After our full day of exploring Washington, we head over to the last leg of our vacation for some fun in the sun in Orlando, Florida!
Getting there
You can get to Orlando from Washington either by local flight, by bus, by train or taking a road trip. Out of all the options, taking the bus will be the longest as it has an approximate travel time of 21 hours. Taking the train will take some time too as its travelling time is about 17 hours. For those who want to explore the near by states and sites enroute to Orlando, going for a 12-hour drive for a road trip will be a good option.
We decided to take a 2-hour local flight since we are pressed for time. We booked our flights at JetBlue which is the only airline that has a direct flight from Washington to Orlando on our preferred time and date. Cost wise it is the least advantageous as we had to pay not only for our tickets but also for the excess baggage allowance. Since it is a domestic flight, the luggage weight limit is smaller. We could have save a bit if we split our bags to several small luggage. Well, we just charged it to experience as they say.
The flight was pretty smooth. Hendrix and I were given priority seats because of his PWD status. We even had the chance to see The Pentagon a few feet above the ground and it was pretty cool!
Accommodations
One thing that I like about International Drive area is that there is a wide range of accommodations to choose from; 5 star hotels, inns, bed and breakfast and Airbnbs. This area is practically about 10-15 mins away from Disney World and other theme parks. We initially considered staying in an Airbnb, However, I was surprised that it was more costly because of the higher-than-usual cleaning fees, as well as local taxes. With that, we opted to stay in Rosen Inn hotel (the one nearest to Universal Studios). The hotel is affordable, nothing luxurious, but is quite spacious, has two queen beds, bath, great view by the terrace and some amenities such as the swimming pool that Heinel got to enjoy during our downtime.
Aside from being so close to the theme parks, the area around our hotel is surrounded by restaurants, fastfood chains, grocery and souvenir shops. It is also near premium outlets. I would definitely recommend staying within International Drive for families who will be travelling to Orlando with kids.
We came for the rides
Our main purpose in flying to Florida was to experience two major theme parks; Universal Studios and Disney World. Prior to this Orlando trip, we had been to two Disneyland parks (once in Tokyo, Japan and twice in Hong Kong) and two Universal Studio parks (in Singapore and Osaka, Japan).
Disney World Resort
The unique thing about Disney World in Orlando is that it has 4 different parks which is perfectly described in its website www.disneyworld.disney.go.com :
- Magic Kingdom – explore lands of endless enchantments, where fantasy becomes a reality. In here are the Disneyland theme park classics such as the famous Cinderella castle, Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster, It’s a Small World, Haunted Mansion, Mad Tea Party (rotating tea cups), Mickey’s PhilharMagic and more..
- Epcot – “take flight above breathtaking landmarks on Soarin’ Around the World.” Among the popular attractions here are those inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy, Phineas and Ferb. Frozen, Coco, Nemo and more.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios – “Shrink down to the size of a toy and play big in our new Toy Story Land” . Aside from rides inspired by Toy Story, among those famous in this park are Star Wars attractions.
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom – “Delve into the magic of nature and the awe-inspiring land of Pandora – The World of Avatar”. This park awaits adventures especially for those who are big fans of The Lion King, Up and more. Animal lovers can also get the chance to see exotic animals in the wild.
Two types of tickets are available, day tickets and annual passes
. Two options are available for day pass, single park entrance and park hopper. The latter will give the ticket owner one entry pass in all four theme parks for a day. Since we only have one full day to explore, we opted for day tickets at Magic Kingdom.
Despite the crowds, we were able to get the most out of our day because we planned out our Fast Pass, which is a service that comes with the purchase of each ticket. This allows users to reserve slots in attractions, entertainment and character greetings. Purchasing tickets online and ahead of date of visit can be an advantage because reservations on attractions can booked as early as 30 days before ticket date. Those with reservations on Disney hotels can even book their rides or attractions 60 days in advance. However, not all attractions are valid for Fast Pass. The popular attractions always gets fully booked in advance. We started reserving slots 30 days in advance but was not able to book any schedule for 7 Dwarfs ride and Beauty and the Beast restaurant.
Initially, 3 attractions can be reserved. Only after successfully showing up at those 3 reserved slots can ticket holders be allowed to book another, and another one there after. So the key is to maximize those 3 early in the day so you will have more chances of reserving slots to other attractions later during the day. Just keep in mind that you need to show up to all booked attractions, otherwise you will lose the chance to reserve for more. We are so happy that because we planned our Fast Pass schedues well, we get to enjoy Disney World but less of the insanely long lines.
A day in Disney means an entire day of all-out fun on trying our different rides and food! It was really humid in Orlando but we did not mind getting all sticky, sweaty and sunburned at all!
Just like in all our trips to Disney, we also did not miss out on its famous light parade and fireworks shows at the end of the day. Some good things never grow old in Disneyland.
Truth be told, Magic Kingdom park is more like Disneyland Hong Kong and Disney Tokyo. We were wondering if we should have explored other Disney Parks. But they, there is always a next time! We still had an awesome time nevertheless.
Universal Studios Orlando
As we are in Florida, we can miss the chance to experience its version of Universal Studios. Just like Disney World, it is divided into three parks, each with its own theme and exclusive rides.
- Universal Studios Florida – features Transformers 3D ride, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley, among others
- Islands of Adventure – features more water rides such as Dudly Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, Jurassic Park Adventure. it has a number of thrill rides and some Hogsmeade feels for Harry Potter fans
- Volcano Bay – this is Universal Studio’s water theme park
We opted to try Islands of Adventure. While looking at the list of attractions and rides, we felt that it caters more to teens and adults. To make the most out of our day, we bought two Express Passes; for Heinel and myself (as I am the one who tends to enjoy themepark rides more than Daddy S). Unlike in Disney (wherein Fastpass is free), Express Pass do not require reservation on any of the attractions. In fact, each ride has its own Express Pass line which is way shorter than the regular line. Pricey as the Express Pass may be, it was definitely worth it especially if one only has a day to spend in the park. We had so much fun trying out different rides. Heinel even got on some rides twice! Those that he liked so much using our Pass, he rode again the second time with Daddy S without minding the waiting time in the regular queue.
Hendrix had his fun too! I just love the Dr. Seuss section of the park. It was whimsical, joyous and magical. There are several rides for kids to enjoy, even having their own versions of water rides, roller coaster and 3D attractions. It was there that Hendrix rode his first kiddie train roller coaster for the first time. I was so worried at first that he might get dizzy or be anxious but he did seem to enjoy it especially when we are at the highest point of the train ride. He, Heinel and Daddy S even had some an all-boy adventure riding some sea creatures.
Harry Potter is such a big factor in choosing Universal Studios. Even though the one on Islands of Adventure is structured the same as the one in Osaka Japan which we went to in 2016, we still had an awesome time. Because of the Express Pass, we get to ride the amazing Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. Heinel and I are in awe with how cool the whole experience was! No wonder the regular lines are so long. Waiting in queue might not be so bad at all as the waiting areas are equally entertaining themselves! But man, that 4D experience was going to be worth it! I am a big Harry Potter fan and it sure is a one of a kind experience. Heinel who is a casual harry Potter viewer equally loved the ride himself. I also got to ride the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster ride. We also got to dine at Three Broomsticks. the food serving was great and inside the restaurant feels like I am in the Harry Potter movie itself.
Of course, Daddy S also got to have some theme park fun himself trying out rides mostly of films he enjoyed watching such as 4d Spiderman and Skull Island, but mostly he was happily looking after Hendrix while Heinel and I queued for the rides.
I also had my fun when I had my scariest roller coaster experience with The Hulk. It was mind, body and soul-shaking! it was so fast and the flight was really high that my knees were wobbling quite a number of times. A totally memorable and out of body experience.
Since we arrived early at the park, we were able to call it a day quite earlier than the rest. We explored around the area of Universal Studios really hoping that we still have a day to spare to explore more. Nevertheless it was a day filled with excitement and memorable experiences.
Out of all our theme park adventures over the years, this one in Orlando is my favorite. i guess the boys’ ages played a big factor. It was such a joy seeing Heinel being adventurous and conquering his fears that prevented him from having this fun in our previous trips. It is also memorable as Hendrix got to try out some rides for himself. We made a mental note to come back here again and try the other parks.
Shopping Time
Aside from theme parks, Orlando is also known for its shopping outlets. There are quite a number of those near our hotel though we opted to go to only one which is Orlando Premium Outlet. In there alone are an array of branded stores with prices certainly lower than those at the mall. I can just imagine how frenzy it gets here on Black Friday.
Since it is shopping, the boys are not really that excited. To their delight, we did not get to shop much other than those “pasalubongs” for our families back home since we also have limited luggage space. We just bought some items, walked around and left!
All good things must come to an end
The word pasalubong signals the end of our trip. Two weeks is up and it was time to go home. This 16-day adventure is one for the books. Just like in all our trips, it was not perfect, but it was definitely memorable.
The highlight of this East Coast experience is certainly the trip to Massachusetts. It was special for Daddy S, and it was special to us. It is great to finally meet in person friends who are like family; to be at the places where Daddy S used to go to.
Heinel is all for the Orlando part for the trip. While Hendrix, i think just loves the fact that we are on the move and outside the home for two straight weeks. As for me, the whole trip was special. I am so proud of Daddy S, Heinel and Hendrix. They are such a joy to travel with. I am just thankful of this gift and opportunity to see different parts of the world with the three persons i loved the most.
It was a joy sharing our travel adventure. It took more than a year to complete the 6-part blog series but I guess with the situation that we are in now because of the pandemic, posting this last part of the blog became more meaningful. If you want to read the entire blog series or just parts of it, the links are below.
- Part 1 – all about the preparations and what we call the “admin work” part of the trip
- Part 2 – will be on how we prepared the kids for the long flight and the entire trip itself
- Part 3 -will be about the first leg of our trip (Massachusetts-Maine-New Hampshire)
- Part 4 will be about our New York trip
- Part 5 – our road trip to Philadelphia and Washington