Universal Orlando

By Michael

We flew from Chicago O'Hare to Orlando, starting the trip the day before Christmas. Lisa and Thomas rode the airport train out to our gate, and once we were in the air Kathy had a dinner tray while I watched the clouds outside the window.

We landed in Orlando that evening under a big lit Christmas tree in the terminal, then rode the Universal shuttle van out to the resort. We were in the pool by nine that night, trading Chicago's cold for Florida's warmth.

By Michael

Christmas morning we wore matching Cat in the Hat shirts, the kids in 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2' and me in a 'Dad of' shirt, and walked under the Universal Studios Florida globe as the park opened. We posed in the Despicable Me electric chair prop, found Optimus Prime standing over the Transformers ride, and rode the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross station over to Islands of Adventure, arriving under the Hogsmeade sign with the Jurassic Park gates close by.

Back at Universal Studios Florida that afternoon the kids climbed through Woody Woodpecker's KidZone and the splash pad that warns your britches will get wet. We walked through Springfield, USA, past Lard Lad Donuts, Krusty Burger and Moe's, and had dinner near the lagoon as the sky went orange.

After dark, Universal's Holiday Parade came down the street with giant balloons of a polar bear, an elf and a snowman, and we found a spot to watch it go by. Under the big tree at CityWalk I held up one of the oversized ornaments with the kids for a photo. We didn't head back to the room until after ten.

By Michael

We spent the day at Islands of Adventure, not Universal Studios Florida as the site had it. The kids had one more character breakfast, meeting the Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2 among the Grinchmas decorations in Seuss Landing, then we pedaled the rickshaw and the red trike through Port of Entry.

We walked under Seuss Landing's arches with the Grinchmas banners still up from the holiday overlay, then crossed into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, where Hogwarts castle rose over Hogsmeade. From there we found Jurassic Park's gates, stood by the T-Rex and the abandoned jeep, and got strapped in for the river ride, ready to get wet.

In Toon Lagoon we passed the Hush-a-Bomb prop near Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, and in Marvel Super Hero Island the kids met Captain America and Doctor Doom under a mural of the Hulk. One of them climbed onto a tiger statue near the rides.

We got back to the resort in the late afternoon and spent the rest of the evening in the pool and the hot tub, swimming until after dark.

By Michael

Our last morning we had one more character breakfast at the resort, with Scooby-Doo, a Minion and other characters stopping by our table under the Christmas tree. We packed up, took a last look at the pool from our room, then headed to the airport. The kids camped out on the floor by our gate with their pink suitcase while we waited to board. The family flew from Orlando to Chicago O'Hare to close out the trip.