And I am off! Oh my gosh this is really happening!! The adventure has begun with a stop in Orlando, FL. Stayed at the new Dockside Inn & Suites at Universal Studios along with 2 days in the parks. It was my first time at Universal Orlando. Thankfully a friend joined me who has been before, so she was able to show me around.
Day 1 was a late start as we were both tired from traveling the day before. We started with at Island’s of Adventure riding Skull Island: Reign of Kong. As we were headed to the Harry Potter area, we came around a corner, and an employee was waving people into an area. We see a sign for VelociCoaster that says “Opening June 10” below it. Turns out they were doing test rides and a soft opening. We went down the ramp and saw a sign that said 75 minute wait. We both knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to pre-ride, so we decided to wait. The wait was less than an hour actually. I love roller coasters and am an adrenaline junkie. This ride is probably the most INSANE roller coaster I have ever been on!!!! It goes super-fast!! And even speeds up more to launch you into the sky and hurling back down to the ground. There are 360 loops and corkscrews too. You go so fast you can’t even see the velociraptors on the ride. The harness is just a lap bar which, in my opinion, is not enough. When I boarded, I pushed it down and the employee pushed it down further. I start the ride with my hands in the air and quickly put them down, grabbing onto the lap bar for dear life. I was at least an inch or more out of the seat for over half the ride. A few times, I even felt like I was going to slip out of the harness. I even tried pushing the harness down more, but it wouldn’t go any further. If you don’t include clear safety issues, it’s a 10/10!
After that crazy, but very fun ride, we went in search of lunch. We ate at the Three Broomsticks were I also tried my first butter beer (frozen because of the heat). Once done with lunch, we walked around the rest of the park looking at everything. The heat and humidity was getting to us, so we headed back to the hotel. The hotel has a nice lounge in it, so we relaxed there.
Day 2 was quite full. Back to Island’s of Adventure where up first was Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. I lucked out and the 45 minute wait was less than 25. This is probably my favorite ride at Universal. It is fast, goes backwards, and even has a drop in it (think Tower of Terror). WOW!!! Then took the Hogwarts Express to Universal Studios. The way they incorporated a lot of Harry Potter into one ride was pretty incredible.
Once in Universal, I rode Men in Black Alien Attack, where I got the highest score in both cars (221,100). Next was Fast & Furious – Supercharged, Transformers, and The Mummy. Because it was a Saturday, the lines started to get very long, even with the Express Pass. So, I called it a day and went back to the hotel. But not before stopping at Voodoo donuts. I got the Chuckles which is raised yeast doughnut with chocolate frosting dipped in hot chocolate powder and topped with peanuts and caramel and chocolate drizzle. I befriended one of the bartenders from the night before, so I hung out at the pool lounge to people watch. I had to pack again as we were transferring to Walt Disney World the next day. One thing I love about Florida is the sunsets.
Goodnight and see you in Disney World!!
Cheers!
- Wander With Mekela
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