Universal Studios

We flew direct from Dublin to Orlando with Aer Lingus; the airport was busy so I would recommend giving yourself 3-4 hours before your flight to clear customs. The flight was very smooth, plenty of in-flight entertainment, food was lovely on board.

On arrival at Orlando Airport, we were met by Mears representative who transferred us to our hotel. We stayed for 4 nights in the Cabana Bay Beach resort, this is a 1950's themed hotel absolutely fabulous, our rooms were very spacious with two double beds, sitting room area with sofa bed and kitchenette, great for families.

As this was an educational work trip we did visit numerous hotels, Value Resorts: Universal Endless summer Resorts – Surfside and Dockside Universal Aventura Hotel, this is one of the newest and tallest. Prime Value Hotel Cabana Bay beach Resort, this is a 1950’s Themed, easy to walk to Volcano Bay Preferred Hotel Loews Sapphire Falls Resort – Caribbean Themed Premier Hotels Hard Rock hotel – Rock and Roll Themed, easy walking distance to Universal Studio’s and Islands of Adventure. Loews Portofino Bay hotel – Inspired by Portofino Italy Loews Royal Pacific Resort – Tropical south seas theme. 2 New hotels are opening in early 2025 are Stella Nova and Terra Luna. Staying in one of Universal Orlando Resort’s comes with extra benefits, including early access to the Wizarding world of Harry Potter & Volcano Bay. You also get complimentary transportation to the parks by either bus or water taxi. All the hotels allow you to buy things in the park and have them delivered to your room. The Premier hotels have these benefits plus they include Universal Express passes, allowing you to skip the ques on the rides. Loews Portofino Bay hotel, Hard Rock Hotel & Loews Royal Pacific.

All the parks are divided into different themed areas: Universal Studios • Hollywood • New York • Production central • San Francisco • Springfield – Home of the Simpson’s • The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley • Woody Woodpeckers kid zone • World Expo Some of the rides to do at Universal Studios: • Diagon Alley • The Mummy • Minion Mayhem • ET Adventure • Fast & Furious • Transformers • Race through New York with Jimmy Fallon • Men in Black – Alien attack • Hogwarts express Kings Cross

Islands of Adventure: • Jurassic Park • Marvel superhero Island • Seuss Landing • Skull Island; Reign of Kong • The lost continent • The Wizarding world of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade • Toon Lagoon

Some of the rides to do at Islands of Adventure: • Hagrid’s magical creatures – Motorbike Adventure • Jurassic Park River adventure • Hogwarts express. • Popeye & Bluto Bilges Rat Barge • Skull Island – Reign of Kong • The amazing adventure of Spiderman • The incredible Hulk coaster • Jurassic World Velocicoaster

Volcano Bay: There are 4 villages in Volcano Bay: Rainforest village, River Village, Wave village and The Volcano. All the rides in Volcano Bay feature a virtual que. When you arrive at Volcano Bay you will be given a TapuTapu to wear on your wrist. This is your key to an amazing day. Tap your TapuTapu for any ride you wish to do, and it will remind you what time to be there at. You can also use for lockers etc. Universal’s City Walk is the hub for Universal Studio’s and Islands of adventure. You have to walk through City Walk to get to the parks. Great spot for dining, drinks, speciality shops and nightlife.

So, if you are planning on going to Universal, I would highly recommend that you download the Universal Orlando Resort’s App. This is a great tool to help you make the most of your time. You can access the parks maps, check the wait times for the rides, check meal plans, book VIP experience etc. There is free WIFI throughout the parks so there is no need to worry about roaming charges. It is best to pre-book the Universal Orlando 3 park Explorer ticket. This is by far the best value ticket to get. It gives you access to Universal Studio’s, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay. 14 Consecutive days access including the Hogwarts express which links the Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios through the Hogsmeade and Kings cross.

I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to rollercoasters, but I did experience Jimmy Fallon's chase around New York, the Bourne Supremacy and even Harry Potter ride at Gringotts bank, there is plenty to do for everyone. If you would like to enquire about traveling to Universal Studios, please feel free to get in touch.