DREAM JOB: Theme Park Tester shares top five insider tips.

After 21 days and a packed itinerary, Ocean Florida’s Official Theme Park Tester, 27-year-old Alexandria Adamson from Glasgow has now returned home from her role to share her top five insider tips for exploring the exhilarating theme parks on offer in the sunshine state and crowns her favourite park…

Alexandria’s top five insider tips for exploring Orlando’s theme parks:

1. Get app ready

“Before you head to a park, check what apps you may need. Most of the parks have their own apps to help you navigate during your time there and make the most of it! You can find useful information like wait times and maps as well as the entertainment and food on offer.”

2. Remember there is more to parks than rides

“Although I love an adrenaline rush, there is so much more to the parks than just the rides! I would recommend taking the time to explore the parks and especially make time to try the food and drink, this will also help you to break up the day so you’re not just spending time queuing for rides – just because one ride has the longest line doesn’t mean it’s the best attraction in the park either!”

3. Book, book, book!

“As part of planning ahead, book reservations at the restaurants you’re keen to try. Theme parks can get crowded and busy, meaning it can be really difficult to secure a table at the best restaurants. If you’re eating on the go, make the most of mobile ordering if possible to save time for enjoying the attractions!”

4. Go resort hopping

“Although the parks are great, make sure you spend some time resort hopping if you can. Resorts offer something different to the parks and you can usually find some of the best bars and restaurants. My personal favourites on Disney Property are in the Disney resorts, Enchanted Rose at Grand Floridian, Jellyrolls at Boardwalk, and Trader Sam’s at Polynesian need to be on your list! The same can be said for Citywalk, I think the food and drink options available here are amongst the best in Universal Orlando Resort.”

5. Become a pro-planner

“I’ve mentioned the importance of planning ahead already but it is so important to pre-plan before you venture out to Florida, it can make or break your trip! Orlando tends to be in a ‘busy period’ for most of the year so the parks can be overwhelming at times, with so much to try the key is planning ahead. 

“Take note of what you want to do, book dining and check out any seasonal events which may affect or disrupt your plans. Preplanning and booking as much as possible before you even arrive will make your trip run smoother.”

Alexandria’s favourite park revealed

Sharing which park and attraction took the top spot for Alexandria during her role, she said: “After deliberating and looking back at my itinerary, my favourite two days of the trip were those spent at Universal Resort Orlando. I love the layout of the Universal Resort and the ability to jump between the two parks and their CityWalk area is a really unique offering compared to other theme parks in Florida.

“The experience of the resort is truly magical and immersive and I think this is best represented with Diagon Alley in Universal Studios which then flows into Hogsmeade and Hogwarts in Islands of Adventure with the help of the Hogwarts Express to join them together.

“My three favourite rides are Islands of Adventure – The Incredible Hulk coaster, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and the brand new Jurassic World VelociCoaster. These are three unbelievable coasters with unique distinctions from one another and well-told narratives which only add to the magic. This makes Islands of Aventure one of my ultimate favourite parks for rollercoasters.”

“I would recommend visiting Islands of Adventure both in the day and at night if you have the chance because the rollercoasters offer totally different experiences depending on the time of day – and I always ask for either the front or back rows for an extra adrenaline boost!”

Harry Hastings, Co-Ceo at Ocean Florida comments: “We are delighted to have finally been able to send Alexandria over to Orlando to complete her role as our Official Theme Park Tester. It’s been great to see her daily updates and take a look at all of the activities she’s been getting up to during her role.

“For anyone looking to visit Orlando, definitely keep Alexandria’s review of the top parks and attractions in mind for the inside scoop!”

To find out more about Alexandria’s time in Orlando as Ocean Florida’s Official Theme Park Tester, visit: https://www.ocean-florida.co.uk/theme-park-tester/

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

• Imagery from Alexandria’s time as the Official Theme Park Tester can be accessed and downloaded, here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1R2B_xEQaF9hr-MQMdCSPl7bq1Mg6l_g5?usp=sharing 
• Alexandria’s video application is available to view/embed from Youtube, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul74vgQjxS0
• Alexandria’s video submission and images can be accessed and downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WeSUO68macrNn3L3RAscgveBU0pteZOs?usp=sharing 
• Supporting theme park imagery can be accessed and downloaded, here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yX_P5N4AKdA7x_nLwLZFk6yaC-T0R1LM?usp=sharing  
• For further information or images please contact ellie@journeyfurther.com 

About Ocean Florida

https://www.ocean-florida.co.uk

Part of the Ocean Holidays group, Ocean Florida is the leading independent Florida travel specialist.

Ocean Holidays Group is a privately owned, family-run business founded in 2004 by two sets of brothers: Daniel and David Ox, and George and Harry Hastings, who are still very much active in the business today.

From its humble beginnings, Ocean Holidays Group has grown significantly year over year and according to the latest ATOL report, for 2022 Ocean Holidays is the largest growing travel group in the UK, when compared to pre-pandemic levels. The group consists of three unique and distinct travel brands:

·        Ocean Florida is Europe’s largest independent Florida travel specialist thanks to its proprietary CRM technology and offline customer acquisition model. Specialising in package holidays to Florida with a focus on villa rentals, Ocean Florida will send more than 45,000 passengers to Florida in 2022

·        Winged Boots is a personalised travel management company that specialises in worldwide luxury travel for leisure and business clients.

·        Ocean Beds is the largest worldwide provider of Florida vacation home rentals to the global travel trade.

With headquarters in Romford, and an office in Orlando, with 24/7 availability, just a few miles from Walt Disney World Florida, Ocean Holidays Group continues to innovate and evolve within the travel industry.

In 2018 the company was named the fourth fastest-growing travel company in the UK by BDO and won ‘Best Holiday Company to the USA’ by the British Travel Awards in 2018, 2019 and again in 2020.