Weekend Update: Theme Parks

It's no secret from yesterday's post that I love theme parks.  Living in Florida for my entire life has provided probably more memories than are acceptable at Orlando's parks, and we're talking from pre pre-school days to even senior year of college (whoops).  It's a little hard to believe that I probably had my last theme park visit for a while yesterday, but at the same time I think that DC is one in itself...that is, when not in class or working.  BUT overtime I have come to collect a few little tidbits and tips that will definitely help enhance your theme park experience one day:

Attire: wear comfortable or workout clothes, especially on hot days, with a pair of comfortable walking shoes (not sneakers).  Thursday I wore a flowy black tank top w/ a matching black sports bra and a pair of Nike shorts that had decorative black trim.  This outfit was great, especially when we chose to do the water rides halfway through the day, because my clothes weren't sticking to me and dried relatively quickly.  I also wore Chacos instead of sneakers because of comfort & the fact that I didn't want to bring two pairs of shoes to change into when doing the water rides.

Get There Early: many theme parks (Universal & Disney included) offer perks to those who stay on their site, including but not limited to early theme park access hours.  By all means, take advantage of them.  Universal's hotels offer an hour early entrance to the Harry Potter section of the park that does not take the Express Pass.  This saves on time in line, crowds and experience.  It also allows for maximum time on rides and amount of rides done in a day.  By 10:30am yesterday we had already finished both sides of the popular Dragon Challenge coaster and were sipping on Butterbeer before heading to the next ride.

Single Rider Lines: depending on what rides you do, Single Rider can be extremely helpful, especially if you do not have a FastPass or Express Pass.  We found that the wait times for single rider lines were usually half of what the regular wait was, if not more!  While it does split up your party, if you all wait in line together, you will likely all get on the ride within 5 minutes of each other and can reunite at the end.  It is an extremely valuable option if you are part of a large party, but maybe not if you are just a group of 3 or 4.  It all depends on the size of the seats on the ride and how many it can fit.  Just being aware of this option can save you so much time in the park and allow you to conquer more rides that you would be interested in doing.

GoPros: I used to be "that person," but theme parks are now cracking down on people who bring contraband (aka GoPro cameras, cell phones, even hats, etc.) on rides.  One ride on Thursday even stopped our boat because someone was attempting to film the drop on a water ride.  Be mindful of the rules & regulations when you go into the park so as to not ruin the experience for others on the ride with you.

Bags: major props to my aunt for buying me the coolest bag for my birthday that has become my designated theme park bag.  It fit everything I would want for the day in its four different-sized pockets and fit just over my shoulder as kind of a crossbody backpack thing.  Pick a bag that won't be a hassle to carry and is the right size to fit in the lockers and/or storage compartments on rides.

I could go on and on for days about my tips for theme parks, like how you should totally check Undercover Tourist about crowd info before going to a park, or that you should never break in new shoes on a day at Universal (whoops!), but I'll leave it there!  For any other questions, just comment below.

Happy Weekending!