Vacationing with Kids – Summer 2023 Edition
And not just vacationing with kids. Vacationing at theme parks with your kids. Just last month, I braved the crowds and visited not one, not two, but three theme parks in Orlando and here’s how it went.
What to Bring
Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash
You’ll want a small, preferably crossbody style, backpack with the following items inside:
– Sunscreen
– Reusable water bottle (you can refill at drinking fountains or free restaurant water dispensers throughout the park)
– Portable misting fan
– Poncho
– Hand sanitizer (you’re touching all those hand rails and those ride safety bars; you’ll be glad you brought some)
– Chapstick or lipgloss
– Hand lotion (I get eczema on my hands and hand lotion is a must for after all that hand washing)
– Feminine products
– Small wallet with your ID, cash and credit cards
– Cell phone
– Portable charger with appropriate cord
– Beach towel (for water parks specifically)
– Cooling neck towel
– Hat
-(Sun)glasses cleaner and (sun)glasses case
-Inhaler (I got that asthma yo)
– Any other prescribed medication you may need
– Motrin or Tylenol (those rides that take you upside down can really do a number on your neck sometimes and even give you a headache)
-Hair ties
-Bandaids
Now here are some items that are nice to have but not necessarily mandatory:
– Glow sticks for the kids, if you’re planning on being at the parks at night
– Umbrella
And here’s an item I’ve found you don’t really need:
Photo by Becca McHaffie on Unsplash
– Change of clothes (even if you get drenched on a water ride, if you’re traveling in the summer, you’ll air dry quick. Trust me, it’ll be hot enough).
The Parks
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels
Now here’s my story…
I went with my family of 4. My kids are 8 and 12 and there wasn’t really anything they couldn’t ride. Though some rides were a bit too scary, so my kids did opt out of some.
Universal Island of Adventure Recap
For instance, at Universal’s Island of Adventure, there’s a ride called VelociCoaster. My daughter and I were going to ride it, but we chickened out. I’m not a big fan of big drops and this one definitely had a big drop. Did I miss out? Maybe. But I’m fine with it. Especially since I did brave the Hulk ride. That one is not for the faint of heart. It starts fast and doesn’t relent. Once you’re on the ride, you’re on the ride. There’s no turning back. And Hulk will have his way with you. That’s how I felt. When it seemed to slow down a little, it didn’t really slow down. That was a fake out. This ride had a little more quickness up its sleeve!
Some may wonder why I decided to visit Universal in Orlando, ‘cause I’m from California originally and have been to Universal Studios Hollywood countless times. And the two parks have some of the same rides. For instance, both coasts have the Jurassic Park river ride, the Harry Potter rides (except last I checked, Hollywood doesn’t have that motorbike one) and Reign of Kong (which is part of the studio lot tour in Hollywood). Even though some of the rides were the same, I enjoyed riding them again and I really went to enjoy the new ones, well new to me anyway. Like the Dudley Do-Right and the High in the Sky Seuss train ride!
And though it was a little scary, the most memorable ride to me at Island of Adventure was hands down the Hulk ride.
Photo by Itai Aarons on Unsplash
Universal’s Volcano Bay Recap
The second park we visited was the Universal water park aka Volcano Bay. I remember when this park opened and Executives at NBCU were talking about how they were going to revolutionize the water theme park experience. And I’ve got to say, they did. They really did. When I reflect upon my vacation and think about the most fun I had, Volcano Bay is what comes to mind.
We didn’t rent a cabana because they were sold out the day we went, but they looked really nice from the outside. We rented two lounge chairs, which is called premium seating with an attached safe. That was a great purchase. I could lock up my valuables, have a home base I could always return to and even order food and have it delivered right to the lounge.
The rides around the park delivered ten fold. My favorite part wasn’t even a ride really. It was the wave pool. It was so much fun when the waves would come. My family and I stayed in that pool for at least an hour.
Since we didn’t want to wait in any lines, we got the premium tickets. But I found that it wasn’t really necessary. Wait times were never really longer than 15–20 minutes when I went.
As far as rides go, I enjoyed all the big raft type water slides. The only thing is you need to hike up to the top to get on those rides. And I’m talking a solid 3 or 4 flights of stairs, which can get exhausting, especially on a hot day. I had to pause a few times to catch my breath.
I did not do any of the single person body plunges where they shoot you out of a cannon looking thing. No thank you. I’m not a swimmer and those looked terrifying to me.
I did not care for either of the lazy rivers. My kids on the other hand couldn’t get enough of them. They especially enjoyed the fearless river one. They went on that one maybe 10 times. They make everyone wear a life vest, which is great. I just didn’t like it ‘cause there were parts of it where the water goes over your nose and mouth. Again, I’m not a swimmer. So I freaked out a bit. I’m sure people who are strong swimmers would love it. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Overall, Volcano Bay is an enjoyable park and I highly recommend visited if you get a chance. I loved the waterproof watch thing they give you that doubles as your park pass and your credit card if you link it with the Universal app.
Photo by Ása Steinarsdóttir on Unsplash
Disney’s Magic Kingdom Recap
On our third park day, we visited two Disney parks: Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom. When it comes to visiting Disney, planning is of the utmost importance. Meaning, prepare to wake up at 7:00 AM the day you’re visiting to reserve your spots on the rides you want to ride that day. And one of the rides I wanted to make sure I rode was the new Tron ride. Even reserving our spot in line at 7:00 AM on the dot, we were still in the 81st group of the day, which meant that we didn’t get to ride it until about 2:00 PM that day. That’s how crazy popular it was! And was it worth it? It was a fun ride. The whole family enjoyed.
Other rides I wanted to make sure we rode were rides I’ve never actually ridden before, like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I actually got the lightning lane pass to ride it and skip the line, because the wait for that one was like 90 minutes or something crazy like that. We also rode a classic, Space Mountain (we used our Genie Plus pass), Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (this was our first ride of the day and the wait was 25 minutes, which wasn’t bad). We also rode the Haunted Mansion ride for the first time with the kids. It just reminded me of Halloween. Scary fun.
Photo by Rick Han on Pexels
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Recap
At the end of the day, we visited Animal Kingdom with one goal in mind – finally ride the Avatar Flight of Passage ride. And boy did we. They kept warning riders that if you have a fear of heights, then you probably shouldn’t ride this ride. I discovered I kind of do have a fear of heights years ago, but I wanted to ride this ride so bad, I didn’t care. And really, it’s a screen you’re looking at that makes it appear as if you’re high up in the sky, but you’re really not.
This Avatar ride truly delivered! It was beautiful to behold, so beautiful in fact I was moved to tears. You really felt immersed in this Avatar world. And the animals you were flying on, you could feel them “breathing” beneath you. Nice touch. It was a perfect way to wrap up the day.
Image by Tania Van den Berghen from Pixabay
