Thrills & Chills: We've Been To Orlando!

A cruise and stay holiday to Orlando offers the perfect blend of relaxation and excitement. From adrenaline-pumping rollercoasters to magical castles, this destination is a treasure trove of experiences waiting to be discovered.

As part of our exclusive Florida Thrill & Caribbean Chill cruise & stay package, you can experience Orlando's most iconic theme parks with an Orlando hotel stay included, alongside a relaxing Caribbean cruise exploring sun-kissed shores and crystal clear waters.

If you're eager for a closer look at what your cruise holiday to Orlando will look like, read on to hear what cruise.co.uk specialist cruise consultants Adam Leech, David Weir, and Lyndy Barker got up to on their trip to Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World.

Day 1 - The Journey Begins

On the morning of our flight, the check-in area was well signposted and it was a fairly quick process to reach the front of the queue. Once there, we checked in and made our way through security and boarded our Norse flight to Orlando. 

We were booked in Economy. A couple of us had booked extra legroom so we had well-spaced-out seats; if anybody is tall I would recommend doing this as the legroom is huge. During the flight, there is a good selection of movies and TV shows, with something for everyone. They don't provide earphones but these can be purchased for $2 if you don't have your own.

We were provided with one meal included on our flight and when the trolley came down it was a choice of Chicken or Shrimp. You can use your TV screen to purchase drinks and other items throughout the flight. It's a simple procedure where you add the items to your basket, the staff will come to your seat with the items, and you pay by card. It's worth noting that they do not accept Revolut cards.

Overall, we had a decent flight and would fly with Norse again; the staff were excellent and very friendly.

On arrival in Orlando, after collecting our luggage and getting through passport control, we met up with our rep. There were 22 people on our transfer so we had to wait for others to come through customs before heading to our bus, which would then take us to our hotel. During the transfer, our rep, Kata, spoke to customers about what the next few days would entail.

Soon enough, we arrived at the Cabana Bay Hotel. The check-in process was quick and we were on our way to our rooms within 10 minutes of arriving! We had been given standard rooms, featuring two double beds, plenty of wardrobe space, a fridge, plus an iron and ironing board. The beds are comfortable and the rooms are brightly decorated.

Day 2 - Universal Studios

Today, we woke up early and met in reception to get our Universal Park tickets. This was a quick process and can be done at the ticket desk to the right of reception.

We left the hotel and made the short walk to the bus stop at the hotel to catch the transfer to Universal. Buses leave almost every 10 minutes from the hotel, so you will never have long to wait. The transfer is a maximum of around 10 minutes to the parks, depending on traffic.

On arrival at Universal, we made our way up the escalators and through security, which was a quick and seamless process. Once through, we then headed over to Universal Studios.

The first stop was breakfast, so we decided to go to the Today Cafe which provides a choice of croissants or sandwiches at a fairly cheap price- they also sell English tea! After Breakfast, it was time to experience as some rides and shows...

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem - This is a motion simulator where four people sit in a small car and it then rises and moves as you watch a screen with Gru and his minions. This is a fun family-friendly ride.

The Bourne Stuntacular - This was a clever and well-thought-out production that makes it hard for the eye to decipher between real-life characters and the ones on the screen behind. It was fantastic and I would highly recommend it for all ages. 

After coming out of the Bourne Stuntacular we walked around Hollywood, bumping into Marilyn Monroe and the Simpsons! We wandered down and looked at the Walk of Fame, seeing stars that belonged to icons, such as Audrey Hepburn and Bob Hope. We then headed over to our next rides. 

Race Through New York starring Jimmy Fallon - This is a 3D/ 4D experience where you race Jimmy Fallon through the streets of New York. This was another fun experience and suitable for the whole family.

Transformers The Ride 3D - This ride was another fantastic 3D Motion Simulator experience, as you are thrown through the streets of Orlando trying to defeat the Decepticons. It was one of our favourite rides of the first day!

Fast & Furious - Supercharged - This was another motion simulator, although this time you are on a bus trying to escape the FBI. Again, it was a fantastic simulation and you felt as though you were in the middle of a huge car chase.

We then headed through San Francisco, into Diagonal Alley and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts was another 3D/4D experience ride, set in the vaults of Gringotts. Overall, this was the best ride of day one.

Next, we headed over to Springfield, home of The Simpsons. As we had all been previously, we decided to miss the Simpsons ride for now, as there were other areas we wanted to explore. However, I stopped to grab a taco for lunch from one of the stalls in Springfield which was extremely tasty.

We then walked over to the ET Ride. Right beside ET is the new DreamWorks area which looks to be popular with families and young children. Here, you will find the Frogs Chorus, Trolls Trollercoaster, Po's Kung Fu Training, Poppy's Playground, and Shrek's Swamp. You can also meet many of your favourite DreamWorks characters, such as Puss in Boots, Shrek, Princess Fiona, Po, and Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse.

After leaving DreamWorks World, we headed back to Hollywood where we caught the Parade, which showcased some of the most iconic Universal characters. The Parade was well run and the participants all seemed to be having great fun, dancing along and waving at all the children lining the route. 

Day one at Universal was almost over so we headed to CityWalk, where we stopped for dinner at the Forest Gump-themed restaurant, Bubba Gump. If you've never eaten here, I would highly recommend it; it's one of my favourite restaurants at Universal. The dining venue is well known for its shrimp but also offers other dishes too.

After dinner, we headed to the bus stop for our short journey back to Cabana Bay, and day one in Orlando was done!

Day 3 - Universal Islands Of Adventure

This morning, we headed over to Universal at around 8 am and had breakfast in the park before making our way to the first ride.

We were able to get on to the Hulk rollercoaster straight away as we arrived early in the day. What a ride this is! You are blasted out and immediately go straight into being turned upside down, corkscrews, the lot! Next, we went on the Spiderman ride, another 3D/4D experience. This was also fantastic and, once again, we walked straight on.

We then walked through Toon Lagoon and made our way to Skull Island. It was a longer wait here as they were running at a lower capacity, so we waited around 20 minutes, which wasn't too bad. This had fantastic effects and was another good ride.

For Jurassic Park River Adventure, there were minimal queues here and, once again, we almost walked straight onto this ride. I had been on this before and loved it, so I knew what to expect. It really is a great ride.

We then headed home early to spend some time at the hotel and relax for the afternoon. Later on, Adam and Lyndy headed over to Walt Disney World for the evening to experience the Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios event!

Jollywood Nights At Hollywood Studios

This is a special ticketed evening event on select nights at Walt Disney World, in November and December. A day park ticket isn't required in addition to the event ticket, and crowds are limited for the occasion.

We headed to Hollywood Studios by taxi and, when we arrived slightly early, were put in a holding area next to the entrance and given a wristband plus an event schedule. At around 5:30 pm, they allowed us entry. All other guests without a wristband for this event had to leave the park by 7 pm, as this was when our event officially started.

The crowds gathered to view Fantasmic, which is the most amazing show with fireworks! However, as we had both seen this several times, we decided to head to Galaxy's Edge instead; my favourite, as it's a whole land dedicated to Star Wars. Once inside Galaxy's Edge, we headed to the Rise of the Resistance ride.

During the day, this ride can have wait times of 90 minutes or more, but we walked straight on! Within five minutes, we'd walked past the sea of Stormtroopers and were being spun around the galaxy in an unforgettable battle against the First Order and Kylo Ren.   

After, we went to Smugglers Run, where you get to fly in the Millennium Falcon on a thrilling interactive smuggling mission as a pilot, an engineer, or a gunner.

Next up was Toy Story Land where we went on the Toy Story Mania ride- a fun 4D shootin' game.

It was then almost time for our event to officially begin, so we headed to the event merchandise store where I just had to buy the Jollywood Nights ears and a glow-in-the-dark T-shirt. There was so much going on in the park: from an ice-skating show, to live bands, character photo opportunities, and more rides. There was even a laser and fireworks show!

If you're looking to add a bit of a ‘Disney Fix’ on your cruise to Orlando, I would thoroughly recommend these special event evenings as you will get on more of the popular rides than during the day.

Day 4 - Wizarding World Of Harry Potter

After breakfast this morning, we made our way back to Islands of Adventure.

As we walked down CityWalk we visited the preview of Epic Universe. Inside, it had a model of the Park and information on each area. There were QR Codes to scan, allowing you to download the Epic Universe App. This looks like it will be a fantastic addition to the Universal Parks, and is set to be the size of both Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios!

The first Ride we went on today was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in Hogsmeade. The wait time was advertised at 15 minutes but by the time we had made our way up to the ride, we walked straight on. During this ride, you walk on a moving platform and then sit sideways on. Once secured, you launch off and are immersed in the World of Harry Potter, being chased by dragons and other creatures. It's a thrilling ride and great fun for all ages.

Next, we ventured to Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure- a roller coaster with a difference! On this ride, you are either riding a motorbike or sitting in a sidecar as you make your way down the track, speeding up suddenly before slowing down, reversing, and then dropping down unexpectedly. It's a thrilling roller coaster and is one of the most popular ride in Islands of Adventure.

We then decided to go for lunch at the Three Broomsticks restaurant, which offers a reasonable selection of soup, sandwiches, burgers, and other options at a reasonable price. As we had done most of the rides by this point, we decided to get the train over again from Hogsmeade to Kings Cross. 

Once at Kings Cross, we made our way to the Simpsons Ride. After a 20-minute wait, we were shown into the room to start the ride. This virtual reality coaster is set in Krustyland, Springfield (the world of The Simpsons). All in all, this ride is great family fun.

After the park closed, we went for a drink at Hard Rock Cafe next to the park, where we were very surprised to discover that our drinks were cheaper here than in the hotel or other restaurants we'd been to. We decided to eat here too as it was a nice atmosphere with good music. We all ordered different burgers which came in good time. They were delicious, so I would recommend going here if you enjoy music and memorabilia 

After Dinner, we caught the boat back to Sapphire Falls which was a peaceful way to travel back to the hotel.

Day 5 - Last Day In Orlando

Today we had a look around a few of the other hotels in the resort before making our way back to the Universal Parks to use some of our Express Passes. Once inside the park, we went straight to Revenge of the Mummy.

We weren't sure what to expect from this ride but soon found out that it was a roller coaster in the dark. Occasionally lighting up, this ride explores Ancient Egypt before the Mummy is awoken and chases you. This was a great coaster and, as it's dark, you are kept guessing throughout.

We then headed to Kings Cross Station to do the train journey to Hogsmeade. It was a longer wait at Kings Cross as it does seem to be a busier way of doing it but, once onboard, we settled in for the journey over. On the way back to Hogsmeade you see many familiar characters from the Harry Potter films.

After leaving the park today, we followed signposts for the Garden Walkway which led to Cabana Bay, Sapphire Falls, Aventura and Royal Pacific. This was a pleasant stroll and only took around 15 minutes to reach Cabana Bay by foot.

Disney's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

​Hosted in Disney's Magic Kingdom, Disney's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is a special event in which tickets must be purchased in advance. It has limited capacity and entry from 4 pm on select nights throughout November and December.

We pre-booked a taxi to pick us up from Cabana Bay and drop us off at Disney's Grand Floridian Hotel, located just outside Magic Kingdom. The journey took around 25 minutes, which gave us some time to look around the magnificent Grand Floridian Hotel before the event began.

Once we arrived, we saw that the Christmas decorations were in full swing at the hotel, with the amazing almost four-story tall Christmas tree in the main lobby. From the Gland Floridian Hotel, the easiest way to get to Magic Kingdom is via the monorail, located on the second floor. After only a few minutes, this quick journey will take you to the front gates of the Magic Kingdom Park.

We entered around 5 pm to be immediately greeted by the beautiful Christmas tree and decorations on Main Street. We picked up our event guide and headed straight for Tomorrowland to create a plan of action. The queue times for rides were low so we took advantage of this and went on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

The special event is mainly based around the Christmas parades, party, fireworks spectacular and special event food and beverages, so we headed to Main Street to sample it all. From there, a look through Adventureland and Frontierland came next and once again the wait times for all the rides were only around 15 minutes. 'Jingle' Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean & Big Thunder Mountain were brilliant before we headed back to Mainstreet, ready for the Christmas Parade to start.

The parade was entertaining and full of everything Disney! We had a great view, just in front of the castle, and with the event at limited capacity you could easily get a great place to watch. ​After the parade, we headed back to Tomorrowland and into Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, where they were giving out free hot chocolate and cookies, exclusively for this event.

The unmissable 'Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Firework Show' started at 10 pm so we ensured we had a great spot in front of Cinderella's Castle. This is the most stunning fireworks display you will probably see anywhere, and worth the entry fee for this alone!

At around midnight, we returned to the Grand Floridian Hotel via the monorail, ready for our taxi pickup. By this time, there wasn’t a sole around, so we got some great photos of the Gingerbread House and Tree.

Day 6 - Time To Head Home

Our last day had arrived and it was time to pack our bags and head to the airport!

Before departing Cabana Bay, we went for our last meal at Galaxy Bowl in the hotel where we ordered Burgers and a Philly Steak. The food here was excellent and extremely tasty. 

It took us around 30 minutes to get to the airport on our transfer. After check-in and security, the airport terminal is easy to navigate and we were at our gate within 10 minutes. Terminal C at Orlando Airport has a few shops (Seaworld, Disney, Universal, and Duty-Free). There is also a bar in this area for food and drinks, along with a lounge.

Our boarding process was fairly quick and we were soon on our way home to the UK.

Overall we all had a fantastic experience- thanks to everyone who has made it possible to visit this amazing destination!