During the Thanksgiving holidays, Teresa and I visited Universal Orlando. I'll offer some thoughts. Understand, however, that my heart belongs to The Mouse. But that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate excellence when I see it.
1 - We stayed at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal. It's Universal's entry into the value resort arena (think All-Stars, Art of Animation, and Pop Century at Disney.) Themed to the max, it brought back some fun memories of my childhood vacations in the early 60's. The resort itself features some fine pools (even a lazy river feature), a Jack LaLane fitness facility, and a bowling alley. Worked for me!
2 - We got to visit Diagon Alley, and ride the Gringott's attraction. At its heart, it's an indoor roller coaster with 3D visuals. It isn't as wild as you might think - very family friendly. If you're looking for a pure white-knuckle experience, this isn't it. But if you want fully immersive theming, this ride will do it for you. Actually, the whole Diagon Alley section of the park is one of the most impressive jobs of theming I've ever seen. You're isolated from the rest of the park, and the effect is extraordinary.
3 - The Leaky Cauldron made for a fine meal. As a plus on the blustery day we visited, they served hot butterbeer. Yummo.
4 - Hogwarts Express between the two parks exceeded my expectations. Besides getting you from point A to B, the special effects along the way were way-cool.
5 - All this Pottermania, and other new things in the pipeline, makes Universal a park to watch. Nope, they aren't gonna eclipse Disney. But what is happening, methinks, is that we'll be seeing some healthy competition continue to escalate. Pandora/Avatar is coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom; rumors abound about a bigger Star Wars presence at Disney's Hollywood Studios - which has been due for some freshening up for some time anyway. There's Disney Springs plugging right along.
We're all winners in this. Yay!
Oh, and don't forget to visit www.fairytalejourneysbytony.com, and like my Facebook page by the same name. When you're ready to head for Orlando, let me know. I can fix you up.
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