Sorry for this late trip review but I haven't had much time on my hands lately. Orlando was AMAZING. I love everything about it and I always find myself not wanting to leave and saying I could spend a lot longer than a week there. We got to visit Seaworld, Magic Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and Islands of Adventure.
SeaworldSeaworld is always a fun place to visit but just as I worried, they are all pretty much the same. I wish I could have done the waterpark, Aquatica, but it just didn't work out that way. All the rides at Seaworld are really great. Manta and Kraken were simply amazing! I had never rode a "Superman" coaster like Manta before where you lay down, but boy, was it an experience! The first drop felt like I was diving. Journey to Atlantis was also a very fun ride, but the wait was extremely long! Over an hour. Luckily, the ride is long and technologically advanced enough that the wait was worth it.
The shows at Seaworld were also amazing as always. The sea lion and sea otter show was cheesy, but entertaining. I also noticed they no longer allow the trainers into the water with the killer whales. No doubt stemming from the accident which occured at Seaworld Orlando a few months ago when a trainer was killed by a killer whale.
I guess my one complaint about Seaworld was that we had to pay for a locker for any ride we went on. At Disney and Universal, this was not the case. Also, the Sky Tower should be free with admission for us cheapos
Magic Kingdom & Downtown DisneyWow, I love Disney. I love everything about it, and it killed me not to experience all the parks like I was so fortunate to be able to do on my last trip. We only got to spend about 5 hours in the Magic Kingdom. And we made them count. We got to ride many of the classics (Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain) and also got to see the night parade. However, we missed the fireworks because we thought they were at midnight, but they were actually at 10, whenever we were still in line for Space Mountain.
Every nook and cranny in a Disney park just has such charm. It is so hard to put into words. The Imagineers really do put so much thought and research into each new addition, however small it may be. They are currently expanding Fantasyland and taking out Mickey's Toontown USA. It looks like a huge expansion, and I wish it would have been finished while I was there.
Islands of AdventureThe first thing we did when we got to IOA was of course, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And WOW. Being a Potter nerd, I was in for a treat. It is quite an experience, one that must be seen to be believed just like Disney. Everything is in tune with the books and movies, and I felt like I was in the movie. Everything is so well themed. Butterbeer was amazing! (Ended up spending 15 dollars on Butterbeer alone!
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But the must do attraction was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It is the single best ride I have ever experienced, beating out the Tower of Terror at Disney. It was so REAL, and so technologically advanced. I can't explain it. Amazing amazing ride.
After spending over almost two hours in the Harry Potter world, it was time to experience everything else IOA had to offer. And it has a lot more to offer. Jurassic Park, superheroes, Toon Lagoon (fun, fun water rides), I won't get into all of it because it is so much, but it was all such an amazing experience.
All of Orlando was. Amazing week with so many memories made.
Thanks for reading everybody.