Orlando Without Disney; Universal Weekend

Jan 15, 2016

3 min read

It is hard to plan a trip to Orlando without feeling like you have to study your amusement park and hotel stay with the same intensity you would for the SATs or a Bar exam. We were looking for a long weekend to spend in Orlando for Ethan's 8th birthday. Naively, I started planning another Disney trip, but Jamie recommended Universal. It honestly never occurred to me, but it was perfect for Ethan. He loves Minions, and we had just started reading together the Harry Potter novels each evening.

Ethan's birthday fell on the Friday preceding MLK weekend, and my mom's birthday (who lives in Florida) fell on MLK day. My parents picked us up at the Orlando airport (which I have 8 mm video of from when I was there in 1978), and we all stayed at Cabana Bay, a Universal hotel. Despite some unflattering reviews, we loved the hotel. It was decorated in a '50s mod theme and was budget friendly. Instead of formal restaurants, there was a food court area with lots of quality food options, including fresh-prepared hot meals, cold sandwiches, salad and breakfast buffets and an area that was a small convenience store. There was a bowling alley inside the hotel and an arcade room. In addition, we had transportation to Universal's City Walk area, so we were busy all weekend. It was nice to return to the hotel after a long day in the park and each pick our own food from the different stations, grab a pizza or make a large salad from the buffet; buy bottles of wine or soda and Icee's and head back to the room or eat in the large seating area. If you are looking for casual and un-fussy, stay here. If you need to spend more money and always do fine dining, then Cabana Bay is not for you.

Universal was a great time. We all love roller coasters, so we hit every ride that Ethan was tall enough to get on. We went on the Men In Black ride which we could tell was outdated when we walked in the building. Not only was it outdated, but the ride broke while we were on it. Our car stopped in the middle of the course while we were in the city street area. The premise of the ride is to earn points shooting aliens. While our car was stopped, I noticed Jamie was still earning points by shooting aliens. I didn't want to lose, so I kept shooting aliens. We were stuck on this ride for about ten minutes in the middle of the noisy street with Ethan whining and fake crying about being bored as Jamie and I were trying to out-shoot each other and throw off the other's aim by knocking arms and guns. The ride stalling out in the middle of the course should be made a regular occurrence.

Cow Fish at City Walk was an interesting restaurant with a sushi/steakhouse concept. We enjoy both sushi and beef, so it was a perfect choice. Jamie's Bloody Mary had a hamburger on it, with a Slim Jim straw! The atmosphere, waiters, food and prices were just right. Two and one-half days were plenty of time to do and see it all you can possibly do at Universal, including the Harry Potter worlds which are a do-not-miss. I've been trying to find a good butter beer recipe since we got home!