I went to Universal Studios Orlando for a quick weekend trip. I’ve been to Universal during every season and have written multiple blog posts on it.

For reference:

• Universal’s 2022 Mardi Gras
• Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Florida
• Universal Orlando Resort During the Holiday Season
• The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen Review
• Universal During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (scroll to the end)
• Pat O’Brien’s® Universal City Walk

This time, I went during Pride Month and right before the release of Minions: The Rise of Gru.

I loved all the minions love displayed at the entrance of the Universal Studios park! It got me excited for the new movie.

During this visit, I noticed the live music was even more vibrant and joyful. I usually don’t see people sitting around listening to the music in City Walk. This time, rain & all, people sat and enjoyed the live bands. We got our Fat Tuesday drinks and listened to the talented musicians as we waited for our dinner reservation.

Universal City Walk showed their Pride with their colorful fountain🏳️‍🌈🌈 leading to the second floor.

I have written multiple times about Universal’s excellent Bloody Marys during Mardi Gras season. This time, I had one at Finnegan’s Bar & Grill (a traditional, full-service Irish pub is re-created on the “New York streets” of Universal Studios). Finnegan’s is the best spot for a drink within the parks. The bartender made us a flavorful Bloody Mary that surely hit the spot. She took her time to make them perfect!

On this quick visit to the parks, we made it a point to do rides we never do or haven’t done in some time. One of them was the E.T. ride. We actually even got the adventure passports this time! Although E.T. didn’t say our names at the end, he did say other passengers’ names.

For hotel, we stayed at the Hard Rock. It may not be the nicest or newest, but it is the one with the best location (and they have a giant picture of Taylor Swift in the entrance)! We got a large room with a view of the courtyard and even got to take advantage of the pool during our visit. If you are a fan of espresso martinis, I recommend sipping an espresso martini by the pool🍸.

For dinner, we went back to Pat O’Brien’s® one of the nights. We had such a great time last time that we wanted to come again. I requested that the musicians play a Taylor Swift song. They did and it was awesome!

I had a great time, as usual, and cannot wait to return! Visiting the parks is always a magical experience.

-Caylin