All But One at Each Universal
Our annual Halloween trip began with a return to Florida, with a little twist this year: we started in Tampa. Grant was already in the state, doing his usual Fort Lauderdale gallivanting. I joined him later because, as always, I approach Florida with a healthy dose of skepticism.
I landed in Tampa without any issues, and we kicked things off at Union, a restaurant Grant had found because of its Parker House rolls. He’s been obsessed with those things lately, and these did not disappoint.
The reason I wanted to start in Tampa was Busch Gardens. We’d been a few years ago, and I was ready for a return visit. We hadn’t bought front-of-the-line passes, which made us a little nervous, but everything worked out. We rode Iron Gwazi, hit a few haunted houses, caught a few shows, and called it a night.
Afterward, we stopped at an unusual food truck pavilion with several Indian food options. It was okay, though the style of food wasn’t quite my favorite.
The next morning, we went to my restaurant pick: Olivia. It was fantastic. We ordered a few basics, then a few more things, and then apparently decided we needed a few more. My main reason for going was the chicken Parmesan. They do that whole TikTok-worthy presentation where the cheese slides onto the chicken. With everything else we’d ordered, though, we opted for the sandwich. It was the best chicken parm sandwich I’ve ever had, and just typing this has me craving another one.
We spent some time wandering around Tampa before making our way to Orlando. After checking into the hotel and dropping off our bags, we headed out to load up on pizza and carbs for the park. Naturally, that meant Cici’s. They could barely keep the buffet stocked, which worked in our favor: everything coming out was hot, fresh, and delicious.
Then it was straight to the park. Forty dollars in parking later, we were officially there. Since the sun hadn’t set yet, we took some time to appreciate the decorations in daylight. They were impressive, even before darkness did its part.
The houses were especially strong this year. It was the event’s 35th anniversary, and it felt like they’d gone all out. My favorites were Hellraiser; Jack and Oddfellow: Chaos and Control, which had a TV-show theme; and Cybergoria. That last one started at a 10 and somehow ended at an 11. Imagine robots taking over and using humans for spare parts. Highly relevant, deeply unsettling, and easily one of my favorite houses ever.
We skipped one house: Stranger Things. We’ve never watched the show, and getting to it required an annoying loop around the park. We couldn’t quite summon the motivation for a house we weren’t invested in. Here’s hoping this is its last year.
The curse of Orlando struck the next day. Thankfully, it didn’t happen directly to us, but it did affect our neighbors and was quite a shock. We’re hoping everything works out for both of them.
Fast-forward a few weeks, and we visited Shabana and Elijah at Great Wolf Lodge. Ripley loved it, although the exhaustion eventually started catching up. That place is pure chaos. I have no idea how families stay there for days; I simply do not have the bandwidth. Still, it was wonderful seeing everyone, and I’m so glad those two are doing well. We love having them in our lives.
From there, we shifted to some local Halloween fun, starting with Balboa Park’s Haunted Trail with Lara and Tyler. Our timing put us right in the path of a tropical storm, and we got thoroughly washed out. Picture an outdoor haunted house in a tropical storm, with no power and no lights. That was our evening. Fun, but chaotic. We’re planning another attempt, so fingers crossed for a slightly drier experience.
Finally, we wrapped up the season with Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. This year, it was just the two of us, and we had a blast. Before heading to the park, though, we met up with Janna for dinner at our hotel, the Garland.
For the record—and for future me—the hotel was $275 a night, even with an early booking. I’m including that so when I reread this next year and cringe at the price, I’ll know it’s apparently about right.
We ordered drinks and food and had a great time catching up before heading out for the evening.
At the park, we got to ride Fast & Furious without a wait. Express pass holders could go straight on while everyone else had to wait, which was a nice perk. The ride was great fun, although I can imagine that line getting long. We also rode Mario Kart and checked out some of the Harry Potter attractions.
The houses were fun, though Orlando had the edge this year. My favorites were Hellraiser and KILLceañera. Grant also liked KILLceañera, along with Evil Dead. Killer Klowns was entertaining, but I thought it could have done more. The Terror Tram, on the other hand, was probably the best it’s been in years. Art the Clown—the current “it” horror character—and the Christmas theme made for a memorable combination.
Of course, Grant and I are not exactly built for late nights anymore, and these events keep going long after our energy runs out. We made it through every house but one. Somehow, we missed Dead, Deader, Deadest at the bottom of the park. By the time we realized it, we were near the exit, and neither of us wanted to tackle all those escalators again.
It was the first year we hadn’t done everything in Hollywood. Between that and Stranger Things in Orlando, we’d managed all but one at each Universal.
A fitting title for the trip, but a tradition I have no intention of continuing.