It had been less than 5 months since I moved my world from India to the US and I was itching for a holiday. I was about to turn 28 and with the experience of 1 solo vacation behind me, I planned my first American solo trip to Florida!
Whenever it’s my first traveling to a specific town, city, state or country, I usually tend to book the earliest flight in. So Day 1, I landed in Orlando at 9 am and was fully prepared to keep my luggage in the hotel storage before heading out to Universal Studios. To my delight and the kindness of the staff at Holiday Inn Express, Florida Center, I received an early check-in by 10 am! They have grab and go bags at breakfast which is an amazing concept in addition to their delicious buffet breakfast spread. The hotel is a Universal Partner Hotel and they had complimentary shuttles running every hour to Universal Studios. I was at the studios by 11 am and absolutely excited to get my day started! Grab a map because the park is huge and you want to be able to pick and choose what rides & experiences you want to squeeze in a day. Be prepared for extremely long queues. Thankfully I hit the single rider lines and was able to make the most of my time there. Do not underestimate the roller coasters, they are not for the faint-hearted. Especially the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit - it’s the first roller coaster you’ll see as you enter.
Music plays at every corner and almost seems like background music to a dreamy day! Do not miss the Vamos Bailalo dance parade that takes place post noon. It looks so much fun that I joined the dancers for a little tango myself. The Blues Brothers Show is also a lot of fun and both of these are at the New York section of the park.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, the Wizarding World looks very realistic but I felt if you really wanted to see all parts here you’d need a whole day.
In the Hollywood section, I watched the Horror make-up show which was so informative and interesting. I then went to the NBC Media Center where I participated in research for a TV show and was given a $30 gift card for my time and insights, marking a lovely end to my time at the Universal Studios.
Day 2 and I was heading to Disney’s All Star Music Resort. As I entered the resort and told the guard my name, I was greeted with a sentence that brought a big smile to my face - “Welcome home, Ms. Ajila!”. Oh and what a home it was! A stay at any of Disney’s resorts comes with some perks like a 20% discount at Joffrey’s Coffee across all parks and bag tags! I was staying at Rock Inn which is the building across the Piano pool. Once dressed for the day by 11 am, I set out in the bus service to the most magical place on Earth - Walt Disney World! As you walk down the Main Street leading up to the castle, you forget the concept of age - all that matters is that you’re alive, living to experience a land that feels like a dream. There are several stores along the street to shop souvenir from - I picked myself Mickey earrings and a ring from Uptown Jewelers. The Disney parade in front of the castle at noon and at 2 pm are a must watch! Walk through the castle to witness some lovely Disney character-inspired artwork.
For history fanatics, The Hall of Presidents at the Liberty Square is something you should definitely check out.
Go to the Fantasyland and ride on the Prince Charming Regal Carousel to feel like a princess!
Tomorrowland is the futuristic zone of Magic Kingdom. I thoroughly enjoyed the Speedway which is like go-kart for speed lovers.
Saving the best for last, the fireworks show! With the Cinderella song ‘A dream is a wish your heart makes’ playing in the background, the show is sure to make you teary eyed. It starts at 9:30 but you’ll see people queuing up an hour ahead of time.
I began Day 3 with tater tots, mixed fruits and Mickey Mouse shaped omelettes at the resort’s food court. After breakfast, I headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Pro Tip #1 - Wear comfortable shoes because you definitely will be walking well above 10K steps here!
Pro Tip #2 - Again, grab a map at the entrance. I even had a pen with which I spent the first 10 minutes circling the spots I wanted to see!
You enter to see the beautiful oasis that houses various birds and animals like the macaws and flamingos.
Pandora - The World of Avatar is the closest to the entrance so you can start with that. I highly recommend the Na’vi River Journey - it’s a beautiful bioluminescent ride through a rainforest.
You can then go over to the Africa park where I recommend the Kilimanjaro Safari and take Rafiki’s Planet watch train to the animation experience at the Conservation Station - You learn animation drawing here!
I would keep the Asia park for the end since the Kali River Rapids is an adventurous water ride so you will get drenched and unless it’s a sunny day to get your clothes dry - you won’t be allowed on other rides all wet.
Day 3 concluded my time in Orlando and I was up early next morning headed in a bus to Miami by 6 am to begin Day 4. I checked into the Freehand Miami hostel by the Miami Beach. Great location but if you’re traveling solo in the US - don’t stay at a hostel, you’ll know why by the end of this episode. After eating yummy lunch at Coyo Taco I went over to Wynwood Walls that has really cool art and you can spray paint your own art on walls too! In the evening I took a stroll by the Miami Beach that was so calming.
Day 5 and I was in another bus headed to Key Largo to snorkel! My snorkeling expedition was about to take place at the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. I have to confess, watching the majestic Atlantic Ocean as the bus arrived into Key Largo did scare me a little bit. It was important to fuel up ahead of the 3 hour snorkel adventure so I grabbed Cuban breakfast at Dennys Latin Cafe.
If you’re wondering why this episode is called Finding Christ, I’m about to tell you. My purpose of specifically snorkeling at Key Largo was to view Christ of the Deep. One of the 3 bronze statues in the World and the only in the US is submerged in Florida. The other 2 are in Italy and Grenada. The boat consisting of about 15 of us with our snorkel gear on took us to a spot in the ocean and we were given the go ahead to jump. So we obviously thought this is where the statue was. We jumped into the ocean, plopped our heads into the water to view the breathtaking underwater life but, no statue! After seeing confused gazes from us, one of the tour guides said - “What you thought we were going to bring you the exact spot? Go look for it!”. After being plenty distracted by the beautiful fishes, the excitement of finding the statue by yourself has been unmatched! There it was - in its full glory. Swimming above the statue is truly a memory I will never forget.
Day 6 and it was my birthday! The past few days were filled with a ton of adventure so this was a day of relaxation. I got a blow-dry at The Palms Hotel and my hair looked amazing! The day was filled with calls, wishes and a plot twist to an almost perfect vacation. It was around 6 pm, I was laying in the hostel bed when I got a call from a friend. To be respectful of others’ space and not to be an annoying hostel mate who speaks out loud on the phone, I stepped outside the room with nothing but my phone. About 30 minutes into speaking with my friend, I receive an e-mail pop-up verifying if I was trying to make an $800 purchase at Walgreens and then another pop-up that read the purchase was declined as I usually do not make such large purchases at a pharmacy! I immediately ran into the room to locate my credit card and it was missing! There were 2 girls in the room when I left and now only 1 remained so it was sort of evident who took it. I got the card blocked and tried to find the nearest Walgreens to do some investigation but quickly realized it would be futile and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my birthday on a wild goose chase. When the other girl returned, I just gave her a nasty look because direct accusation would be a bit much.
The moral of this episode is - there is a World out there for you to discover whether with someone or without. Don’t let the fear of traveling solo overpower your desire of experiencing this life. Be safe and alert but more importantly do not forget to have fun along the way!
Comments
Post a Comment