Ryan and I just got back from his 9 trip to Universal Studios, Orlando, and goodness did we have the BEST time!
This post will include an itinerary from our trip, but first let me share a little back story on why Ryan and I took this trip together:
Matt and I planned on taking a 10 trip with our kids and initially felt like it made the most sense for him to take the boys and for me to take the girls when they each turn 10. But the more we talked about it, the more we both felt bummed about only getting one-on-one trip time with 1/2 of our kids!
So we built in an extra trip- the 9 trip- so that we can each get that sweet time with every kid! Our rule now is that I get a 9 trip with the boys and Matt gets a 9 trip with the girls, and then we’ll flip flop for the big 1-0. 🥳
And now, after taking this first trip with our oldest, I can 10/10 recommend solo trips with your kids! 🤩
There are so many takeaways from this trip, but the non obvious ones involved Ryan stretching me outside of my comfort zone in a great way.
👋🏼 Hi, I’m Heather and I’m claustrophobic and also really dislike water rides when I’m in regular clothes.
Day one, at Volcano Bay water park, Ryan REALLY wanted to do a ride called Ko’okiri Body Plunge. YouTube it 😳 I had legit concern that I could have a panic attack when they closed the lid and then Ryan would be there to see it. But when I realized how excited Ryan was about the ride, I planned it for the end of the day so I could mentally prep in the hours leading up. My last mental processing moment came when I quickly and quietly asked the attendant if anyone had ever gotten stuck or died on the ride 🤪🙈 AND THEN I WENT! I legit held back tears of relief while I waited for Ryan to come down and can honestly say this type of experience would have remained a hard no for me had it not been for this trip.
Then on day 3, (after closing day 2 with a water ride and thinking that box had been checked 😅😂), Ryan asked if we could ride 2 more water rides that got you drenched. And the mental processing started again. 😆 I decided the moment wasn’t about me and I could suck it up for the sake of memories. And y’all, it was SO much FUN! We laughed so hard and rode them both again, because once you’re completely drenched, why not right?! 🤣
We used Stephanie Oprea to plan our trip and map out our days because she knows Disney/Universal like the back of her hand and it doesn’t cost us anything to have her plan everything for us! FYI, she has a trick for getting the express passes included without having to pay premium resort prices! 🙌🏼 She also offers great tips for all things Disney on her Instagram page @pixietravelbystephanie.
I am so, so thankful we got to make these memories together! Below is an itinerary for our days.
⭐️ Universal Studios Trip Details! ⭐️
Day 1:
▫️6:20 flight from Atlanta to Orlando
▫️Uber to Portofino Bay Resort to check in, print park tickets, and drop luggage at front desk
▫️Took resort shuttle to Volcano Bay (we purchased an express pass at resort check in because the park was sold out)
▫️Got a locker and put towels down on 2 chairs (BYO towels) before they were all gone.
▫️Rode Krakatau Aqua Coaster first before wait times increased.
▫️They recommended we do all raft rides first and then individual rides, so that’s what we did!
▫️We breaked for meals and an afternoon thunderstorm (plan on one every day in Orlando) and rode rides the rest of the day!
▫️Took the resort shuttle back and crashed 😴
Day 2:
▫️Woke up at 6:30
▫️Boarded the resort water taxi when it opened at 7:00
▫️Took a few pics outside of an empty City Walk
▫️Got in line for early entry at 7:15 (we were 4th in line)
▫️Park opened for early entry at 8:00- we ran (but walked when they reminded us 🙈) all the way back to Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure and got straight on with zero line!!
▫️Walked right on to Flight of the Hippogriff while we waited for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey to open at 8:30.
▫️By 8:45, 3 big rides were complete and the park hadn’t even opened for regular entry guests! 👊🏼
▫️At this point, we could have hopped on Hogwarts Express train to get into Universal when they opened at 9:00, but instead we purchased a wand and spent the next hour working on wand form and wizardry skills as we cast spells at the various stations set up in Harry Potter world. ☺️
▫️The rest of the day was determined by wait times. The express pass was KEY for getting in all of the rides + our favorites over and over again!
Day 3:
▫️We completed everything we wanted to do for both days on day one (amusement park over achievers 😂), so we used day 3 to see some shows and reride our favorite rides… oh and we ended with a hilarious surprise, but that’s going to need it’s own post 🤣
TIPS:
▫️If you stay on property, you get early access to parks, and if you stay at a premiere on-site property, your express passes for Universal and Islands of Adventure are included.
▫️Park food is pricey and not great, so pack a small soft cooler if you can! Stephanie has specific tips for this too!
▫️If you only have 2 days, I don’t think the water park is a must. We had a great time, but I would pick 2 days at Universal/Islands of adventure over one day at the water park.
▫️As we do every time we stay somewhere that is not a hosted trip, we kindly ask for a complimentary upgrade when we check in. In this case, I said we would be open to having one king bed instead of two queens, and because this helps them out at family hotels, they were able to move us to a better room with a great view located right by the water taxi.
Have you been to Universal?! You can share your best tips in the comments below and pass this post along to friends who are planning a trip in the near future!
