It's been a LONG time! Here we come Orlando, Florida December 2014

I know it's been such a long time posting anything on this blog. Well, life got really busy with the kids growing up, extracurricular activities and choosing to work a bit more than part-time as a mom. I hope this entry makes up for some of it.

Our last few trips involved some of the same places that we have been to. For example, Boston, MA & Hawaii (this time Oahu). I will try to post something about those trips later.

For now, we are in Orlando, Fl. We decided on this trip because my husband was working in Tampa and in order for our family to spend Xmas together, we met up in Orlando for a week before he heads back to work. Also, it was an incentive for our youngest son to completely finish reading the Harry Potter (HP) series. He did and couldn't be more excited about our trip to Universal Studios (where HP world is set).

As you all know, I have to be frugal with our vacations due to having a family and just being raised to be frugal. I booked my flights for this holiday time in August because I had been checking on flight fees for the past 3 most prior to Aug. Finally, when I knew that school was going to start again and prices would drop, I would see if the tickets were going to be worth it. And.....they were! I was able to find round trip tickets on United. Now, my expectations of United Airlines are not high.

We chose to stay at the Caribe Royale. After searching on my favorite sites esp. TripAdvisor, Travelocity, Expedia, Caribe Royale came up as a positive place to stay for families. I was happy to say I was correct. The hotel is like an Embassy Suites where there is a living room with a sofa bed, microwave, refrigerator separated by a door. The kids could have their own space, if they wanted. We purchased the special where we receive breakfast every morning at The Tropicale Restaurant on the premises. I think this is a huge savings with 2 growing boys and heading to attractions where we are walking all day. The rooms are clean, the staff is friendly, the pool has a slide and is open till 11pm. This late closing time is crucial considering we are out all day and typically the pools are closed by the time we get back to the hotel. But, Caribe Royale keeps it open till 11pm and the 3 hot tubs are an excellent place for our tired feet and tired adult bodies. Parking is FREE!!!! This is also a huge savings. The Walmart is only a 5 minutes drive from the hotel and there are nights when we don't want to eat out and just get something nuke-able. The breakfast buffet has it ALL. There is an omelette station, potatoes, hot/cold cereal, breads/pastries, bacon, sausages, all kinds of egg dishes, pancakes, waffles, french toast and more. The wait staff will bring you your drinks and the rest is up to you. As much as you want is a great option for our growing boys. There are 2 arcades for the kids to play as the adults have a cocktail. 

I went through Undercover Tourist to get our tickets for Universal Studios Florida. It was a great deal for our family. There wasn't a discount on our tix to Kennedy Space Center so I just went through the KSC site.

We went to Universal Studios and HP World did NOT disappoint. The trick is to get to Diagon Alley first thing in the morning. The ride at Gringott's is brilliant and the line wasn't too bad. So, we went on a few times. Warning: if anyone is sensitive to motion sickness, I would suggest to skip this ride (I didn't think it was that bad) and the ride in Hogsmeade called Hogwarts Ride. You can take the train at Kings Cross to Hogsmeade as long as you have a multi-park pass. It's a clever and easy train ride that fulfills anyone's imagination who has read HP. Olivander's is less busy at Diagon Alley than Hogsmeade. The Butter Beer hot/cold is sweet. The kids loved it, but we adults thought it was a bit too sweet. The Leaky Cauldron is a great place to eat as their are servers helping you and you don't have to fight your way or even look for a place to sit. It's expensive, but our kids were on the verge of losing their tempers due to them being hungry. So, we bit it and paid for our meal. It was a good meal, just expensive. The Dragon Challenge ride is quite fun. The red track is much faster and seems to be more exciting than the blue, but both tracks are still a good roller coaster ride.  





We did get stupyfied by our youngest and purchased him the robe and wand. One can purchase an interactive wand which lets you perform spells throughout HP World. The robe is a nice added plus for our youngest's imagination. All employees speak to him as if he was a Hogwarts student and he LOVED it! Being spoken to : "we'll see you back at school Monday" "please sign for the Ministry of Magic" "would this be on your muggle plastic?" We all loved it!
 


 

After 2 days at Universal, we went to Spirit of the Swamp for an airboat ride through the headwaters of the Everglades. It was a great experience. Our suggestion? Take the earliest tour. We hit it perfectly. 10am tour gave us sights to 5 gators and their babies, turtles, river otters, deer, cows, horses, various bird species and vegetation. The smell of water lilies was amazing. Our captain was Capt. Dale and he was very informative on the land. Our 1-1/2 hr trip went by quickly! It was well worth our trip which was only about 15 min. from Caribe Royale. Capt. Dale suggested The Catfish place to eat. We haven't gone yet, but will in a couple of days. I will review it after our meal. Apparently, they have good gator meat and various exotic meats and good Southern food.



We will be heading to Cape Canaveral for our trip to the Kennedy Space Center soon. I will review that when we have completed that trip. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed my review so far. Please feel free to comment and ask me questions. I have not commented much anymore on packing due to my kids being older.