Florida - Orlando - Epic Universe - Visiting with Young Kids, Toddlers or Preschoolers

Epic Universe is Orlando's newest amusement park that just opened at the beginning of summer as part of the Universal Empire. I was lucky enough to be able to visit with my family while we were in Orlando (no, I wasn't sponsored or paid to visit). It's pricey and right now there are no deals or discounts (and the annual pass does not currently include this park). Parking costs extra and has its own dedicated lot (of course you could always get dropped off to avoid those high costs).

Be sure to download the app so you can check wait times, character or show schedules, and more. However, one note, sometimes the app would display a time for character meet-and-greet but they were not actually meeting. Always ask the cast member when characters plan to return or what is the last meeting time if you want to meet but they closed the line (which they do quickly!).

The park has so many things to see and do even without getting on rides such as shows and characters. Theme details are amazing. Keep in mind that there is a lot of walking and the weather is unpredictable (hot one second and pouring rain the next). I've found that the weather app is not reliable, so be sure to bring rain gear and/or umbrellas.

Most visitors are interested in the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ — Ministry of Magic™ land or the SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ land and you will see some of the rides' wait times skyrocket to over an hour right away. Keep in mind, guests staying at select Universal Hotels/Resorts will get in the park an hour before it opens. That means those lines are already long before the gate for regular guests even opens (as we quickly discovered).

Stop by guest services or info booths to get your First Visit button (don't wait until the end of the day).


While guests were headed in those two directions, we headed toward How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk land. The rides had short lines or were walk-ons. Older kids, teens, and adults will want to ride Hiccup’s Wing Gliders and Dragon Racer’s Rally. The Fyre Drill water ride doesn't have any height requirements but really young children will struggle to reach the water-cannon shooter. There's cute dragon animatronics as well as a meet-and-greet (with longs lines). If you need a walking break, check out the show, The Untrainable Dragon.


Toddlers, preschoolers and young children will enjoy the Viking Training Camp playground. It's a massive playground with lots of hands-on activities. Ramps and stairs are available to reach the upper level. There is also a restroom within the playground area. They do shut down early before the rest of the park and there's limited adult seating.



Super Nintendo World seemed crowded throughout the entire day but there's plenty to do. One caveat is that at least one member of your party should purchase the interactive wristband ($50) in order to play the games and immersive experiences. Our family of 6 purchased only one wristband which we shared and that worked out. Some families bought each member a wristband. According to the website, they are usable at the park in Hollywood and in Japan. Also, if over-stimulation bothers you, I'd avoid this land as there is a lot of motion and sounds. There are pockets of quiet areas like toward the Mine-Cart ride (past the restooms and through the Donkey Kong tunnel). The ice cream stand, The Bubbly Barrel, is right inside the Donkey Kong area and had a yummy treat.


Toadstool Cafe in Super Nintendo World was a fun experience but the food options might not appeal to picky eaters as they contain interesting forms of mushrooms or msuhroom-mixed-in-sauce. So the way the cafe works is you stand in line for a table which turns over pretty quickly. Then you order your food at your table using your device. The food does take a long time to arrive and you can't customize (ie, remove the mushrooms). I can recommend the Bowser's Fireball Challenge (hot sauce is on the side) but it contains a ground-beef meatball (pictured). The desserts are really cute and don't contain mushrooms so the kids enjoyed them (but they were a bit pricey). You can also add on a refillable sipper cup or drinks. The lines did get long during typical lunch and dinner hours.

The gift shops are a lot of fun and the younger ones enjoyed the A/C and were entertained by all the fun stuff while the older kids went on the rides. The Yoshi ride is good for younger kids but too "tame" for thrill seekers. The Mario fountain looked really pretty at night.

Dark Universe is the land of Monsters (like Frankenstein, his Bride, Ygor, The Invisible Man, and more. Younger kids did not like this land but were fine meeting the characters (the lines for the meet-and-greets were short). Thrill seekers will enjoy the rides. The Makeup experience wasn't available during our visit but that's fine as it costs an additional $45-$169 per person. The tunnel looks really neat at night.


The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic land is amazing even if you don't know or like the books or movies. The attention to detail to bring 1920's Paris to life is unbelievable. Like Mario Land, you will need to purchase a wand in order to bring the interactions to life or you can just hover while other guests use theirs. There is a fun circus show called Le Cirque Arcanus (check the app for times). The biggest feature here is the Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry motion ride (it's slightly tame as you just sit in a booth with limited motion but there are flashing visuals). Ride times skyrocketed to 305 minutes while I was in the park (and they do close the queue). I personally waited almost 3 hours as the ride kept breaking down but luckily we didn't have to evacuate. My four year didn't like the ride as it had too much side-to-side shaking. Also, you can look around inside without even waiting for the ride itself if you are a Harry Potter fan.

The rest of the land is fun to explore. We were invited by the roaming characters to check out the shops and restaurants which are full of movie references and images. They also have a butterbeer cart for those who'd like to try.


Celestial Park is a small area which has several eateries including the popular Pizza Moon. The Constellation Carousel is kid friendly but I noticed those guests who couldn't transfer out of a wheelchair were not able to ride even for the car-type seats (they're not able to lift guests). It's also very slow loading right and those with Express Pass will short-cut to front of line. The carousel looks really pretty at night with all the lights. There's also an interactive splash/spray ground called Astronomica so be sure to bring a change of clothes and towel.

If you manage to stay late enough, there is a fountain show in the Celestial Park area.

My family consists of several different-aged children whose ride-enjoyment range from not-scary to very-scary. So I got a bunch of questions when I got home from other parents, such as:

• Should I wait until my child is older? - My youngest is 4 and had a blast. For your family, however, you want to take into consideration the Florida heat and the long lines.
• My kids don't like rollercoasters. Will we have fun? - There are plenty of other rides, character meet-and-greets, and shows to enjoy. The lands are very immersive and enjoyable without doing any activity. You have to decide if that is worth the high cost of entrance.
• Our child is bothered by over-stimulation or loud noises. Will we have fun? - I would avoid Super Nintendo World Land as it can be over-stimulating. Some of the rides in other lands have loud noises, flashing lights, fast-moving images.
• We don't like baby rides. Are there enough thrill rides to keep us happy? - My thrill-ride loving kids enjoyed Monsters Unchained, Curse of the Werewolf, Dragon Racer's Rally, Stardust Racers, and Mine-Cart Madness. They thought Harry Potter was too tame.
• Should we go to Disney World or Epic Universe? - This is a difficult question because it depends on your family's needs. Disney is a lot bigger and has a lot more things to do. But it is expensive and can be overwhelming. If you have younger kids or Disney fans, I'd go to Disney. If you have any Mario or Harry Potter fans, I'd go to Epic.
• I don't like Harry Potter or Mario. Will we have fun? - Yes. I'm one of the few people who have not yet watched or read Harry Potter and I enjoyed the land. I thought Ninetendo land was fun even if I don't play video games. I haven't seen the How to Train Your Dragon movies in a long time but that land was also enjoyable.
• Should I purchase the Express Pass? - My family didn't purchase the pass and was able to ride everything they wanted to but it probably will depend on (a) how busy the park is and (b) how important the big rides are to your family like Harry Potter and Mario Kart Bowser's Challenge and (c) if your budget allows for adding the $129.99-$329.99 pass on top of your ticket price


Some Tips:

• If you buy a refillable cup, be aware that at the end of the day they run out of ice and soda options.
• Bring your own refillable waterbottles because Florida can get really hot
• Snacks are allowed. Bring snacks so you can eat your lunch later than the crowd.
• If you want to visit specific characters, make the effort to do that earlier in the day as they cut the lines quick and they stop meeting early.
• Restrooms have auto-flush in case your child freaks out about that.
• Guest Service lines got super-long at the end of the day and they cut the lines.


For more information, https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/theme-parks/epic-universe

Note - We were not sponsored or paid to visit or review Epic Universe.

Travel Tips - Walt Disney World (Orlando, Florida) - What's in My Luggage?

As a family of frequent travellers, explorers and visitors to major theme parks, I get asked all the time "What is in your luggage?" or "What are your favorite travel accessories?" or "What should I take on my vacation to (some amazing destination)?"
So I thought it would be fun to share some of the things that I have purchased, taken, and used on my recent trips.
For this week, I'm going to tell you some of the things I have taken on my recent Disney Park vacation

First, I use the Delsey softside luggage from Costco. It's currently on sale for $149.99. If you're reading this and it's not on sale, just wait a few weeks. They seem to go on and off sale all the time. What I love the most about the luggage beside the ease of moving due to the large spinner wheels but the interior lining is washable (which is pretty rare in luggage sets). Love, love this set. Right now they have Blue or Black. If you can find the Green set, get that one because it will be easy to pick out on the luggage carousel.
Why softside luggage? I like the ability to squash my bags into the overhead bins (as opposed to the hard shell types). It can mean the difference between carry-on and last minute checked bags.


Tens of thousands of guests visit Disney. That's a whole lot of germs. So I stopped using portable baby changing pads. Think about it. You are placing the pad down on a changing table that is never cleaned, that is poo'ed and pee'ed on and whatever else. Nasty. And then you put that pad back into your bag. Ewww. I now use disposable changing pads that are large enough to cover the table. Keep a few in your diaper bag and pull them out when you're ready to change. This set has 50 pads and they last quite awhile.


Unexpected rain showers occur all the time in Orlando. You will check your weather app in the morning before setting off to the parks and it shows sunshine. Later in the day, a brief rain storm swoops in and drenches your party in five minutes. I've been through that enough times to finally always pack a set of disposable rain ponchos for those brief, unexpected storms. This particular set has both Adult and Children sizes in one box. They are a bit better than the ones you will find at the dollar store.


If your child is old enough to sit at the table, you will definitely want some disposable placemats. Disney eateries never have enough tables and you will jump at an open table which means it may or may not be properly cleaned. Wiping the table down yourself doesn't get it sanitized. Next best thing, cover the table as best as you can. What I like about this set is there are 4 different designs (most sets only have one single design). They stick to the table surface. They are individually packaged so you can toss them into your bag.


Most strollers do not have enough storage space, IMO. So I purchased two of these side bags for each side of my stroller. I stuff snacks, fruit, maps (in ziploc bags in case of rain) in these bags. Don't weigh them down too much or the stroller might flip backwards. You may or may not have to remove them when folding up your stroller (depending on your brand).


I've purchased two sets of these Stroller Hook sets. So easy to use. Sturdy. I like to hand umbrellas on these (off the stroller) as well as popcorn buckets or drink cups with handles. So handy!


I have mixed opinions on this stroller sun shade that I bought. The Florida sun can be extremely hot so I add this cover (and it does cover a bit during rain showers too). The reason I'm iffy on it or others like it is that they are a pain to take on/off because you cannot fold the stroller with it attached. I haven't found a cover or an umbrella that I love, so I keep using this one for now. At least it will attach to most strollers and the price isn't too bad.


Speaking of the blistering Florida sun, you MUST apply sunscreen even if you have a base tan. The sun is just too intense. This lotion is safe for reefs and children (I use a different baby brand for babies). It applies pretty well and can be placed into carry-on luggage thanks to their small 3oz size.

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Review - Florida - Orlando - Hollywood Studios - DVC Member Moonlight Magic Event (July 2022)

The past few weeks I've been in a back-to-school cloud so this post is very overdue! But hopefully you will enjoy the photos and details of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) member event we attended back in July.

Throughout the year, Disney offers Disney Vacation Club (DVC) (their version of a timeshare program) members the opportunity to visit one of their four parks or a selected waterpark after it closes for the day to the general public (usually around 9pm). The events are free and this year they offered members and their guests free snacks, a popcorn bucket, and special character meet-and-greets (we'll talk about all those in a bit).

First, the DVC members has to register for the event. In order to register, the member must have a valid Disney-owned Resort reservation for that day. All guests staying with the member are eligible to join. Children under 3 do not need to be listed. Keep in mind, if you cancel your resort registration, your event registration will be cancelled as well (this is to keep down the amount of fraudulent registrations). Registration is done through a link found in an email the company sends out. When you click the link, you are placed into a virtual queue and you will wait (sometimes hours) until it's your turn to register for the event or until you get a nasty-gram that the event has reached capacity and sold out. Boo!
The best part is you don't need a park ticket or a park reservation to attend. If you do have a ticket already (like AP'ers) you will need to get a wrist band to stay after the park closes.

So for this review, our family attended the Hollywood Studios Moonlight Magic event on July 14th.


Here's the brochure they handed to us at the gate. We had to wait in a special event line, show them our registration confirmation and member ID. They then give each person in your party a wrist band (which you will show cast members throughout the night).

 

Each member of our party received a special trio of certificates. The first certificate was good for either a popcorn bucket or a snack. The last two were good for snacks. The back of the certificate sheet listed the locations where you could redeem popcorn bucket or snacks. It was vital to note that some locations closed early! And a lot of locations did not list out what snacks were available. You had to wait in line to find out which was a little frustrating.

Important tip - snack lines got longer towards the end of the evening and, yes, things sold out.

Here's a photo of the free member popcorn bucket. It came with a plastic lid that attaches to the handle. It also came with a separate box of popcorn if you preferred not to dump it in the bucket.

Important tip - don't stock up on popcorn boxes to save for later. The popcorn was very stale by the next day. Yuck!

 

Here are two snacks we got in Star Wars land - Hyperiod Popcorn for flavored popcorn (the line was very long and slow) and a special chocolate dessert at the Docking Bay 7 (which the kids did not like).
The best part, IMO, are the free ice cream bars (Chocolate-covered Mickey-shaped bar or a strawberry-flavored popsicle). You don't need to use snack certificates for those, but they closed down early. Boo hoo!

The event also had two DJ-led dance parties which the younger kids loved. One was held in the main stage area (in the center of Hollywood) and the other was inside the Disney Junior theatre. Rare characters Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad were wandering around the Disney Junior theatre taking photos with families. Goofy and his son Max were dancing on the main stage for a short time.

Just outside the Indiana Jones area, there was a socially-distanced meet-and-greet with rare characters Monterey Jack and Fat Cat from Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. They switched out with the Rescue Rangers (who wore Indiana-Jones type gear). The lines were pretty long for either and they went on long breaks so the opportunity to meet was limited. If you see rare characters, always stand in the long line! They might not come back out as we found out with the Chip and Dale characters. Boo hoo!


Some other characters - Chewie and R2D2 in Star Wars land (a lot of people had brought glow-in-the-dark props or lit up their lightsabers for cool photos), Woody and Jessie at Toy Story land (outside the 3D ride), Kylo Ren and storm troopers wandering around Star Wars land interacting with guests, and Darth Vader on the stage just next to the Star Tours ride (he wasn't there very long either).

 

One of the nice things about Moonlight Magic or any after-hours party is the chance to wait in shorter lines for rides, especially more popular rides. We did find ourselves waiting forever in a broke-down Mickey and Minnie Railway (we ent the older kids off to get on other rides).

In summary, if you are a DVC member and are able to join, try to attend! I wish I could attend all the parties, but since I live so far away and have other obligations, we cannot. Hopefully they continue to offer these through the upcoming year. It's fun. Plus, how else can you stuff your mouth on free Mickey-shaped ice cream bars?