Orlando 2015: Family Favourites

This post is the fifth in a series about our 2015 family vacation to Orlando. The series includes these posts:

On the flight home, I asked each family member to write a ranked list of their top 10 favourite things from the trip. Out of 50 selections for favourite activities, attractions, or destinations:

  • 20 favourites are thrill rides
  • 19 favourites are at Universal Studios
  • 15 favourites are at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  • 12 favourites are from the Harry Potter themed areas
  • 9 favourites are restaurants or food/candy

I was surprised to find that while there are a few common threads, the individual lists are very varied.

Dad (me):

  1. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (motion-based dark ride at Islands of Adventure)
  2. Whispering Canyon cafe at Wilderness Lodge resort
  3. Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure
  4. Kilimanjaro Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  5. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  6. Dragon Challenge coaster at Islands of Adventure
  7. Animal Kingdom Lodge savannah view room
  8. Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  9. Star Tours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  10. Men in Black Alien Attack at Universal Studios Florida

Honourable mentions: theming of the queue for Peter Pan’s Flight and Ollivander’s Wand Shop in Islands of Adventure because our 9 year old had a wand choose her

Mom:

  1. Finding Nemo – The Musical at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  2. Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  3. Whispering Canyon cafe at Wilderness Lodge resort
  4. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida
  5. 50’s Prime Time Café at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  6. Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  7. Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  8. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  9. Room service night-in at Animal Kingdom Lodge
  10. Swiss Family Treehouse at Disney’s Magic Kingdom


12 year old son:

  1. Ollivander’s Wand Shop at Wizarding World of Harry Potter
  2. Honeydukes at Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade
  3. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (motion-based dark ride at Islands of Adventure)
  4. Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes at Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley
  5. Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure
  6. Frog Choir at Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade
  7. Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  8. Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida
  9. Whispering Canyon cafe at Wilderness Lodge resort
  10. Dragon Challenge coaster at Islands of Adventure


10 year old daughter:

  1. Shopping
  2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  3. Room service night-in at Animal Kingdom Lodge
  4. Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  5. Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
  6. Swimming at Animal Kingdom Lodge
  7. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (motion-based dark ride at Islands of Adventure)
  8. Dragon Challenge coaster at Islands of Adventure
  9. Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  10. LittleMissMatched shop in Downtown Disney


9 year old daughter:

  1. Building custom lightsaber at Tatooine Traders in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  2. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (motion-based dark ride at Islands of Adventure)
  3. Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Florida
  4. Whispering Canyon cafe at Wilderness Lodge resort
  5. Toy Story Midway Mania at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  6. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit coaster at Universal Studios Florida
  7. Building custom droids at Tatooine Traders in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  8. Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure
  9. Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
  10. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

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Check out the other posts in this series for how we planned our trip, where we stayed, how we got around, what we ate, and what our favourite experiences were. Hope it’s useful to you: