Day Three: Universal Orlando January 2010 Trip

Orlando, Florida: We woke up to some classic Florida sunshine, maybe the cold weather was a nightmare, until I stepped outside and realized it was still cold. While we no longer had any precipitation, we now had a cold northern wind to deal with. When we woke up, it was 33 degrees with a wind chill on 21.

We had breakfast at the hotel in the Islands Dining Room. The Islands has a daily breakfast buffet that was really good. The buffet features an omelet/egg station, pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, fresh fruits, pasties, breads and more. There was something for everyone in the family.

After breakfast, we planned on heading out to the parks again. However the wind chill combined with the cold and soggy conditions from yesterday, we decided to take a pass of the theme parks. So we packed up the truck and headed back home.

The trip was a nice last minute decision. The weather sucked, but we knew that heading in and planned accordingly. It reiterated the reason why I no longer live in Pennsylvania, I hate the winter weather. But it was worth it, my wife and son got to experience the sleet/snow/cold rain mix I have come to dread. However it may not seem as worth it once the pneumonia sets in later this week. It did feel weird driving home on Interstate 4 through Central Florida with the traffic warning boards saying “Icy Roads Reported Ahead”, haven’t seen that in over 12 years.

But the park was great. I really can’t wait to head back once its warmer out. We missed out on a bunch of fun rides because of the weather. Plus in the spring, Islands of Adventure is opening up an entire island focused on the Harry Potter movies. The replica of Hogwarts Castle already towered over the Lost Continent section of the park, adding to the anticipation of the land. You can count on us heading up there to check it out when it opens.