hit and we decided to plan a trip. There were so many places we wanted to go, it was hard to narrow it down to one. We decided on somewhere neither of us had been: Orlando Florida. We spent the following months planning and saving to make this trip unforgettable. And unforgettable it was.
We landed in Orlando bright and early in the morning, then caught a shuttle to our hotel. We would be spending our trip at Universal Orlando so we stayed at one of their hotels. The Cabana Bay Beach Resort. I would stay there again if I ever go back to Orlando(which I definitely want to) and recommend it to anyone who wants to go to Orlando and is looking for a hotel.
After checking in(thank goodness our room was ready that early in the morning because we were exhausted after a red eye flight), we went to our room and slept for a few hours. We woke up feeling rejuvenated, so we hopped on the hotel shuttle and went to Universal City Walk to spend some time checking it out. City Walk is this really great area just outside of the theme park. They have shops, restaurants, and a movie theater. Between that, the park, and our hotel, we had everything we needed to keep us entertained and we never left the Universal property in the 5 days we were there.
Here are a few pictures from City Walk.
Our Second day in Orlando, we went to the park. One of the perks of staying at a Universal hotel is that you can enter the park an hour before it opens. That meant we could ride the most popular rides before the lines got crazy(though we did ride a couple of them even with the crazy lines because we loved them so much).
Here are just a few pictures from around the park. These first ones are from the Dr. Seuss Land. It was so colorful and fun.
This Despicable Me ride was a favorite. I was screaming louder than the little kids were on it. It definitely tested my fear of heights. I felt like such a baby. ;)
I have been saving the best part of the trip for last; the real reason we decided to go to Orlando on our vacation: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you know me well, you know that the thing I love most after my family, friends, and the Gospel is Harry Potter so I was not going to turn down an opportunity to see that world I love so much come to life. I felt like a little kid on Christmas walking down the streets of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. I swear I had a perm-smile the entire time, despite the heat, humidity, and tired feet.
Hogsmeade
Hogwarts castle is beautiful! My only complaint is that they don't show you more of the castle. However, the ride inside the castle was hands-down my favorite. I think we rode it 6 times while we were there.
Can't go to Hogwarts without your wand
Frozen butterbeer. Delicious!!!
Diagon Alley
The Knight Bus
Platform 9 3/4
You even get to walk through the platform. Thank you random boy for making this video worth shooting.
#12 Grimmauld Place
After spending two full days in the park, we were ready to do some relaxing. We spent a day at our hotel pool, went and saw Jurassic World(which was so fitting since we were at Universal), did some more exploring at City Walk, and had some down time in our room. It was sad to see the trip come to an end.
Even if you aren't a Harry Potter fan, I highly recommend Universal Orlando for your next vacation. I would go back tomorrow if I had the chance, just for the Wizarding World. The good news is, they are building one in Universal Studios in California so I won't have to travel as far to get there next time. Who wants to go?
