I recently revisited Orlando, and if you’ve been thinking about going there, this is your sign to book your trip, and a comprehensive guide to help you out.

For context, I visited Walt Disney World on a family vacation when I was younger, so for this recent trip, I decided to focus on Universal Studios.

Before I get into what to do while in Orlando, here are 10 important tips!

1. Avoid peak season. EVERYONE travels in summer, and if you’re not willing to stand in very long queues (or purchase express pass tickets), then you should strategically time your trip for low season.
2. Speaking of express passes, you get free express passes IF you stay at select Universal Studio Resorts.
3. SHOES. Don’t be the friend or family member stuck in uncomfortable shoes—it’s annoying. You’ll be on your feet all day, so choose the comfiest, most cushioned shoes you own.
4. Speaking of dressing comfortably, packing light is just as essential. A small bag is all you need—something that can fit in the park lockers.

What’s in your bag? Your phone, your bank & hotel card, your earphones, your sunscreen, your power bank, sunglasses, lipgloss, and a collapsible water bottle because water cost $6 but there’re water fountains around. A mini usb fan is optional but I ended up not using mine.

5. I always skip water rides, but if you plan to go on them, maybe bring a poncho and flip-flops. Again, everything is more expensive at the park.
6. Do your souvenir shopping at the end, on your way out. See number 4.
7. Most theme parks have apps. Download the app before your trip to add your ticket, check ride wait times, find nearby rides, shops, restaurants, etc, and to reserve certain restaurants in the park.
8. As long as you’re in the line before closing time, you’ll still get on the rides, so if there’s a ride with an absurd wait time, maybe save it for last.

Where to stay?

9. For me, choosing where to stay always depends on what I plan to do. Since I mostly rely on public transport to get around, I always consider proximity to bus stops when selecting hotels. For Orlando, you can download the LYNX app to purchase bus tickets online for just $4 per day.
10. If you stay at the resort, whether it’s Disney or Universal, you get free shuttle rides to the theme parks.

Now, if you’re wondering what to do in Orlando? Here we go!

DISNEY WORLD

(At least one day per park)

Disney World has 4 theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios, along with two water parks. When I visited with my family, we only got to see Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Magic Kingdom is where you’ll find that classic Disney charm, and Animal Kingdom felt like a zoo with rides and attractions. I don’t recall any specific rides from either park though.

We never made it to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios, but I’ve heard that they cater more to adults. EPCOT is more show-based, while Hollywood Studios is more ride-focused.

The parks you’ll have access to depend on the type of ticket you purchase.

Depending on how many days you have at the resort, it might be a good idea to plan which rides you want to visit at each park before your trip. This way, you can avoid wandering and queuing for just any ride.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

(At least one day per park)

Universal Studios currently has three parks: Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Volcano Bay. (Fourth park opening next year).

It’s supposedly geared toward adults and older children because of the thrill rides (but I think it’s because of the Harry Potter theme).

I visited Islands of Adventure (which has more superhero-focused thrill rides), and Universal Studios (which is more TV shows/movie-themed) for Halloween Horror Nights.

I didn’t visit Volcano Bay, but if you’re into water parks, you should check it out.

Here are my favourite rides:

• Jurassic World VelociCoaster: A world-class roller coaster that’s smooth and lightning-fast. My only complaint is that it should be longer.
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: A motion simulator ride in the dark where you’re chased by dragons and dementors. I love it!
• Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure: A Harry Potter-themed roller coaster that goes super fast, and there’s a twist where you fall backwards.
• Revenge of the Mummy: A tunnel roller coaster but there’s this part with the fire that feels real for just one second.

Rides with personal forewarning:

• The Incredible Hulk Coaster: You get a headache instead of a thrill on this one.
• Doctor Doom’s Fearfall: This is a shame to drop towers. The thrill here is your expectations.

HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS

If you’re visiting Universal around Halloween, you’ll definitely want to add this to your itinerary. I might write a separate post about it, but in short, it’s a collection of haunted houses and select rides.

ICON PARK

(timing varies based on attraction)

ICON Park is an entertainment complex with cafes, restaurants, wineries, an arcade, and a bunch of attractions, including:

• Madame Tussauds: Major tourist attraction if you’re into seeing realistic wax figures of popular figures, cough, Taylor Swift, cough, or astronauts, inventors, presidents, actors, actresses, artists, superheroes, and more.
• Orlando Eye: A Ferris wheel offering a bird’s eye view of Orlando.
• Museum of Illusions
• Ripley’s Believe It or Not!: A museum of odd things.
• SeaLife Orlando: If you love aquariums.

Instead of buying individual tickets for all these attractions, you can get a package that bundles multiple attractions, like the CityPASS.

DISNEY SPRINGS (CIRQUE DU SOLEIL)

(>4hrs)

This is Disney’s entertainment centre, also known as Downtown Disney. From shopping and dining to theatre shows, it is the hangout spot, but what brought me here was Cirque du Soleil. If you’ve been following my posts, you know that if there’s a Cirque du Soleil show within a mile’s radius, I’ll be there, and so far Disney’s Drawn to Life is one of the best I’ve seen!

Plus the best pasta I ever had was at the T-Rex Cafe here.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

(1 day)

I wasn’t able to visit this during my trip because it’s on federal property with no public transport available. You can Uber there, but it’s expensive, and they offer shuttles, which are also costly, and depart at a fixed time daily.

However, I added it to this list because I’ve been to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and had an idea of what to expect. It’s more of a science centre for space enthusiasts. You get to see rockets up close, explore space artefacts, and take shuttles to different parts of NASA. I definitely need to revisit it as an adult, but I remember it being a long and immersive experience.

Fun fact: if you time your visit just right, you might even get to see a rocket launch!

Wondering if there are other theme parks aside from the Big Two?

Yes, Orlando is literally the theme park capital of the world. While I’ve only been to Disney and Universal, there are plenty of other parks to visit. Special mentions:

• Gatorland
• SeaWorld Orlando (though they have a reputation for animal exploitation)

It’s Florida, what about the beaches?

Orlando is in Central Florida, so there aren’t any beaches in the city. However, if you had a car, you could drive about an hour to a beach.

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And there we have it! My comprehensive guide on what to do in Orlando. I tried to keep things short, and not go into too much detail but of course, if you have any specific questions, let me know in the comments.