hips don't lie: Universal Resort Orlando: Gloria Hunniford and her grandchildren visit the Florida theme park

By

Gloria Hunniford

PUBLISHED:

04:17 EST, 14 July 2013

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UPDATED:

04:17 EST, 14 July 2013

Being Irish, family means everything to me. I try to organise big get-togethers as often as I can, whether it’s a lunch, a party or a holiday – any opportunity to see everybody having fun is fine by me.

Still, organising a trip to Florida for ten people was not without its problems. The greatest headache this time was making sure that my three grandsons could make it.

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Game for a laugh: Gloria and Tilly get ready for one of the rides, with Beau and Gabriel behind them

Charlie, 18, was away at university, his brother Gabriel, 16, was busy revising for his GCSEs, and Beau, 15, was also working hard at school. As they are at different stages of their education and living in different areas, their holiday dates do not always match, so it was up to me to co-ordinate the plans. Of course, as my children and the grandchildren get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to bring everybody together.

And perhaps the biggest challenge as far as holidays are concerned is finding a location that will suit everyone. There’s nothing worse than going away, then looking at all the children and thinking: ‘Oh my goodness, they’re bored.’ I would hate it if they came along but then spent most of their time texting or emailing their friends back home.

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Slide show: Some of the exciting water slides at Wet ‘n’ Wild in Orlando

That is why I suggested we head to the Universal Orlando Resort, because I was pretty sure that none of our party would be bored. Our group comprised me and my husband Stephen; my three grandsons; and my sons Paul (Beau’s father) and Michael.

Charlie and Gabriel’s father Russ

Lindsay came out for a few days with his wife Sally Meen and their

four-year-old daughter Tilly. Russ was previously married to my daughter

Caron, who died in 2004.

Our

plan was to stay on-site at the five-star Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and

experience two theme parks – Universal’s Islands of Adventure (home of

the brilliant Wizarding World of Harry Potter) and Universal Studios

Florida – the Wet ‘n Wild water park, plus all the facilities that the

Portofino Bay has to offer.

Actually,

there was so much for the kids to do that we ended up worrying at times

that we would never see enough of them. One day they went into the

parks at 1pm and didn’t come out until 11pm – ten hours on

rollercoasters!

Some people might think that having so many in a group raises the prospect of lots of family bickering. However, I can honestly say I never heard a single argument all the time we were in Florida.

Universal is brilliant for teenagers and older children. The parks kept them occupied for the majority of the time, but they also had the opportunity to head back to the Portofino Bay now and again to splash around in the various pools or work on their tans.

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Costume drama: Gloria’s family adored the spectacular Mardi Gras parade at Universal Studios

Fortunately, there were plenty of rides at the theme parks suitable for Tilly, too, so our choice really ticked all the boxes.

Even I managed to brave a few. ‘Come on, Nana, you’ll be fine – you won’t be sick, come on!’ was a regular refrain by the older lads.

Going to the theme parks can be pretty tiring, so if you are taking your children or grandchildren there this summer, make sure you are feeling energetic and join in. I promise you won’t be disappointed

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Gloria and the gang: With husband Stephen and the boys…and two Transformers

What I especially liked after a busy day at the theme parks was retreating to the Portofino Bay. It is modelled on the picturesque resort on the Italian Riviera, so there were lots of quiet places beside the lake and plenty of piazzas to enjoy.

There was a particularly good Italian restaurant on-site, where we were entertained by a couple of great Italian singers. The atmosphere was marvellous.

I know Orlando very well. I had a house in Clearwater on Florida’s Gulf Coast some years ago, so when my children were young we used to drive to Orlando and visit the theme parks.

I like Florida. I know that some people are a bit sniffy about it, saying that it’s downmarket, but there are lots of upmarket places there too. It just depends where you choose to go.

The weather in Florida is usually brilliant all year round, although the state does see its fair share of thunderstorms.

Getting around was simple: we took a boat across a lake from the hotel to the parks. There were also rickshaws within the hotel grounds to take you to your destination, be it the spa or fitness centre.

As well as keeping busy during the day, our evenings were jampacked. One night we went to the theatre to see the incredible Blue Man Group at the Universal Orlando Resort.

How about a game of quidditch with Harry?

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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ride at Universal’s Islands of Adventure came out top with my family. I can’t do a lot of the rides that jolt suddenly, but I loved the Harry Potter experience because it was so thrilling.

It’s such a well conceived attraction. I liked the idea of playing quidditch with Harry – it was so unusual and different from any other ride I’d ever done.

Although I didn’t go on all the attractions at the two themes parks, I still find them entertaining. I love watching everybody’s faces as they come off the whiteknuckle coasters! One of the best in this respect was Jurassic Park, where everybody got drenched. I wouldn’t have done this for love nor money.

Another family favourite was Wet ‘n Wild. I think the children would have happily spent all day on the various water slides and in the wave pools.

Bear in mind that visiting the theme parks involves a lot of walking, while the temperatures and humidity can get very high. We carried a pedometer with us, and one day we walked 8.6 miles just by going from ride to ride.

One of the boys is really interested in basketball, so on another occasion we went to NBA City, a big basketball-themed restaurant at an entertainments area called Universal CityWalk, which he loved. The food was great, although I have to say that my diet during the holiday went to hell – American food tends to feature a lot of fried stuff done in breadcrumbs.

Happily, I managed to burn off some of those extra calories by taking regular dips in the pool. I also booked a poolside cabana, which meant that I could get out of the sun when it got too hot and read a book instead while lying on a comfortable lounger.

Sometimes we would relax at the hotel during the day and then make our way to the parks in the early evening. After a few rides, we would head for one of the restaurants, such as the Hard Rock Cafe.

On another occasion, we all went too the Shrek 4D experience at Universal Studios. It’s not exactly a ‘ride’ but the special effects – water, wind and mist – put you right in the middle of a fairytale adventure. We loved it.

On our final full day, the adults in our group could barely drag the children away from the parks – they were determined to make the most of the rollercoasters. To be honest, by that point I had been on everything that I wanted to experience, so I stayed by the hotel pool to read a book and joined them in the park in the evening.

That night we watched a spectacular New Orleans-style Mardi Gras parade – the costumes were so colourful and vibrant – before we went for a meal. Afterwards, the kids went on yet more rides – well, it was the last day, after all.

Of course, it’s a bonus when the older ones can go off by themselves for a few hours. When children are small, you’re watching their every move like a hawk in case you lose them among the crowds.

On the way back to the airport the following day, I reminded the younger members of our group that holidays were very different when I was a little girl. When I was growing up, the best we could hope for was a week in a tiny caravan in Newcastle, Co Down.

But whether it’s that or a break in the Florida sunshine, family holidays should always be cherished.

We should hang on to those precious moments.

Travel facts

Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859, virginholidays.co.uk) offers seven nights in Orlando from £945 per adult and £455 per child, including flights with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick, room-only accommodation at the five-star Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and car hire.

A Universal 2-Park Bonus Ticket giving unlimited access to the parks for up to 14 days costs from £109 per adult and £99 per child. Visit universalorlando.co.uk.