The Happiest Place on Earth

Some people may have been drawn to this title in hopes of an enchanting review about The Magical World of Disney, those of you will be wistfully disappointed. As a avid traveller and proud seeker of the Top Theme Parks this earth has to offer, I have finally come to a conclusion on which was a truly remarkable experience, and others are hardly worth mentioning.

It should be noted that movies are one of my biggest infatuations! The most incredible feeling is when you can watch a film that draws you away from reality, and makes you believe in fantasy, if only for a moment. Now imagine a place that could be an invention for a world of all the fantastical places you once dreamed of, embodying that same surreal immersion, but multiply that by one hundred. That place is real, and that place is Universal Studios; but I will only be referring to the one in Orlando, Florida.

Now, a place like this, that was once only make believe is available at your expense. And when I say expense, I mean it, any of the attractions in the United States of America are designed so that you will legitimately be broke upon returning home.

I would recommend paying for that return flight, before you finish sawing off an arm and a leg, and sending it off to the magical world of the Orlando, Florida Government.

If you are not prepared to spend this kind of money, I would not suggest any tourist attraction in the entirety of the U. S. of A. If you are still somehow interested after my financial rant, and willing to throw some money around, then I can garantee you will have a phenomenal time( I think I'm starting to sound like an actual Ad for this place, but thats how great it is).

Now where do I begin, how about that first sight you get of the metropolis inside. There is an actual downtown section to cater to your rampant alcohol consumptions and ravenous food cravings; might I add there is a freaking Chocolate Factory! I exceptionally enjoyed Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.(which is a growing chain now due to its success) and Margaritaville; where instead of guzzling down drinks from place to place, you can actually carry alcohol throughout the rest of the park. The one single thing the U. S. is leading in is their alcohol standards(and well yes parks too... also I really like the West and East Coast but thats mostly everything), so congratulations "'merica" you don't completely suck at everything.

Once you wade your way through the wonders of the Metropolis you have to chose between two other city sized parks: Adventure Island or Universal Studios. Depending on how much time you have, will help with your day plan. I would recommend 4 hours in Universal Studios and 3 to 4 in Adventure Island, thats Bare minimum and not even including Harry Potter World. The huge expanse of HP World cuts into both parks, so you could easily spend an entire day there on its own; if you are blown away as much as I was, you will want spare time for repeat visits. The most preferable plan I had going to Universal, was starting the day running through Adventure Island to catch the important things, so that I could leave all my extra time for Universal Studios at the end of the day.

Now to address the Rollercoaster situation. Some may use the term adrenaline junkie to describe me; I've been sky diving twice and I once had the privilege to ride the fastest rollercoaster in Europe. Furthermore, it can be concluded that all my favourite rides, which made for the most exhilarating time of my life, were most definitely in Universal Studios. The most outstanding rides included The Incredible Hulk, Rock and Ride, The Transformers Simulation and best of all The Dragon Challenge in Harry Potter World.

Perhaps it was the fantastic simulators and rollercoasters that made Harry Potter World so great; but to me it was just an added pleasure to the rest of the extravagance. The Dragon Challenge was a rollercoaster with two intertwining rides, you must chose the red side or the Blue, very Matrix-esque. There is a theory that the Red is more terrifying but the Blue is fastest, but you will need to figure that one out for yourself.

However, I will leave you with a quote from my brother after the the Red side, "I almost shat my pants."

Finally, to those somehow unentertained by rollercoasters and fantastic food and drink, there is still hope. Just to observed the exceptional architecture of structures and delve into these recreated worlds is equally incredible to all else. There are live shows based on the movies and shops; where you can find assorted unbelievable candies at Honeydukes, film apparel from every movie you love, and even stop by the Kwik-E-Mart from The Simpsons.

Once again I will leave my readers on the edge with curiosity as to why, even what is perhaps my favourite place in the world, it does not receive a full 5/5 Stars?! And what I say to that is: one must always leave a sliver of hope that one day I might find a spot better than the marvellousness Universal Studios Orlando has to offer.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS, ORLANDO............................................... 4.75/5.00 STARS.

- Alexis Halloran, The Nyctophilia Diaries

(25.02.2016)