Tuesday, September 20, 2016

A Day in the Park with Barney: VIP Treatment at Barney’s Playground (Orlando, Florida, Beyond WDW Series 6)

A Day in the Park with Barney
VIP Treatment at Barney’s Playground
(Orlando, Florida, Beyond WDW Series 6)

My son has been looking forward for this trip to Orlando, Florida,
as he knew we would be visiting Universal Studios Orlando,


…where there is an attraction dedicated
to the iconic purple dinosaur- Barney.

 

Located at Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone,


A day In the Park with Barney where little
Barney fans could meet and greet their purple idol.


It has a Barney Souvenir Shop,


…and Barney’s Backyard,


…an indoor playground, that was made to
appear like you were in a Barney TV show,

 

My son Timothy is a Barney fanatic and he breaths and lives Barney.
It is in his system. We came too early for the show so we decided to 
let him play at the Barney’s Backyard, and the little boy was lucky. 

 

From out of nowhere, Barney suddenly appeared.
and Timothy finally  got to meet his idol personally.

 

Since he knew every song and every move 
on almost all Barney shows, he got to sing,


…dance,

 



...hug an cuddle,


…and play with him just like
what he sees in his TV show.


One on one,


…face to face and side by side.


Before leaving for a noon break, the crew promised to
let us meet the rest of the Barney cast after the show.


We later lined up for the show,

 

 

…and tremendously enjoyed it.


Midway during the show, a crew member approached us
and instructed us to remain in our seats as we would be
meeting the whole Barney and Friends cast after the show.

 

That’s exactly what we did,

 

… and got a chance to meet the other Barney
characters like BJ and Baby Bop after the show.





It was a blast and was little Timothy’s best
experience in Universal Studios Orlando,


…something he would treasure, long after
he outgrows Barney  in the near future.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Universal Citywalk Orlando: Universal Studios Orlando’s City Center (Orlando, Florida, Beyond WDW Series 5)

Universal Citywalk Orlando 
Universal Studios Orlando’s City Center
(Orlando, Florida, Beyond WDW Series 5 )

If WDW has Disney Springs as its own town center, 
Universal Studios Orlando has Universal Citywalk. 



While WDW Orlando’s counterpart in California
is called Downtown Disney, Universal Orlando 
shares the same name as its Hollywood counterpart,
which I have already extensively reviewed in the past.



While Universal CityWalk Hollywood
had a classic modern Hollywood design,


Universal CityWalk Orlando is
almost entirely modern in appearance.


Universal Citywalk Orlando serves as to portal,

 

…and exit point,

 

…to both Universal theme parks, with
Universal Studios Orlando on one end,

 

…and  the Islands of Adventure on the other end.


Universal Orlando Citywalk was designed
with the intention of bringing the best dining
and entertainment experience in one place.

 

This is where it all comes together,
and has everything you’re looking for.

 

From entertainment centers like AMC Theaters
known as Universal Cineplex 20 and IMAX,

 

…performance venues  like Hard Rock Live,
just adjacent to the iconic Hard Rock Café,


…. live bands performing every evening
at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville’s stage.


Blue Man Group also performs live at
Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre.


The Universal Citywalk Orlando may
not be an ultimate shopping destination.

 

…but there are some popular apparel stores
in the area (to name a few), like Billabong,

 

Fossil Inc.,

 

Quiet Flight Surf Shop,


…and of course, the Universal Studios Store,
a wonderful souvenir and apparel shop where
licensed Universal Studios products are available.


Universal CityWalk is one place where varied dining
preferences of every family member, everything they’re
looking for all intersect. There is something for everyone. 

 

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, our favorite seafood
restaurant inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump is here.

 

We never fail to dine on any Panda Express outlet,

 

...whenever we are in the US and we were thankful,
that just like in Hollywood, they also have a store here.


Nearby was Bread Box Handcrafted Sandwiches
that satisfied my son’s craving for delicious cookies.

 

We were also delighted that Cinnabon,

 

…and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, two of our
favorite snack- time destination are also here.

 

Other notable restaurants are  Vivo Italian Kitchen,
and The Cowfish Sushi and Burger Bar,

 

Emeril's Restaurant Orlando.

 

...and Moe's Southwest Grill. 

 

My family also a great time bonding at Starbucks Café, 

 

…which is probably one of the biggest
Starbucks restaurant that we been into.

 

Universal Citywalk Orlando compliments
the visit to Universal Studios Orlando,


…and Islands of Adventure,

 

… where after the theme park adventure ends, 

 

…unforgettable post- theme park family bonding begins.

 

A visit to Universal Orlando and Islands of Adventure, is never