A Day at Universal Studios Orlando Photodiary

Awkwardly showing off my Ollivander's wand

Showin' you those pearly whites!

FIRST THOUGHTS: I absolutely love visiting Universal Studios. Growing up in Los Angeles, it was my favorite theme park. Don't get me wrong now, I love love LOVE Disney, but Universal Studios had the allure of making all of my favorite movies come to life. I mean, growing up as a Potterhead, visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter finally was truly a dream come true!

WOULD I RECOMMEND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ORLANDO? Oh yes I would! The park is split in two, with the traditional Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure, the latter being my favorite because that's where Harry Potter is!

MY MISTAKE:  As you can probably tell from my awkward outfits, I didn't pack properly! I assumed that it would be cold in Florida (head slap). This had initially seemed reasonable, considering that we were visiting in late December. However, despite the fact that this was okay for early in the day, it was not for the afternoon. Case in point, it is important to research the weather beforehand and to pack accordingly. But, other than my pictures not coming out how I wanted them to, I still had a blast going on the rides with everyone! I will say this, make sure that you pack comfortable shoes!! I was silly and assumed that flats would be okay, which they were NOT! Make sure to pack sneakers or shoes that you can literally walk around all day in.

LINES: Depending on when you visit, the lines can be super long (we spent two hours for the Spider Man ride, it was worth it, but still frustrating). In fact, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was blocked off towards the afternoon because there were just too many people and the staff were handing out passes with a certain time slot for when visitors could enter. I figured that this would happen, which was why I insisted that we got there early in order to experience everything before the crowds really came in.

PRO TIP: If you are visiting during a peak season like we did and don't want to spend a small fortune on Front of the Line tickets, I would recommend getting to the parks early before the crowds. I asked an employee at The Three Broomsticks when the crowds really started to come in, and she said around 10:15 am, so try to plan accordingly if you want to avoid long lines.

BEST EXPERIENCES: My favorite rides were of course all in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. However, I did enjoy the Spiderman ride (not sure of the precise name) in the Islands of Adventure section. As for the Universal Studios section, Jurassic Park has my heart and soul. Oh man, that T Rex at the end always pumps up my adrenaline! Overall, just be sure to try out as many rides as possible and to take everything in. You are here to have a blast, so go on and seize the day!

Best Wishes, 

The Pseudo Southerner