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ORL GROWN UP
How to do an Orlando holiday with older kids – with bigger theme park rides and retro bars
New rides built since our last visit provided lots of excitement, along with a few old favourites
I’LL never forget the smile on my daughter’s face as she danced with Sulley from Monsters Inc. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Nor the screams of delight when my son Ben was finally tall enough to ride Revenge Of The Mummy at Universal Orlando Resort.
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Heading to the Sunshine State and its theme park capital Orlando is a holiday of a lifetime.
But what happens when, in a flash, those little ones are all grown up with jobs and partners of their own?
What better way to recreate those memories — and make more — by taking the kids to Orlando now they’re no longer kids.
With my youngest, Ben, 21, now legally allowed to buy a beer and my older two, Abbi, 23, and Sophie, 32, more likely to want to hit a club than dance alongside cuddly characters, this trip to Orlando would be about discovering all the adult-friendly fun.
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Where to stay was easy. Kissimmee is just 15 minutes from the delights of Disney but promises spacious villas where all the adults — mum and dad, kids and their partners — can have space to themselves.
Jeeves Florida Rentals came up trumps with the eight-bed Elegant Abode villa — sleeping up to 17, it works out at less than £17pp, per night if you fill all the bedrooms.
Squeals of delight
And while my big kids opted for the grown-up king-size beds, they were sorely tempted by the two themed kids’ rooms decorated with Disney decals and Harry Potter memorabilia.
But there were squeals of delight at the games room complete with Xbox One, table football and mini basketball net.
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And upstairs there was a second chill-out zone complete with vast flat-screen TV and huge sofas.
Although it was the lovely pool with built-in whirlpool and surrounded by loungers that was our favourite place to relax after a hard day of Orlando fun.
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A trip to the nearest Walmart had us stocked up on food and booze and we saved a fortune by cooking up breakfasts, lunches and more.
Of course, with years since their last visit, trips to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort were non-negotiable as entire lands had been built, and this time, even the most terrifying rides were in our sights.
At Disney, our stand-out favourite was Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a whole immersive land with two brilliant rides.
While both the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run were technical marvels, what astonished us was the level of detail.
From the roaming characters to authentic recreations of some of the most famous scenes in the movie franchise, it was a dream come true for Ben and his old-school Star Wars-loving dad.
More total theming had us gasping in Disney’s Animal Kingdom where Pandora: The World Of Avatar recreates the other-wordly landscapes of the hit movies.
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And even Epcot — fondly remembered for its World Showcase with mini recreations of countries — has upped the thrill factor with the epic Guardians Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind coaster.
While we had to do It’s A Small World at Magic Kingdom for old times’ sake it was the speed and design of the Tron: Lightcycle Run that took our breath away.
After a whirlwind few days it was time for a chill out — with a few thrills — at Universal Resort Orlando’s Volcano Bay water park.
Here, the oldies (that’s me) got to relax on a lounger and soak up the sunshine while the kids and their partners tackled the slides, rides and water coasters.
Everyone gets a TapuTapu bracelet that not only allows you to order and pay for food and drink but also is the key to the virtual queuing system for the rides.
Refreshed after a day relaxing in the Polynesian-themed park, cocktails and beers were enjoyed back at base.
Our villa complex, Encore Resort at Reunion, had a ton of restaurants and bars within walking distance as well as pools, water park and sports facilities.
Over at Universal Resort Orlando we got to immerse ourselves once more in two fabulous parks that have always had a lot to offer older theme park fans.
I wimped out of the new VelociCoaster with its two intense launches and four inversions
Lisa Minot
First up was an exploration of the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter where we made a beeline for the fantastic Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
Again, the immersive theming combined thrills with humour as we raced on Hagrid’s bikes on one of the longest and most exciting rides of our week.
Next up was more thrills for the kids with Jurassic Park in Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
I wimped out of the new VelociCoaster with its two intense launches and four inversions but loved the more sedate delights of the dino River Adventure.
Old-school Americana
Both Revenge Of The Mummy and Spider-Man had been given huge tech updates since the kids’ last trip and were even more exciting than they remembered.
But it was City Walk — Universal’s night-time entertainment district — that kept us all happy with live karaoke and beers at Rising Star and fab food at the Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar.
The one big difference with travelling with the kids when they are older is the chance to see the different, more sophisticated side of Orlando.
We loved Winter Park on the shores of Lake Osceola — just a 20-minute drive from downtown Orlando.
A scenic boat tour revealed the historic roots of this picturesque, verdant slice of old-school America as we sailed past grand houses built by the city’s first residents and along canals linking the lakes lined with trees draped in Spanish moss.
The town’s tree-lined boulevards offered up independent boutiques, restaurants and coffee shops, while a farmers’ market gave us the chance to pick up fresh supplies.
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Travelling with grown-up kids meant I could finally explore the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of Art — home to the world’s largest collection of works of Louis Comfort Tiffany — safe in the knowledge little hands wouldn’t do mischief on the stunning jewellery, pottery and glass.
And amid the skyscrapers of downtown Orlando we discovered more great late-night entertainment at Cocktails & Screams, the city’s first and only Halloween-themed bar, as well as delicious drinks at Hanson’s Shoe Repair, a Twenties-style speakeasy.
With sore heads from one too many, we spent our last day exploring the Mills 50 district.
Home to the largest Vietnamese-American community in Florida there is, of course, some fabulous food.
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But the Harry P Leu Gardens were the perfect place to walk off a hangover with scenic walkways, flower-filled beds and a butterfly garden.
Orlando with the kids now they are Orl grown up was a dream come true.
GO: Orlando
GETTING THERE: Virgin Atlantic fly daily to Orlando from Heathrow and Manchester, with fares from just £416 return in the current sale. See .
STAYING THERE: Jeeves Florida Rentals has a huge range of villas in Kissimmee, with prices from £112 per night.
The Elegant Abode villa, at the Encore Resort at Reunion, sleeping up to 17, is from £283 per night. See .
MORE INFO: See , experiencekissimmee.com, disneyworld.co.uk and universalorlando.com.
PARK TICKETS: A two-week combo ticket for all Disney and Universal parks starts from £65 per day. See .
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