Around the United States Archives – Parents with Passports

Universal Orlando Resort Tips

June 23rd, 2024admin0 Comments

Although we had been to Disney twice prior to this trip, we had never been to Universal. (Ok, I actually went in my 20s for one day after running the Disney Marathon but that was so long ago and a kid-less trip so it doesn’t count.) The details and logistics of the Universal portion of our trip were completely foreign to me. The things below were the things that I was most worried/confused about. Tickets Why oh why are Universal tickets so expensive?!? Seriously, I’m not sure why people complain so much about Disney prices when Universal is actually more …

Loews Royal Pacific Resort

June 23rd, 2024admin0 Comments

We decided to splurge on a premier resort for one night in order to get the free Universal Express Unlimited Passes that are included with the rooms. Since passes are included for both check-in and check-out days (and any days that you stay in between), we only needed a one night stay to cover both our park days. We stayed at the Endless Summer Resort Surfside for our first night since that was our driving day and we weren’t visiting a park. When we woke up the next morning, we ate breakfast and went straight to the Royal Pacific. We …

Universal Endless Summer Resort – Surfside

June 23rd, 2024admin0 Comments

We did a split stay at Universal in order to take advantage of the free Universal Express Unlimited Passes that come with a stay at a Premier Resort. Since the Premier Resorts are more expensive, we opted to spend our first night in a Value Resort. The two on-site value options at Universal are Cabana Bay Beach Resort and Endless Summer Resort, which has two sides – Surfside and Dockside. I’ll be honest, I didn’t spend too much time on this decision. I knew we’d be arriving around dinner time and checking out first thing the next morning so it …

Universal Studios Florida

June 22nd, 2024admin0 Comments

On our second Universal day, we went to Universal Studios Florida. Similar to Islands of Adventure, the park is situated around a lake, making navigation fairly easy. Some of the areas do extend further back from the lake, opening up a little opportunity to get turned around in the streets of New York and Minion Land, but overall it is still really well laid out. We decided to head counter-clockwise in this park, but this time it was not a ride calling our names but a character. As we peered down the streets of Hollywood, we spotted none other than …

Islands of Adventure

June 22nd, 2024admin0 Comments

We spent our first of two Universal days at Islands of Adventure. The park has 6 main lands – Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Skull Island, Jurassic Park, Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Hogsmeade), and Seuss Landing. I loved the layout of the park, as everything was oriented in a circle around a lake. I don’t like when parks are sprawling with multiple offshoots because you can easily get lost in the different paths or miss an entire section of the park. With a circular layout, you really just needed to decide which direction to head in and go …

Universal Orlando Resort Trip Planning

June 22nd, 2024admin0 Comments

I am happy to say that taking a trip to the Orlando theme parks with teenagers requires less trip planning than it does with young kids! Forget laying out a detailed schedule for each day. Forget the websites that will literally give you a minute by minute itinerary. Forget any semblance of a tight schedule. Teens are different animals. Just plan the high level stuff and let them take it from there. The high level details I did have to plan included where to stay, which tickets to purchase, and which park to visit on which day. That was it! …

Paddle Moab Review

April 19th, 2024admin0 Comments

If you came here looking for a review of a stand up paddleboarding, kayaking or rafting tour, you’ve come to the wrong place. Believe it or not, we used Paddle Moab for a canyoneering tour. It felt strange to book a company called Paddle Moab for a rappelling tour but they offered the tour I wanted and had great reviews. So we went for it! We met them at their location in Moab and were outfitted with all our gear. In contrast to our experience with Outlaw Adventure Tours, the Paddle Moab storefront wasn’t as impressive and their gear not …

Rappelling Medieval Chamber and Morning Glory Arch

April 17th, 2024admin0 Comments

Part of the huge appeal of the Moab area for us was the opportunity for adventure. While our boys enjoy hiking (and especially did in the national parks around Moab!), they are teens and definitely up for more daring experiences as well. Canyoneering was at the top of their list. Canyoneering is a form of rappelling that specifically involves descents through (you guess it!) canyons. Rappelling involves using ropes and your own body weight to lower yourself down a rock face. None of us had any experience rappelling so we had to find a tour suitable for beginners. I did …

Hell’s Revenge Jeep Sunset Tour

April 16th, 2024admin0 Comments

A few years ago, one of my best friends went to Moab with her family and posted a video of them doing an off-road jeep tour. It looked so crazy and fun, I immediately knew that if we ever went to Moab, we had to do that tour. So when we decided on a Utah spring break, I couldn’t wait to start researching jeep tours. There are a few different off-road options – UTV, you-drive jeeps, ride-along jeeps. Having seen the terrain, I knew right away that any you-drive option was not for us. So we focused on the ride-along …

Canyonlands National Park

April 15th, 2024admin0 Comments

Moab is lucky enough to be centrally located to two National Parks. Arches is in Moab itself and Canyonlands is a short drive away. Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah and is divided by the Green and Colorado Rivers into three districts – Island in the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. Covering such an expansive area, large sections of the park are remote and accessible only by 4 wheel drive (or not at all by vehicle). The Maze is the most remote and therefore least visited of the three districts. Its rugged wilderness is attractive to experienced …