Universal Staycation

It's been almost a month since our staycation at Loews Sapphire Falls at Universal to celebrate our anniversary, and here I am finally pulling it together for a recap. We actually had a quick day date at Universal earlier that week before we drove back a few days later to check in as a family for the weekend. As much as I love popping in to the parks whenever we feel like it and heading home, it's also nice to play tourist every once in a while and stay at one of their resorts and take the water taxi to the parks. 

Quick tip - if the line is long for the Hogwarts Express when changing parks we like to go through City Walk and stop for a margarita at Margaritaville and say hello to Joe the bartender. When Lil' Miss is with us he always gives her a cup of water with a watermelon slice which makes her day! 

Day dates just the two of us = all the rollercoaster fun! Lil' Miss loves the coasters too, but she's not tall enough yet for Velocicoaster, The Hulk or Rip Ride Rockit. Although she asks all the time when she can join us - she is a thrill seeker and loves that she's big enough for Hagrid's Motorbike, Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey and The Mummy now. 

We headed back that Friday after work and checked in to the resort. We lucked out with a pool view room that also had a view of Velocicoaster and Hogwarts Castle. Yes please! We headed down to the pool and ordered food from the pool bar for dinner which ended up working out perfectly instead of a big fancy dinner. The resort slide was everyone's favorite part of the pool and the cool beach entry to cut across to the other side. 

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to head to Islands of Adventure for early access to the parks. If you're staying at a connected resort or are an annual passholder, you can access the most sought after rides an hour early before general admission and experience less crowds. I broke out my new romper to try and beat the head. Spoiler alert - I still needed to head to the water park to cool off. We rode a few rides then walked over to Volcano Bay to cool off at the water park before heading back to the resort to enjoy the pool some more. I have 0 pictures of the fun in the parks, and pick back up for dinner at the Portofino Resort. 

Floral Cutout Maxi Dress {comes in 2 colors} | Her Dress | Sandals | Necklace | Camera Bag

A stop off the water taxi to pick up Voodoo Doughnuts for Sunday's breakfast was of course on the agenda. Always a must when staying at Universal - yum! 

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