FROM the moment our family of five was picked up in a giant car that would not fit on a typical UK street, I knew the saying was true.
Everything really is bigger in America.
We had just arrived for an action-packed week of thrills at Universal Orlando Resort, known for its record-breaking rides that are both bigger and better than many in the world.
We’d chosen Universal’s own Loews Portofino Bay Hotel as our base.
It is geared up for the theme parks, with regular free coaches to Epic Universe and Volcano Bay and free water taxis running to Universal’s CityWalk shopping and entertainment complex every 15 minutes.
Stays also include early entry to the parks and free Express Passes for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure (a huge perk) — although you have to buy your park tickets separately.
Epic Universe, Universal’s newest park, only opened last year and has already gained a huge fan base.
Now that the hype has died down a little, it is a great time to visit Epic.
For us the queues were pretty manageable everywhere except for Super Nintendo World, a colourful and energetic land inspired by Super Mario and his pals.
My advice is to arrive early and head straight to get your fill of Mario, and then enjoy the rest of the park at your leisure.
To put this into perspective, queues for the Mine-Cart Madness ride can reach three hours, but it took us just 25 minutes.
Elsewhere, queues for The Stardust Racers rollercoaster, one of the most intense thrill rides in Orlando, were never more than ten minutes during our May break.
And Monsters Unchained: Frankenstein Experiment, one of the most brilliantly-executed themed rides I’ve ever been on, has some of the shortest queues.
Epic Universe is just one of four Florida theme parks under Universal’s umbrella and you’d be mad not to explore the others.
We spent most of our time at Universal Studios park and the Islands of Adventure, which is so vast we were still discovering new rides on our final day.
The most popular ride is Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, the ride that everybody rushes to from the moment the gates open.
There is some controversy here as Universal stopped accepting Express Passes on this ride from July 1.
The decision was made in hope that it would bring the two-hour queue time down.
While Hagrid’s heart-pumping attraction is certainly worth the long wait, Jurassic Park VelociCoaster was our favourite of the trip.
It reaches top speeds of 70mph and features the most insane turns that had us wobbling on our feet afterwards.
All those thrills require some down time, though. Luckily the parks are a delight to simply stroll around.
Universal Studios, in particular, will keep you mesmerised for hours, with highly-themed areas inspired by the streets of New York, San Francisco, Hollywood . . . and Springfield, home of the Simpsons.
Make sure to pop into Moe’s Tavern for a pint of Duff Beer.
If you aren’t staying at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, it’s probably worth forking out for an Express Pass — especially for those visiting for only a short period of time or during peak seasons such as the summer or school holidays.
Ours saved us buckets of time, allowing us to tackle more rides per day.
Express Pass holders won’t have to faff around with ticket scanners either. Many rides have been fitted with facial recognition technology now, which speeds up access at the turnstiles. It was an impressive touch that should become industry standard.
But that’s not where Universal Orlando Resort’s improvements end.
A brand new Fast & Furious rollercoaster is being built riverside, aiming to open in 2027, with construction work already under way.
It will be located next to our two favourite restaurants from the trip, the Hard Rock Cafe and the Chocolate Emporium, both of which serve delicious burgers.
The giant stack of ribs piled high in front of me at the Hard Rock reaffirmed my thoughts from the start of the trip.
Everything is bigger in America. And not just the cars and the food — but now the grin on my face.
GO: Universal Orlando
GETTING/STAYING THERE: Seven nights’ room-only at the 5H Loews Portofino Bay Hotel is from £1,675pp based on two sharing and including flights from Gatwick on September 6. See onthebeach.co.uk.
TICKETS: A Universal Orlando All Parks ticket costs from £479 per adult and £470 per child for August 2026 arrivals.
Includes 14 days unlimited admission to Universal Studios Florida, Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Epic Universe and Universal Volcano Bay. See attractiontickets.com or call 0800 223 0324.