Last year I was lucky enough to be part of an amazing fam trip to Universal Orlando Resort, hosted by Universal Studios Resort and Do Something Different, with Aer Lingus flying us out from Manchester and back again. As a Travel Counsellor, fam trips like this are invaluable, there's only so much you can learn from a brochure or a spec sheet, and getting to experience the resort myself for five nights meant I came home able to talk about it with real, first-hand knowledge rather than second-hand detail. It was also a brilliant chance to spend time with fellow agents, swap notes, and really get under the skin of what makes Universal Orlando such a strong sell.

Getting There with Aer Lingus

The trip started with Aer Lingus flying us out of Manchester, which made the whole thing wonderfully straightforward from a departure airport I know a lot of my clients will be flying from too. There's a real value in being able to speak to a route from personal experience rather than just repeating what's on a spec sheet, from how smooth check-in and boarding were, to the general comfort and service on board, right through to how easy the connections and onward journey to the resort felt once we landed. It's exactly the sort of detail that makes a difference when I'm reassuring clients who are nervous about long-haul travel with young families or first-time visitors to Florida.

Staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort

We were based at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort for the full five nights, and it turned out to be a brilliant choice to experience as part of the fam. The retro 1950s and 60s styling runs right through the resort, from the architecture and signage to the furnishings in the rooms, and it gives Cabana Bay a real character that a lot of purely functional resort hotels lack. There's a lazy river and two enormous pools to relax by, a food court with a genuinely good range of options for when you don't fancy leaving the resort for dinner, and a bowling alley that's perfect for an evening of entertainment after a full day in the parks.

Being an on-site Universal hotel also meant early park admission each morning, which is worth its weight in gold if you want a head start on the crowds, and we were never more than a short walk or a quick shuttle ride from the parks themselves. After a full day on our feet, being able to head straight back to a relaxed, resort-style pool rather than facing a long transfer made a genuine difference to the pace and comfort of the whole trip. It's the kind of hotel I'd now confidently recommend to clients looking for real value without compromising on the Universal experience.

The VIP Tour

One of the real highlights was being taken on the VIP tour at Universal, which gave us VIP access to skip straight to the front of the queues across the parks. If you've ever stood in a 90-minute line for a ride only to be walked past all of it by a small VIP group, you'll understand exactly why this stood out. Our guide was fantastic, full of behind-the-scenes knowledge about the rides, the theming, and the history of the parks, and having that level of insider access made the whole day feel far more personal than simply working through a park map.

It completely changed the pace of the visit; instead of spending half the day queuing, we got through far more rides and attractions than we'd ever have managed otherwise, with plenty of time left over to actually enjoy the parks properly rather than just survive them. It's exactly the sort of upgrade I now know to recommend to clients who are short on time, travelling with a group, or simply want to make the absolute most of their visit without the frustration of long queues eating into the day.

Volcano Bay

We also spent a full day at Volcano Bay, Universal's volcano-themed water park, and it was amazing. The whole park is built around a towering volcano centrepiece, with slides ranging from thrilling high-speed drops to more relaxed, family-friendly rides, alongside a proper wave pool and a lazy river that's perfect for genuinely switching off. It felt like a completely different pace to the main parks, a brilliant day of relaxation and adrenaline in equal measure, and a great way to break up a trip that's otherwise full of queuing, walking, and big thrill rides.

Would I Recommend It

Without hesitation. A huge thank you to Universal Studios Resort, Do Something Different and Aer Lingus for hosting such a well-organised and genuinely brilliant fam trip, and for giving me the chance to properly experience everything I'd normally only be describing second-hand. Staying on-site at Cabana Bay, pairing it with the VIP tour, and building in a day at Volcano Bay is exactly the kind of combination I'd now recommend to any client planning an Orlando trip. It's the sort of holiday where a bit of planning up front, choosing the right hotel, knowing when VIP access is worth it, and building in proper downtime at somewhere like Volcano Bay, makes an enormous difference to how much you actually get to enjoy while you're there. If Orlando's on your radar, you know where I am