Normally my blogs are meant to give an honest opinion about changes to theme parks, theme park experiences, and what to do. In this blog, I choose to share a story with you about the impact that attending theme parks can have for someone. This is my personal story.
Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios I took this picture on our trip.
The Need
In February 2022, I was getting bogged down. I had been doing semesters of schooling since Summer of 2020 because I wanted to finish my Bachelors degree in 2 years. By the time February 2022 came around, I was at a point in my life when I needed to get away. I had felt like I didnt have a sense of risk in my life and I had played everything safe, so I was getting bored with choices I made throughout the day. I talked to my wife one day and we decided we both needed time to get away because we both were stressed about graduation and our next move approaching. We were lucky enough to find a great deal on Universal Studios Orlando tickets. It was a 3 Days get 2 Free ticket. An honestly amazing deal. We had planned it right after we had walked at Commencement and just right after we had been finished moving.
A screenshot of our destination to Orlando
The Experience
I don't mean to sound cliché, but wow was it much needed. Right when the trip had started and we got into the airplane, I felt so much relieve and a feeling of relaxation I haven't felt in a while with finishing up school. It was a sudden feeling as if I was finally able to break away from stress, demands, and many other responsibilities and simply wake up everyday and just get to have fun in Orlando. In our first day of being at the park, I was filled with so much excitement. After being on a red eye flight, I was exhausted but nothing was going to stop me from enjoying the next few days.
The feeling of just pure fun and entertainment when you walk into this park is something that I think can help anyone who needs to get away. It is a feeling like none other to take yourself out of a demanding world, then immerse yourself in one where the only expectation set is that you have fun and try something new. This feeling brought me so much fun, excitement, and joy to see and be around so much. I found myself constantly in awe of the architecture of Universal Studios Orlando
When we first into the park, I remember the face my wife was making as she was so excited to be there and to just be able to spend time with one another without feeling like our schedules didn't allow for it. When we first walked into Universal Studio's section of the park, we first rode "Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem". This ride was so much fun as it was so whimsical and just an overall fun ride to just have a good laugh on. It was a great ride to start off our experience focus, which was to have fun and laugh a lot. A principle that I think can be overlooked when we are surrounded by massive tasks and items we need to complete.
A picture of "Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem" I took
The Rollercoasters
As part of my plan to try something new and exciting on our vacation, I wanted to go on all of the rides, but especially the rollercoasters. Being on a rollercoaster brought me so much adrenaline, which actually felt healthy to feel. Many of the rollercoasters just gave me so much fear and excitement as you anticipate their acceleration at unknown speeds, honestly just feeling this level of excitement really helped me to remember to do something exciting in my day to day life. One evening, we decided to stay for the whole day. At night, our final ride was the Velocicoaster. As I have mentioned in previous articles, this ride is intense. But one thing I have not mentioned about the ride is the beautiful scenery of Orlando you see while on the ride.
While riding the Velocicoaster at night, it is honestly beautiful. There were moments when on that while I must've been screaming my head off, I couldn't help to think how beautiful Universal Studios was, but also Orlando as a whole. In our final ride of the Velocicocaster, we had an amazing experience which I will never forget. When we first get on the ride, they seat us in the backrow. We then take off, and it was all so gorgeous. But, when we were launched up the massive hill, we were faced with a beautiful view of the moon right before our eyes that looked so close we could honestly touch it. This feeling helped me to always remember that while life may be a screaming rollercoasters at times as we panic about what is going to happen next, sometimes the most beautiful thing we will see if what is the power of looking up and being calm.
A picture I got of the Velocicoaster view of the moon when I rode
The Food
While some people may not think all the food at a theme park is worth it, and I agree with some of that, food is an important part of the theme park experience. On most vacations, I normally prefer not to eat at theme parks because of the prices, but because of inflation these days I actually found it cheaper to eat at Universal Studios than it would be to find an Uber and go eat somewhere else. It was worth it. There were moments when my wife and I were just so tired and we were hungry, and then we got to eat with one another. It was a great way for us to still spend time having fun with one another, but we got to be a little bit slower than feeling the need to rush to the next ride. Many of the restaurants were also great themed places.
So, why am I talking about food? Not only because it was delicious, but because it taught me an important lesson. The important lesson I learned from eating food at Universal Studios is that sometimes I just need to stop, slow down, and pay attention to the small amazing moments that are happening around me. Often times in the restaurants or just eating snacks on the board walks I enjoyed just having some quiet time to just talk with my wife and just admire at what was around us. It really did teach me that food can bring people together, do something you normally wouldn't do or purchase, and then just stop, slow down, and enjoy the moment with the people around you.
A picture of lunch I took of Chicken and Waffles Sandwich and a Krusty Burger at The Simpson Fast Food Blvd.
Your Escape
If there is one thing I hope you take away from this blog it is to get away. Take time off, push your task to the side, or just do something where you truly get away. Not just for an hour, but really and truly get away from what is dragging you down. For me, it was attending Universal Studios Orlando. For you, it might be travelling or doing something different. Whatever you choose to do, choose to unplug. When you do escape to a place where you can just have fun, try to take note of some lessons you learn. When you escape from your troubles for just a short bit, it really does have the power to change how you view your own life. When you escape, learn, come back, and reprioritize what is most important to you.
A picture of Hogwarts Castle I took at a night show in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
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