The countdown to our family holiday to Florida is well under way with under 6 weeks to go and we are getting to the stage where we can not contain our excitement. Although we have visited Orlando before there are so many things that we have yet to do and to top it off there are so many new attractions that we can’t wait to put to the test.
Our two week holiday will be full of fun from start to finish as we explore not just Orlando but other areas in Florida as we embark on a challenge to do as many new experiences as we can. We are looking forward to our first trip on an Air boat, Swimming with Manatees, diving for Scallops and visiting our first Orlando water park.
So what is new in Florida this summer?
Well the biggest change is the opening of Universals Volcano Bay. This fabulous Volcano island themed holiday not only looks as amazing as you would expect but also combines some fantastic technology which should help to beat the queues and give you more time in the water or lazing in the sun. The TapuTapu wristbands given to every person who attends save your place in the queue, unlocks your locker, can be used to pay and even unlocks some special features around the resort which we can not wait to experience for ourselves and share with you all.
Volcano Bay isn’t the only new thing to come to Universal Resorts. April saw the opening of Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon where guests fly through New York in a 4D adventure. We are also excited to see the brand new ‘The Night-time Lights at Hogwarts Castle’ which will launch later this month.
It isn’t just Universal that have added new and exciting places to explore. May saw the opening of the new Pandora – The World of Avatar land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I am a huge Avatar fan and I know that Disney will have really done this justice. Just looking at the pictures makes me what to visit and we will be sure to hang around until it gets dark because that is when it will really look spectacular. The Pandora – The world of Avatar land features new rides, eateries and shops to really bring this fantasy world alive. I am looking forward to riding on a banshee on Avatar Flight of Passage as well as the more family friendly boat ride down on the Na’vi River Journey.
Choosing between the new Rivers of Light show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, The Music of Pixar LIVE! at Hollywood Studios or the new “Happily Ever After” show at Magic Kingdom is going to be tough especially as we only have one night to spend in the Disney parks so we will have to vote on this closer to the time. We will definitely be visiting Hollywood Studios at some point though as they have added even more movie replicas from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to Star Wars Launch Bay which was one of our favourite places to walk around in 2015.
As well as Disney and Universal we will also be heading to Seaworld and Busch Gardens. We visited Seaworld previously but we just have to go back to check out the new Dolphin Nursery and ride the Kraven with the new VR headsets. Busch Gardens is completely new to us as we didn’t venture there last time but we are looking forward to exploring and will obviously have to go on the brand new Cobra’s Curse ride which opens in a few weeks.
Considering we were only in Orlando 18 months ago there are still so many new things to go and experience and we can’t wait to share them with you.