WINNERS ARE Chiquita and Radiant! You’ve been notified and have 24 hours to respond or we’ll have to select another winner tomorrow
by Lamar Tyler
We recently returned from an amazing trip to Orlando, Florida to visit the Universal Orlando Resort. Ronnie and our oldest daughter couldn’t make the trip so I went down with my mother and our two youngest girls who are currently 3 & 4. Not only did the kids have a ball but the adults did too. I could go on and on about all of the things that I loved but decided to just sum it up with my 3 “Favorite Things” (hey Oprah isn’t using that anymore right?)
1.) Lodging: We stayed the entire week at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. Wow is all I can say. It felt like we were staying in an Italian village as you’ll see in the video below. The hotel is one of three on-site hotels and is definitely one of the best ways to experience Universal Orlando Resort. Two of my favorite things about staying on-site is that there’s transportation via Water Taxi to and from the parks so you don’t have to worry about how you’ll get around and all you have to do is show your hotel key for express entry to all of the rides. Believe me the express entry part is worth the stay alone.
2.) Rides: The rides are excellent for all ages. My girls had all kinds of options at both of the resort parks, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. What was great was that I had all kinds of great options too. I mean, if we go all of the way down to Florida daddy has to have some fun too! The mixture of adult and children rides were just right. The girls loved rides like The Cat in The Hat and Flight of the Hippogriff. I loved rides like Doctor Doom’s Fearfall and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. We all loved the 3-D rides like The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and The Simpson’s Ride.
3.) Grown Folks Stuff: What I mean by that is this… we’re going back on a date with just Ronnie and me. I haven’t figured out how we’re gonna swing that one yet but it has to happen LOL. Not only did they have great rides and attractions for the adults but the Universal CityWalk is a dater’s dream. There are plenty of great restaurants to choose from along with cool places to have a drink or venues to take in live music. On this trip we dined at NBA City where the food was good and I loved the atmosphere. When we do go back on a kid-less trip I’ll definitely be hitting Emeril’s and Bob Marley- A Tribute to Freedom.
Check out this video I put together from our trip then drop below for details on an amazing giveaway that will allow you to experience Universal Orlando for yourself.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
We’re giving away (2) four packs of 2 Day – 2 Park tickets courtesy of our friends at Universal Orlando Resort. Each package of four is valued at $539.96 USD and the winners will have until June 11, 2012 to use the tickets, or forfeit the prize. One of these lucky families could be you!
TO ENTER:
In the comments section below just tell us what you would do at Universal Orlando if you win one of the four packs of passes.
FOR EXTRA ENTRIES:
1. Join our email list here: https://blackandmarriedwithkids.fanbridge.com/
(Leave a separate comment letting us know that you did this)
2. Follow @blackandmarried and @uornews on Twitter
(Leave a separate comment letting us know that you did this)
3. Tweet: ” Win a 4-pack of passes to Universal Orlando Theme Parks from @blackandmarried & @uornews https://bit.ly/iBiNMo #uorfamily #giveaway ”
(Leave a separate comment letting us know that you did this)
RULES:
- Must be a US resident to win
- Contest ends on Thursday June 9th at 11:59PM.
- Two winners will be selected via Random.org and posted here on the site on Friday June 10, 2011.
- Winners will be notified via email and have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.
- Tickets will be mailed on or after June 11, 2011, and will be valid until June 11, 2012.
- For complete rules click here.
Disclosure: Our trip to Universal Orlando Resort and Loews Portofino Bay Resort was an all expense paid trip provided by the resort. No monetary compensation was provided in exchange for this blog post.
If we win, we would take our two children on their first family vacation, which is LONG overdue.
Now following you on twitter @YummyDesserts:twitter
Just tweeted Win a 4-pack of passes to Universal
Orlando Theme Parks from @blackandmarried & @uornews
https://bit.ly/iBiNMo #uorfamily #giveaway
I am a California native who currently resides in the Seattle area. My husband and I have been talking about going to the Orlando them parks for the past 6 years however it just never seems to work out. The past 5 years have been filled with overwhelming joy( the birth of our two son’s) as well as tremendous pain( the untimely deaths of my mother and two close cousins. Due to the expense of having children and the expenses incurred around funerals we have not had a real vacation since our wedding 7 years ago ( June 19, 2004)..We are All Work and No Play which can be stressful on the marriage…If we are blessed with tickets we would finally take a much needed vacation!!!.Its time for some Play..:) The Green Family
I’ve been following you for quite some time! I love your website, the articles are great and always right on time! This looks like a vacation that is more affordable and easier to achieve than Disney.
I would take my husband and three kids because the kids passed all sections of the CRCT and passed their classes! They’ve never been on a trip like this, they would be uber excited! And so would I!
I would take all of my kids for treats, rides and swimming.
I’m planning a trip there is Sept. I can’t wait to go to Harry Potter World! I can’t wait to do the Spider man and Hulk rides.
I would take my family on a mini-summer vacation!
Praise God, I am praying everyday for a way to get tickets to universal studios for me n my 3 boys age 6,11, and 12 when my church goes on vacation the week of July 4th. Winning these tickets will b a great treat for me and my babies!! Thank you in advance.
If I were to win the four pack of passes to Universal Studios, I would take my husband and his brother and his wife. I’m a kid at heart and I haven’t been to Universal Studios. From just reading your experience, I see that I would be able to really have a great time. A friend of mine just went with her husband and I must admit I felt a pang of jealousy. Lol. Nonetheless, I think that it would be a great opportunity for all of us to go and just “be a kid again” at the park. It’s been a long year already and we’ve lost touch with his brother and his wife. We haven’t had much chance to enjoy ourselves as my sister in law has dealt with the loss of her aunt and uncle in a brutal murder-suicide and my husband and I have both been faced with job loss and are just trying to make ends meet. There hasn’t been much opportunity for fun and I think the tickets would really give us the opportunity to have that, even if it’s just for a little while.
If I won, it’d be a family vacay and a perfect birthday celebration for my daughter’s 5th birthday! I’d take along my mom, stepdad, husband, and daughter. I love love waterparks and rollercoasters so the waterpark and Islands of Adventure would be a must-visit, but I know our first stop would be everything Dr. Seuss (avid Dr. Seuss fans lol). I think the hardest thing would be trying to figure out how to fit alllll that we want to do into our visit. Talk about time-management!
My wife and I are mentors in the Amachi program. The Amachi program finds mentors for children who have parents that are incarcerated. Our mentee has never been to an amusement park. We would take her and her sister to enjoy this wonderful place.
This past Memorial Day (May 30, 2011) will never be forgotten. My 2 year old son drowned at the lake during a family cookout. He was blue, unresponsive, not breathing and no pulse. CPR was started immediately and God allowed our son to come back. The doctors couldn’t explain how or why Demari was able to bounce back so quickly and not have any adverse effects from the lack of oxygen to his brain. We can…..GOD!! He is our Miracle Baby!!
We would love to take Demari to Orlando for his 3rd birthday (July 22nd). He loves the disney characters ESPECIALLY Spongebob.
Please help us make this dream come true for him. God Bless You because he has already blessed us!
I also joined your email list.
If I win it would be our family get away. My husband and I are both in the Army and have been for the last 10 years…we have two children and in between deployments we really try to show our kids how much we love them and we miss them when we are deployed. It seems like every other year we are away from them so this would give us the opportunity to go somewhere to relax and just enjoy family in a great place. A time for this military family to certainly relax….
My husband and I would love the opportunity to take our sons to Universal Studios for a weekend vacation. They are 15 and 12 and have not had the opportunity to visit Universal Studios. We just recently had the wonderful chance to visit the ESPN wide world of Sports when my oldest son participated in the Special Olympics track and field event. It showed us what we were missing and what our children had been missing as well. This trip would truly be the vacation and the family time we all have been hoping for.
I tweeted about winning the 4 pack of passes!https://twitter.com/#!/mymommymind/status/78550185780838400
We would be able to take our new “blended” family on an amazing trip… allowing us to bond and connect!! It would be amazing to experience the new Harry Potter Village and all the other amazing adventures that Universal Orlando has to offer my family!!
We would be able to take our new “blended” family on an amazing trip… allowing us to bond and connect!! It would be amazing to experience the new Harry Potter Village and all the other amazing adventures that Universal Orlando has to offer my family!!
We would be able to take our new “blended” family on an amazing trip… allowing us to bond and connect!! It would be amazing to experience the new Harry Potter Village and all the other amazing adventures that Universal Orlando has to offer my family!!
Just joined the email list BlackandMarriedWithKids’s fan list via @FanBridge. Y
Just joined the email list BlackandMarriedWithKids’s fan list via @FanBridge. Y
follow you on facebook too!!
follow you on facebook too!!
I would take some much needed time away with our boys. My husband is an organizing pastor and I am the praise and worship leader so that means our boys are usually with grandma most of the timeZ and we don’t really have the extra income to take them away as desired. This would be an amazing trip for us especially since our boys have been asking to go lately.
@lovelira12 is now following @blackandmarried:disqus
name change..LoveLiA12
@lovelira12 is also following @uornews on twitter. I reactivated my acct just to stay connected to blackandmarried
name change LoveLiA12
I have also signed up for the email list.
THAT WILL BE A NICE HONEYMOON FOR MY HUSBAND and I. We have not been able to go on our honey moon yet….WEM
I also tweeted †Win a 4-pack of passes to Universal
Orlando Theme Parks from @blackandmarried & @uornews
https://bit.ly/iBiNMo #uorfamily #giveaway †via @lovelira12:twitter
My daughter asked me yesterday if i would take them to Florida to one of the parks… I told her that I couldn’t afford it at this time. I would love to take my daughters to Universal and enjoy spending time with them.
If I won this trip..first of all I would be so happy! We would be using this trip to celebrate our engagement. The extra passes would be for our best man and his date. We all get a long very well so this would also include a celebration of friendship.
I follow @blackandmarried and @uornews!
/@mymommymind
I joined the email list!
I joined the email list!
I will be able to get away from all my lifes stress ! No foster care bs and a getaway from my kids. A great opportunity to fix my relationship and a break from work.
Following @blackandmarried and @uornews
if I won these tickets I would take my grandmother, my uncle, and my aunt. They all need a vacation and since I have been alive (32 years) I don’t think well I know they have never been on one. My grandmother especially who is the foundation of our family. She has spent her entire life working and taking care of not just her kids but her grandchildren and great grandchildren. My dad passed away 8 years ago in July and since it has been a rocky road for all of us especially my Uncle and my Grandmother. They deserve a vacation and some sort of peace of mind and I think they would enjoy getting away from reality for awhile.
My husband and I didn’t go on a honeymoon we both went back to work that next work day. This would be an exciting vacation for the two of us and we have a 18 month old so bringing him would be our cherry on the top.
If I won these passes, I would take my two children on the trip. After losing my job last year, my finances have become extremely tight so it would be a relief that I would be able to take them on a memorable summer vacation. They were disappointed that we didn’t go anywhere last year because we usually always do. As six and eight year old, I know that don’t understand why they can’t do the things they were use to doing. We had to move back home to Georgia from Virginia to make things easier. I am working hard to get back on my feet but that means that I have to eliminate a lot of the extras, like extra-curriculum activities and vacations. Even with all the adjusting they have had to endure, they both still maintain all As in school, both exceed their required reading levels. I would love to reward them with this vacation. To see the smiles on their faces would be amazing!
My husband and I have been married for 5 years. I have a son from a previous marriage and he has two daughters also. Because of our busy work schedules and some financial difficulties, we didn’t take time out for a honeymoon and it has been difficult for us to plan a vacation. If I won this trip, we could get-away, have fun, and relax for a fews days.
I joined the email list
What a great opportunity! I wouid love to get the passes to relax with my new husband to be (wedding on 11/11/11) and my kids from a prior relationship. We all get along well already, but this trip would certainly assist in continuing to gel our new little family.
Tweeted and followed!!
Tweeted and followed!!
Tweeted and followed!!
My kids worked so hard this year in school that I would love to reward their efforts and accomplishments with a wonderful vacation to Orlando, FL. If blessed with this opportunity we would take full advantage of all the attractions and activities at Universal Studios. We would particularly love to see the new Harry Potter attraction. Thank you for the consideration.
If I won I would take the children and we would ride everything. Since I’m afraid of rides this would be a great experience
If I won I would take the children and we would ride everything. Since I’m afraid of rides this would be a great experience