We spent most of January in the Orlando area or nearby. January is a good month to go to the theme parks since the crowds are smaller than most other months. Lines for the most popular rides can get to about 2 hours in the afternoon; however, I am told all lines are shorter in January. We were at each park when it opened and were able to enjoy several rides before the crowds peaked in the afternoons.
First up was a week of camping in Walt Disney World at Fort Wilderness and 4 days in the parks. It is a great place to camp and very convenient to all the Disney theme parks, but is very expensive. After going to the theme parks we didn’t have enough daylight or energy to take advantage of what else the campground offered. We will stay off-property next time and buy the Florida resident park passes, which include parking.
We found at both Disney and Universal Studios that we really enjoyed the 3D motion simulator rides. We also rode several roller coasters, log flumes and some of the tame rides.
Cinderella’s Castle
The first park we went to was the Magic Kingdom. We enjoyed several rides including Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and It’s a Small World. Splash Mountain and Buzz Lightyear were our favorites. The rides include lots of opportunities to get a Disney song stuck in your head and have a lot of fun. We had a great day in the Magic Kingdom and I stayed to enjoy the fireworks as the park closed.
Next stop was Epcot Center. We rode Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, Journey into the Imagination with Figment, Soaring Around the World, and the GM Test Track. We also strolled around World Showcase enjoying all of the various countries.
At Hollywood Studios we enjoyed the Indiana Jones stunt show, a 3D Star Wars ride, and several rides in the Toy Story section of the park.
We really enjoyed our day in Animal Kingdom. It was a great combination of exciting rides and live animals. The 4D movie It’s a Bugs Life was great, especially when we felt the bugs running behind us on the seat.
Universal Studios – Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This was the most intense ride for us, bar none. We really got thrown around and the special effects were awesome including the dragon snot.
Harry Potter Kings Cross Station takes you between the two Universal Studios parks. We didn’t ride this one because we hadn’t purchase the multi-park tickets.
Transformer Bumble Bee hanging out for pictures. We enjoyed the Transformers ride – it was intense with lots of narrow escapes.
Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges is a great ride if you want to get completely soaked.
Universal Studios Seuss Land. Very whimsical and colorful. This is a great part of the park for younger kids.