The third and final leg of our epic week-long road trip included a stop in Orlando on our return trip back to NC. Check out the action in our recap video below:
The adventure began when we arrived at our hotel on Tuesday afternoon around 4pm. With a decent amount of Hilton Honors points to burn, I decided to book a brand-new Home2Suites property within walking distance to Universal. Home2Suites is always one of my go-to’s when traveling for work as they tend to be newer and cleaner than most other brands. The fact that they allowed Ellie to stay was all the more better!
After unloading our things quickly into the room, we hustled over to Universal for the last hour of park opening. Since we were planning on purchasing annual passes instead of day tickets, we decided to make the short walk over to Universal (about 1.2 miles). Parking is included with the purchase of an AP, but not until the second visit (go figure). We drove over to the parks the remainder of the trip but for this first time we decided to beat the system by walking over. Take that Comcast/NBC!
This first afternoon was hotter than hell–we were drenched in sweat after the walk over. It was much easier to deal with this time around since we were only planning on a short visit (with dinner at CityWalk to follow), but I cannot imagine a full day in the heat with a mask on your face. Just not feasible without breaking up the day somehow.
Upon purchasing our annual passes, I was sadly told that my comfortable neck gaitor would no longer be an acceptable face covering beginning the following day. That stung a bit, but we sucked it up and scanned our tickets to get in the park. We only had time for a few rides so we headed straight to one of our favorites, Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-It. The line was a quick 10 minute wait including putting away and retrieving our loose articles from a ride locker. The staff was doing a fantastic job of limiting capacity in the locker areas and making sure every rider had a hit of hand sanitizer prior to boarding. It was very comforting to see the necessary protocols being enforced.
Hollywood RRR was great as always but unfortunately we only had time for one more attraction with the park closing at 6pm that day. We decided to make the short walk over to my favorite attraction on the Studios side, Revenge of the Mummy. We were able to get one of the last trains of the day and the ride kicked ass per usual. We actually got stuck on the turntable before the main launch for about 90 seconds. Never have had that happen before so that was a bit interesting.
After our slow walk out of the park, we decided to head to one of our favorite drinking spots in CityWalk, the Porch of Indecision at Margaritaville. We cooled off a bit with our margs then chose to head back to the hotel to find some dinner close-by (and for much cheaper than CityWalk).
After a meal from Chick Fil-A followed by a quick rest at the hotel, I somehow convinced Olivia to accompany me to Fun Spot Amusement Park ten minutes south in Kissimmee. This place was much more crowded than I anticipated, but thankfully the two coasters that I wanted to get on had relatively short (or no) wait times. Not much mask-wearing going on at this park unfortunately, with essentially no enforcement of social distancing from what we saw. We tried our best to stay away from others and be as safe as possible; thankfully the one line we waited in was only five minutes long.
The first coaster was Mine Blower–one that I have ridden before but wanted to give another shot. I ended up enjoying it just as much if not more than my first trip. It is such a wild and out of control ride, but that only adds to the thrill factor. I think it has the perfect amount of roughness for a woodie, albeit one that is only a few years old. Mine Blower is on the shorter side but it definitely packs a punch with the steep drop, sharp turns, and incredible zero-g roll over the station.
The next was a new credit for both of us called Hurricane–a coaster Fun Spot has added within the last year. While definitely nothing special, I was excited to try it out. The ride is actually in a completely separate area from the rest of the park so we had to do a bit of searching to hunt it down, but when we came upon it we were the only ones waiting to ride. The ride operator was actually in charge of four attractions in this separate area (the other three being kiddie flat rides), so we had to wait our turn as their were kids on the carousel he was currently operating. After their ride was over, he walked over to fire up the Hurricane for our private ride. It was a cool experience and the back row did offer a bit of airtime and lateral forces, so I was pleasantly surprised with the little coaster. We finally decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel to get some much needed rest for our next full day.
Wednesday morning started bright and early with a visit to SeaWorld! I was able to use my recently-upgraded premier Busch Gardens pass to get free entry into the park for myself in addition to booking a regular day ticket for Olivia. With the premier pass, they also gave us the added perk of upgraded parking that turned out to be maybe 20 feet from the front gate. How awesome is that?
We were out of the car right at opening at 10am and were met with minimal crowds–always a fantastic sign when visiting an amusement park. After a brief sorting out of our ticket situation we were in the turnstiles and heading for our favorite coaster: Mako. This ride is actually my favorite coaster in the state; it really is a special one for me. Not only is it a world-class coaster, but it was also the first for Olivia and I together, so I will always remember it for that reason. Airtime-filled and butter smooth, this one is always such a blast to ride.
From there, we headed over to the newest attraction in the park and one that I have yet to ride, Infinity Falls. This rapids ride was SeaWorld’s new for 2019 attraction. Olivia is not a huge fan of water at amusement parks, and turns out this ride was no different than any other river rapids as both of us proceeded to get soaked. However, the elevator lift & subsequent splashdown this ride incorporates really sets it apart from others, and I thought it was a great addition to the park lineup. Thankfully, Mako was right next door for another lap for us to cool down and dry off.
After one last lap on Mako we swung by Kraken for a spin on the OG floorless coaster. In addition to being the original floorless model, it was also the very first in SeaWorld’s fantastic collection, opening in the year 2000. Although a bit rougher in spots than the first year she was open, Kraken still holds up as an intense, inversion-filled (sea) monster. Riding in the front is a must for this type of coaster, and the experience on this one was incredible. This beast will always have a soft spot in my heart.
A busted attempt to ride Journey to Atlantis later (down for mechanical issues), we made our way over to the last coaster at the park, Manta. After what turned out to be the longest wait of the day (around 25 minutes), we were assigned the very last row. Per usual on these flying coasters, the pretzel loop was absolutely bonkers and by far the best part of the ride, especially in the back of the train. The flowing wing-over inversions and water interactions towards the end of the ride are also nice elements. Another absolutely fantastic B&M at a park with one of the best lineups around. From there, we made the quick 5 minute walk to our vehicle to head back to the hotel for a lunch break.
We devoured our Firehouse sandwiches and took a much needed rest with our pup at the hotel. Some clouds started to move in during this time and a quick rainstorm ensued. This turned out to be a blessing for our afternoon plans to hit Universal’s water theme park, Volcano Bay.
Since our annual passes blocked us out from arriving before noon, we showed up right after the rain moved through the area around 2pm. The park had cleared out, and all of the attractions were “ride now” with minimal standby waits. What a treat!
Our first visit to VB last year was much more relaxed and we took our time exploring the park (in addition to snoozing in our lounge chairs). Not this afternoon, as we were content to get on as many slides as possible with the non-existent wait times. In total, we got on about six or seven different slides, including the tallest drop slide that Olivia made me do by myself (again!). We also rode our unanimous favorite, the Krakatau water coaster that loops around the interior of the volcano. We finished off the day with a few laps in the fearless river, VB’s take on an intensified lazy river. A great finale to a fun-filled afternoon.
Our Wednesday evening was not terribly eventful save for a return to Margaritaville for a delicious dinner and round of drinks. We enjoyed a bit of shopping at CityWalk but were too full to do much more. We called it an early night and departed for the hotel.
The final day had come, and Olivia and I were not ready to get back in the car to head home. Well, at least I wasn’t, so we decided to make one last trek over to Islands of Adventure to attempt to get a virtual queue for the new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures coaster. Our mission was successful as I was easily able to get a return time for 10am as we were walking though CityWalk. A fantastic start to the last morning!
With the virtual queue in-hand, we decided to take advantage of rope drop and head straight to the Incredible Hulk Coaster. We were lucky enough to snag a front row ride before any of the crowd had made it over. The ride is just as intense and fun as ever; it will always be a classic in my book. From there we decided to head a little closer to Hagrid’s and see what was going on in the Hogsmeade section of the park.
As we had a few minutes to spare for our virtual queue return time, we figured we would see what was going on at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Hogwarts was absolutely empty and it seemed like we were getting a private walk-through of the castle. It was an incredible experience and one that we would certainly wish for on all of our visits. I know its a tough time to visit parks right now but the low crowd levels were definitely a consolation.
As our time slot approached for Hagrid’s, we decided to head over to get in line. With our virtual reservation, the wait ended up being a short five minutes–essentially just walking through the queue. We waited 65 minutes for the ride when it opened this time a year ago–a very welcome change. The ride itself was even better than I remember. Forceful enough to be enjoyed by thrill-ride enthusiasts, but not too crazy where the whole family can’t enjoy. The length of the coaster is also definitely a plus, as it feels like you are traveling through a long and cohesive story. While not my absolute favorite, it is certainly one of the best attractions in all of Florida.
As the end of our trip drew near, I wanted to close it out with one of my favorite attractions at IoA, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls. This is another one of those rides that will always be special to me. Growing up riding it (among the other amazing attractions in Orlando) will always be something that I am grateful for. I will never forget some of those experiences as a child, and I am so happy rides like these are still around and hope they stay for a long time to come. It would be incredible to experience them with my children someday. Unfortunately, Olivia does not feel the same way that I do about water rides, so this was a solo trip for old Walker!
Before exiting the park, we had to hit our favorite snack spot and grab some pretzel nuggets from Auntie Anne’s. This is one of the staples we always get at either Universal or Cedar Fair parks. Nothing better than pretzels with plastic cheese dipping sauce, and a very fitting way to end our short vacation in Central Florida.
The ride back was a bear, but somehow we made it home. It was so worth it for the week of family and adventure that we were lucky enough to experience. Even more special that we were all together in our vehicle and had Ellie along for the ride. It was a amazing road trip and I can’t wait to plan the next one. Until then, stay tuned!
– Walker
Check out some more photos of the second part of our trip below:
Texas-Ranger Travels 