Adventures in Orlando and Utopia of the Seas
I stayed in the spacious family suite with 2 queen beds and a pull out sofa. The hotel has numerous pools and even a lazy river and is the perfect base to wind down after busy days at the park. Among the benefits of staying onsite are 1 hour early park entry each day as well as bus transport to and from the parks.
We spent our first full day in Universal and had 2 wonderful VIP guides. These guides meant that we as a group could essentially skip the queues and be brought straight to to the front of the line. What an amazing way to experience the parks. I had been in Universal once many years ago and it was even better than I remembered.
There were many new rides too and the theme park nut in me had the best time! We also went to Volcano Bay water park and enjoyed the thrilling and the relaxing rides there. In our 2 days we packed a lot in, including visiting some of the other hotels. We toured the brand new Stella Nova resort which has been built at the site at the soon to open Epic Universe theme park and is a perfect addition to the chain.
After our stay in Orlando, we ventured onwards to Port Canaveral port for the latter part of our adventure. We embarked on Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas for the “World’s biggest weekend”. Utopia of the Seas has been built to offer 3 and 4 day cruises and we set sail on the 3-day offering. It had been many years since I sailed on Royal Caribbean, and I will hold my hand up to say that I forgot just how good it was! I stayed in a boardwalk view balcony, a lower priced alternative to the ocean facing balconies and love my stay there. We went to the infamous aqua show, a high diving extravaganza, as well as the ice skating show. The food and drinks were of high standard and the atmosphere was electric. The sail away parties were the most lively and energetic I have ever been at standing true to the “World’s biggest weekend” title.
3 days is by no means enough to explore the entire ship properly, but it just leaves you wanting more! As part of our cruise, we also visited Perfect Day at CocoCay. This is Royal’s private island in the Bahamas. Since I last visited it has undergone a $250 million investment, and the only word is WOW! Among the many main attractions are “Thrill island” and “Chill island” offering you the chance of excitement or relaxation for the day. Your drinks package if you have one carries over and food is also included on the island. You can have an entirely “free” day here or there are also notable chargeable items such as a large waterpark and an adults only beach area with pool and DJ. I already cannot wait to return.
All in all this was my version of the trip of a lifetime and I definitely will replicate it again.
