I can't begin to tell you how many hours my mom and I spent on planning a vacation at one of the Florida theme parks. Being a native from Georgia, driving to Florida was fairly easy. It was planning out what we were going to do during vacation that was the hard part. You have so much to see and very little time. Between Disney World, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, LEGOLAND, and other theme parks, there's never enough time. That's why it was so important for my family to plan every second to make it worth our money.
We'd always stay at one of the theme park hotels, such as the Fort Wilderness Lodge at Disney. My mom would be the last one to go to sleep and the first one to wake up. At 6:00 AM, we're already up and going, making sure that we were at the park 30 minutes before it opened. From the moment that we were let through the gate, we were running. We'd rush from one attraction to another. While in line, our noses were glued to the map as my family and I argued as to what attraction or show we needed to see next. It was all about time. I remember my sister always saying, "Five hours till the park closes. Now we've got three hours left." Needless to say, it was very stressful not only for the planner but everyone in the family.
That's why I'm excited about the future of vacation planning being developed by both Disney and Universal Studios. This particular blog focuses on Universal Studios’ new tool.
On November 18, Universal Studios had a press release announcing the launch of their new online vacation planner to help guests plan their vacation from their own home. This new vacation-planning tool will make customizing your vacation quick, simple, and even fun. There are three ways to plan your vacation as pictured below: Watch, Customize, and Browse.
By clicking on the Watch option, you'll be immediately taken to videos created by the travel mom, Emily Kaufman. These videos will guide you through dining options, both theme parks, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, on-site hotels, and much more.
The second option is customize. This is where the real vacation planning takes place. First, you confirm how many people in your party. Second, you choose when you want to visit. Last, you'll pick out what activities and events that interest you and your family. Based on these three criteria, the planner will search for packages, deals and recommendations specific to your vacation needs.
Finally, the browse option allows you to see sample itineraries for thrill seekers, grownup getaways, and family fun. These itineraries are perfect for a foundation of your own plans with recommendations on dining locations, shows, and attractions.
I've already used this tool to plan a trip for my mom and stepdad in February, a grownup getaway for the two of them. Planning a vacation at Universal Studios has never been easier, and I highly recommend taking the time to browse through the many opportunity this tool has to offer.
