Walt Disney World 2016 - Part 10 - Day 9

Universal Studios is one of my favourite Non-Disney parks to visit when in Florida. It has some amazing rides, never feels busy and has such a great atmosphere, you can’t go wrong. Disney isn’t really known for it full on loop the loop roller coasters and such, but Universal has a couple to offer that makes my thrill-seeking heart scream sing.

We’ve found the quickest, and cheapest way to get to Universal when staying on Disney property is via an uber if you haven’t got a car. We easily paid less than $30 each way, which between 5 of us was nothing! 

I like to think of us a seasoned park ninjas. We can easily do both Universal Studios and islands of Adventure in one day. One. We always manage to hit all our favourite rides, stop for plenty of food and I swear, I don’t even feel rushed. The Universal parks always seem empty when we go, then again, anything is probably considered empty after dealing with Disney parks for over a week!

Two parks - One Day - 10 Highlights

• Kong - was phenomenal! It’s their newest ride and it was so good we did it twice because there was so much to take in, just one ride wasn’t enough! There’s something going on all around you!
• Potter - Because I could spend just a day bouncing between the Harry Potter parks and be one very happy muggle. 
• Butterbeer - It’s delicious!
• Hogwarts Express - I’d suggest going from Kings Cross (Universal Studios side) to Hogsmeade (Islands of Adventure side) as it’s a much more immersive experience and you even get to go through to Platform 9 3/4s! 
• The Hulk - is probably one of my favourite Florida coasters and they’ve had a bit of a refurb making it a much more intense experience - the metal detectors were an unexpected touch, however! (Always makes me wonder what happened for them to have to install these on the ride entrance!)
• Epic shots  - I’m no photography guru but yes, I made my brother, in his Hulk tee, stand in the midday sun for about 20 minutes, my family huddled in the shade, just to get that shot! Worth it. 
• Shrieks on Shrek - I don’t think Mum is a huge fan of this one, she shrieks every time and I swear that’s the only reason we ride it haha!
• Honeydukes - because coming home with a lifetime supply of Bertie Botts beans and Chocolate Frogs is a must!
• MIB - Granted this one is getting a bit dated now, it’s still so much fun and we all get a bit too competitive! 
• Hogwarts - because being able to walk through the castle always put a lump in my throat. It just gives me all the feels!

Universal is one of those parks I can just keep coming back to. The downside to cramming everything into one day was that we didn’t really get to explore City Walks which has some great shops, bars, and restaurants that I really want to try! And we missed out on the Toothsome Emporium which is a steampunk sweet tooth haven - that I thought was closed during out trip. Epic fail! But all things to go on the to-do list for next time!

What non-Disney parks do you like exploring when in Orlando?

You can find the rest of the Florida trip report series here!

Until next time, 

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