The Most Magical Place(s) on Earth

"Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars. Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live."- Nora Roberts

This past year, I made my way to Orlando twice. Home of both Disney World and Universal Studios. The first trip I took was to Disney World. It was my first time going since I grew up in CA and spent my youth at Disney Land. I was lucky that one of my favorite people from college was working at the park and had me come out to visit.

Since Sarah had worked at the parks for a few months, (and was already a Disney World expert) we took on the various parks like professionals.  She knew when to be where for the shortest lines and the best experiences. 

Being that it was Spring in Florida - we got caught in a major electrical thunderstorm. We spent 30 minutes under a tent attempting to wait out the rain. We noticed a lot of people started heading out of the park, so we decided to do the exact opposite and see what rides were still running.  We made a mad dash for Tower of Terror and ended up riding it over and over with absolutely no wait time. If you are familiar with the story of Tower of Terror- they all die when lightening strikes the elevator shaft… So clearly, we were very smart. 

We also embarked on another adventure- drinking around the world at Epcot.  We had the passes that enabled us to stay in the park late so we made sure to take advantage. We had tequila in Mexico, Strongbow in the UK, weird Norwegian liquor in Norway, and more beer and wine then I care to remember.  The firework show that night was so amazing (not sure if that was because I was steaming drunk or if it was actually a feat in pyrotechnics).

I spent three glorious days in the Florida sun with a one-of-a kind lady that I am lucky enough to call a friend.

A few months later, my roommate and I decided we needed to get to Harry Potter World (Universal) as soon as humanly possible. She and I are major fans of the books and she had never been before and I hadn't been since Diagon Alley opened. Unfortunately, we didn't take a ton of pictures, but we had an amazing time.

 The level of detail in this park is exceptional. The noises, visuals, and the food all look exactly like imagined when reading the books. Honestly, I could live here. We spent three days roaming around and indulging ourselves in everything we saw. I think I ate and drank everything offered in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

While I would say Disney World has more going on, Harry Potter World (or the Wizarding World of Harry Potter) is the absolute best. If you were a fan of the books/movies- you have to go. They should just keep expanding that portion of the park because it is so incredible. I also have to shout out to the Mummy ride. It is my favorite ride in the park and it never has a line… so much fun!

Regardless, if you are a kid or an adult- the magic in both these parks is worth a visit.