Last month, my family and I were hosted at Univeral Orlando Resort. I was raised being a fan of 'the mouse' and really had always been under the impression that Universal was more of a resort for older children and adults. I couldn't have been more wrong. Let me tell you why I LOVED Universal-and can't wait to head back with my three boys, Lucas (7) and twins Avery & Brennan (3.5).
- As soon as we checked into Cabana Bay, I could tell immediately that this hotel was geared towards families. All five of us received personalized keys to the room (we were able to specify that the parent keys had charging capabilities, but the children did not). Whenever we travel, there's always heated discussions on which boy gets to hold the room key and open the door. We brought colored lanyards for each boy and they were able to feel 'grown up' and accountable for their own key. Each key featured different characters from Universal: The Simpsons, The Hulk, Cat in the Hat, and more! (Two weeks later and they are still wearing their keys around.) Cabana Bay in itself was a hot spot for kids! From character sightings like Woody Woodpecker and Betty Boop in the lobby to movie nights by the pool. Speaking of pools-there were TWO! One with an awesome lazy river and one with a slide. Both featured splash pads, hot tubs, and restaurants/lounges. Let's not forget about on-site bowling, fire-pits for s'mores and so much more.
- Everyone at Cabana Bay was friendly and helpful. They made it a point to interact with our children. On Friday, my husband took Avery's glasses while at the pool and we ran to the bathroom. Avery is extremely vision impaired and when he's not wearing his glasses, he's very grumpy. We encountered two members of hotel management, who of course greeted us with a friendly hello. Avery frowned, grunted, and turned away. I apologized for his response and explained he was grumpy because he couldn't see. One of the gentlemen sympathized and said he also had the same problem. The other said, "come with me, I'll make your day better!" Off we went into the Bayliner Diner where he gave Avery his very own souvenir cup and sent us off to get a special drink. Avery was on top of the world! On our last day, while waiting for our Uber to the airport, I treated my boys to some last minute surprises from the gift shop. Carmen, our cashier, came out and played with the boys and their new balls in the lobby. She thanked us for visiting and talked to my boys like they were her grandsons.
- Ok-lets talk parks! On Saturday, we headed off to Universal Studios Florida. We were greeted by Lucille Ball and headed straight to Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. Brennan was just a tad too small for a few rides, but Univeral offers child swap and in some cases family rooms for you to wait in while your spouse rides. We did this frequently-and they boys who couldn't ride had so much fun, they didn't even realize they were missing out! While at Universal, we had to spend time in Diagon Alley where the fire breathing dragon greeted us with fury and we tested out our new wand on all of the interactive spells! We enjoyed pumpkin juice, butterbeer, and sat captivated watching "The Tales of Beetle the Bard" and "Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees" while big brother and dad were off riding Harry Potter and The Escape from Gringotts. Before heading back for a break, we hit The Simpsons Ride, Kang & Kodo's Twirl & Hurl, and Shrek's 4D experience. After a nap at the hotel, we hit my absolute fave: The Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon and then headed off to enjoy Universal's Cinematic Experience (nightly light/fireworks show).
- On Sunday, we explored the newest Univeral Theme Park, Volcano Bay. This amazing water park was HUGE and even when it was close to capacity-did not seem crowded at all. We spent hours in the kid's area where all three of my boys ran up and down the stairs conquering slides built just for their size. Lifeguard, Victoria, showed her excitement each time a child came to the top of the slide. Showering them with 'high-fives' and then cheering them on by name as they raced down the slides. While relaxing in the lazy river rapids, another lifeguard jolted Lucas to attention with his megaphone to ensure he was having fun. Once again, the interaction with my children was top-notch. How often do you encounter young lifeguards who are full of personality and seem to really enjoy interacting with the children they are keeping safe? The kids' area was built with one entry so Rob and I were able to sit at the entrance and actually enjoy a conversation knowing we could see our children, allow them to explore independently and be confident they wouldn't escape that area without us noticing. We were able to use our Tapu-Tapu bands to stand in virtual line for slides and hang out in the Waturi Beach wave pool while waiting.
- Monday was for adventures: Universal's Islands of Adventures! The first stop on our plan was Seuss Land and we spent almost two hours here riding numerous rides themed with Dr. Seuss. From "Cat in the Hat" where you felt like you were riding right through the story book to The High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride. My boys loved every minute of these rides. They were adventurous enough for my oldest to enjoy them and yet gentle enough rides for the littles to love. We headed to Hogwarts next and hit The Flight of the Hippogriff. This rollercoaster was perfect for my boys. Fast and exciting-the giggles rolling out of their bellies and into the sky as we flew up and down around the track were contagious. We didn't even make it to all of the attractions for smaller children-and yet our boys were totally exhausted from fun.
- The restaurants both at Cabana Bay Resort and all throughout Universal Citywalk are fantastic-and better than that-they are SO kid-friendly! Saturday we went to The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar for lunch. As you can imagine, our boys were tired from travel and fun-and totally hopped up on the excitement. Lunch was chaotic, to say the least, and our waitress was calm and friendly and took it all in stride. When my boys knocked over a plate of their food she was quick to come and clean it up and offered to replace the entire meal. We declined because they had already eaten most of the food-but you know what? She took it off our bill! This was an unexpected touch that really made a huge impression on tired parents with three rowdy boys. Be sure to also visit The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen™. It was loud and exciting (so perfect for kids). The food was delicious and the desserts were MASSIVE! Lucas had a Red Velvet Shake which actually had an entire cupcake on the top of it-and it was all scrumptious.
My husband dreads visits to Orlando-he always complains that it's not a relaxing vacation. In the past, he's compared the other parks to New York City with strollers. Everyone is rushing from one place to another, they'll take you out with a stroller on their way to find a princess in a heartbeat. He LOVED Universal! He felt it was much more laid back. The people were friendly-it was a much more relaxed atmosphere and thus much more enjoyable! He's already talking about planning a weekend getaway for just the two of us and another family trip to return! Check out more of our fun: 
Couple of tips for planning:
- Get the Universal Express™ Pass. We never waited in line more than 5 minutes for any ride. Rides that had signs that said 65 minutes or 155 minutes-we walked right on them. When the kids asked to get on a ride a second time-we walked right back on them with no wait.
- If you stay in a Universal Orlando Resort, you can gain early access to parks including a 7:30 am access to the all new Volcano Bay! We were able to pick our spots on the beach and check out some of the attractions when there was no one else in the park. At one point, my boys were literally the only ones in the Waturi Wave Pool!
- Bring some fun with you to avoid spending loads of money: tubes for Cabana Bay's lazy river-you can find them cheaper on Amazon (Cabana Bay will happily inflate them for you at the Tube Shack), we brought glow sticks and light toys for the parks once it got dark and even some cheaper Harry Potter Costume wands for our little boys (Lucas LOVED his interactive wand-they are definitely worth the splurge).
