Do you love roller coasters? Did you know that SeaWorld Orlando is considered the Coaster Capital of Orlando? They have a ton of EPIC roller coasters for the whole family. We polled some of our local agents to rank the top 3 SeaWorld Orlando roller coasters. Did you favorite make the list?

Top 3 SeaWorld Orlando Roller Coasters

Three of the best roller coasters in Orlando (ranked by the locals) are Kraken, Mako, and the new Ice Breaker. Come along with us as we ride all three with a POV, so you feel like you are on it with us. LOL!

Kraken

This roller coaster is the only floorless coaster in Orlando. If you love pirates, this may be a roller coaster for you. Watch out for that Kraken!

Mako

This roller coaster is a favorite for my teen daughter and myself. It is the tallest roller coaster in Orlando. Mako is known for high speeds, deep dives, and thrills around every turn. You will be screaming on this roller coaster!

New Ice Breaker

The newest roller coaster in Orlando is Ice Breaker. This roller coaster has four airtime filled launches, both backwards and forwards. Plus, you have a reverse launch. There are constant thrills on this roller coaster.

Which roller coaster would you like to ride?

Universal Orlando has two new resorts that are super popular for our guests visiting Orlando and Universal Parks. These resorts are called Endless Summer Dockside and Surfside.

These two resorts are located on International Drive, so you are walking distance from dining, shopping, and entertainment. Plus, you can hop on the Universal Parks transportation to get to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Volcano Bay, and Universal CityWalk.

We love these new resorts for the price tag! These resort are some of the least expensive hotels in Orlando, but with a ton of value. Plus, they have Family Suites for larger families without breaking the bank.

Endless Summer Surfside Inn & Suites

Our favorite of the two properties is Endless Summer Surfside Inn & Suites. This hotel is much smaller, so it is not as crowded. We also love the fish pool overlooking the lake. Come along with as as we tour Endless Summer Surfside Inn & Suites.

Endless Summer Dockside Inn & Suites

Across the street from Surfside is Endless Summer Dockside Inn & Suites. This property is much larger with 2 pools and poolside bars. Check out a resort tour of Dockside.

Which Endless Summer Resort do you love?

We are so excited to share the opening date for Universal’s Great Movie Escape! You can now book epic escape adventures including Jurassic World and Back to the Future films. This new escape room is a two story experience at Universal CityWalk.

Universal’s Great Movie Escape invites guests of all ages to solve their way through a pair of first-of-its-kind escape rooms based on two of the biggest film franchises in history.

Universal’s entertainment team partnered closely with filmmakers and escape room industry experts around the country to create innovative experiences that go beyond the typical escape room – blending state-of-the-art challenges, detailed sets and original storylines to immerse guests in story-driven adventures that allow them to escape into the movies like never before.

Another unique feature of Universal’s Great Movie Escape is the variety of challenges guests must work together to complete – each one specifically crafted so that the experience is enjoyable for novices and escape room-aficionados alike. Each adventure boasts eight incredibly detailed environments featuring state-of-the-art activities that are:

• randomized – so the solution can vary with each visit
• customizable depending on party size – ensuring everyone gets to participate
• designed to adjust based on skill level and complexity – so there’s always something to solve

As soon as guests enter the art deco-style, theater-inspired venue, they’ll immediately be swept into one of the following adventures:

Jurassic World: Escape

Guests are new geneticists at a secret lab on Isla Nublar, where they are undergoing training that includes the completion of various day-to-day tasks that range from feeding ferocious dinosaurs to splicing dinosaur DNA to create new genetic codes…until they learn an apex predator has broken free and now they must work together to avoid becoming its prey.

Back to the Future: OUTATIME

Guests are transported to a museum in 1993, where they learn Back to the Future’s antagonist, Biff, is up to his antics and has stolen Doc Brown’s newest time travel device to sabotage the space-time continuum. Guests must work together to uncover Doc Brown’s clues as they travel through time to track down Biff and save the past and future before they run “outatime.”

Which experience are you most excited about?

A brand-new collection of authentic and interactive Ollivanders wands has arrived at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter around the globe.

Each original wand pairs a wood type with one of the three powerful cores preferred by master wandmaker Garrick Ollivander from the Harry Potter film series. These cores include unicorn hair, dragon heartstring and phoenix feather.

Each wand also comes with the first-ever “wand lore” insert that details the distinct properties of that specific wand and the attributes of its ideal owner. You can also use the new wands to cast spells and reveal magical surprises with the right incantation and a gentle flick of the wrist at select locations within the spectacularly themed lands.

The new collection also brings a unique wand to each Universal Park that is exclusive to that destination and not available anywhere else.

New Harry Potter Wands

Larch & Phoenix Feather Wand at Universal Orlando

We are heading to Universal Orlando today to get this brand new wand. Be sure you watch our Instagram stories to see more about this new wand. This wand is made with larch and a phoenix feather.

Walnut & Dragon Heartstring Wand at Universal Studios Hollywood

This wand can only be found at Universal Studios in Hollywood. It is made with walnut and dragon heartstring.

Cherry & Unicorn Hair Wand at Universal Studios Japan

I know both kids want to plan a visit to Japan, just to get this new wand. This amazing wand is made with cherry and unicorn hair. This was is just amazing!

Red Oak & Unicorn Hair Wand at Universal Beijing Resort

The last wand is actually my favorite. This wand can only be found at Universal Beijing Resort. This is created with red oak and unicorn hair. This is truly a unique and beautiful wand.

The lineup of new interactive Ollivanders wands is available now at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan and Universal Beijing Resort.

SeaWorld Orlando’s award-winning Christmas Celebration is returning this year and it’s bigger and better than ever. Visitors will see the theme park transformed into a winter wonderland sparkling with more than 3 million beautiful lights and the addition of NEW holiday experiences at Wild Arctic Plaza during the event. The main feature of the magical festival is the Sea of Trees – a guest favorite. The wintery, watery wonderland is back immersing guests in a sea of twinkling holiday trees that sparkle to music as they light up the water.

Dazzling images come to life on more than 100 trees, including a giant glistening centerpiece that towers 70 feet above the water. During the celebration, guests will also be able to indulge in ALL-NEW delicious holiday treats, experience fabulous holiday shows and entertainment and watch an impressive NEW holiday firework show.

Ice Skating at SeaWorld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando will be one of the few places Central Floridians can lace up and hit the ice. During the day, park guests will have the opportunity to ice skate at Bayside Stadium. Once night falls, they can sit back and relax as the pros show off what they got with “Winter Wonderland on Ice”.

Christmas comes to life on a stage of ice, jewels, and lights as skaters dazzle and delight in this show-stopping, ice skating extravaganza. A sea of sparkling trees and towering fountains dancing in the background come together to create an experience the entire family will not want to miss.

More ALL-NEW Magical Holiday Shows & Entertainment

There are even more ways for families to get into the holiday spirit this year at SeaWorld Orlando. At the end of the night during the Christmas Celebration, guests can be dazzled by the impressive “Holiday Reflections” fireworks show that showcases an impressive fireworks display set to the sounds of the season in the sky above the Sea of Trees.

Holiday cheer can also be found throughout the park with stilt walkers at the Waterfront and in Wild Arctic Plaza, jump-roping toy soldiers, and Elf Story Chair Stacking in Sharks Plaza. Guests also cannot miss the opportunity for photos with Santa, Rudolph and Bumble! Rudolph and Bumble have found a new home this year in Wild Arctic, while Santa can be found at his new workshop in the Shoppes at the Waterfront. Guests can also dine with Santa throughout the Christmas Celebration for an additional cost.

The magical holiday fun continues in Sesame Street Land with the return of the popular Sesame Street Christmas Parade, where guests can see all their favorite Sesame Street characters getting into the holiday spirit. For an additional cost, families who come to the park on Saturday mornings can have breakfast with their friends from Sesame Street. Elmo’s Christmas Wish is also back this year on event mornings at SeaPort Theatre. Visitors can join Cookie Monster, Grover, Zoe and Rosita as they work together to help Elmo find his Christmas wish!

ALL-NEW Decadent Holiday Treats and Drinks

Guests to SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration can savor the flavors of the holiday season with ALL-NEW food and beverage offerings this year. Traditional flavors like gingerbread, eggnog and peppermint can be found all around the park in new and unexpected ways.

There will also be a very special holiday doughnut from an Orlando-based doughnut shop.  Some of the NEW food offerings guests can taste at SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration include:

• Monty Cristo Waffle – ham, turkey, Swiss cheese & cranberry glaze
• Santa’s Sweet & Savory Treat Doughnut Chicken Sandwich – honey Sriracha & pickles
• The Main Event – fried turkey breast, andouille stuffing, cranberry gastric & brown gravy
• Corn Husk Enconchada Tamale – carnitas & ancho mole poblano sauce
• Christmas Bread Pudding – brioche bun, white chocolate, raspberry sauce & whipped cream
• Arroz con Dulce – cinnamon dust & Caribbean rum raisin
• Fresh Baked Deep-dish cookies – M&M, S’mores & Chocolate chip

Guests will be able to sip NEW seasonal drinks while strolling around the park. They can drink either a hot or frozen hot chocolate, or a frozen eggnog or coquito. There are also several NEW holiday cocktails to try, including:

• Holiday Peppermint Eggnog – eggnog, white chocolate liquor, vanilla vodka & peppermint schnapps
• Christmas Beer Sangria – apple cider, Tito’s vodka, maple syrup, Christmas ale& cinnamon
• Chai Swizzle – chai tea, Bailey’s Irish Cream, simple syrup & cinnamon
• Winter Wonderland Hot Toddy – Jack Daniels Honey Whiskey, Jack Daniels Winter Cider & chai tea

For even more holiday dining experiences, guests can head to SeaFire Grill where they can watch their favorite holiday movies while tasting delicious holiday treats. They can also share seasonal culinary delights and refreshing Coca-Cola beverages with friends and family in the NEW Christmas Dining Hall at Voyagers Smokehouse.

Are you ready for a SeaWorld Christmas?

We love this time of year at Universal Orlando Resort! One of the best ways to experience all of the holidays at Universal Parks is with the Universal Holiday Tour.

Universal’s Holiday Tour

On select dates, guests can enjoy a guided tour filled with unique experiences and special access to the beloved holiday entertainment taking place across Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, such as:

• Meeting the maven of mischief, the Grinch, and his faithful dog, Max, while enjoying a delicious hot cocoa bar with small bites and desserts at Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous in Universal’s Islands of Adventure
• Access to reserved seating at the “Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular” – a live retelling of Dr. Seuss’s holiday classic, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” in Universal’s Islands of Adventure
• Enjoying a meet-and-greet and photo opp with Santa Claus in Universal Studios Florida (includes one digital download photo)
• Capping off the night in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade at Universal’s Islands of Adventure with an exclusive, after-hours showing of “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” – a stunning projection of holiday spirit and Christmas moments inspired by the beloved “Harry Potter” stories brought to life on the majestic Hogwarts castle

The Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

The popular dining experience, The Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast, is back this year for Universal Orlando’s Holidays celebration – allowing guests to start their day with a delicious breakfast and appearances by some of their favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including the Grinch.

Guests also receive access to one digital download photo as a keepsake from their encounter with the Grinch during this special opportunity.

The Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast takes place in Circus McGurkus Café Stoo-pendous in Universal’s Islands of Adventure on select dates from November 12 through December 29, 2022.

The Holiday Festivities Continue at Universal’s Hotels

The awesomest celebration of the season continues at all eight Universal Orlando Resort hotels, complete with festive decor that perfectly complements each hotel’s individual theme, holiday feasts and special activities filled with holiday cheer for the whole family.

Universal hotel guests can enjoy special menus for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays, menorah lighting ceremonies, holiday crafts for kids and more. Plus, select hotels offer additional holiday entertainment that includes Christmas tree lightings, strolling carolers and more.

Let Yourself Woah at Universal Orlando Resort

When you’re ready to Let Yourself Woah, the place to go is Universal Orlando Resort.

For more than 30 years, Universal Orlando has immersed guests in amazing “woah” moments that free them from the stress of their worlds. Across the award-winning destination, they can let go and live in the moment with those they care about most as they embark on incredible theme park adventures, like causing mischief with the Minions from Illumination’s “Despicable Me,” coming face-to-face with ferocious dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, walking the corridors of Hogwarts castle in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and so much more.

Universal Orlando is home to three epic theme parks that feature some of the world’s most exciting and innovative experiences, including Universal’s Islands of Adventure – named the #1 Amusement Park in the World for five years in a row by TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice; Universal Studios Florida – home to the most technologically-advanced stunt show yet, The Bourne Stuntacular; and Universal’s Volcano Bay – a tropical oasis like no other that features an actual beach right in the middle of Orlando.    

Universal Orlando’s hotels are destinations unto themselves and include the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, Universal’s Aventura Hotel and Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites & Dockside Inn and Suites. And Universal’s entertainment complex, Universal CityWalk, offers immersive dining and entertainment for every member of the family.

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We love planning vacations to Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise, and even Adventures by Disney. These are some of our favorite family vacations. We like to see the excitement in our kids’ faces. It is like Christmas everyday on a Disney vacation.

As a mom, I like to create a little extra magic for my kids. I like to countdown our vacation, celebrate occasions, and even decorate our resort room. However, as a mom I do not have a lot of time. I wanted to share some easy ideas on how to create magic with Lovepop.

Have you heard of Lovepop cards? Lovepop creates cards that pop up in 3-D cards. They are a card and a decoration, all in one. We love these cute cards!

Here are a few ways to create a little extra magic for your Disney vacation.

Countdown to Disney Mail

One of the first ideas is counting down to your Disney vacation. This builds excitement for your family vacation. Planning a Disney vacation can be just as exciting as the vacation. One of my favorite Lovepop cards is Disney The Haunted Mansion Pop-Up Card.

Haunted Mansion is one of our family’s favorite rides at both Disney World and Disneyland. This is a fun card to mail to your child. Kids of all ages (yes, even teens) love mail. You can mail this card to your child or children. You can always drop it off at the post office or just a nearby post box with your address. Your kids are going to get so excited that they got mail and this cool Haunted Mansion card that they can display.

Countdown to Disney Movie Night

We love hosting a movie night to get excited about a Disney vacation. A really fun movie is the Disney-Pixar movie called UP. You can actually meet Kevin at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. It is definitely a must do at Disney World. Hosting an UP movie night is a fun way to countdown to your vacation.

You can get this UP pop up card for your family at Lovepop. It is both a card and a decoration. You can then grab some popcorn and watch UP with your family.

Celebrating a Birthday

Are you celebrating a birthday during your Disney vacation? It can be tough to pack presents in your luggage, especially if you are cruising or traveling with Adventures by Disney. Our favorite gifts are the Lovepop cards. They are flat, so easy to pack and hide in your suitcase.

One of our favorite Lovepop cards is Disney’s Mickey Mouse Birthday Cupcake Pop-Up Card. This card is so adorable! You open it to a Mickey Mouse cupcake. ??

Holidays at Disney World

We often visit Disney World or Disneyland during Halloween or Christmas. The kids like to decorate the room to get excited about the holiday. It is always tough to pack decorations, since your luggage needs space for clothes, shoes, and sunblock. LOL!

As we mentioned with the birthday cards, Lovepop cards are flat. They are an easy card and decoration to pack for a Disney vacation. I love the Disney’s Mickey Mouse Holiday Wreath. It is the perfect touch of Christmas for your resort room.

They also have a thank you cards collection. This is perfect to give to mom or dad to thank them for taking you on vacation or to give to a Disney Cast Member for the extra magic during your vacation. These thank you cards are extra magical!

Which Lovepop card is your favorite?

Get ready to rock, ride and rejoice! Universal Orlando Resort’s Rock the Universe returns. Fans and youth groups alike may join together at Florida’s biggest Christian music festival, enjoying moving performances by some of Christian music’s top artists, powerful worship experiences and thrilling theme park attractions during an unforgettable weekend of faith, fun and fellowship at Universal Studios Florida.

This year’s rocking weekend kicks off Friday night across Universal’s two stages, Music Plaza Stage and Hollywood Stage, with six feature performances from top Christian artists. The festival continues Saturday night with an additional six performances. This year’s musical guests will be announced at a later date.

Beyond the main stage performances, Rock the Universe attendees may enjoy worship experiences throughout the weekend – including a Saturday ceremony with a special message and moving musical performance, a powerful Sunday morning worship service to wrap up the faith-filled weekend, plus a dedicated FanZone presented by Coca-Cola, featuring live performances from up-and-coming acts throughout the weekend.

For the first time ever, multi award-winning artist The Weeknd joins forces with Halloween Horror Nights to inspire all-new, terrifying haunted houses based on his record-breaking “After Hours” album.

Global phenomenon, The Weeknd, is renowned for his groundbreaking music that blends daring, provocative lyrics with innovative sounds and ominous undertones. “After Hours” is The Weeknd’s fourth consecutive number one album and has spawned multiple chart-topping hits, including “Too Late,” “Heartless,” “In Your Eyes” and the wildly popular single “Blinding Lights” – which is ranked as the #1 Greatest Hot 100 Hit of All Time by Billboard.

This fall, select tracks from the riveting album are being reimagined as a horror movie soundtrack for the outrageously haunting experience at Halloween Horror Nights.

The dark undercurrent behind The Weeknd’s enigmatic persona will permeate the all-new Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses on both coasts. With the eerie sounds of “After Hours” reverberating throughout the experience, guests will step into a surreal living nightmare filled with grotesque characters and themes inspired by The Weeknd’s music and short films.

As they’re stalked by slashers, bandaged maniacs, gruesome toad-like creatures and other unfathomable horrors from the mind of the artist, guests will be challenged to survive the night while trapped within the terrifying, unexpected world of “The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare” – a place that only exists in The Weeknd’s vivid imagination and from which one may never escape.

“I always wanted my own Halloween Horror Nights haunted house as Halloween has always been significant to my music, so this is a total dream come to life. I feel like my music videos have served as a launching pad for a collaboration like this, and I cannot wait for people to experience this madness!” said Abel ‘The Weeknd’ Tesfaye.

“We are thrilled to take guests inside of the mind of The Weeknd, who is a Halloween Horror Nights fan himself,” said John Murdy, Executive Producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.  “This is an unprecedented haunted house that is going to shatter the expectations of our guests and immerse them in an unforgettable experience that is equally unexpected and terrifying,” added Charles Gray, Senior Show Director for Entertainment Creative Development at Universal Orlando Resort.

Universal Orlando Resort invites guests to unwrap the awesome and let loose this holiday season during its Holiday celebration. Throughout the entire destination, guests can celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with an incredible collection of epic festivities featuring some of pop culture’s most beloved stories and characters – all brought to life in experiences that range from traditional merriments to irreverent twists on holiday classics that can’t be experienced anywhere else. 

This holiday season, theme park guests can witness a spectacular transformation of Hogwarts castle during “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade, meet “the mean, green one himself,” the Grinch, during Grinchmas, watch larger-than-life balloons and floats take the streets during Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s and so much more.

Holidays at Universal Orlando

Holidays at Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The spectacularly themed lands of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will transform into wizarding wonderlands for the Holidays, complete with festive décor throughout the iconic streets of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley that includes themed decorations, garlands and lights.

Guests can also enjoy special holiday-themed performances from the Frog Choir, comprised of Hogwarts students and their giant croaking frogs, in Hogsmeade and the wizarding world’s most popular singing sensation, Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, in Diagon Alley.

And once night falls in Hogsmeade, guests can revel in a spectacular projection of holiday spirit and Christmas moments inspired by the beloved “Harry Potter” stories in “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s

Fan-favorite characters from Illumination’s Despicable Me and DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek and Madagascar – along with larger-than-life balloons, dozens of colorful holiday floats and hundreds of festive performers – fill the streets of Universal Studios Florida during Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s.

Santa Claus also makes an appearance during the awe-inspiring parade – leading a picturesque finale that culminates with the lighting of the park’s dazzling 80-foot Christmas Tree.

Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure

The spirit of Grinchmas comes to life at Universal’s Islands of Adventure with the “Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular” – a live retelling of Dr. Seuss’s holiday classic starring the maven of mischief himself, the Grinch.

The celebration continues in Seuss Landing, which will be adorned in whimsical yuletide décor, including oversized candy canes, twisting Christmas trees, wreaths and beautiful tinsel ornaments. While strolling the land, guests can enjoy special appearances by the merry Whos from Who-ville as they prepare for their favorite holiday throughout Seuss Landing – and even meet the mean, green one himself, the Grinch, for a special photo opportunity.

Mannheim Steamroller at Universal Studios

The best-selling holiday artist of all time, Mannheim Steamroller, returns to Universal Studios Florida to fill the air with the iconic sounds of the season with live performances on December 3, 4, 10 and 11.

More Holidays at Universal Orlando Resort

There’s even more fun to be had this holiday season at Universal Orlando with holiday-themed merchandise, food and beverage offerings, character encounters, seasonal décor and celebratory activities at Universal’s hotels, and more.

Stay tuned for more details about holidays at Universal Orlando Resort will be revealed soon.