Freedom of the Seas plus Universal Studios, Orlando

This year I took my family on a fantastic holiday where we cruised in the Caribbean and stayed at the Universal Resort, Orlando, which includes the new “Wizarding World of Harry Potter”. Royal Caribbean packaged the whole trip and the travel arrangements could not have gone more smoothly. You can combine a cruise in the Caribbean with a three, four or seven night pre or post cruise stay (we chose four nights pre-cruise). This included the flight (from London or Manchester), transfers, a hotel stay with theme park admission and the cruise. We stayed in one of the three Universal Resort Hotels (Hard Rock) but I have also previously stayed at the Pacific Resort. If you stay at one of these hotels, you receive Express Fast Passes to jump all the queues in the parks and early entry (1 hour prior to the parks opening). This proved invaluable in getting the most out of our visits to the parks. The Express passes do not work on the Harry Potter main ride but being able to gain entry an hour earlier meant that we were at the front of the queue and we could ride 3 times in the hour before the park even opened. This is the best ride experience I have been on, highly recommended for all thrill ride lovers. As we went at Halloween time we also had chance to experience the Universal Fright Night - well worth it if you are a horror fan. This is recommended for 13 years and over but my 12 year old loved it! Being in the resort also means that you are within walking distance of the parks and can simply stroll back to your hotel for a well-deserved break, lunch or swim, recharge the batteries and return later. There is also the option of the complimentary water taxis if you are too weary to walk. Other advantages are priority seating at Universal restaurants and package delivery to your hotel room for your purchases at Universal, among others. The Hard Rock is the liveliest hotel, the Pacific Resort is quieter with a ‘Hawaii’ feel and enormous pool and the Portofino would suit those looking for romantic ambience. After a hectic four nights at Universal it was great to relax on the Royal Caribbean cruise. There is still plenty to do for the whole family such as the ice skating, rock climbing, crazy golf, and the Flowrider, to name but a few. Alternately, you can relax by the pool or watch a movie. There is an adults-only solarium if you need a bolt hole! The Freedom of the Seas is one of the largest and most innovative ships in the world, having been refurbished in 2011. It has the DreamWorks Experience on board including character breakfasts and parades with your favourite stars from Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar. The itinerary on the ship was Cococay, Bahamas, St Maarten and St Thomas. We had chance to relax on the stunning beaches and enjoy a choice of water sports or take advantage of the duty free shopping. At the end of the cruise - as the cruise departed from Port Canaveral - we had the opportunity to have a VIP tour of the Kennedy Space Centre (a Royal Caribbean excursion) which meant that we filled the day prior to our flight home. Royal Caribbean ensured that we got to the airport in plenty of time to check in for our cruise. I would thoroughly recommend this package for anyone looking to visit Universal Studios and the cruise afterwards was the icing on the cake.