TRAVEL FACTS

A ONE-DAY, two-park pass that allows you to cover Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure costs $147 for adults and $142 for children and is recommended only if you are on a short visit to Orlando. Multi-day tickets are better value and offer the chance to enjoy the parks at a more leisurely pace. See universalorlando.com for details. The best value of all is the Orlando FlexTicket. You can enjoy unlimited access for 14 days to the two parks mentioned, plus SeaWorld, its adjacent waterpark Aquatica and also the Wet’n Wild waterpark on International Drive. It costs $335.95 for adults and $315.95 for children. For an extra 20 dollars a head, the FlexTicket Plus also includes Busch Gardens in nearby Tampa, and its magnificent roster of coasters, including Montu (inverted), Kumba (looping), Cheetah Hunt (accelerator) and SheiKra (dive). Also recently added in Busch is Falcon’s Fury, a face-down ride that drops you 100 metres vertically. See attractionticketsdirect.ie for full package details. There are five on-site hotels at Universal – the Portofino Bay; Hard Rock Hotel and Royal Pacific are connected to the park by waterways, and the new Cabana Bay and Americana budget options are a little further away. Depending on the hotel, guests will get express access to the rides. At night, you can catch a movie, eat, go drinking or even become a singing sensation at the Rising Star karaoke theatre (it has a live band to back you, not just tapes) in Universal CityWalk, which also is home to the world’s largest Hard Rock Cafe.