Is there anybody in the world, adult or child, who hasn’t pondered the thought of jetting off to Florida someday to make their Disney dreams come true? Our most recent trip to the ‘Sunshine State’ was actually mine and my husband’s fifth time. Yet it was still every bit as magical as ever and it still gave us that once in a lifetime dream holiday feel.
On the 11th of April we began our 12-night trip by enjoying fabulous service aboard the exceptionally affordable Air Lingus direct flight from Manchester to Orlando. With it being a relatively new route, holidaymakers can still enjoy great flights at cheaper rates than with other, more established transatlantic airlines.
After arriving we took a $20 Uber cab ride from the airport to our first destination, the incredible Universal Studios Florida. We stayed at the Hilton, which as you’d expect is an absolutely outstanding hotel that offers an unparalleled five-star guest experience. With it being a ten-minute walk from there to Universal Studios, the hotel not only gave us amazing views and wonderful meals, but it also made it very convenient to get to and from the theme park. And speaking of views, we were over the moon when we got the opportunity to watch a Space X rocket being launched from the Kennedy Space Centre from our hotel window!
We only stayed near Universal Studios for two-nights, so we made sure that we crammed in as much fun at the Islands of Adventure as we could. All of the rides and attractions were as awesome as ever, but I especially enjoyed the brand new VelociCoaster. This dinosaur themed rollercoaster is described as ‘the apex predator of rollercoasters’ for good reason. It’s super fast, super high and super scary (in a good way). If you’re heading to Universal then there’s no way you can miss out on that ride. Likewise, I’d highly recommend having at least one dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant. The seafood there was to die for, and fans of Forest Gump will definitely appreciate the venue’s film theme.
When our brief stint at Universal Studios came to a close it was time for another Uber ride over to the breathtakingly magical Walt Disney World. The Disney World resort is comprised of six parks in total, but this one has long been our personal favourite. As usual, we stayed at the amazing All-Star Movies Resort. This time around we ended up in the Herbie The Love Bug Hotel, where all the décor was based on the film about the iconic sentient 1963 Volkswagen Beatle. The resort offered two dining options: grab and go or a more formal sit-down meal service. We opted for the cheaper and less time-consuming take-out meal package but the food was still exceptionally good.
It was impossible for us to experience everything Disneyworld has to offer in such a short time, but we did our very best to see and do as much as possible during our holiday. For the first few days we tried out all the new rides at The Magic Kingdom that we hadn’t been on before – including the Tron rollercoaster which was brilliant. With the kids being back at school after Spring Break, waiting times were thankfully relatively low. If you’ve got the option of going there during term time, then I’d definitely suggest doing so.
Likewise, the waterpark was less busy than usual. Nothing beats a day of splashing around under that hot Florida sun. We spent a day at the Typhoon Lagoon, perhaps the best waterpark in the world. I remember having so much fun on the water slides that I lost track of time, and it was sadly over before I knew it. When I got back to the hotel that day I was lucky enough to have a chance encounter with Andy, one of Disney’s leading sketch artists who has worked on some of the company’s most famous animated movies. I managed to get my hands on a signed sketch of Daisy and Donald Duck to take home with me that I’ll treasure forever.
Another of the main highlights of this trip for me personally was eating at the Garden Grill restaurant. The food was incredible and during the meal we were joined at the table by Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and a range of other big name Disney characters. It was so nice to get a cuddle from each of them! While my husband secretly loved that evening just as much as me, he also really enjoyed our night out at Oga’s Cantina, a superb Star Wars themed cocktail bar where guests get to hang out with storm troopers and enjoy music provided by the robot DJ.
We had an equally exceptional dining experience when we visited Epcot – the theme park that offers visitors an ultra-realistic round the world tour, with attractions featuring authentic decor and entertainment from various nations. Every staff member who works in each of the sections is from that country, making it easy to forget that you’re not actually in Mexico, Japan, China, Germany, France and so on. After a lot of dithering, we decided upon an out of this world Japanese teppanyaki dinner. The Japanese chefs cooked all the amazing dishes right in front of us on tableside hotplates. I can’t put into words how delicious the food and the overall experience was.
There were so many magical moments during our Universal and Disney holiday. I could spend the rest of the year writing about that one trip there – let alone my previous four. I’ll leave it there for now but with a parting recommendation: get your future Florida trips booked in early! It pays to book your flights and your stay at Universal Studios and The Walt Disney World Resorts well in advance. Here at One World Travel we can not only help you to get the flights and accommodation sorted out, but we can also pre-book all your theme park tickets, which will save you a tonne of cash compared to paying at the door when you arrive!
