Celebrating your 30th Birthday in Orlando

Celebrating your 30th Birthday in Orlando

Who says that Orlando is just for kids? With the arrival of my 30th birthday, I decided I wanted to celebrate it in one of the happiest places on Earth, which is luckily only a 3 hour drive from our home base of Miami, FL.

With some friends who arrived in town for the 30th celebration, we decided to take a road trip up to Orlando to experience all the fun, for kids and adults alike! So, if you are thinking about doing the same there, here are some tips to make sure you have the best birthday in Orlando…no matter the age!

• Ride in style: Especially if you are road tripping it with friends, do every one a favor and make sure you are a driving a car that will give enough breathing (and wiggle room) to everyone on board. We enjoyed a comfortable ride in the Mitsubishi Outlander SEL which was perfect for 4 full-grown adults with plenty of room for all our luggage as well as our Hogwarts robes (more on that later). On the flip side, no one wants to be stopping every few minutes to re-fill the tank with gas, so we were very happy with the gas mileage, especially on the highway! Out of all the features, however, I think we were most impressed by the fantastic cruise control that also helps manage your speed when you encounter traffic or someone pulls in front of you, its these details that really makes the car a pleasure to drive! I was also happy to learn that the 2016 Outlander was named an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Pick,” the highest possible safety achievement designated by the non-profit vehicle research organization.
• Stay in a spacious resort: This is where we separate the men from the boys, or in this case, the kids from the adults! While it isn’t always the easiest, make sure you find a resort that will give you plenty of space to relax and enjoy. It’s almost impossible to find a resort that does cater to some extent to children, so what’s important here is that you book a property that will make you feel like you are the only one staying with them! We found exactly that with the Meliá Resort which was perfectly tucked away in Celebration, really close to Disney World. We decided to book the family suite, which meant that all four of us could stay in the same suite but we had 2 totally separate bedrooms. This was great as it gave us each our own private area, but also a common space where we could relax and enjoy each other’s company as a group, without even leaving the suite. 
• Dress the part at Universal: Just because you are turning 30, doesn’t mean you can’t still “fan-out” and get dressed up to visit the parks. As a huge Harry Potter fan, I surprised our group with these awesome Hogwarts robes that I purchased on Amazon for a fraction of the price that they cost in the parks (not to mention that the park versions are made of wool and not at all summer-friendly). We got so many compliments from other park go’ers and the robes really made for some awesome photo-ops! Happy Birthday to me! 
• Travel the world at Epcot: In my opinion, Epcot is the most “adult-friendly” park, mainly because of all the food and drink choices in the World Showcase. Luckily our trip coincided with the International Flower & Garden Festival, which this year meant there were additional exhibits/displays…and my favorite, outdoor kitchens!  To make the most of our park-hopper pass, we started the day in Epcot, traveling around the world, before venturing over to the Magical Kingdom in the evening so we could see finish off the trip with the grand fireworks display over Cinderella’s castle. No better way to celebrate your friends, regardless of age!

Add all of these up and you have a fun-filled weekend that is the perfect combination of adult and kid…because even though I’m turning 30, who says I can’t enjoy the best of both of these worlds?