My family are avid Universal Studios fans, and if I admitted how often we go to the two parks, I’d just embarrass myself and my family. Growing up with the Harry Potter series, and finally seeing it come to life at the parks many years ago when the castle was first built, allowed us to relive our childhood dreams over and over again. Living just a couple hours from Orlando means many weekends in the city and its parks.

My family has always been more of a Universal Studios family than a Disney World family. While there are many Disney films I love from my childhood and even some Disney World rides I enjoy (such as the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and Space Mountain roller coaster), the crowds and lines in Disney are only growing, and Universal Studios holds a more special place in my heart.

Perhaps my mom and sister are the biggest fans and never tire of the theme parks, whereas my dad and I sometimes get tired of the crowds and heat after a few days. That said, last weekend I drove down to Orlando to meet my cousin from Ireland. He saved enough money to come visit us, first flying into Orlando so we could take him to Universal Studios and go on all of the exciting roller coasters and rides.

I had not been down to Orlando in more than a year, so I was excited to try the new roller coaster my sister had been raving about. Located in Jurassic Park, the new VelociCoaster features twists, surges and a large drop over the water. The scariest part? The seat only has a bar across your lap, no over-the-shoulder bar!

After riding this roller coaster with my family, I conceded to my sister it was now my favorite roller coaster. Sadly, The Mummy roller coaster was closed for renovations, and this often ranks high as one of my favorite rides. That said, we enjoyed all of the other rides. Over two days at the park we took my Irish cousin through the different areas. He loved every roller coaster and made sure to buy a Butterbeer every time we entered one of the Harry Potter sections.

Despite the heat, many regions of the park offered air conditioning, fans and fans with mist to cool guests off as they waited in line for rides and food. By the end of the Orlando portion of my cousin’s visit to Florida, we were all tired but ready to show him more fun places in the state.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor