A Mixed Review of Universal Orlando.

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In early 2015 I won a contest on a Tallahassee radio station. The prize was two tickets to Universal Orlando during the "Mardi Gras" event. The radio commercial about this event insisted that there would be a fabulous parade rivaling the "real" ones (which any traveler knows are along the Gulf Coast between Mobile and New Orleans); and the parade would be followed by a concert.

Now I am a rather "fluffy" woman in my 50's and with a touch of arthritis. I take a folding chair everywhere, just in case I need it. The chair was not allowed into the park under any circumstances. That was the first red flag indicating that this might not be my best experience. Less than five minutes after getting back from putting the chair in the car, I was aggressively approached by a credit company representative who wanted me to fill out a "quick" survey and win a possible prize. That survey took about 15 minutes and NO I did NOT win any prize. I will count that as the second red flag.

This place (call it a Studio, a Resort, or a Theme Park) is huge and requires a lot of walking. Just know before you go, you will walk for miles and you will get tired.
Well I have been to many Mardi Gras parades, most of which lasted for two or more hours and threw many types of novelty items from the floats. This pitiful excuse of a parade only lasted about 25 minutes and only threw beads. Finally, to end the day as bad as it started, there was nowhere to comfortably sit for the concert. As we were trying to decide whether to stay, the heaviest rain I've ever seen began. We were soaked to the bone, as well as tired, disappointed, and aching as we got into the car and drove away... and will most likely never return.

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Photos

Universal's " French Quarter "
where I saw the shortest Mardi Gras parade ever