The theme parks
HOME to the most magical place on earth, everyone knows that storybook fantasy becomes reality in Walt Disney World But Orlando has far more to offer than just stomach-lurching rides and Mickey Mouse.
So what if you’ve not got twoweeks or buckets of money to blow?
Here are all the must-see attractions if you’ve only got a short stay in the state. WE burst into Orlando with a VIP tour of Universal Studios, which gave us back stage access and unlimited queue jumps - there’s nothing quite like strutting past worms of queues and plonking yourselves at the front of a ride.
Aside from the thrills of Rip Ride Rocket - where you can select your own song as you blast around the track - you’ve got to visit Harry Potter World. With real shops as well as food and drink outlets it’d be easy to forget you were at a theme park at all and you could easily while away the whole day in Diagon Alley alone.
If you get a chance to go to Animal Kingdom, it is essential that you brave the queues for the Avatar simulation ride Flight of Passage where you’ll take flight on a native mountain Banshee and soar across the landscape of Pandora.
It is quite simply magical and was my favourite ride of the whole trip.
Now if, like me, you’d never experienced the sheer joy of flinging beads in a stranger’s face then I can I can confirm that you’re missing out on one of the most enjoyable experiences in Orlando.
We ended the night wearing patterned ponchos and cruising through the park on a float as part of the Mardi Gras parade, tossing beads at hundreds of screaming crowd members.
With nightly parades between February and April each year, the carnival is complete with headliner concerts, Cajun music, and street performers and really is not to be missed.