I'm so happy we've gotten to experience Universal. It was a different pace than Disney, in a good…read moreway, now that my kids are older teen and adult ages. We had a beautiful day to visit and smiled throughout the day. Some of our best moments were walking through the various city streets and seeing musical performances and dancing. The walkways were wide and we were never on top of other guests. Most rides had reasonable wait times and/or offered single rider options. The locker areas for cramped, but I appreciated how many of the wait queues were indoors, keeping us cooler and away from the rain. The Harry Potter sections were amazing, just amazing. I couldn't have imagined how it would have felt being in the middle of the space. Restaurants, both sit down and quick service, were scattered throughout the park. I loved that we didn't have to worry plan in advance to get a spot at either. My only downside to Universal Studios is that some of the themes felt outdated or just aren't favorite characters of mine. At least this helped to decrease the temptation of spending money on apparel or merchandise.

So, honestly not much has really changed for us with this part of the park since the last time we…read morecame here. Outside of what was Shrek 3D is Villain Con. Staff we interacted with still did amazing but I do feel like it's time for a few changes. Villains con while a cute experience and fitting to changing that area to minions, took away a nice relief from the heat that was Shrek theater. (And before that Alfred Hitchcock Experience!) The horror make up show was being redone during our trip. A few stores in the Harry potter store felt ... Smaller than I remember, though in that area our intent was mainly looking around. We were able to do everything we wanted to quickly and easily. During a non busy time we did everything my kid wanted to do in about a half a day. Saving a few things for when we did HHN as we knew we needed a few time killers while we waited for the staged openings of the haunts. We skipped the little kids area and Jimmy Fallon, due to lack of interest and not being geared to our age group. I'll be interested to see what they do to bring new life to this park when the Simpsons contract runs out, especially since they are closing the Animal actor experience. So that's a sizeable amount for something new! For HHN, it ran well for us. I liked that they had two houses open at 2, and then we hit some haunts as they opened at 515 or 545. Thought I will say our feet ended up killing us from having to bounce back and forth. Since where they had two haunts that felt like a long walk off to the side where one opened at 2 but the other didn't open for a little more than 3 hours after it, so made for some unexpected back tracking.

Fun for the Family. Me and my family went to Fun Spot on a Friday. It was a little wet and cloudy…read morebut we made the most of it. Once the weather cleared up, we got on a few rides and did Go-Karts. I didn't know Fun Spot would be that fun. Enjoyed every minutes of it. We even were able to get a box of NY pizza. Grade: A

Fun spot has been a staple for my family since I was a kid…read more My brother and I used to love racing around on the go karts. We first started doing this in magical midway, but when that felt too rickety and unsafe, we started looking for other parks, and that's when we found fun spot! We would go multiple times a year every year when we were younger and always took advantage of the anniversary ticket prices. It's been a while since we've gone, but it would definitely be another fun trip with nostalgia . The parks have expanded over the years to add more carnival style rides, and a few roller coasters, which are pretty fun too !

As a parent, you want your child to have a memorable trip and at the same time you want to enjoy…read morethe day as much as possible. Universal addresses both of these goals in a spectacular fashion! Service staff is fantastic and the ride lines go quickly. For several years I've decided to skip some of the competition in the areas and solely visit the Universal Parks. Rides for both kids and adults make for an unforgettable day. If you are a Harry Potter fan then this is definitely the place for you! So much detail in every area. You are so literally transported to another world. If you purchase a wand for your child, they can explore and practice their spell casting! Don't forget your Butterbeer! And watch out for dragons and witches and goblins and secret passages. Enjoy!

Island of Adventure is, in my opinion, the most thrilling park at Universal Orlando. I absolutely…read morerecommend it and would definitely give it . If you're visiting during a busy season, I highly recommend purchasing an Express Pass--it will save you a lot of time. Also, wear comfortable walking shoes because you'll be on your feet all day. For lunch, don't miss Thunder Falls Terrace. It offers generous portions, good quality food, and excellent value compared to many other restaurants inside the park. I visited with my best friend, and we had an amazing time. If you love adrenaline and roller coasters, this park is a must-visit!

Seeing Diagon Alley for the first time in real life is breathtaking, but perhaps the only thing…read morebetter is getting to see it through the eyes of a close friend or family member. It is SO MUCH MORE immersive than the Hogsmeade Village side at Islands of Adventure. And to be honest, I still get excited about watching the dragon breath fire here, even though I've seen it a thousand times by now. This section of the park also comes to life at night and the storefront lights are illuminated. And don't forget to stop by Knockturn Alley as you never know what type of mischief you can get up to there! And don't forget to grab a treat at Florian Fortescue's ice cream shop!

Besides the pretty cool scenery and the escape from gringotts ride, this area is mostly shops…read more When you're in this part of the Harry Potter Park, you have to stay on your around for a little bit and wait for the dragon the spew fire. That's the main draw of this area besides the rides and the shopping

A very interactive and immersive world in Epic Universe, Super Nintendo World mostly lived up to…read morethe hype for me. I was blown away with the level of detail inside of Bowser's Castle and almost wished I had more time just to look around it before getting on the ride. The Yoshi Ride was underwhelming, however, and I feel like there was more that could have been done with it, even if that meant building an additional structure. I did not participate in using the Power Up bands, but noticed several children that were loving it. It would have been so amazing to experience this world back in the N64 days!

It was just too crowded and the employees didnt want to be there. If my kids wrote this review it…read moreqould be 5 stars but Im the one that paid for 4 people and their fastpasses so my review is a bit different. The theming was spot on so shout out there. The Mario Kart ride had a broken headset and when I got off I didnt understand why I had to wear it but my family assured me it was "so cool!" So I alerted the staff that it was broken and they said "we know. You can ride again if you want." They wouldnt have brought it up if I hadn't alerted them so that made me feel bad about anyone who had actually waited 2 and a half hours and didnt think to mention it to staff that the headset was broken. The mine cart ride was cool but about 10 seconds on the ride the music stopped so that was just a little disappointing. The Yoshi ride had a fun and air conditioned line but the ride is supposed to be interactive and me and my son's buttons weren't working. It was just a bit frustrating that each ride had a little something that was broken after having spent sooo much money. Toadstool Cafe did have a vegan meat sandwich that was delicious though and my kids loved the DK barrel drink near the donkey Kong ride.

If you LOVE cars, Dezerland's Orlando Auto Museum is definitely worth checking out! The person at…read morethe entry to the paid part was super patient and friendly. There are a lot of cars that you can see for free and then a paid portion (discount if FL resident) that has massive amounts of cars. The sheer variety of cars is incredible--from gorgeous classics and rare automobiles to exotic cars, military vehicles, Hollywood movie & TV cars, celebrity cars, and themed collections. A must-visit for car enthusiasts, classic car lovers, and anyone who appreciates unique pieces of automotive history!

Saw this part of the mall while going to Cinemark which is in the same building…read more Took a quick walk around after my movie was over. Lots of classic cars, dining and other options it appears.

This was my very first time visiting Icon Park, and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised…read more The first thing I appreciated was the parking. They have a convenient parking garage where the first three floors are paid parking, while the fourth floor and above are free. That was a nice bonus and made getting there easy. I was actually on my way to a restaurant, so exploring the park wasn't part of the plan. But once I walked inside, I couldn't help but look around. There were restaurants, food vendors, candy shops, drink stands, and so much more. The atmosphere was lively, fun, and full of energy. It looked like the perfect place for families, couples, or anyone just looking to spend a few hours enjoying themselves. This is a short review because I didn't get the chance to experience everything Icon Park has to offer. However, based on my first impression alone, I can definitely say I'll be back. It was filled with excitement for both children and adults, and I'm looking forward to exploring it even more on my next visit.

Overall, I think this is a great place to check out if you are in Orlando…read more We came here because we have Legoland gold passes which means we get free admission to sea life, Madame Tussaud's, and the Orlando Eye. All three of these together took up about two hours and then we were able to go to Cafe tu tu tango to get a bite to eat. This was a great half day experience while we were visiting Orlando. There was a parking garage and parking was super easy. By that time we left around 8:30 PM there were so many cars, but when we first got there at about 5 PM there were tons of spots. They do have parking spots you can pay for in the lower levels so it seems like if you're willing to pay there will always be parking. If you want free parking, you need to go earlier because this seems to be popular for nightlife. I always appreciate when there's so many attractions together that you can walk to. This place has quite a few restaurants, some shops and the attractions all in a contained area. It was very clean and when we came, there was a huge police presence, because apparently a couple weeks before there was hundreds of teenagers that descended to the area and fought. So the place was doing a really good job making sure that everything was safe. This is a place for both families and non-families alike.

This was always my favorite part of IoA! The Spider-Man ride…read morewill never get old! It's been updated a bit since the ride came out, but it still has an old school comic book charm! In my late teens, I finally found the courage to go on the Hulk ride. It's the fastest and scariest coaster I've ever been on! Hulk yelling at the beginning doesn't help btw! I don't like drop rides, so I avoid the Doom fall. I'm glad Universal and Disney still have an agreement to keep this part of the Island! It would be sad to see it go!

Old school (pre Disney) Marvel comics, ride, and stores in Islands of Adventure in Orlando…read more Lots of comic book themed colors and designs here, good for those who are historic comic fans and the meet & greets here looked like fun if busy lines. The Hulk coaster, Fearfall wasn't on when we were there, and the Spiderman 4D experience. End of the day could've used some cleaning, someone had thrown up or really lost a meal on the ground, no one out there cleaning it up...

Haha, this was my first ride when we arrived in Universal. It was kinda cute…read more The wait wasn't too long with the express pass. In fact even with the regular line it was averaging about 45 minutes for this ride, which is nowhere near as bad as some other rides. If you're into Minions or Despicable Me, you'll definitely be into the intro segments with Gru and his daughters. Many of us were laughing so hard at how hilarious it was. As for the ride itself, it was relatively low intensity, but there definitely were some moments. I'd say this ride is safe for those who experience motion sickness as I didn't feel bad at all. If anything the introduction may have dragged a bit long, but otherwise I was pretty happy with this ride being my introduction to Universal.

Reviewing an Orlando local childless couple in theory 30s:…read more We rode this for the first time recently and it's really really cute. Neither of us were children's when Despicable Me & Minions become popular, nor do we have children's so we don't have much of a personal affinity for the franchise. Still this is really cute and fun. We would definitely do this again. My husband is prone to motion sickness and this did not bother him at all

I went to the Gator Spot located inside the Fun Spot in Orlando. I just wanted to check out the…read moregators and hold one and they are open most of the day. I was exhausted from a full day of travel the night before but their hours were flexible for me to be able to stop in on my free time. If you are just going into the gator spot you can skip the ticket counter and head right over to The Gator Spot. Staff working the gift shop have a window that opens to the entrance where they will scan your wrist band (admission is free with fun spot wrist bands). Admission just to the Gator spot is only $6. I purchased that and the option to feed the gators. I wish they had pointed out the Ultimate admission offer that you get admission, a photo & feeding for a discounted price - I did end up purchasing photos as well as some fun stuff in the gift shop. Everyone I encountered working at the Gator spot were so friendly & sweet. They have 4 alligator enclosures, photo ops, tortoise, monitor lizard & bird enclosure. It is a small are but exactly what I was looking for. I was able to feed the gators fish while going in the enclosure and posing in the pit for a photo. They had baby alligators, yearlings, 5-6 year olds and one really large guy in his own pin. At the photo area you can hold Cheesecake an Albino Alligator or Grumpy a feisty little female gator or a python. I waited for my opportunity while the photographer did some photos of the family ahead of me. It was pretty comical watching the reactions of people when they get held the animal or freaking out asking why the live animal is moving while they hold them. There was no one after me so I asked if I could get a photo with Cheesecake & Grumpy so I could make my mom a Mother's Day Card. Cheesecake was a very calm gator with very beautiful intriguing eyes, she is very mellow and would be good for those unsure about holding one. Grumpy on the other hand had been feisty all day according to the worker. She was moving and wiggling around. The group in front of me jumped up and asked why she doing that when she started wiggling. I don't know if she just liked me or if she could sense how awesome I thought this was but she was so calm when I held her, she even closed her eyes while I had her. The worker was surprised at how still she was for me. This was such a great experience and the staff was so friendly. This was a great small stop to see some gators without having to spend a lot of money or being short on time. I would highly suggest checking out if you are passing through the area.

Had some time before leaving Orlando and wanted to see some FL gators. Looked up some places and…read morethey were all far from me and found this jewel on Yelp. I called to make sure it was open since the reviews are old and sure enough it was. The place was in Fun Spot and it's a collab between gator land and them. For only $6 a person, you can get an all day pass to access gator spot and see a live feeding show, not only that but you can touch a gator and ball python snake and take pictures. I don't think you have to buy it but we did for $20 just to remember our time here. You can also feed them with alligator food you can purchase. I really enjoyed seeing the many alligators they had and the baby ones too. They have white albino one that's pretty cool. Then there is "big nasty" the biggest of all there. My fam and friends all had a good time and it was def a FL experience seeing these ancients beasts.