My boyfriend, Zach, and I made a spontaneous daytrip to Orlando this weekend and went to Universal Studios Adventure Island amusement park. It was my first time stepping into an Orlando park other than Disney or SeaWorld.

It was a cool morning in Florida, reaching a high of 68, so what better time to put on a sweatshirt and athletic shoes and hit the road? We were happy to see the empty parking lot when we arrived in the afternoon. We bought our tickets and entered the park in no time. Who thought a Sunday during Spring Break would be this open? Floridians go into hibernation when temperatures are below 70; perhaps the spring breakers were recovering from late nights or stepping into the world of Disney.

Universal has many more thrilling roller coasters and action-impact rides for teens and adults than Disney World. My favorite ride was Spiderman, where I put on 3-D glasses and rode through a motion simulator. We got to soar through city streets and battle bad guys. You could feel the heat of the fire and get lightly splashed by water to make it seem like you were genuinely there. This was the same case for the new King Kong ride, where you rode through a simulation in a safari where the gorilla saves you as he fights off dinosaurs in the jungle.

My favorite part of Universal’s Adventure Island was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I visited the Homestead, where I drank a butterbeer and walked through the Owl Post. Visitors hand-selected wands. My favorite shop was Honeydukes, the legendary sweet shop with imaginary candies such as chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, Fizzing Whizzbees, Acid Pops and many more. Sadly, I wasn’t brave enough to try any of them. The most exciting attraction was the Forbidden Journey. Zach and I hopped on a broom and flew through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft. It was fast, scary and authentic.

One thing I found remarkable about Wizarding World was for those with two park passes, you could take the Hogwarts Express to the other park, which takes you to Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, we did not make our way there this time.

Overall, I am happy we made the last-minute decision to go to Universal. However, I am still a kid and will always be on Team Disney. Disney cultivates you in every aspect to make you feel like you are living a fantasy, but the rides at Universal definitely took the win.

— Christyn Pek, account executive