Traveling the World/Country in 4 days

A few weeks ago, Andrew and I were looking through a list of fun date ideas on the internet. One of the ideas provided said, "Pack your bags and go to the airport. Buy the cheapest flight you can find to anywhere and spend a spontaneous weekend away." We really liked that idea, so on Sunday, January 8 we sat on our bed and started flipping through travel sites to see what cheap flights would be available. Unfortunately, a cheap trip to Boise, Idaho didn't really spark our interest. Instead, we started dreaming big and looked up prices for more exciting places like Boston, New York, or Florida. 

So, long story short, we decided to go on an impromptu trip to Orlando, Florida and get our fill of Universal Studios/Harry Potter World and Disney World in 4 days. We found the cheapest flight, hotel, and rental car we could and pooled in all our reward money from our credit card accounts. It was pretty fabulous.

We took a red-eye flight on Friday, January 13, and got to Orlando at around 6 am. After getting our rental car and eating breakfast at IHOP, we started our adventure at Universal Studios. Harry Potter World was FREAKING AMAZING!!! Oh my goodness, I can't even explain how wonderful it was. Many of my childhood and teenaged years focused on reading the Harry Potter books and creating the wizarding world in my mind. To see it all come to life was truly magical. Universal in Orlando actually has 2 parks, so they set up both Hogsmede and Diagon Ally. Diagon Ally was probably my favorite, with the fire-breathing dragon looking down on the shops and the very fun Gringots bank ride. 

Well, needless to say, by the time the sun set we were pretty beat. We left a little before the park officially closed so that we could check into our hotel and get some very needed extra sleep. 

The next day we spent every possible second exploring Epcot, and we LOVED it! This was definitely our favorite day of the trip. Epcot is really cool because it highlights 11 different countries as you walk around a lake. It was so cool to visit each highlighted country, and I have to admit that trying the food in various countries was one of my favorite parts. We ate nachos for lunch in Mexico, snacked on delicious school bread in Norway, had a delightful dinner at a teppanyaki grill in Japan, and ended the night with ice cream in France.  Honestly, as we left the park at closing time, both Andrew and I wished we could stay a few hours more at this awesome park. (Note: the night lights/firework show at Epcot is definitely worth missing. Not impressed.

Monday's adventures started at the Magic Kingdom. I hate to say it (or maybe I feel great saying it)...Disneyland in California is better than Magic Kingdom in Florida. There are a few reasons for this:​

1. The cast members in California are nicer and happier. They seem to buy into the whole "happiest place on earth" thing more that the employees in Florida.
2. Disneyland has more (and generally better quality) rides that Magic Kingdom. This includes a better Space Mountain. 
3. The fast pass system in Florida is just...weird. Basically, you can get 3 fast passes at the beginning of the day, but you can't get more until you have used all 3 of the ones you originally ordered. 

So, after a few hours, both Andrew and I looked at each other and admitted that we were board with the Magic Kingdom. (I'm not spoiled, I swear.). We decided to spend the second half of the day at Animal Kingdom. Over at Animal Kingdom, our favorite ride was the safari and the Lion King show totally knocked our socks off.  We ended the night back at Magic Kingdom to see their show where they projected images on the Beast's castle show. It was one of the more magical shows we saw while visiting.

Our final day in Orlando brought us to Disney's Hollywood studios. We were pretty shocked when we realized how small of a park it is. We went on all our desired rides in just a few hours and then decided to walk around Disney Springs (their version of Downtown Disney) until we needed to get back to the airport for our flight back. 

Talk about a successful, spontaneous trip to the other side of the country. I am grateful Andrew and I had the time, means, and energy to do so much in such a short amount of time. I love our life together and the adventures we go on. ​

Side Note Suggestion: We brought a CamelBak and filled it with ice every morning from our hotel. Disney gives free ice waters at restaurants if you ask, so this was a genius plan to keep up hydrated. We definitely want to remember this for future Disney trips. You're welcome :)

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