Universal Adventure

2026/03/15

I went to the Universal Studios Orlando Resort yesterday. Just the day before, I was pondering going to Disney when I woke up. But by the end of the day, I decided I wanted to go to Universal instead. I asked Dan if he had a comp ticket available for me. But it turned out to be a blacked out day for his comp tickets. So I bought a Florida resident ticket instead. I was going to go regardless if I could get a free ticket or pay for one.

I hadn't actually been to the 2 main parks in quite awhile. Although I somewhat knew my way around, it all still felt very new since I so rarely go. I knew just being there was going to be fun. So anything I actually experienced was going to be a plus. I went on 3 attractions. I had lots of various foods and drinks. I did some work on my "Discipleship" art piece. And I journaled a little bit. I also got one of those birthday buttons!

My second favorite moment was actually a combination of moments related to the rain. It has been so dry lately. Every time it rains, I get excited. I knew there was a chance for rain. So I brought an umbrella. When it first started to rain, it was so lite that I found a great place to sit and just enjoy being in the rain. The umbrella remained closed for that. I sat near the water and watched the rain dance across the lake. I also watched some pigeons take care of each other through the rain.

After about 20 minutes or so of sitting in the rain, I decided to walk around. As I was walking, it began to pour. So I got the umbrella out. As people were huddling under things to keep dry, I was out in the "streets" splashing and dancing in the rain. I didn't mind getting wet. It was a very warm rain, actually. As the rain started to let up a bit, I took a selfie video so I could capture some photos of me with my umbrella.

If nothing else happened all day, this rain experience was well worth being there. But I mentioned it was my second favorite moment. My favorite moment was meeting up with Dan. He came out after the rain stopped to meet up with me. We got to chat for a bit. But not too long since he was working.

After we parted ways, I was walking between the 2 parks when I witnessed a rainbow. Seeing that rainbow tied the 2 favorite moments together ❤️

My least favorite parts of the day were the attractions. It was incredibly busy that day. I don't mind crowds so much anymore. But waiting in long lines isn't great. I skipped so many things I would have wanted to do. If I lived there and had a annual pass, I wouldn't mind waiting in line as much. With Disney, I go so often that sometimes I'll do just 1 attraction or none at all. But since I bought a day ticket, I would have wanted to do much more of those things. And 1 of the attractions wasn't my cup-o-tea. I had never been on it. I'll likely not do it again.

It's called Villain-Con. The theming is from Despicable Me and I really liked all of that. But the attraction itself was chaotic and confusing. It's one of those blaster type things. But instead of sitting in a ride vehicle, you stand on a conveyor belt. There are so many people at once that you can't really see where you are shooting. The screen is full of everyone shooting everything. You can't tell what you are hitting or what those around you are hitting. If they spaced everyone out more, the ride would be much better.

I was glad to be able to work on artwork and some writing. It's very satisfying to take breaks and do those things at the theme parks. I wasn't sure how I'd like doing art while at a theme park. But I've gotten to love it very much now that I've done it at Disney and Universal. I'd say that was my third favorite part of the day.

For my birthday Friday, I'll be going to EPCOT. So I'm glad I decided to go with Universal yesterday. It was a fun little adventure and I look forward to my next visit. Hopefully it will be sooner than last time!