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Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach Review

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While visiting South Carolina in April, my mom and I decided to visit Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. So, I thought I would post a little review with some tips in case anyone is considering visiting.

Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Years ago, my mom and I visited the aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN and enjoyed that experience. However, it was during Covid protocols still and we wanted to experience the aquarium during more normal times. So, when we visited Myrtle Beach back in April we decided to visit Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. We ended up spending a few hours here and really liked it.

It was fun to wander around the aquarium and not know exactly what was around the corner. My favorites were the penguins and spotting a sea turtle in the Dangerous Reef! I also enjoyed watching the sloth sleep in their tree. I think that since these are live animals, you never know what you are going to see. So, it definitely makes it more interesting and increases repeatability.

Tips

  • Arrive early – We rope dropped the aquarium and had it pretty much to ourselves for the first half hour or so. It was nice to look at the penguins without a crowd.
  • Use a coupon – There are loads of coupons to be had for this place. There’s some online codes as well as physical coupons in booklets in Myrtle Beach. I highly recommend using one to save a few dollars.
  • Take your time – This aquarium had lots of benches and places to sit and take a break. My mom had a hard time getting around this trip, so the benches were perfect for us. She was able to sit and rest while I continued looking at things of interest.
  • Consider add on experiences – They have several add on options available from meeting animals to riding a boat. We didn’t participate in any of those things, but they look cool.
  • You can be snacky – We noticed a few snack carts around the aquarium selling various snacks. So, you don’t have to worry about getting hungry here. You can get a snack and continue enjoying the aquarium.
  • Consult the schedule – I love penguins, so I was tickled to be able to watch them feed the penguins during our visit. You can learn so much and see something new by watching them take care of the animals here.
  • Spend the day at Broadway at the Beach – My mom and I spent a little more time exploring Broadway at the Beach after leaving the aquarium. It has lots of stores and restaurants. Plus, there’s a carnival type area with rides. You can easily spend a day here. We also appreciated that it was close to our Courtyard Myrtle Beach Oceanfront hotel.

Should you visit Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach?

I think this is the perfect activity for animal/marine lovers. Plus, it’s a great way to spend a rainy day at the beach since it’s indoors. It can also be a great way to get out of the hot sun. Either way, I think people of all ages will enjoy visiting this location. Have you ever been?

Universal Epic Universe Tips

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It’s hard to believe but Universal Epic Universe is officially opening today! Having recently attended a preview, I thought I would share some tips to help make your trip better!

Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe

As I stated in my preview review, I spent two days at Epic while it was in technical rehearsal. So, while I assume some operational changes will occur, I think I can still provide some general tips to help your trip go smoothly. For readability purposes, I am dividing my tips out by category.

What to Bring

  • Water bottle – This park has lots of water bottle refill stations around the park! I love that, personally. So, I highly recommend bringing your own water bottle and refilling it whenever you see a station.
  • Hat and Sunscreen – Celestial Park has virtually no shade and you have to walk through it to get to the other lands. So, I highly suggest packing a hat and sunscreen. I even saw some folks carrying a UV umbrella. I wear a UV jacket whenever I’m outside.
  • Phone charger – You will be on your phone a lot here. The park map, mobile ordering, and virtual queues are all in the UO app. Between using the app and taking pictures, you will drain your phone’s battery pretty quickly. Bring a phone charger.
  • Comfortable shoes – This one is pretty standard for theme park visits. Just wanted to remind everyone. Also, please wear deodorant. I smelled several people during my last visit.

Eating

  • Have a card saved to the app – During previews, they were forcing guests to mobile order food. Having a credit/debit/Visa gift card saved to the app ahead of time saves you time and effort in the park.
  • Use the restroom and wash your hands before entering restaurants – I wish this wasn’t a tip I was giving. However, for whatever reason, the decision was made to not put restrooms inside most of the restaurants. So, if you need to go, you have to leave the restaurant. It’s best to go before entering the restaurant.
  • You might have to eat outdoors – If the indoor restaurants are busy, they might not let you sit inside without ordering food from that restaurant.

Tips for Scheduling

  • Arrive early – It’s not as hot earlier in the day. Plus, you might able to ride stuff before it goes down in the middle of the day.
  • Take your time – This is a very highly themed park. Slow down to appreciate all of the little details.
  • Take a mid-day break – I feel so much better when I get out of the heat during the hottest part of the day (sometime between 1-4 PM) by taking a break in my hotel room. I love to grab a snack from the park or hotel, head up to the room for a quick shower and nap. It’s very refreshing.

Epic Universe Tips

So, those are my tips for visiting Universal Epic Universe specifically. Did I miss anything? Also, feel free to check out my general theme park bag post for other suggestions of what to bring.

Epic Universe Preview Review

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On May 1st and 2nd, I was lucky enough to attend the Epic Universe Preview at Universal Orlando Resort! This new park officially opens on May 22nd. However, there are still two week left of previews. So, I thought I would do a little review for anyone considering going.

Epic Universe Preview

Epic Universe Preview

I don’t currently have an annual pass to UO. So, when they opened previews to hotel guests, I booked a two night stay at Stella Nova Resort (review to come later) a week in advance and headed down south! However, before I could get there, they opened the event up to the general public. So, the remainder of the days are available for anyone to visit. I paid $144 and $149 for each day. I think that’s pretty typical for the prices they are charging for this.

The Park is Gorgeous

Let’s start with the obvious: this park is simply beautiful. I love the attention to details and impeccable theming around every corner. I encourage everyone to slow down and really appreciate how great everything looks. As a theme park fan, it’s a one of a kind park with every land being so highly themed. It’s even better if you are a fan of the different IPs represented, but you don’t have to be to enjoy a visit.

Unreliable Experiences

Universal warns when you purchase a ticket and when you enter the park that it’s in technical rehearsal. As such, not everything will be running at all times. However, I don’t think that necessarily prepares you for the amount of downtime and long waits you might face in the park. At one point, every ride (minus the carousel) was a 55+ minute wait! Minecraft Madness experiences lots of downtime and delayed openings (as happened on my day). Monsters Unchained also experiences lots of downtime.

The Ministry of Magic ride is almost impossible to ride. I tried several times over the course of two days to enter the virtual queue, but never was successful. I was able to select a time once but then it failed. So, no tips for that one. Maybe just don’t count on being able to ride it.

I got lucky with the two shows. I’ve read that the Fantastic Beasts will sometimes go down in the pre-show. I’ve also heard about technical issues with Toothless in the How to Train Your Dragon show. Thankfully, I was able to watch both shows without incident on the first try! I enjoyed both shows and found them to be fun.

The Food Ordering Situation

For whatever reason, they are forcing everyone to mobile order their food. Then, you wait to have it brought to your table. Personally, I dislike mobile order because I like to use resort gift cards and/or cash to pay for things. I ended up using a Visa gift card and had only one issue.

At Toadstool Cafe I ordered spaghetti and waited 40 minutes before flagging a Team Member down to inquire about my order. They left to check on it and never came back. I waited another 20 minutes before flagging someone else down. He went to check and came back. Apparently, they were out of pasta. They offered me a burger, but I wasn’t interested. So, they offered a refund, which I was happy to take. Unfortunately, they can’t refund a gift card. I had to offer up my debit card to receive payment and that took a few days.

Another glaring issue with mobile order is the lack of indoor/shaded dining. I had to stand out in the sun to order in Isle of Berk. Then, they would prefer you ordered food to eat inside Mead Hall. I had ordered Yaknog and had to get approval to sit inside with my outside food to drink my drink.

Hopefully, they allow guests to order at a register when they officially open. Also, the indoor restaurants don’t currently have any napkins or silverware out. So, you will have to flag someone down if you don’t have any.

Sidenote: Similar to the other UOR parks, there’s only two sit down restaurants in this park (akin to Lombard’s Seafood Grille). Unfortunately, Blue Dragon isn’t open yet and I didn’t want to pay big bucks to eat at Atlantic by myself. However, I look forward to trying them in the future.

Tips for Attending Epic Universe Previews

  • Arrive early – Take advantage of Early Park Admission if you are a hotel guest. The wait times only build during the day.
  • Bring a hat and sunscreen – There’s very little shade in this park. I even saw some folks carrying umbrellas for shade and that may not be a bad idea.
  • Bring a water bottle – This park has a water bottle filler at every bathroom and beside most water fountains. It’s great for staying hydrated!
  • Pack your patience – Rides have delayed openings and go down frequently. I don’t know when things will start to work more consistently. I doubt the grand opening will fix these issues either. Just be patient.
  • Have a card attached to your account – You will be required to mobile order food. Having a card (debit, credit, or gift) attached makes it quicker and easier to order.

Should you attend a Epic Universe preview?

Personally, the ability to see a theme park before it officially opens was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don’t regret my decision to go at all. It was hot and more crowded than I expected. I rode way fewer rides than I anticipated. However, I still had a good time and have good memories from the trip.

So, have you attended this soft opening? What was your experience like?

The Best Things in Animal Kingdom at Disney World

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Seeing as how it’s Earth Day today, I thought it would be neat to take a look at the best things in Animal Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World!

best things in Animal Kingdom

The Best Things in Animal Kingdom

Similar to my best things in Magic Kingdom post, I wanted to move over to Animal Kingdom in honor of Earth Day! Did you know that Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day in 1998? So, today is also the park’s birthday/anniversary! Given the large number of animals that live here, it makes sense to think of the earth and its resources so we can take care of these animals.

Without further ado, here’s my own personal list of favorite things to enjoy at Animal Kingdom theme park!

The Best Ride

It’s entirely possible the best ride in this park will change in a few years. However, for now, I’m going to say Avatar Flight of Passage. It’s such a beautiful ride and a unique experience! It can make some folks motion sick though. I also really like the Na’vi River Journey as it’s peaceful and pretty too.

Best Place for a Break

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Kilimanjaro Safaris as another favorite attraction in this park. It’s always different as you never know which animals will be out or what they will be doing. Although, I highly recommend catching a showing of the Festival of the Lion King too. It’s a great show in a dark, cool place!

Best Quick Service Restaurant

Personally, I really enjoy two quick service restaurants here: Satu’li Canteen and Flametree BBQ. I say go with the one that has a better menu for your mood and crew. My family is always happy with BBQ. Plus, it’s a great use of dining credit. So, we’ve eaten Flametree several times. Although, Satu’li is a great option for healthier and more unique meals.

Best Table Service Restaurant

It’s sad that I’ve been to my favorite table service in this park only once and it wasn’t recent. Nonetheless, my favorite table service restaurant here is Yak & Yeti. My husband and I ate here one trip and we still talk about it from time to time. Those Fried Wontons were tasty! Although, I think the Rainforest Cafe Breakfast is fun too as is the Tusker House Character meal.

What are the best things in Animal Kingdom?

So, those are my favorite things in Animal Kingdom. What are some of yours?

Dollywood I Will Always Love You Music Festival Guide

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I have just returned from a quick trip to Pigeon Forge where I was lucky enough to experience the Dollywood I Will Always Love You Music Festival for the first time! So, I thought I would post a little guide to the seasonal event!

Dollywood I Will Always Love You

Dollywood I Will Always Love You

This is the park’s newest seasonal event, having begun in 2023! 2025 was my first time experiencing it though. The event was initially created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dolly Parton’s song “I Will Always Love You”. However, the event was very popular and thus the event has continued. Now, it celebrates Dolly Parton’s life and music.

Special Shows

The park has some regularly occurring musical acts that appear year round. However, they tend to update their shows seasonally to reflect the current festival. During this festival, the shows center on Dolly’s music and life. I highly recommend the show “From the Heart – The Life and Music of Dolly Parton”. It’s a great look at Dolly’s life and features good music.

Pink Art

To celebrate this festival, there’s sparkly pink artwork to enjoy. During the Summer Festival, the front of the park features a Kite Sky. For this festival, there’s a sparkly pink sequin sky! There’s also a sparkly pink “LOVE” sign to take pictures of. There’s also some pink photo frames around the park to pose in for a picture.

Specialty Food

Just like all of the seasonal events, there’s lots of special food items to enjoy. There’s even a dining pass that you can purchase for $42.99 ($39.99 for passholders) that allows you to sample 5 dishes from the festival. Since I was by myself for this trip, I didn’t purchase one, but it can be a good deal if you purchase at least two entrees with the pass (which cost about $14 each).

I tried the cherry-lime spritzer from the festival and it was refreshing on a warm spring day. The strawberry rhubarb cobbler at Granny Ogle’s was nice. It was more strawberry than rhubarb, but it was still tasty.

Tips

  • Check the weather forecast – I actually shifted my trip back a day due to weather. It might be sunny and pleasant during this festival or it might be cold and rainy. It’s also possible you might see some snow flurries. You just never know in the Smoky Mountains.
  • Be prepared for crowds – This festival takes place during the busy spring break season. So, be ready to wait in lines. I found the morning to be less crowded, but the booths don’t open until 11 AM.
  • Arrive early for the shows – The shows tend to fill up. Arrive early if a certain show is important to you.
  • Visit the Dolly Parton Experience – This is the perfect festival to visit the newly opened Dolly Parton Experience to learn more about Dolly’s life and appreciate her story. You may want to consider taking the guided Dolly Parton Experience tour. I took it and will be posting a separate review at a later date.

Should you visit during the Dollywood I Will Always Love You Festival?

I truly love the various festivals and seasons at this theme park. As such, I don’t think there’s a bad time to visit the park. This event is probably ideal for fans of Dolly and/or her music. It’s also great for fans of the color pink.