Orlando 40th Birthday Trip 2025 - PART 1
Updated: Jun 22, 2025
Staying at Universal, visiting Orlando's Theme Parks,
relaxing in the Water Parks and animal sightseeing!
Coming to America: The Sequel
Seven years on from my life-affirming trip to the bright lights and razzmatazz of New York, it was time to fulfil another American Dream of visiting the world’s most renowned Theme Parks in Orlando.
At the now very familiar starting point of Gatwick, I embarked on my second journey across the Atlantic, once again with much-needed extra legroom and a glass of Prosecco to send me on my way.
The flight would take around an hour and an half longer than New York, and be around 600 miles further. Ultimately I would land at the functional Orlando International Airport, which clearly had far less traffic than I experienced at JFK,with the couple of checked cases and rucksack I was afforded, and awaited the carousel roulette. To my relief, eventually my cases clunked unceremoniously down onto the rotation platform, and it was off to security.
This was a much smoother experience (as least going in - I would be subject to a rather thorough examination coming back…), and I was through in barely 20 minutes. Then it was time to book a Lyft Taxi, the first of many I would be using this trip, which arrived efficiently to take me to the vibrant aptly named Universal Endless Summer Resort.
The challenging difference between this trip and New York was the American culture, which you were so much more readily exposed to. This was the authentic, real American experience, with direct, expressive attitudes and just an altogether different way of life that took a bit of getting used to.
I quickly learnt to embrace rather than resist it, and it was undoubtedly a valuable life experience to have. It was true to say a very different American Dream from New York had been realised by locals in this part. I was checked in just after 10pm and that was the end of day 1! Now to get some sleep before hitting the Universal parks!
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