A Travelogue

Pool View Room, Hard Rock Hotel, Orlando

We just took a vacation to Orlando. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel. We went to Islands of Adventure, City Walk, & Universal Studios Park. We ate way too much, walked about a thousand miles, and had a blast.

Why the Hard Rock? It is our favorite of the three Universal properties. The rooms are very nice, and the staff is friendly and competent. When there's a problem, they get right on it and make it better. And I do mean friendly, not pleasant or merely courteous. From the valet to the engineer coming in to check an outlet to the bellman on your way to check out, the staff is engaged, friendly and helpful. I cannot recommend the Hard Rock more.


In addition to the staff and great rooms, the pool is killer. They have a great slide. You can hear the music underwater. There's live entertainment. The poolside restaurant and bar is great. Here again, the service was great. They even do a movie poolside on some nights. Fun for everyone.

Hard Rock Orlando Lanyard

Another perk to staying at a Universal resort is the automatic Fast Pass. Your room key used to serve as your fast pass, but now you use the key to print a separate pass. The upside is that the fast pass line is even quicker now (Universal instituted this policy because room keys were being misused). The wait to make the pass was just a couple of minutes and it was easy. I would do it right away, not in the morning when you are ready to go to the parks. The only downside is that the tickets are paper, and degrade quickly in water. We finally broke down and bought a lanyard with a plastic pouch for carrying the passes. There's even some lanyards that come with a sealable pouch.

If you stay at a Universal Resort, you also get in both parks an hour early. At Islands of Adventure, Harry Potter world is open. We got into Ollivander's Wand Shop in under 20 minutes, and then practically walked on the ride in Hogwart's. The wand show can have waits of up to 3 hours, so doing it first is the only way to fly.

We go for the wet rides at Islands of Adventure, so we wear our suits with cover ups & t-shirts. I usually end up with a tote of some kind with dry shirts, etc. It is so hot though that we dried off quickly. Word to the wise: the stuff you carry will expand to fill the space available. Choose your tote wisely.  By the last day, I was carrying a clutch sized cross body bag and telling everyone to carry their own freight.



Two things I discovered this trip: a sunscreen and a makeup product. The sunscreen is by Banana Boat. The SPF is 85, and it works. Don't believe the can, it is greasy as can be. But it works.  No sunburn.

 The makeup is a Beauty Balm by Smashbox. The SPF is 35 and it works. This is one of those BB Creams that is 5 in 1. I was not loving it until this trip, but I am now a true believer. I went all day and half the night taking several waves of water to the face and my makeup was still there at the end of the day. Good stuff.

The Hulk, Islands of Adventure
Universal Studios, Orlando

New rides: I got shamed into riding Dragon Challenge, and it was every nightmare I've ever had or imagined rolled into one upside down twisted experience. I don't recommend it.  I also tried out The Hulk, which was awesome.




Hope everyone has safe and wonderful travels this summer!



Julie

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