How to Make the Most of a Family Vacation to Orlando.
(in Partnership with Visit Orlando).
Welcome to the new www.JennaRicciardi.com — After a major website hiatus/rebrand/remodel, the website is back with my first new post in months! Travel reviews are my favorite type of article to write, & I am kicking it off with our trip to Orlando in February. We had a jam-packed weekend of fun! I am going to give you a breakdown of our trip, where we stayed, & how we spent our time in Orlando.
We got to Orlando VERY late on a Thursday night, our flight was delayed about 3 hours. This may seem awful to most, but we are very fortunate that the girls travel so much that they really never even complained once. We checked in at the Ramada on International Drive. We were invited to explore the hotel’s new Club-Level Suites. Being on the club-level offers many perks such as access to the rooftop pool (where you can get complimentary snacks & drinks— even alcohol), rooftop gym & a complimentary breakfast as well!
Friday: we slept in, got brunch & then spent the day at the rooftop pool! The girls absolutely loved it. Then we headed to Disney Springs for the night. We were hosted at Planet Hollywood, which is always such a fun time. We walked around & checked out all the stores. Even though this was not a Disney trip, we could not totally stay away from Walt Disney World.
Saturday, we were hosted at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure. I had not been to Universal Studios since 2006 & had never been to Islands of Adventure. My favorite rides as a kid were Earthquake, Jaws, & King Kong. There were so many new rides & we went on a ton! I think our favorite was the Fast & the Furious Ride.
I love that the park has themes of so many fun major cities. You truly feel like you are immersed in each place. One of the best interactions we had was when the girls met the Donkey from Shrek. He talks to you, and its a very personalized convo – and super funny!
We loved Suess Landing at Islands of Adventure also, & went on every single ride in that area. The girls are huge fans of all the books & it really made you feel like you are in one of the stories. We happened to visit during Mardi Gras – which was amazing! We were able to share some of our favorite NOLA foods with the girls. My husband has a lot of family there & we really want to take them soon!
Sunday was one of the best days of our ENTIRE LIVES!
We were hosted at Discovery Cove for the day. When I tell you that Discovery Cove has been on my bucket list for YEARS & YEARS & YEARS. Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive family resort. Breakfast & lunch are included in your day as well as snacks & drinks. You can rent a cabana for the day (a total must for us when traveling to have a quiet space to ourselves). If you do not want a cabana, there is plenty of seating throughout the resort.
At Discovery Cove, they are most famous for being able to swim with dolphins. You can book this before you arrive to make sure you have a spot guaranteed (in fact I would book all the attractions you want to do ahead of time). They also have available to book: swimming with sharks, ray feeding, flamingo mingle, seaventure (a combo of snorkeling and scuba diving). The beautiful lazy river & snorkeling are included in the daily admission price.
The staff here was absolutely WONDERFUL. They love these beautiful animals & have been with them for years, some of them well over 20 years. They care for them in such an amazing way. It is really awesome to see and observe. The last time I had a dolphin encounter was with my parents & sister in the Bahamas, in maybe 2005, so it had been a while.
You meet 2 dolphins during your swim encounter. We met Madison & Lennon. They were so fun & playful & just absolutely magnificent. The encounter is a small group where you each get a turn for some individual time to spend with a dolphin. I shed so many tears of happiness this day, seeing my girls so extremely happy and fully immersed in this experience.
The girls still talk about Discovery Cove ALL THE TIME. This was a core memory day for us, a day we will never ever ever forget.
Discovery has a great offer going on now for a upgrade to the Premium Drink Package (ends April 17th). You can check it out here. One more tip for Discovery Cove, get the picture package! These pictures will bring us joy for the rest of our lives – no joke & so worth it!
Sunday night we showered & got dinner and relaxed the rest of the night & early Monday morning we headed home. We absolutely made the most of our extended weekend in Orlando & had so many great experiences along the way.
Many thanks again to Visit Orlando for planning such an amazing trip for us.
