Last weekend, three of my girlfriends from Texas met me in Orlando, FL for a girl’s trip! We had always talked about going to Disney World together, and one of them started working for a company that got us free tickets to Universal Studios (such a boss lady!) so we decided to make it a full weekend of theme park fun!
I had been to Disney World many times before when I was a kid because we lived in Tampa. My family got a year-round pass so we went a whole lot, but I hadn’t been back in over 10 years. I also had maybe gone to Universal Studios once when I was a kid, but I wouldn’t even count it because I was afraid of roller coasters so I didn’t go on many rides. Now, coming back as a 28-year-old, it’s like I was seeing the parks with new eyes and I can definitely say with confidence that they are not just for kids.
So, I’m writing this in the Orlando airport with a fresh take on my weekend and I want to share my recommendations on where to stay and how to make your time spent in Disney and Universal Studios the most worthwhile!
Disney World: The Magic Kingdom
We only had one day for Disney, so we had much deliberation on which park to visit. There’s The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot, and they all have awesome rides and cool things to see. I’ve been to all of them (when I was a kid like I said) so I was able to offer a little insight when we were choosing our park, and we ultimately decided on The Magic Kingdom because it’s the most classic and one girl in our group had never been before. I’ll start with my full guide on The Magic Kingdom, but I’ll also list the top attractions at each park.
-Best Coasters (try them all!): If you’re looking for the most thrilling rides, I’d check out Space Mountain, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain. As far as “Roller Coasters” go, they’re the most exciting, but they will definitely have the longest lines. Splash Mountain is an adorable classic ride with one big drop, so I wouldn’t call it a coaster, but it’s up there as far as thrill. Also, be prepared to get a little wet.
-Classic Favorites (choose 2-3): My favorite classic ride is The Haunted Mansion because I love all things spoooooky, but don’t wait if you’re hoping for a real scare. Going on this ride is definitely more about experiencing the charm of one of the classic rides at Disney (it opened in 1971). Other slow classic staples include Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mad Tea Party (the spinning teacups), Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, and The Hall of Presidents.
-New Attractions (choose 1): Like I said, I hadn’t been back to Disney for many years, but I was still surprised at how many new rides they had! We loved the new Little Mermaid ride, Under the Sea~Journey of the Little Mermaid! You could see a big difference in the animatronics and it had a lot of cute and interesting elements. We also really enjoyed the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor! It was an interactive show that was set up like a comedy club with the goal of filling the canister of laughs to power Monstropolis.
Insider Tips:
#1 Download the Disney World My Experience App: This app is the BOMB! It shows up-to-date wait times for every attraction in the park, it’s where you make every meal reservation (they won’t let you do it at the restaurant as a walk-up), and it’s where you see your FastPass rides and time slots (see tip #2). You can also order food for mobile pick-up at a variety of food stations, which definitely comes in handy when the lines start to get long.
#2 Get a FastPass: Y’all, FastPasses have really changed since I was a kid! Now you buy them ahead of time for 3 rides a day and they’re only good for one hour slots. I obviously suggest getting them for the rides with the longest lines, but if you change your mind on your ride selection, you’re able to change them to another ride at one of the many kiosks around the park. It was 100% worth the extra money to get a FastPass! The lines of the popular rides range from 45 minutes to 2 hours, and especially at the end of the night when you’re tired you don’t want to be waiting for 2 hours with aching feet.
#3 Make a reservation at the Be Our Guest Restaurant as early as possible: This restaurant, which resides inside the Beast’s enchanted castle, looked absolutely magical and we were a little bummed when we found out all the reservations were booked. HOWEVER my insider’s tip is that while it seems closed off to reservation-holders only, if you ask they will have a guide come give you a personal tour of the ballroom and West Wing, and you can even meet the Beast himself and take a photo!
#4 Get a good viewing spot for the 2pm parade OR the 9pm firework show. You might think you’re too old for parades but y’all we loved them and only caught the ends of them in not great spots because we thought going on rides during the parade/shows would decrease the wait time on some of the big rides (wrong!). We were sad we didn’t see more of at least one them, so I recommend choosing one to go all-in for, and mark your spot for viewing at least 30 minutes before the start time. If you choose to watch the fireworks finale show, it’s worth it to find a spot with a front view of the castle (we watched from the side and it was fun but not the best it could have been).
#5 Have your Uber drop you off AND pick you up at the Transportation and Ticket Center: We heard this tip from 2 Uber drivers! Apparently, the traffic lines get crazy busy if you go through the main entrance and it’s much easier for you and the drivers if you go to this spot. We were dropped off right in front of the entrance for the Monorail, and when we got picked up it only took 5 minutes. Also, be sure you don’t call your Uber to pick you up until after you’ve made it to the spot. If you call it from inside the park or on the monorail the drivers will usually decline you.
#6 End on a high note: If you can, save a FastPass for the ride you’re most excited for until the end of the night. Being able to breeze through a line and end your day on a fun ride is a great way to complete your trip.
Top attractions at the other Disney Parks:
-Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage, Dinosaur, Expedition Everest, and Kali River Rapids.
-Hollywood Studios: Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, also where Toy Story Land is found.
-Epcot: Mission Space, Test Track, Frozen Ever After, plus, you can drink around the world!
Universal Studios:
Our day at Universal was definitely more easy-breezy than Disney. We went on a Friday (Disney was on a Saturday) so there were less kids and shorter lines than we were expecting, and we didn’t even have to buy any Express Passes. At one time in the middle of the day, the Hulk roller coaster was only a 10-minute wait! It was a very different experience than Disney in that regard. Here’s my recommendations on how to make this most of this park:
-Best Coasters (Try them all!): The coasters at Universal are serious, and they include The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Rip Ride Rockit, Flight of the Hippogriff, Revenge of the Mummy, and Doctor Doom’s Fearfall. I was even too scared to try the Rip Ride Rockit the first time, but ended up trying it at the end of the night and loved it. The Incredible Hulk is also awesome! The Flight of the Hippogriff is much more tame and good for the younger coaster riders, but still fun and worth it as long as the line is less than 30 minutes.
-Must-Ride 3D and 4D attractions (Try 3-4): There is definitely a theme in the majority of the rides at Universal, and that was the use of 3D and 4D elements. These rides have huge screens that totally surround you, giving you the feeling of death-defying drops and the illusion of interacting with the characters in the ride. Our favorites were Escape from Gringotts in Harry Potter World, Transformers: The Ride 3D, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, and the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, but there are a few more as well. Even though they’re all fun in different ways, you don’t need to try them all if you don’t have time because they’re pretty similar as far as effects. After 3 or 4 of them, you get the gist. Skull Island has the most unique setup, and Escape From Gringotts (being so new) was the most impressive!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter:
A category all on its own because it was so amazing! It is split up into two areas (Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade) but don’t worry, you can take a short walk to the other one or I recommend you hop on the Hogwarts Express! I was delighted to find that it was a mini-ride all on its own, where you sit in your own cubby and experience scenes from the movies. Here’s what you’ll find in each area:
-Diagon Alley: This is where you’ll find the giant dragon on top of Gringots, which of course is where the Escape from Gringots ride is located. In the alley, there are tons of fun things to experience. See a wand choose a wizard at Ollivanders, eat at The Leaky Cauldron, and grab a Butterbeer. Also, just outside the entrance you can see the Knight Bus and chat with Dre Head.
-Hogsmeade: Here’s where Hogwarts is located! You can walk through the town and eat at the Three Broomsticks, see Hagrid’s cabin when you ride the Flight of the Hippogrith coaster, and of course go inside Hogwarts and ride the Forbidden Journey in Hogsmeade 4D ride. You can also rent an interactive wand and cast spells!
Insider Tips:
#1 Go to the Parade: I know, I know, I didn’t think I would be writing this but the parade was so much fun!! We posted up with a to-go beer from the Irish Pub (see tip #2) and watched the tail-end of the short parade and loved it! We mainly got to see the Spongebob show and it was so much fun!! It’s short and sweet and worth the time.
#2 Grab a drink at the Irish Pub: Not only do they serve beer and wine at Universal, they also have full bars! We waited to start drinking until the end of the day (smart move) and even ordered shots! They also had live music which we enjoyed so much. It was a nice place to take a break after being on our feet all day.
#3 Check out the Universal CityWalk: After the park ended at 7pm, we weren’t ready to call it a night! If you take the escalator up to the City Walk instead of continuing to the exit, you’ll find an array of night clubs, shopping, and restaurants. We decided to stop at CityWalk’s Rising Star karaoke bar and it was the best decision ever!! This place was amazing!! They have a list of songs to choose from and you get up and sing with an entire live bad, back-up singers, and light and smoke shows! It was like no other karaoke bar I’d even been to and it made us all feel like superstars.
#4 Get there at 9am and stay till late: We arrived right when the doors opened and went straight for Harry Potter World to hop on the first ride and the wait was only 20 minutes when the rest of the day it was 60 minutes or more. Then, later in the evening, the line for the Rip Ride Rockit was only 10 minutes and we rode it two times in a row to end the night. We really got a full day out of the park and it was so much fun.
#5 BYOW (Bring your own water) and bring a small bag: They allow full water bottles in the park if they’re sealed, so bring one with you and fill it up at the filling stations instead of buying expensive water bottles in the park. They also don’t have size restrictions on bags and you can rent free lockers for every ride, so each of us would share a locker and it fit all 4 of our purses.
Where to Stay:
–Wyndham Orlando Resort: International Drive: At our age, we were not about to fork over the fortune it would have costed to stay at one of the Disney Resorts just for the experience of seeing characters walking around or having Disney shops in the lobby. I can see how it would be worth it for a family with kids, but not a twenty-something. Instead, we opted for a much more practical approach that offered everything we needed. The Wyndham Orlando Resort: International Drive was the perfect place for us to stay!
-The Room: The 4 of us shared a double room and it was the perfect amount of space. The beds were so cozy and everything was perfectly clean! We also had a great view of the pool area and a small balcony, which was nice.
-The Location: The Wyndham Orlando Resort: International Drive is located 25 minutes from the airport, 20 minutes from Universal Studios, and 30 minutes from The Magic Kingdom. It was an easy spot for Uber drivers to find us and pick us up, too, which is always a plus. It also wasn’t a resort flooded with kids, so we weren’t competing with huge crowds for rides!
-The Perks: They have a full buffet breakfast ($16 per person) or you can stop by the Starbucks located in the lobby and grab a coffee or muffin to-go on your way to the parks. You can chill in one of their comfy chairs in the lobby area while you wait for your ride. Also, would the weather have permitted, we would have loved to take advantage of the pool, it looked awesome!
I definitely recommend checking them out when you come stay in Orlando. The price point was exactly what we were looking for and the location made our entire trip so much easier and stress-free than it could have been. If you’re planning to visit sometime soon, click this link for a special rate for a night’s stay!
Thanks for reading, y’all! I hope you’ll find this guide helpful for your next trip to Orlando!
Pin me:
