Last week two of my little friends (and their mom) came to visit me in Florida for their annual summer trip. We decided this was the year to visit Universal Studios Orlando. We booked a room at Universals’ Endless Summer Surf Side Suites, one of their newest hotels. We spent a full day at both parks and enjoyed the resort’s pool in the evening.

Universal Parks

Universal Florida is made up of two parks: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures. If you want to ride the Hogwarts Express and travel from London to Hogwarts like Harry Potter does, you must have a park to park ticket. I suggest you start at Universal Studios in Diagon Alley. Then head to Kings Cross to hop on the train to Hogsmead and Hogwarts School and spend the second part of the day at Island’s of Adventures.

We headed to Universal Studios and the first ride with a super short line was Rip Ride and Rockit close to the entrance. The two kids luckily didn’t need any adults to ride with them, so they went alone. This was there first ever upside down roller coaster and they loved it! You pick a song to listen to while riding. Ava picked I Will Survive. Fitting for the first upside down ride.

We spent the majority of our time in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. If you are a fan of the books or the movies this place will blow you away. It is just like you imagine. Our first stop was Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. This ride had a 55 minute wait time but we came for these rides so we hopped in line. We ended up waiting almost an hour and a half but it was totally worth it.

I had ridden this ride 5+ years ago and thought it was just a 3D/4D ride. I was wrong. It did have the 3D/4D ride aspect but also a normal rollercoaster thrill ride. I didn’t realize that until right out of the gate you have a hill drop in the dark. Luckily everyone didn’t mind I was wrong. We laughed a ton after that first hill.

After having one too many laughs on Escape from Gringotts we were in need of a butterbeer and the kids wanted a wand. We stood in line for the popular drinks while the kids went to find a wand. The wands at Universal are very unique. They come with a map of both Harry Potter areas and “spells” that can be done throughout. You can make water fountains spit, curtains open, lights light up, birds chirp and many others.

Spell spots are marked by gold medallions set into the pavement, which can be located using your map. Each spot indicates where you should stand to cast the spell, what direction to face, the wand movement required to cast the spell, and the words to be uttered while waving your wand. The kids ran around an tested out their skills. Thankfully, Universal has cast members near the areas to help assist in the spells if needed.

After our butterbeers we hopped on the Hogwarts Express and headed to Hogsmead and the Castle. Our next must do ride was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey that is housed inside Hogwarts Castle. This line said 45 minutes but I am not sure it took more than 20 minutes before we were on the ride. This was another 3D/4D thrill ride. We knew what to expect a little more this ride. Except for the dragon that popped out and sent Ava into a blood curdling scream….then a fit of laughter for how she reacted.

Due to the extremely long wait times and sold out virtual queue, we did not get a chance to ride the new Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. If this is a must do, I would head to this ride as soon as you enter the park.

We enjoyed walking around the parks and visiting other rides and attractions. By about 4pm our feet were tired and we realized that we never had lunch. We all agreed to exit the park, grab a milkshake, and head to the resort for some pool time.

The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen

This was the perfect end to a long day in the sun. Toothsome Chocolate Emporium does have table seating (reservations are a must), but it also has a walk up dessert counter. You can shop in the chocolate shop and then head over to order one of their must try milkshakes or sundaes. They are probably big enough to share…but sometimes you just want one to yourself. Here are the ones we tried:

Thrilla in Vanilla Vanilla ice cream, vanilla pastry cream, vanilla wafers, vanilla macaron, maraschino cherry, whipped cream
That's "Mint" Minty chocolate chip ice cream, Andes mints, mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, fresh whipped cream
Confetti Vanilla ice cream, confetti cake, vanilla buttercream frosting, rainbow sprinkles, fresh whipped cream

Check out the dessert menu here.

Universal’s Endless Summer Surfside Inn & Suites

Even though I live only about an hour from the parks, we decided to make a mini vacation out of it and book two nights at the newest resort, Endless Summer Surfside Inn & Suites (and Dockside). This fun, family-oriented premium value hotel introduces extra affordability to a Universal vacation. The feeling here is relaxed and easy, with a cool surf vibe woven throughout. In addition to beachy, surf-themed standard rooms, Surfside Inn and Suites features spacious, 2-bedroom suites that sleep up to six.. This room is perfect and affordable for a family that needs 3 queen beds.

This hotel met the budget and had all the amenities we needed; queen beds, large pool, pool bar, and dining. We used the pool each night to beat the Florida heat. The kids were impressed with the music play under the water. We had a great time on our quick getaway.