Incentive Trip to Universal
Having sold Universal, Disney and all things related with this type of holiday in Florida for the full duration of my career in travel, this was going to be the first time I would experience Universal for myself. To say I was excited would be an understatement!
On a chilly Monday morning in March, I met my colleagues and the reps who would be hosting us at Manchester Airport. After a quick, smooth check in, we made our way through security and were then hosted to breakfast courtesy of Aer Lingus. During breakfast, Ivan from Aer Lingus, spoke to us about their product, routes from Manchester and what to expect from them. I hadn’t flown with Aer Lingus before. As an alternative to some of the larger known airlines, they offer many direct routes from Manchester and I would happily recommend them.
On arrival into Orlando, we had a short 25-minute transfer to Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort. This property is one of the Value Inn and Suite hotels that Universal offer in Orlando and is a great choice for families on a budget. The rooms comfortably sleep a family of 4 and interconnecting rooms are available. Alongside this, the rooms are equipped with a small kitchenette and living room area. Quick service dining is available on-site and with plenty of choice, even those fussy eaters should be able to find something to eat. Cabana Bay is located next door to Volcano Bay, Universal’s water park. Making use of our early access due to where we were staying, our first day saw us hitting the slides early doors. Upon arrival at the park, each person is issued with their own TapuTapu wrist band. This looks a bit like a watch and you keep it on for your duration in the park. This can be used to make purchases, open lockers, use the interactive activities around the park but most importantly, it is used to reserve your place in a queue and will let you know when you can return to that slide! The first day we spent at Volcano Bay was an off-peak day and we did not need to make use of this however when I returned on our last day, Spring Break was in full swing and the park was rammed. More theme parks in general should use something similar to the TapuTapu as it is brilliant! My favourite ride has to be Krakatau Aqua Coaster – a real twist on a water slide!
Our first day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure we were given a VIP Tour Experience and as part of this, our own guide for the day. Our guide has worked at the parks since they were opened and shared some fascinating, behind the scene stories with us over the course of the day. As part of the VIP experience, your guide will take you on the rides you want to ensure you do or the one’s that they know, the VIP access will save you loads of time on. A true red carpet experience, I felt totally spoilt by the end of this day. 7 hours later, we had smashed out 11 rides with me surprising myself by riding Velocicoaster twice ( I went on to ride it for a third time when we returned to the park later in the week ) and my favourite ride, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures. From the streets of New York and San Francisco, to London’s Kings Cross and Diagon Alley in Universal Studios, over to Islands of Adventure where we wandered through Seuss Landing, Hogsmeade and Jurassic Park to name but a few, it is fair to say that we had walked our legs off by the end of one day here.
Opening later this year is the new theme park, Epic Universe. Whilst the park unfortunately wasn’t ready for any agents to see it when we were there, we did get the opportunity to visit one of the new hotels that had already opened; Universal Stella Nova Resort. Located approximately 25-minutes from Cabana Bay, Universal will be extending their shuttle services between the parks to include the new hotels and of course, the eagerly anticipated new park. Stella Nova and Terra Luna Resorts are Prime Value Hotels within the Universal collection and a mirror image of each other. These space-themed hotels feel fresh and modern and are a great place to base yourself if you want to be right beside Epic. Whilst Epic is only offering one day tickets for 2025, come 2026, you will be access the park more than that and of course, staying at a Universal hotel on-site, will come with those added extras including early park admission, complimentary transportation and resort-wide charging privileges with your room key.
A trip to Orlando isn’t complete without at least a day or two away from the parks to explore some of the other attractions it has to offer. We were hosted by Visit Orlando one evening where we had the opportunity to ride The Orlando Eye. Each capsule can accommodate up to 15-people and the ride takes around 20-minutes. Offering 360-degree views of Central Florida, I took this time to locate Disney, Epic and of course the original Universal parks. The capsules are air-conditioned and come with the facility for you to hook your phone up via blue tooth and play your own music for the ride. Following this, we enjoyed our evening meal at Chima Steakhouse. Just like some of the steak restaurants you now find here in the UK, Chima operates on a ‘Rodizio’ service where the staff serve a variety of meat to you at your table.
