Universal Studios Orlando – Tickets and Harry Potter

If you’re ever traveling in Florida, then a trip to the countless amusement parks in Orlando is a good idea. I’m usually not a fan of amusement parks, but if you’re ever in the area, you should take advantage of it. We drove from Miami Beach to Kissimmee, a suburb of Orlando, in one day. The distance is about 230 miles and the route consists of 90% straight highway. That means switching on cruise control and driving comfortably for three hours. We made a stop at the Sawgrass Mills Mall, a huge outlet shopping center near Fort Lauderdale. The stop was quite successful, as the onward journey continued with a leather bag, three pairs of shoes and a pair of jeans in addition.

We had our accommodation at the Maingate Lakeside Resort (affiliate link), a typical mid-range hotel where you can park right in front of your apartment. From there there is a free shuttle to almost all amusement parks in the Orlando area. Kissimmee itself doesn’t offer much. It is actually a long, busy street with countless similar-looking hotels adjoining to the left and right. What surprised me positively, we could go out to eat on foot and didn’t have to take the car and it even had a Friday’s, which made my “burger heart” happy.

Visit to Universal Studios Orlando

Since we only stayed in Orlando for two days, we had already chosen two amusement parks to visit. For the first day, Fantasy World at Universal Studios Orlando Island of Adventure was on the agenda. For the second day, we opted for a classic, the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort. The main reason to visit the Island of Adventure was to discover the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In the park I was a bit surprised that it is rather small and there were generally few people. In a good half day we had almost all the attractions through. Only at the main attraction, the roller coaster, which was located in a replica Hogwarts, we had to queue for a relatively long time. But it’s also worth it, because I found the train absolutely great despite my panic while queuing (you never see the train at all, that’s why the panic). However, I would recommend everyone to take the 30 dollars more expensive ticket, with which you can also visit Universal Studios Florida on the same day.