Parenting on Purpose

Universal Orlando consists of two theme parks (Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure), and a water park (Volcano Bay). We adults were looking forward particularly to this day, as the grandparents were taking our kids to the Animal Kingdom on their own, and so the two of us got a day out at the parks with my sister. Universal Studios Florida is premised on the wonderful art of film making, and the rides reflect this emphasis, like Transformers: The Ride 3D and Men In Black: Alien Attack. Islands of Adventure has guests embarking on an adventure to visit different islands. We enjoyed the rides at Universal Studios Florida, which mostly involved a 3D simulation with some twists and turns. What was fascinating about Islands of Adventure were the shows, which gave the audience a glimpse of special effects and the movie making experience, such as Poseidon’s Fury and the Universal Studios Horror Make-Up Show. We loved the old-school presentations, on-cue humour ...

Thanks to our uncle’s most generous gift of a week of timeshare in Orlando, the three cousins and their entourage of parents and grandparents all got the chance to visit Disney World this time round!   Due to the varied interests of our boys and their 2-year-old cousin N, we decided to divide and conquer in order to save costs and to make the best of our limited time there. Different combinations of adults and children went to the Magic Kingdom, the Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios as well as Universal Studios and Kennedy Space Center during the week. Our sister, who figured out the complex algorithm, took pains to ensure there were breaks in-between for the grandparents to rest, as well as taking into account early closing times for the various parks. It all worked out well, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Here are some tips we have for surviving and conquering a trip to the theme parks: 1) Plan ahead and do some reading - This will ensure that you make t...