August 27, 2025 • 24 mins
This week Krystle and Julie take You Can Only Pick One "across the street" to Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure. Listen in as they pick one ride, one dining experience, one snack, and one attraction for each island within Islands of Adventure. From thrills in Jurassic Park to the magic of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Islands of Adventure has so much to offer!
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Wanderlust and Wishes, the
podcast where we explore theworld one destination at a time.
I'm Julie.
And I'm Crystal.
As travel agents withFantastical Vacations, we are
here to share our passion fortravel and help you turn your
wanderlust into reality.
From hidden gems to bucket listadventures, join us as we dive
into the sights, sounds, andstories of our favorite
(00:20):
destinations.
So grab your passport, pack yourbags, and let's embark on this
journey together.
So let's get started.
UNKNOWN (00:30):
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Hi everybody, welcome to episode 66 of
Wanderlust and Wishes.
Today we're going to do a, youcan only choose one episode, but
we're going over to UniversalOrlando and we're going to go
through the Islands of Adventureside of the park.
All right, just so you can kindof picture this and walk through
the park with us.
(00:54):
Islands of Adventure is kind oflike a big circle with a big
lagoon in the middle and thereare eight different lands or
islands.
We're going to kind of followthis order and we're going to
start with port of entry.
And that's like the bottom ofthe clock.
And then we're going clockwise.
So after port of entry, you haveMarvel Superhero Island, Toon
(01:15):
Lagoon, Skull Island, Reign ofKong.
We'll get to this, but that's aweird little section.
Jurassic Park, The WizardingWorld of Harry Potter,
Hogsmeade, The Lost Continent,and then Seuss Landing.
Port of entry is mostly justshopping and some food areas.
So it's just like you're entrypoint.
It's also going to have the parkservices that are there.
(01:39):
So that's where you're going tofind first aid, your lockers,
ATM, stroller and wheelchairrentals, and lost and found.
So that's all going to be inthat section.
That's right after you enterthrough the turnstiles or
through the ticket area.
And then just as a reminder, theway we kind of play this game is
(01:59):
we each pick a ride, a food, asnack, and an attraction from
Each land, just so you kind ofhave when you're in the park and
need a last second, like it'ssomething familiar in the back
of your head.
All right.
Port of entry.
As Julie said, there's no ridehere.
So I skipped ride, food and mysnack.
I'm going to Confisco Grill.
(02:21):
Their starter menu.
I couldn't pick just one.
We're already.
It's really good.
They have loaded nachos, spinachand artichoke dip, summer
avocado hummus, queso Theburrilla, they all sound good
and it probably just depends onwhat I'm feeling for the day.
I didn't miss the trader wingsand the chicken quesadilla.
And then for a snack for theirdesserts, dark chocolate
(02:45):
cheesecake, classic key limepie, strawberry cheesecake,
mocha chocolate pyramid.
So I think this is a must stop.
That all sounds so good.
Yeah.
So probably just, like I said,depending on my mood, what I'm
feeling for the day, but I couldeasily go for any of those.
And then for my attraction, I amshopping through the Islands of
Adventure Trading Companybecause we all know Crystal
(03:07):
Lake's merch store.
I'm going to go to the ConfiscoGrill as well.
But I was just saying to Crystalthat Queso Barilla, my daughter
Ella would be all over that.
She loves Barilla tacos.
That's like her favorite thing.
And sometimes we have to go outof our way to find a Mexican
restaurant that has them becauseshe loves them so much.
(03:29):
So she will definitely be allover that.
And then I would get either theloaded nachos or they also have
chicken lettuce wraps and thoselook really good too.
And similar to Crystal, likethere's so much on the menu that
looks fantastic that I think itwould just be my mood for the
day.
They do have a Starbucks in thisarea.
So of course, I'm going to begoing to Starbucks.
(03:50):
I'm going to find that.
If I haven't already gotten oneas soon as I walk in before in
CityWalk, if I haven't alreadygotten one there, that's where
I'm going to find one.
And then And again, this areahas a lot of options for
shopping.
They have several differentspots.
They have Port Provisions,Islands of Adventure Trading
(04:11):
Company, Ocean Trader Market,and then also Port of Entry
Christmas Shop.
I would probably go into theChristmas shop because I just
don't know if I could helpmyself, even regardless of what
time of year it is.
I tend to find my way into aChristmas shop if there's one
available.
So now we're going to move intothe Marvel's superhero island
(04:33):
area.
For the ride, I'm going to rideIncredible Hulk.
This ride is so fun.
It is definitely a thrill ride.
At the very beginning, youliterally go shooting out of
this tunnel going like agazillion miles an hour.
And then for food, they have asuperhero's dinner.
(04:55):
And I think we talked about thisbefore.
It's by reservation only.
And it's also dinner only.
It's a dinner buffet And it'sconsidered a character meal
because you're able to meetcharacters, Captain America,
Spider-Man, Wolverine, Storm,and Rogue.
You have the opportunity to takepictures and be able to meet
those characters, which is fun.
(05:17):
And I've had several clients dothis and they loved it.
For a snack, there is a fruitstand in this area.
It's very hard to find fruit orsomething that's not chips or
salty or something that's notalways the best for you.
They have fruit cups, grapes,and a selection of whole fruits
there.
So I'm going to kind of find myway over there just to have a
(05:40):
little bit of a snack that's notso terrible for you.
And then for the attraction,there's not necessarily, this
isn't necessarily an attractionattraction, but they do have a
lot of characters that walkaround in this area.
For example, when we were therewith my family, I think my
sister and Ella and my niece andnephew, they were on a ride and
(06:04):
that we just chose not to geton.
And my parents were standingthere with us and the Green
Goblin was walking around and Igot a picture with the Green
Goblin.
There's lots of different Marvelcharacters that are walking
around.
I think my picks for Marvel areaare pretty similar.
My ride is the Incredible Hulkcoaster food Cafe Four.
I didn't do the superheroversion.
(06:25):
I would pick the fettuccineAlfredo with chicken combo
service served with a garlicknot and a side Caesar salad.
And I was surprised that all youcan get all that for less than
$20.
Sometimes like people are liketheme park food is so expensive,
but I felt like that was a largeoffering.
So they also have a bunch ofreally yummy things on the
(06:46):
dessert menu, like s'morescookie and a strawberry
cheesecake.
So look at that menu.
And then for my snack, I wouldgo to the superhero cotton candy
stand for cotton candy.
Like what's a theme park withoutcotton candy.
Right.
And then my attraction, similarcharacters.
So there are so many allies andenemies all over.
(07:08):
So just keep your eyes open.
You never know who you're goingto see.
Next, let's move over to ToonLagoon for my ride.
I picked the Dudley Do-RightRipsaw Falls.
This is a water ride.
And one day I will get Julie onit with me.
Nope.
And then for food, I'm going togo to Blondie's and do the
(07:32):
Dagwood It's their famousDagwood sandwich combo.
It's fresh baked onion and poppyseed bread piled high with baked
ham, turkey, roast beef,American and Swiss cheese,
topped with lettuce, tomatoesserved with chips.
So that sounded really good.
A snack.
I thought this was a, this wasinteresting.
We're going to go to Wimpy's andthey have Dole Whip pineapple
sorbet.
It's called Dole Whip.
(07:55):
So go do some market researchand see if it compares to down
the street.
Yeah.
If it's Sorbet, it's probablynot going to be quite the same.
Actually, I do think that Iwould want to go over there just
to check it out and see if it'ssimilar.
Yeah, but they're using the DoleWhip name, so who knows?
(08:16):
Maybe they have to call itSorbet so they don't get in
trouble.
Maybe.
For my attraction, I'm going togo to the me ship, The Olive.
It's three decks of interactivefun, and then you can even spray
passengers of Popeyes and Blitosbarges from the top level.
So just let the kids run wildand spray some people in the
(08:37):
process.
For my ride, I said none.
This is a very water heavy.
It's two water rides.
And Crystal's going to have tolike spike my butterbeer to get
me on a water ride.
Don't tempt me.
I will.
Because I did ride Popeyes and Idon't think I've ever been more
(09:00):
thoroughly soaked.
Like you may as well have justthrown me in a swimming pool.
That's how wet we were when wegot off that ride.
So I have no desire to rideeither one of the rides in this
area.
How However, it is fun to watchpeople that are on the ride
because there's a bridge and youcan watch, you can sit there on
the bridge and basically watchpeople get completely doused and
(09:24):
watch their reactions.
It's pretty funny.
It's funny when you're not theone that's getting completely
drenched.
For food, this area has severalquick service restaurants, but
they don't have the greatestreputation for food.
This area in general is just notone where people are going to
go.
to get food most of the time.
(09:45):
But if I had to choose, I wouldgo to Wimpy's for a
cheeseburger.
And then for my snack, I wouldgo to Kathy's Ice Cream to get a
sundae.
I love just a regular, goodold-fashioned sundae.
And then for the attraction,it's very, very colorful in this
area because it's, you know,it's like the, it's Toon Lagoon.
(10:06):
It's like, you know, they havecomic strips and just tons of
color that pop.
So it's a good spot for photoops My mom took a picture with
Betty Boop here, so there's alsosome characters in this area.
And again, like I mentioned,another thing that you can do is
just basically watch people getcompletely drenched on Popeyes.
You can also watch as the rideis coming down on Dudleys as
(10:30):
well.
The next area that you kind ofgo through is Skull Island, but
it is literally like you blinkand you're through that section.
It's very, very small.
It just has the Skull IslandReign of Kong as the ride.
And then it does have a foodstand, but really there's not a
(10:53):
whole lot here.
If you are going to getsomething to eat there, I've
heard good things.
I have not actually eaten atthis food stand, but I've heard
good things about the pizzaskulls and the Kong dog.
It's basically a pretzel wrappedhot dog that you can get at the
mess tent, which is the foodstand.
So we're just going to kind ofscurry through this section.
(11:13):
And skip over to Jurassic Park.
So for Jurassic Park, theVelocicoaster is amazing.
It's very, very much a thrillride.
And it's very, very fast.
But it's also very smooth.
So I think if you have someonethat is a little worried about
(11:34):
it from a thrill rideperspective, it's very smooth.
You don't get knocked around.
But you do kind of feel like theskin on your face is going to
peel off.
Like my hair tie almost cameout.
Might lose a hair tie.
Might lose your shoes if they'renot secure.
And then for food, the ThunderFalls Terrace, they have a
(11:56):
chicken and ribs combo.
It's rotisserie chicken andmango barbecue glazed ribs with
roasted corn and potatoes.
And it also comes with amilkshake.
Holy moly.
Yeah, please.
Sounds so yummy.
I don't think I realized it camewith a milkshake.
Yeah.
I was like, dang.
Yummo.
And then for my snack, I wouldget a Dove ice cream bar.
(12:20):
They have a little snack cartthat's called the Food Chain.
And then for the attraction, Iwas kind of on the fence with
this one because I do think thatthe raptor encounter is really
fun, but I'm also like a superduper sciencey nerd person.
And they have a discovery centerthere that some of it is based
on Jurassic Park.
(12:40):
So they have a little bit ofthat mixed in, but it also has
some real science behind it.
And I just love stuff like that.
So I was kind of bouncing backand forth between the two.
For my ride, I'm also pickingVelocicoaster.
I feel like this is like one ofthe top, if not the top ride in
between the two parks.
I haven't been to Epic yet.
(13:01):
So yeah, can't quite say forEpic yet, but for the other two.
For my food, I'm also going toThunder Falls Terrace.
I'm going to get the chicken androasted pernil platter.
It's a rotisserie chicken androasted pork shoulder served
with roasted corn And then formy attraction, I'm also going to
(13:27):
do the raptor encounter.
It's not always the same raptormeeting and I have seen the
cutest interactions.
So if you have a dinosaur lovingperson in your party, that is a
can't miss thing to do.
Now let's head over to theWazine world of Harry Potter.
This is the Hogsmeade side.
(13:49):
My ride.
I am picking Hagrid's MagicalCreature Motorbike Adventure.
Also one of my most favoriterides in Universal.
For my food, I am going to theThree Broomsticks.
And they had a couple things ontheir menu that were calling out
to me.
They had a shepherd's pie,ground beef, lamb, and
(14:09):
vegetables crowned with potatoesserved with roasted root
vegetables and sauteed broccoli.
They had fish and chips,rotisserie smoked chicken salad,
mixed greens, Roma tomatoes,cucumbers, farro, dried
cranberries, corn, costwellcheese, rotisserie smoked
chicken, and mustard aloedressing.
So any of those sounded good tome.
And I know they're like verygood sized portions.
(14:31):
For my snack, I'm going to findsome sort of butterbeer.
This will just depend on whattime of year.
Probably frozen because it'salways hot in Orlando, but maybe
the hot if it was like frigidcold winter day and then for my
attraction I almost picked alllanders to do like the whole
(14:52):
wand ceremony but I settled onthe Hogwarts Express you do need
a park to park ticket to ridethis but it's just it's such a
neat experience and it's a goodlittle break and it's a great
way to hop to the other side andit's half ride half attraction
so those are always my favoriteand kind of like half
(15:14):
transportation because it doestake you to the other park, you
know?
Yeah.
Save your little feet.
If you were going to doOllivanders, I would make you
read all of the series first.
You would be so mad if you knewwhich ones I had read and in
which order.
Oh, I already know.
You've already told me.
I'm like, you get your HarryPotter card taken away.
(15:34):
You need to read all of them.
And I would need to quiz youbefore you could go to
Ollivander's because you're notallowed to experience it without
understanding the importance ofhaving the wand choose you.
It's very important.
For me, definitely Hagrid's isgoing to be my ride.
(15:55):
This would actually, if I had topick one ride, period, this
would be my ride.
As much as I love Velocicoaster,it's fantastic.
I still would pick Hagrid's,hands down, every time.
For food, I would also go to theThree Broomsticks, and that
would be the rotisserie chickensalad.
(16:16):
Yum.
Just a reminder to you that youcan do breakfast here as well.
A lot of the stuff that theyhave is very traditionally
English.
So just make sure that you takea look at the menu first before
you go in there.
My snack would be frozenbutterbeer.
I'm very much like an icedcoffee person regardless of how
(16:39):
cold it is outside.
So probably regardless of theweather, I would probably always
choose frozen butterbeer.
Never say never, but for themost part, I think I would.
And then for the attraction, Iwould want to do whatever the
projection show is at that timeof year It rotates throughout
the year.
They have several differentshows, Hogwarts Always, Dark
(17:01):
Arts at Hogwarts Castle, and TheMagic of Christmas at Hogwarts
Castle.
I would love to see any ofthose.
So depending on when I'm there,I would want to watch that at
the end of the day.
Okay, so we're walking, we'rewalking.
The next area we're going to bein is the Lost Continent.
There are no rides in this area.
(17:22):
I don't think that it gets asmuch love as some of the other
areas, because it doesn't haverides, but they do have some
good stuff here.
They have the Mythos restaurant.
It is sit down.
I would get the beef loinmedallions.
It is served with Yukon mashedpotatoes.
I freaking love Yukon potatoes.
They're like my favorite kind.
I don't know if anybody else hasa favorite kind of potato, but
(17:44):
that's my favorite kind ofpotato.
So anytime I see Yukon mashedpotatoes, that's what I want.
I make mashed potatoes.
I use those kind.
For a snack, I would get popcornfrom the Treasure a Poseidon
snack cart.
They also have slushies.
And I know with absolutecertainty that we've gotten
slushies there before.
If you guys have been listeningfor a while, you know that my
(18:06):
daughters, they have to get oneat some point during the day.
It's just a thing.
And then the attraction, theyhave this little fountain that's
located near Sinbad Theater.
It's called the Mystic Fountain.
And it's similar to Turtle Talkin that there's a cast member
that's watching real time andthey're talking.
to guests and interacting withguests.
(18:28):
So they tell jokes and just ingeneral are just interacting.
And depending on how you respondor if you answer a question
correctly or not correctly, youmay get splashed by the
fountain.
That's so fun.
Which is funny.
Yeah.
So also no ride.
And then for my restaurant, Ialso picked Mythos Restaurant.
I'm going to get the fork, knifeand spoon grilled cheese, a
(18:49):
unique presentation, a classicthree cheese sandwich set in a
vine ripe tomato soup withcrispy pork belly and garnished
with house made chips.
I've been to Universal a numberof times, but I never feel like
I go like deeper than surfacelevel with the food.
So this episode was really goodfor me to like, like I never
would have thought that they hadthis grilled cheese there.
Yeah.
(19:09):
It sounds delicious.
Snack.
I'm going to go to Doc Segru'sDesert Kebab House and get the
beef kebab combo brushed withtremolia marinade served on pita
bread with a sauce, caramelizedonions and crumbled feta and
choice of chips.
And then for my attraction, I'malso going to go see the mystic
fountain and see what he has tosay and then last but not least
(19:33):
is seuss landing i'm gonna dothe high in the sky seuss
trolley train ride i thinkpeople mover i think that the
people mover just kind of a slowmoving high in the sky ride and
then for my food i'm gonna go tocircus mcgurkis cafe stupendous
guys the words go go look upseuss landing and just read
(19:56):
everything that is availablethere for sure yes I'm gonna get
the chicken and waffle hambreaded crispy tenders fresh
waffle drizzled with hot honeyand served with curly fries for
my snack I'm going to go tomoose juice goose juice and I've
got to try the cinnamon churrowith chocolate sauce or the
frozen orange moose juice and mythought with the cinnamon churro
(20:19):
is I need to do market researchagain so of course I have a
whole list of things that I nexttime I go and then my attraction
oh the stories you'll hear thisis a daily show featuring your
favorite Dr.
Seuss characters like the cat inthe hat with thing one and thing
two Sam I am of green eggs andham the Grinch and then the
(20:40):
Lorax and they all dance tomusical tellings of Dr.
Seuss's best love stories soit's a nice little relaxing get
off your feet show for a minutefor me I'm going to ride the
Carousel this is just acarousel, but it has Dr.
Seuss characters, and it's supercute.
(21:00):
I've ridden this with the girls,so that's where I would go.
For food, I would also go toCircus McGurkis Cafe Stupendous,
but I would get the chickenCaesar salad.
I think they have a lot of goodthings on their menu.
It's just not gluten-freefriendly, so I would go with the
chicken Caesar salad.
And then snack, they haveSnooker's and Snooker's sweet
(21:23):
candy cookers, and they have allkinds of canned and things in
there.
So I would probably get likelots of different things, but I
picked the caramel apple.
It's one of those shops whereyou can get bags of candy and
you can pick different things.
So that's definitely a spot thatmy girls love going into places
like that and loading up andgetting like ridiculous amounts
(21:45):
of candy.
So we would definitely stopthere.
And then last but not least, theattraction, just like with
Crystal, stopping and listeningto the reading of of Dr.
Seuss books.
They have a cast member that'sthere reading alongside the
characters.
It's really fun to just sitthere and listen.
And to be honest, the talent ofthe cast member that can
(22:08):
actually read it with all of thetongue twisters that are in Dr.
Seuss books is amazing.
I'm sure they practice a lot.
They have to, but they do agreat job.
So basically, once you getthrough Seuss Landing, you get
back to the point where whereyou can either continue going
and you can go back into theMarvel area or you can go into
(22:32):
the Port of Entry and you canleave out through the front of
Islands of Adventure and go backinto CityWalk.
So we're done with our circulartour of the park.
I agree with Crystal.
The more that I visit and themore that I see the things that
are available at Universal, themore I appreciate what's there.
(22:53):
I think both of us are both veryDisney people, but Universal is
continuing to grow on me,especially with Epic Universe
there.
I want to go whenever I visit inOctober and would love to give,
obviously, a report on that.
Islands of Adventure isdefinitely, of the parks that
are available that I've been to,it's my favorite of the two.
(23:15):
And sadly, I think Islands ofAdventure is the most underrated
because when people talk aboutUniversal, they automatically
think of studios and everythingthat's over there.
So it is fun to like I think Ilike the side petter too.
Yeah.
I mean, it has Hagrid's, it hasthe Hulk, and it has
Velocicoaster.
That right there, that's where Iwant to be is on that side for
sure.
I hope you have really enjoyedour perusal of Islands of
(23:40):
Adventure and our pick one.
We would love to hear yourthoughts and we would love to
hear what you would pick in theIslands of Adventure park.
If you want to go experienceIslands of Adventures yourself,
reach out.
We'd love to help you.
As always, our services are freeto you.
If you love any of our episodes,please, please, please go leave
(24:00):
us a rating and review or shareone of your most favorite
episodes with a friend.
We got to get the word out aboutour little tiny podcast over
here.
So yeah, a little baby podcast.
We wanted to grow up.
Thank you so much for listening,everybody.
We hope you have a wonderfulweek.
Bye.
(24:26):
Thanks for tuning in to anotherepisode of Wonderlust and
Wishes.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe and
leave us a review on yourfavorite podcast platform.
And remember, the world is fullof wonders waiting to be
explored.
Until next time, happy travels.
Bye for now.
Welcome to Wanderlust and Wishes, the
podcast where we explore theworld one destination at a time.
I'm Julie.
And I'm Crystal.
As travel agents withFantastical Vacations, we are
here to share our passion fortravel and help you turn your
wanderlust into reality.
From hidden gems to bucket listadventures, join us as we dive
into the sights, sounds, andstories of our favorite
(00:20):
destinations.
So grab your passport, pack yourbags, and let's embark on this
journey together.
So let's get started.
UNKNOWN (00:30):
Bye.
SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Hi everybody, welcome to episode 66 of
Wanderlust and Wishes.
Today we're going to do a, youcan only choose one episode, but
we're going over to UniversalOrlando and we're going to go
through the Islands of Adventureside of the park.
All right, just so you can kindof picture this and walk through
the park with us.
(00:54):
Islands of Adventure is kind oflike a big circle with a big
lagoon in the middle and thereare eight different lands or
islands.
We're going to kind of followthis order and we're going to
start with port of entry.
And that's like the bottom ofthe clock.
And then we're going clockwise.
So after port of entry, you haveMarvel Superhero Island, Toon
(01:15):
Lagoon, Skull Island, Reign ofKong.
We'll get to this, but that's aweird little section.
Jurassic Park, The WizardingWorld of Harry Potter,
Hogsmeade, The Lost Continent,and then Seuss Landing.
Port of entry is mostly justshopping and some food areas.
So it's just like you're entrypoint.
It's also going to have the parkservices that are there.
(01:39):
So that's where you're going tofind first aid, your lockers,
ATM, stroller and wheelchairrentals, and lost and found.
So that's all going to be inthat section.
That's right after you enterthrough the turnstiles or
through the ticket area.
And then just as a reminder, theway we kind of play this game is
(01:59):
we each pick a ride, a food, asnack, and an attraction from
Each land, just so you kind ofhave when you're in the park and
need a last second, like it'ssomething familiar in the back
of your head.
All right.
Port of entry.
As Julie said, there's no ridehere.
So I skipped ride, food and mysnack.
I'm going to Confisco Grill.
(02:21):
Their starter menu.
I couldn't pick just one.
We're already.
It's really good.
They have loaded nachos, spinachand artichoke dip, summer
avocado hummus, queso Theburrilla, they all sound good
and it probably just depends onwhat I'm feeling for the day.
I didn't miss the trader wingsand the chicken quesadilla.
And then for a snack for theirdesserts, dark chocolate
(02:45):
cheesecake, classic key limepie, strawberry cheesecake,
mocha chocolate pyramid.
So I think this is a must stop.
That all sounds so good.
Yeah.
So probably just, like I said,depending on my mood, what I'm
feeling for the day, but I couldeasily go for any of those.
And then for my attraction, I amshopping through the Islands of
Adventure Trading Companybecause we all know Crystal
(03:07):
Lake's merch store.
I'm going to go to the ConfiscoGrill as well.
But I was just saying to Crystalthat Queso Barilla, my daughter
Ella would be all over that.
She loves Barilla tacos.
That's like her favorite thing.
And sometimes we have to go outof our way to find a Mexican
restaurant that has them becauseshe loves them so much.
(03:29):
So she will definitely be allover that.
And then I would get either theloaded nachos or they also have
chicken lettuce wraps and thoselook really good too.
And similar to Crystal, likethere's so much on the menu that
looks fantastic that I think itwould just be my mood for the
day.
They do have a Starbucks in thisarea.
So of course, I'm going to begoing to Starbucks.
(03:50):
I'm going to find that.
If I haven't already gotten oneas soon as I walk in before in
CityWalk, if I haven't alreadygotten one there, that's where
I'm going to find one.
And then And again, this areahas a lot of options for
shopping.
They have several differentspots.
They have Port Provisions,Islands of Adventure Trading
(04:11):
Company, Ocean Trader Market,and then also Port of Entry
Christmas Shop.
I would probably go into theChristmas shop because I just
don't know if I could helpmyself, even regardless of what
time of year it is.
I tend to find my way into aChristmas shop if there's one
available.
So now we're going to move intothe Marvel's superhero island
(04:33):
area.
For the ride, I'm going to rideIncredible Hulk.
This ride is so fun.
It is definitely a thrill ride.
At the very beginning, youliterally go shooting out of
this tunnel going like agazillion miles an hour.
And then for food, they have asuperhero's dinner.
(04:55):
And I think we talked about thisbefore.
It's by reservation only.
And it's also dinner only.
It's a dinner buffet And it'sconsidered a character meal
because you're able to meetcharacters, Captain America,
Spider-Man, Wolverine, Storm,and Rogue.
You have the opportunity to takepictures and be able to meet
those characters, which is fun.
(05:17):
And I've had several clients dothis and they loved it.
For a snack, there is a fruitstand in this area.
It's very hard to find fruit orsomething that's not chips or
salty or something that's notalways the best for you.
They have fruit cups, grapes,and a selection of whole fruits
there.
So I'm going to kind of find myway over there just to have a
(05:40):
little bit of a snack that's notso terrible for you.
And then for the attraction,there's not necessarily, this
isn't necessarily an attractionattraction, but they do have a
lot of characters that walkaround in this area.
For example, when we were therewith my family, I think my
sister and Ella and my niece andnephew, they were on a ride and
(06:04):
that we just chose not to geton.
And my parents were standingthere with us and the Green
Goblin was walking around and Igot a picture with the Green
Goblin.
There's lots of different Marvelcharacters that are walking
around.
I think my picks for Marvel areaare pretty similar.
My ride is the Incredible Hulkcoaster food Cafe Four.
I didn't do the superheroversion.
(06:25):
I would pick the fettuccineAlfredo with chicken combo
service served with a garlicknot and a side Caesar salad.
And I was surprised that all youcan get all that for less than
$20.
Sometimes like people are liketheme park food is so expensive,
but I felt like that was a largeoffering.
So they also have a bunch ofreally yummy things on the
(06:46):
dessert menu, like s'morescookie and a strawberry
cheesecake.
So look at that menu.
And then for my snack, I wouldgo to the superhero cotton candy
stand for cotton candy.
Like what's a theme park withoutcotton candy.
Right.
And then my attraction, similarcharacters.
So there are so many allies andenemies all over.
(07:08):
So just keep your eyes open.
You never know who you're goingto see.
Next, let's move over to ToonLagoon for my ride.
I picked the Dudley Do-RightRipsaw Falls.
This is a water ride.
And one day I will get Julie onit with me.
Nope.
And then for food, I'm going togo to Blondie's and do the
(07:32):
Dagwood It's their famousDagwood sandwich combo.
It's fresh baked onion and poppyseed bread piled high with baked
ham, turkey, roast beef,American and Swiss cheese,
topped with lettuce, tomatoesserved with chips.
So that sounded really good.
A snack.
I thought this was a, this wasinteresting.
We're going to go to Wimpy's andthey have Dole Whip pineapple
sorbet.
It's called Dole Whip.
(07:55):
So go do some market researchand see if it compares to down
the street.
Yeah.
If it's Sorbet, it's probablynot going to be quite the same.
Actually, I do think that Iwould want to go over there just
to check it out and see if it'ssimilar.
Yeah, but they're using the DoleWhip name, so who knows?
(08:16):
Maybe they have to call itSorbet so they don't get in
trouble.
Maybe.
For my attraction, I'm going togo to the me ship, The Olive.
It's three decks of interactivefun, and then you can even spray
passengers of Popeyes and Blitosbarges from the top level.
So just let the kids run wildand spray some people in the
(08:37):
process.
For my ride, I said none.
This is a very water heavy.
It's two water rides.
And Crystal's going to have tolike spike my butterbeer to get
me on a water ride.
Don't tempt me.
I will.
Because I did ride Popeyes and Idon't think I've ever been more
(09:00):
thoroughly soaked.
Like you may as well have justthrown me in a swimming pool.
That's how wet we were when wegot off that ride.
So I have no desire to rideeither one of the rides in this
area.
How However, it is fun to watchpeople that are on the ride
because there's a bridge and youcan watch, you can sit there on
the bridge and basically watchpeople get completely doused and
(09:24):
watch their reactions.
It's pretty funny.
It's funny when you're not theone that's getting completely
drenched.
For food, this area has severalquick service restaurants, but
they don't have the greatestreputation for food.
This area in general is just notone where people are going to
go.
to get food most of the time.
(09:45):
But if I had to choose, I wouldgo to Wimpy's for a
cheeseburger.
And then for my snack, I wouldgo to Kathy's Ice Cream to get a
sundae.
I love just a regular, goodold-fashioned sundae.
And then for the attraction,it's very, very colorful in this
area because it's, you know,it's like the, it's Toon Lagoon.
(10:06):
It's like, you know, they havecomic strips and just tons of
color that pop.
So it's a good spot for photoops My mom took a picture with
Betty Boop here, so there's alsosome characters in this area.
And again, like I mentioned,another thing that you can do is
just basically watch people getcompletely drenched on Popeyes.
You can also watch as the rideis coming down on Dudleys as
(10:30):
well.
The next area that you kind ofgo through is Skull Island, but
it is literally like you blinkand you're through that section.
It's very, very small.
It just has the Skull IslandReign of Kong as the ride.
And then it does have a foodstand, but really there's not a
(10:53):
whole lot here.
If you are going to getsomething to eat there, I've
heard good things.
I have not actually eaten atthis food stand, but I've heard
good things about the pizzaskulls and the Kong dog.
It's basically a pretzel wrappedhot dog that you can get at the
mess tent, which is the foodstand.
So we're just going to kind ofscurry through this section.
(11:13):
And skip over to Jurassic Park.
So for Jurassic Park, theVelocicoaster is amazing.
It's very, very much a thrillride.
And it's very, very fast.
But it's also very smooth.
So I think if you have someonethat is a little worried about
(11:34):
it from a thrill rideperspective, it's very smooth.
You don't get knocked around.
But you do kind of feel like theskin on your face is going to
peel off.
Like my hair tie almost cameout.
Might lose a hair tie.
Might lose your shoes if they'renot secure.
And then for food, the ThunderFalls Terrace, they have a
(11:56):
chicken and ribs combo.
It's rotisserie chicken andmango barbecue glazed ribs with
roasted corn and potatoes.
And it also comes with amilkshake.
Holy moly.
Yeah, please.
Sounds so yummy.
I don't think I realized it camewith a milkshake.
Yeah.
I was like, dang.
Yummo.
And then for my snack, I wouldget a Dove ice cream bar.
(12:20):
They have a little snack cartthat's called the Food Chain.
And then for the attraction, Iwas kind of on the fence with
this one because I do think thatthe raptor encounter is really
fun, but I'm also like a superduper sciencey nerd person.
And they have a discovery centerthere that some of it is based
on Jurassic Park.
(12:40):
So they have a little bit ofthat mixed in, but it also has
some real science behind it.
And I just love stuff like that.
So I was kind of bouncing backand forth between the two.
For my ride, I'm also pickingVelocicoaster.
I feel like this is like one ofthe top, if not the top ride in
between the two parks.
I haven't been to Epic yet.
(13:01):
So yeah, can't quite say forEpic yet, but for the other two.
For my food, I'm also going toThunder Falls Terrace.
I'm going to get the chicken androasted pernil platter.
It's a rotisserie chicken androasted pork shoulder served
with roasted corn And then formy attraction, I'm also going to
(13:27):
do the raptor encounter.
It's not always the same raptormeeting and I have seen the
cutest interactions.
So if you have a dinosaur lovingperson in your party, that is a
can't miss thing to do.
Now let's head over to theWazine world of Harry Potter.
This is the Hogsmeade side.
(13:49):
My ride.
I am picking Hagrid's MagicalCreature Motorbike Adventure.
Also one of my most favoriterides in Universal.
For my food, I am going to theThree Broomsticks.
And they had a couple things ontheir menu that were calling out
to me.
They had a shepherd's pie,ground beef, lamb, and
(14:09):
vegetables crowned with potatoesserved with roasted root
vegetables and sauteed broccoli.
They had fish and chips,rotisserie smoked chicken salad,
mixed greens, Roma tomatoes,cucumbers, farro, dried
cranberries, corn, costwellcheese, rotisserie smoked
chicken, and mustard aloedressing.
So any of those sounded good tome.
And I know they're like verygood sized portions.
(14:31):
For my snack, I'm going to findsome sort of butterbeer.
This will just depend on whattime of year.
Probably frozen because it'salways hot in Orlando, but maybe
the hot if it was like frigidcold winter day and then for my
attraction I almost picked alllanders to do like the whole
(14:52):
wand ceremony but I settled onthe Hogwarts Express you do need
a park to park ticket to ridethis but it's just it's such a
neat experience and it's a goodlittle break and it's a great
way to hop to the other side andit's half ride half attraction
so those are always my favoriteand kind of like half
(15:14):
transportation because it doestake you to the other park, you
know?
Yeah.
Save your little feet.
If you were going to doOllivanders, I would make you
read all of the series first.
You would be so mad if you knewwhich ones I had read and in
which order.
Oh, I already know.
You've already told me.
I'm like, you get your HarryPotter card taken away.
(15:34):
You need to read all of them.
And I would need to quiz youbefore you could go to
Ollivander's because you're notallowed to experience it without
understanding the importance ofhaving the wand choose you.
It's very important.
For me, definitely Hagrid's isgoing to be my ride.
(15:55):
This would actually, if I had topick one ride, period, this
would be my ride.
As much as I love Velocicoaster,it's fantastic.
I still would pick Hagrid's,hands down, every time.
For food, I would also go to theThree Broomsticks, and that
would be the rotisserie chickensalad.
(16:16):
Yum.
Just a reminder to you that youcan do breakfast here as well.
A lot of the stuff that theyhave is very traditionally
English.
So just make sure that you takea look at the menu first before
you go in there.
My snack would be frozenbutterbeer.
I'm very much like an icedcoffee person regardless of how
(16:39):
cold it is outside.
So probably regardless of theweather, I would probably always
choose frozen butterbeer.
Never say never, but for themost part, I think I would.
And then for the attraction, Iwould want to do whatever the
projection show is at that timeof year It rotates throughout
the year.
They have several differentshows, Hogwarts Always, Dark
(17:01):
Arts at Hogwarts Castle, and TheMagic of Christmas at Hogwarts
Castle.
I would love to see any ofthose.
So depending on when I'm there,I would want to watch that at
the end of the day.
Okay, so we're walking, we'rewalking.
The next area we're going to bein is the Lost Continent.
There are no rides in this area.
(17:22):
I don't think that it gets asmuch love as some of the other
areas, because it doesn't haverides, but they do have some
good stuff here.
They have the Mythos restaurant.
It is sit down.
I would get the beef loinmedallions.
It is served with Yukon mashedpotatoes.
I freaking love Yukon potatoes.
They're like my favorite kind.
I don't know if anybody else hasa favorite kind of potato, but
(17:44):
that's my favorite kind ofpotato.
So anytime I see Yukon mashedpotatoes, that's what I want.
I make mashed potatoes.
I use those kind.
For a snack, I would get popcornfrom the Treasure a Poseidon
snack cart.
They also have slushies.
And I know with absolutecertainty that we've gotten
slushies there before.
If you guys have been listeningfor a while, you know that my
(18:06):
daughters, they have to get oneat some point during the day.
It's just a thing.
And then the attraction, theyhave this little fountain that's
located near Sinbad Theater.
It's called the Mystic Fountain.
And it's similar to Turtle Talkin that there's a cast member
that's watching real time andthey're talking.
to guests and interacting withguests.
(18:28):
So they tell jokes and just ingeneral are just interacting.
And depending on how you respondor if you answer a question
correctly or not correctly, youmay get splashed by the
fountain.
That's so fun.
Which is funny.
Yeah.
So also no ride.
And then for my restaurant, Ialso picked Mythos Restaurant.
I'm going to get the fork, knifeand spoon grilled cheese, a
(18:49):
unique presentation, a classicthree cheese sandwich set in a
vine ripe tomato soup withcrispy pork belly and garnished
with house made chips.
I've been to Universal a numberof times, but I never feel like
I go like deeper than surfacelevel with the food.
So this episode was really goodfor me to like, like I never
would have thought that they hadthis grilled cheese there.
Yeah.
(19:09):
It sounds delicious.
Snack.
I'm going to go to Doc Segru'sDesert Kebab House and get the
beef kebab combo brushed withtremolia marinade served on pita
bread with a sauce, caramelizedonions and crumbled feta and
choice of chips.
And then for my attraction, I'malso going to go see the mystic
fountain and see what he has tosay and then last but not least
(19:33):
is seuss landing i'm gonna dothe high in the sky seuss
trolley train ride i thinkpeople mover i think that the
people mover just kind of a slowmoving high in the sky ride and
then for my food i'm gonna go tocircus mcgurkis cafe stupendous
guys the words go go look upseuss landing and just read
(19:56):
everything that is availablethere for sure yes I'm gonna get
the chicken and waffle hambreaded crispy tenders fresh
waffle drizzled with hot honeyand served with curly fries for
my snack I'm going to go tomoose juice goose juice and I've
got to try the cinnamon churrowith chocolate sauce or the
frozen orange moose juice and mythought with the cinnamon churro
(20:19):
is I need to do market researchagain so of course I have a
whole list of things that I nexttime I go and then my attraction
oh the stories you'll hear thisis a daily show featuring your
favorite Dr.
Seuss characters like the cat inthe hat with thing one and thing
two Sam I am of green eggs andham the Grinch and then the
(20:40):
Lorax and they all dance tomusical tellings of Dr.
Seuss's best love stories soit's a nice little relaxing get
off your feet show for a minutefor me I'm going to ride the
Carousel this is just acarousel, but it has Dr.
Seuss characters, and it's supercute.
(21:00):
I've ridden this with the girls,so that's where I would go.
For food, I would also go toCircus McGurkis Cafe Stupendous,
but I would get the chickenCaesar salad.
I think they have a lot of goodthings on their menu.
It's just not gluten-freefriendly, so I would go with the
chicken Caesar salad.
And then snack, they haveSnooker's and Snooker's sweet
(21:23):
candy cookers, and they have allkinds of canned and things in
there.
So I would probably get likelots of different things, but I
picked the caramel apple.
It's one of those shops whereyou can get bags of candy and
you can pick different things.
So that's definitely a spot thatmy girls love going into places
like that and loading up andgetting like ridiculous amounts
(21:45):
of candy.
So we would definitely stopthere.
And then last but not least, theattraction, just like with
Crystal, stopping and listeningto the reading of of Dr.
Seuss books.
They have a cast member that'sthere reading alongside the
characters.
It's really fun to just sitthere and listen.
And to be honest, the talent ofthe cast member that can
(22:08):
actually read it with all of thetongue twisters that are in Dr.
Seuss books is amazing.
I'm sure they practice a lot.
They have to, but they do agreat job.
So basically, once you getthrough Seuss Landing, you get
back to the point where whereyou can either continue going
and you can go back into theMarvel area or you can go into
(22:32):
the Port of Entry and you canleave out through the front of
Islands of Adventure and go backinto CityWalk.
So we're done with our circulartour of the park.
I agree with Crystal.
The more that I visit and themore that I see the things that
are available at Universal, themore I appreciate what's there.
(22:53):
I think both of us are both veryDisney people, but Universal is
continuing to grow on me,especially with Epic Universe
there.
I want to go whenever I visit inOctober and would love to give,
obviously, a report on that.
Islands of Adventure isdefinitely, of the parks that
are available that I've been to,it's my favorite of the two.
(23:15):
And sadly, I think Islands ofAdventure is the most underrated
because when people talk aboutUniversal, they automatically
think of studios and everythingthat's over there.
So it is fun to like I think Ilike the side petter too.
Yeah.
I mean, it has Hagrid's, it hasthe Hulk, and it has
Velocicoaster.
That right there, that's where Iwant to be is on that side for
sure.
I hope you have really enjoyedour perusal of Islands of
(23:40):
Adventure and our pick one.
We would love to hear yourthoughts and we would love to
hear what you would pick in theIslands of Adventure park.
If you want to go experienceIslands of Adventures yourself,
reach out.
We'd love to help you.
As always, our services are freeto you.
If you love any of our episodes,please, please, please go leave
(24:00):
us a rating and review or shareone of your most favorite
episodes with a friend.
We got to get the word out aboutour little tiny podcast over
here.
So yeah, a little baby podcast.
We wanted to grow up.
Thank you so much for listening,everybody.
We hope you have a wonderfulweek.
Bye.
(24:26):
Thanks for tuning in to anotherepisode of Wonderlust and
Wishes.
If you enjoyed today's episode,don't forget to subscribe and
leave us a review on yourfavorite podcast platform.
And remember, the world is fullof wonders waiting to be
explored.
Until next time, happy travels.
Bye for now.
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