Universal Orlando Family Adventures
Our Family’s Second Home
Universal Orlando has become far more than a place we visit. It's where family traditions have formed, where we've watched our kids grow braver and more adventurous, and where some of our favorite memories have happened when we least expected them. These are the stories behind the rides, resorts, characters, traditions, and little moments that keep bringing our family back.
How Universal Became Our Second Home
"Some vacations come and go. Universal has become part of our family's story."
Universal Orlando started as another family vacation. Somewhere along the way, it became something completely different.
After enough early mornings walking into the parks, resort stays, Butterbeers, character hugs, rides on Flight of the Hippogriff before breakfast, and those little moments you never could have planned, Universal started feeling familiar. We stopped needing maps quite as often. The kids started knowing where they wanted to go next. Favorite rides became traditions. Team Members started recognizing us. Even the drive from the airport began to feel like the road back to somewhere we knew.
But what keeps bringing us back isn't simply the rides.
Universal has given us a front-row seat to watching our kids grow. We've watched nervous first rides turn into requests to go again. We've watched them become confident enough to lead us through the parks themselves. We've watched favorite characters change, height requirements disappear, and little family traditions form almost accidentally.
That's what this part of S&G Travel Adventures is really about.
Not simply reviewing attractions or showing you another theme park vacation. These are the stories, experiences, discoveries, mistakes, traditions, and ridiculous little moments we've collected while exploring Universal Orlando together.
Because after all these visits, we've learned something pretty important:
The parks may be the destination. The adventure is growing up together inside them.
At some point during one of our trips, we left Orlando International Airport and started driving toward Universal.
No GPS. No directions. We simply knew the way.
It was such a tiny thing that we almost didn't notice it. But somewhere between all those flights, resort check-ins, park mornings and family adventures, Orlando had stopped feeling unfamiliar.
We knew the roads. We knew the resorts. The kids knew what was waiting for them.
We weren't figuring out how to get there anymore.
We were heading back.
From Sapphire Falls and Royal Pacific to Hard Rock, Portofino Bay and beyond, we've experienced Universal's resorts across different seasons, trips, and stages of our kids growing up.
🏨 24+ Resort Stays
24 Stays. 85 Room Keys. Countless Memories.
We never set out to visit Universal Orlando this many times. One adventure simply kept leading to another.
Different resorts. Different seasons. New attractions. New milestones. And somehow, an ever-growing collection of room keys followed us home.
Looking through them now feels a little like flipping through a scrapbook of our kids growing up.
The Moment We Realized This Was Different
🎟️ Years of Park Days
We've watched attractions open, traditions develop, favorite characters change, and our kids slowly become the ones leading us through the parks.
85 room keys and counting. Each one represents another chapter in our family's Universal story.
❤️ One Growing Family Story
The number we're proudest of isn't really a number at all. It's the collection of memories we've made together along the way.
Some families start vacation with coffee. We've spent plenty of Universal mornings riding Flight of the Hippogriff again and again before breakfast. Somehow, it became one of our favorite traditions.
Hippogriff Before Breakfast
The Resorts Became Part of the Adventure
Resort mornings, pool afternoons, boat rides to CityWalk and those first excited walks toward the parks taught us that where we stay can become part of the adventure too.
The traditions weren't planned. That's probably why they became traditions.
The Adventures That Made Universal Ours
After enough visits, certain moments start becoming traditions. These are the rides, places, characters, experiences, and little rituals that have turned Universal Orlando from somewhere we vacation into somewhere our family knows by heart.
Growing Up in the Wizarding World
From casting spells to Butterbeer stops and early mornings in Hogsmeade, we've watched the Wizarding World become even more magical as our kids have grown old enough to explore it themselves.
There's Always Another First
Just when Universal feels completely familiar, something changes. Epic Universe reminded us that even after all these visits, Universal can still make all four of us feel like we're seeing it for the first time.
Characters Became Part of the Adventure
Some of our favorite memories didn't happen on rides. They happened dancing in the street, meeting beloved characters, and watching Team Members turn quick interactions into unforgettable moments.
Now They Lead the Way
Somewhere along the way, the little kids we once guided through the parks started choosing attractions, remembering shortcuts, and showing us what they wanted to discover next.
Explore Our Universal Orlando Family Adventures
Every Universal trip gives us something new to bring home, whether it's a first ride, a new resort, a seasonal celebration, or one of those completely unexpected family moments that becomes the story we tell most. Explore our adventures by what your family is looking for next.
Parks & Attractions
Resorts & Stays
First rides, family favorites, new lands, old traditions, and everything we've discovered exploring Universal's parks together.
From split stays to Premier Resorts, pool days and resort traditions, these are the places that have become part of our Universal vacations.
Seasons & Special Events
Universal With Kids
Universal changes with the seasons. Come along for holidays, celebrations, special events, seasonal food, decorations and the experiences that make every time of year feel different.
The rides are only part of it. These are the character encounters, play areas, little discoveries and unexpected moments we've experienced seeing Universal through our kids' eyes.
Featured Universal Adventure
Epic Beginnings: Our First Visit to Epic Universe
July 18 - July 22, 2025
Our first visit to Epic Universe was one of those adventures we knew we'd remember before it was even over. We explored all five worlds, watched the kids discover Isle of Berk for the first time, tried new foods, conquered the Florida heat, and discovered an entirely new side of Universal together.
It also reminded us that even after years of visiting Universal Orlando, there's still something pretty special about experiencing a place for the very first time.
Adventure Snapshot
📍 Destination: Orlando, Florida
📅 Travel Dates: July 18-22, 2025
🏨 Resorts: Portofino Bay + Sapphire Falls
⭐ Family Rating: 5/5 Stars
More Universal Adventures
24 Stays, 85 Room Keys: How Universal Became Our Second Home
The Day We Stopped Leading the Adventure
Hippogriff Before Breakfast: The Traditions We Never Planned
We never planned on visiting Universal Orlando this many times. Somewhere along the way, the resorts, park mornings, family traditions and familiar roads started feeling less like vacation and more like returning somewhere we knew.
Somewhere along the way, the kids we once guided by the hand started running ahead, remembering shortcuts, choosing attractions and showing us what they wanted to discover next. choosing attractions and showing us what they wanted to discover next.
It started with an early park morning and one more ride before breakfast. Somehow, riding Flight of the Hippogriff again and again became one of those little traditions our family now associates with being back at Universal.
Every visit gives us another story to tell. From new attractions and resort stays to family traditions and those unexpected moments that become the ones we remember most, explore more of our family's adventures around Universal Orlando.
Planning Your Own Universal Adventure?
Every family experiences Universal Orlando differently. After years of resort stays, park days, early mornings, Express Passes, meals, mistakes, discoveries, and adventures with two young kids, we've learned a lot about what can make a Universal vacation easier and more enjoyable.
We've gathered the advice we actually use ourselves into one place, from choosing the right resort and planning your park days to saving money, packing smarter, experiencing the Wizarding World, and slowing down enough to enjoy the moments between the rides.
Family-tested • Experience-based • Built from years of Universal adventures
Join the Adventure
The adventure doesn't end when we leave the parks. Join us once a month for family travel stories, things we've learned along the way, new adventures on the horizon, and a little reminder to slow down and experience this season of life right alongside our kids.