Daytona Beach, Miami and Orlando. Three cities within one massive State in the south of America. Each known for something different, they all bring something different to the buffet table. Daytona Beach, known as a hub for college kids...
Each city is so different, that it makes it hard to believe that they are all located in the same State of Florida. First stop in the sunny state was Daytona Beach. Whilst it was a just a quick one-night stopover, we got to walk around in the main strip of the city including a stop at the world-famous theme park where my limits... may have reached new heights. Have you heard of this thing called the sling shot? Here, let me enlighten you. Essentially, you and a partner sit in a sphere that pulls you down closer to the ground only to be flung 100ft in the air. It was great! After about 15 minutes of my sitting on the fence of will I, won't I; I finally grew the balls (pun intended) and sit in the circle of fun! No, seriously it was one of the best things that I have ever done. It is such a shock to the system, but once you get used to the feeling, you sit and take in the whole city. And since I did it at night, it was perfect. Oh, and you get a cool t-shirt for your efforts at the end.
Suns out guns out for Miami baby! Miami is like a Cuban version of Australia. There are beaches, it's hot and laid back. It's got everything Australia has except people will literally be driving around in their Lamborghini's wearing a white thong. It's weird, but hey; that's Miami! Our first day kicked off with a speed boat ride checking out the glorious mansions of Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin while simultaneously realising that I'll probably never be that rich. The bright lights of Cuban flavour were met again with another kind of boat ride with a party cruise. Only give girls an hour to get ready for a night out? Challenge accepted! For some reason, a lot of us girls dressed in all red dress and a black jacket. Consistency is key, I guess!
The next night, I got to watch the legend that is Dwayne Wade take the court for the Miami Heat. just another day, another NBA game and another day that 15-year old Kayla got to live out all her sporting fantasies. This included being able to go on the court and take a free throw! it was such an exciting game... The Heat were down by about 30 points at half time and brought it back to the second half only losing by one. DJ Kahlid also made an appearance courtside, which was also quite hilarious as he spent most of the game just scrolling on his phone and eyeing off the cheerleaders.
Now to Orlando. Where Mickey Mouse's main mansion resides along with the magical and mystical world of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Rolling into Orlando I already knew what I was doing that night. Universal were holding their Halloween freight nights where they transform one half of the park into a hot spot of haunted houses and spooky characters.
As we rolled into our hotel, our manager was giving some advice to the people who were undecided on whether to go to Disney World or Universal Studios. Phil (our tour manager) to which then uttered these words, "if you love Harry Potter, you've already made your decision". And he was absolutely right. Harry Potter was the only place I was going to on my second day of Orlando so I made sure I didn't stay too late at the Halloween Horror Nights so I could get a good night sleep for what I'm hoping will be one of the greatest fun-filled days of my life!
Can you tell how excited I am? The above photo totally doesn't give anything away! That's me and Lisa. She's from Germany and we quickly discovered that we are both in Ravenclaw and that we have a deep obsession with Harry Potter. The first Harry Potter related thing you see id Diagon Alley and I shit you not... I cried. Yes! Literal tears came from my eyes at what I was seeing.
The first thing I do is grab myself a butterbeer, pass Gringott's Wizarding Bank and walk to platform 9 3/4 and catch the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade. HOT TIP: When you walk through the station to get to the station, you have to walk through the "wall" just like the movie. Before you do, there's this little gap where you can watch people "disappear" through the brick wall; just like the movie. If you're with a friend, ask them to film you going through and it'll look just the way that it does with Harry and Ron! When you sit on the train, the lolly trolly pays you a visit, but also the dark dementors. All worth it though as you arrive at Hogsmeade! Make sure you check out Honeydukes and grab yourself a chocolate frog and a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans! You walk through Hogsmeade and then suddenly around the corner, you see it. There it is. Everything that your childhood could have imagined. HOGWARTS!
As mystical and magical as you could ever imagine! Also, inside is one of the best rollercoasters/rides I have ever been on! So well designed and you're secured to your seat so you're dangling off. It's a blast! Don't forget to go to Olivanders and get yourself a wand. I got Nicholas Flamels. Unfortunately, they haven't figured out how to have the wand choose you but, I'll take what I can get.
Whilst Harry Potter was a complete and utter blast, another great addition to Universal Studios is inclusions of Springfield from The Simpsons. You thought 15-year old Kayla was happy at Madison Square Garden? Well, 10-year old Kayla is a whole other ball game and holy cow!
We divulged in a classic Krusty Burger, had a Squishee from the Kwiki Mart, oh and I had a 'Flamin Moe' from Moe's Tavern. Even bought myself a giant 'Doh-nut' (haha, see what I did there?).
Universal Studios was a great experience and such an exhausting day! Which definitely means I got everything out of the park that I could have with the one day that I was there. We were there on a Monday which was perfect timing which meant the longest that I ended up having to wait to go on a ride was only about 20-minutes. Universal Studios also included the themes of Superheroes, there's a water park and also an entire section dedicated to the Jurassic Park Franchise. If you're only in Orlando for one day, I highly suggest going to Universal Studio instead of Disney World. You can smash one whole day at Universal, no problems. Disney World, however? There are four parks and you need to dedicate one day to each world. Going to Disney World is an entire holiday within itself and if you want to get the entire Mickey experience, you'll definitely need AT LEAST four days to do so!
Overall, here are my top tips for Universal Studios:
1. Get there as soon as it opens, so you get the whole day to get around
2. Definitely, invest in getting the two park ticket. This will give you access to both worlds of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Superheroes, the Water Park and everything else!
3. Catch the Hogwarts Express. Even if you aren't the biggest Harry Potter fan, it is the quickest way to travel between the two parks.
4. Leave your shopping to the end of the day. The last thing you want to be doing is walking around with hundreds of bags. LEAVE IT LAST
5. Download the Universal Studios app. This app is great as it shows you the estimated wait time for each ride as well as an interactive map.
6. List out your priorities for the day. My top priorities were Harry Potter and The Simpsons. If you have more list them out and look at the map and concisely go through the best way to get around and see everything you want.
7. Try and go on an off-peak day. This wasn't planned on my part, we were just very lucky that we arrived on a Monday and that it wasn't the school holidays. If we didn't, I probably would have invested in a fast pass for rides.
8. Don't let your mates hold you back. I was very clear in what I wanted to see. I had a couple of friends that weren't the biggest Harry Potter fans but were happy to tag along as they didn't really know what else they wanted to see. I was more than happy to go around myself though and see everything. There are plenty of people that are there just doing their own thing. You are there for you and no one else.
9. If you're going on a water ride, be prepared to get wet! I know this sounds obvious but the water rides there are not just little splashes of water. You will undoubtedly get drenched. Without question. Head-to-toe wet. There are body dryers around but be prepared for the $5 charge to use them.
10. Souvineers are important but they aren't cheap. Check out the Universal Studios website so you can get an idea of what you want to get and budget accordingly. I easily spent $200 on merch and gifts for friends and family at home.
