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Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour Review

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On my most recent trip to Orlando, I was able to do something totally new and different for me – I took the Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour!

Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour

Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour

I’ve been wanting to visit KSC for a few years now, but never could make it fit my schedule. Then, I decided that I would make it fit on this solo trip. That way, if it wasn’t worth giving up a theme park day, it didn’t impact my family who doesn’t go as often. I hope to make a separate post on visiting the Space Center at a later date. Today, I want to focus on the Add-On Enhancement: Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour!

Now, I will preface this by pointing out that everyone who visits can take a bus ride to view different areas of the complex. However, this bus ride takes you to additional spots that the other bus doesn’t go. Additionally, you get to actually get off of the bus to take photos where the other bus can’t. So, I will highlight the differences in this post to help you decide if this tour is worth the added cost.

The Gantry at LC-39

The first stop on this tour is the same stop everyone else gets to make. It’s the Gantry at LC-39. It features a four story gantry with a full-scale model of a rocket engine. You can take the stairs or an elevator to view the launch sites and Florida grounds. There’s also information on how rockets are built and launched. There’s even a simulated static test fire. Finally, there’s also information about the wildlife in the area that they must care for. Overall, it’s a neat stop and I can see why everyone gets to experience it.

Following The Gantry, the regular tour bus takes visitors over to the Apollo/Saturn V Center. The Explore Tour rides over to the Launch Sites.

Launch Sites

Following the Gantry, we rode the bus over to the launch sites for shuttles and rockets. It was so cool to see where countless historic launches have occurred. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to get off of the bus at the launch sites, but the bus did stop to allow us to stand up and take photos from inside the bus.

Next, we rode over to a private beach that is government owned. We were allowed to get off of the bus here to take photos of the Atlantic Ocean and of the launch sites. We couldn’t walk right onto the beach, but we could still see the ocean. It was a neat experience that I wasn’t expecting on this tour.

Vehicle Assembly Building

The last unique stop for the Explore Tour is the Vehicle Assembly Building. The other buses drive by it, but the Explore Tour allows you to get off of the bus and take photos! This is where they assemble shuttles and other large space vehicles. It’s also commonly used in imagery for NASA and is an icon in its own right. It was really cool to be able to get a photo in front of the building. We also got to walk across the Orbiter Access Control Arm and White Room at this stop.

Following the VAB stop, the tour ends at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, just like the regular bus tours.

Pros

  • Access to reserved areas – The Explore Tour allows you to view launch sites more closely, see a private beach, and take photos at the Vehicle Assembly Building. You can’t get those things on the regular tour.
  • You can learn more – Our tour guide was knowledgeable and I’m sure we learned more about space and the launches on this tour in comparison to the other one.
  • Feels historic – If you are coming to the complex to see historic things, this tour gets you closer to the actual launch sites than the other tour.

Cons

  • Costs more – If you are on a budget, you may not want to pay an extra $24-30/person.
  • Takes more time – There’s so much to see and do at Kennedy Space Center. This Explore Tour can take up to two hours (mine took 1.5 hours). So, you may have to skip other things you wanted to see if you book this tour.
  • Limited time slots – This tour is only offered at 10 AM and 2 PM. It’s very likely it will take place during an astronaut talk or some other activity you may wish to see.

Is the Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour worth it?

The KSC Explore Tour costs an additional $30 plus tax for adults and $24 plus tax for children. Personally, I felt like it was worth it because I can’t imagine traveling that far and not seeing the actual launch sites or getting photos in front of the VAB. I feel like that’s where the history is made and I want to see it in person. So, I thought it was worth it. However, it is an added cost that can eat up your budget. It also takes up a good chunk of your day. If other activities are of a higher priority, you may want to skip this one. Have you taken the Kennedy Space Center Explore Tour?

Universal Terra Luna Resort Review

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During my recent trip to Halloween Horror Nights, I stayed at Universal Terra Luna Resort for the first time. Today, I want to give a review of that stay.

Universal Terra Luna Resort

Universal Terra Luna Resort

In 2025, Universal Orlando opened three new resorts located near the newest theme park, Epic Universe: Stella Nova, Terra Luna, and Helios Grand Hotel. Last year, I stayed at Universal Stella Nova Resort while previewing the park. This time, I opted to stay at its sister resort – Terra Luna! Located across the street from one another and featuring a slightly different take on space, they are both considered Prime Value resorts. This means they tend to have more affordable rates while being a step above the Value Inns and Suites.

Standard Room

Similar to Stella Nova, Terra Luna features double queen rooms only. It also features space themed decor. However, Terra Luna tends to feature more browns/oranges with its focus on the lands in space. The rooms themselves are nearly identical to the rooms at Stella Nova. However, the decor is slightly different.

While I was able to get a theme park view (instead of pool view), I still heard a good bit of noise. I was on the 9th floor, near the elevator, with a view of Epic Universe. Even though I was nine floors up, I kept hearing the buses coming and going with their beeping right under my window. I also heard the elevator every time someone came to my floor. Then, I heard people talking and/or running the hallways. While I loved the view of the theme park and enjoyed watching the fireworks, it wasn’t the quietest room I’ve ever had.

I will say that there was the same issue with the lights/air turning off that I had at Stella Nova. On this visit, I had some lights turn off when I was sitting in bed on my phone once. Then, the room was often warm when I got back to the room from being in the park. The first night, I started with the thermostat at 69 before I left the room. However, when I got out of the shower, I was still hot. I bumped the thermostat down to 67 to get the air working and noticed the thermostat said the room was still 71 even though I had been in the room for a while. So, something to keep in mind at these two resorts.

Pros

  • Affordable Rates – I paid $414 total for a Thursday and Friday night in mid-September. Not bad.
  • Theme Park Views – It was neat to sit in my room and look out at Epic Universe. It was really cool to be able to watch the fireworks at Epic from my room.
  • Newer Hotel – Everything was in working order and still looked shiny and new here.
  • Park Transportation – While it’s only bus transportation here, it’s still nice to have.
  • Fun Space Theme – I enjoyed the space theme here, just as I liked it at Stella Nova.

Cons

  • Bus Transportation Only – There are lots of other hotels on property that allow you to walk to 1-2 parks quickly. Also, some have boat transportation. This one has only bus transportation as you can’t easily walk to Epic from here.
  • Longer Ride to Other Parks – It took 15-20 minutes to reach City Walk and the other parks. It took 20 minutes if the bus was shared with Stella Nova.
  • Shared Bus – Sometimes, Stella Nova and Terra Luna share buses. When this is the case, Terra Luna is picked up first and dropped off first. That means it will take longer to reach the park.
  • Lack of food options – This hotel has only one quick service restaurant and no walking access to other options. I had the Seasonal French Toast one morning and it was pretty good. However, I didn’t see much on the lunch/dinner menu that interested me.
  • Odd Air/Light Settings – I’m sure it’s for environmental/economic reasons, but the air will cut off when you aren’t in the room. The lights may also go out when you don’t move.

Should you stay at Universal Terra Luna?

I found Terra Luna to be a completely acceptable resort. However, I think there are better resorts on property. I would prefer Aventura or Sapphire Falls due to the boat transportation, proximity to the other parks, and access to different food. If you can get a good rate here though, it’s perfectly fine. It’s a good resort to save a few dollars while still being on property and it’s better than Surfside or Dockside. So, have you stayed here yet?

HHN Scream Early Review

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A few weeks ago, I was able to visit Universal Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights and did the add-on HHN Scream Early Ticket! Today, I will examine if it was worth it or not to help others decide if they should spend the money.

HHN Scream Early

HHN Scream Early

In prior years, I had an Annual Pass to Universal Orlando. So, I could enter the park whenever I wanted. However, I haven’t had an AP to Universal in a few years. This new Scream Early ticket sounded good to me. It gave me entry to the park at 2 PM and access to some houses early. So, I purchased the add-on ticket for $74.55, including taxes and headed on my way.

Sidenote: A tip I gave in my Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando: Tips for Anxious Folks post years ago was to get acquainted with the park and its layout before the sun goes down. This new Scream Early ticket allows you to walk around the park during the day and spot where the scare zones, food booths, shows, and houses are. I highly recommend entering early if you are a nervous person.

Early Entry Houses

As I stated above, I was able to enter the park at 2 PM. However, due to the heat and rain, I opted to wait until closer to 4 PM to enter the park. Immediately upon entering the park, I headed towards Strangers Things since three houses open at 2 PM for Scream Early attendees. I could have also entered the lines for Hellraiser or Jack & Oddfellow as those also open at 2 PM. After a really reasonable and pretty quick 20 minutes or so wait, I was able to complete the Stranger Things house.

Opening at 5:15 PM, I lined up for Ozzy Osbourne’s house an hour early around 4:15 PM. Thankfully, Universal has opened additional sound stages for guests to wait in this year. So, I sat in a cool area for about an hour. Then, the line started moving and we went back outside for another 20-30 minutes. I was done with my second house by 5:50 PM. Then, I hopped over to the Tribute Store and purchased an Ozzy shirt.

Early Food

After knocking out the two houses I wanted to do, I headed towards some food. The food booths in Gramercy Park opened early. So, I got the Deathbringer Tempura Shrimp to enjoy around 6. Then, I walked around and got the Fried PB&J Bites around 6:20 PM. By 6:30 PM (the official start time for the event), I was sitting down enjoying some Pork BBQ Eggrolls from Sinners!

Is HHN Scream Early worth it?

As I stated above, the HHN Scream Early ticket is perfect for folks who want to wander around and get comfy in the park before it gets dark. It’s also perfect for folks who want to hit up multiple houses. The main drawback is the heat/sun and possibly afternoon storms. However, as I have proven, even if you wait until almost 4, you can still accomplish a lot before the event officially begins! I highly recommend this ticket and thought it was a great deal. I was able to see two houses, eat some food, and grab some merch before the event even began!

2026 Unmasking the Horror 6 House Tour Review at HHN

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I’ve just returned from a visit to Universal Orlando, where I was lucky enough to take the 2026 Unmasking the Horror 6 House Tour! Here’s a look at that experience.

2026 Unmasking the Horror Tour

2026 Unmasking the Horror

Back in 2023, I went to Halloween Horror Nights to see the Stranger Things house. While there, I did the Daytime Lights On Tour and posted a review of that experience. I’ve gotten a couple of comments on that post over the years, so when Stranger Things and Ozzy was announced for 2026, I decided that a trip back to UO was in order! Today, I want to go over my experience and compare it to 2023’s tour.

I’ll start by pointing out that in 2023, I received an email from Universal with a list of houses included on the tour. This year, that wasn’t the case. I booked my tour after someone posted on the HHN subreddit claiming that both Ozzy and ST were on the 6 house tour. So, I don’t know if that’s a permanent change or not. However, I would have preferred some communication from UO stating the houses. Nonetheless, the list the person shared on Reddit was correct.

Once again, this tour is listed as a 5 hour tour. I selected a 10:15 AM slot in order to sleep in some after attending HHN the night before. My tour wrapped up a little after 4 PM. So, I guess the new time guidelines are a little over 5 hours of tour, plus 45 minutes for the included lunch. Also, you have lunch after the 4th house instead of the 3rd now.

This year, the six house tour included: Sinners, Stranger Things 5, Evil Dead Burn, Ozzy Osbourne, Jack & Oddfellow, and Madlands. New for 2026 is that each tour did the houses in the same order, just 15 minutes apart. That way, all of the tour groups cleared the houses that open early for Scream Early (Stranger Things and Jack & Oddfellow open at 2 PM).

Light On Tour Before Lunch

We started out with Jack & Oddfellow. Our tour guide walked us through the story for the house and used his flashlight to show some of the effects in the house. Next up, was Stranger Things. I was happy that we were allowed to take so many photos in this house. Unfortunately, you can’t take photos in the scene where Will uses his powers against a Demogorgon for the first time. I loved being able to photograph the Wheelers kitchen though. Then, we paused for a restroom break.

Afterwards, it was time for Evil Dead Burn. No one in our group had seen the movie, so the guide walked us through the house and the storylines. Our tour guide made it seem interesting enough. I was impressed that he told us that a Universal creative hand-drew some of the artifacts in the room to match a book given to Universal from the film’s folks.

Then, it was time for Ozzy’s house. Unfortunately, we were only allowed to photograph in the first and last rooms of this one. I would have loved to have taken a photo of the train, but that wasn’t included. It was neat to see the little Easter eggs or references to various albums/songs in this house.

Tours After Lunch

We had a 45 minute break for lunch before heading over to Sinners. Once again, we couldn’t photograph a really big scene here: inside Club Juke. However, it was neat to see how the club can appear to be on fire.

Lastly, we toured Madlands. This was an original house that allowed you to photograph to your heart’s content. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really into the premise and didn’t feel compelled to take many photos here. I was impressed with Universal creating a park map and tickets for this fake zoo. So, props for attention to detail. It just wasn’t for me.

Lunch

In my previous review of this tour, I mentioned the stress of having to find lunch during the tour’s break. I’m happy to report that Universal heard our complaints and added a lunch buffet to this tour. Granted, the cost of the tour has increased significantly since I took it three years ago. However, a large part of that is probably going towards the food. It was great to not have to run around looking for food and being scared of missing part of the tour.

We were given 45 minutes to eat lunch. Unfortunately, I was on the last tour group of the day and they were literally taking down the buffet as we entered. In fact, we didn’t get a chance to try all of the food because they ran out and didn’t replace it. So, if food is important to you: don’t book the last tour.

The food itself was ok. I enjoyed some salmon, chicken strips, broccoli, and ravioli. I also liked the pumpkin pie. Supposedly, there were some crepes, but I never even saw them on the buffet. Again, I felt like it wasn’t right that they were clearing the food before we had a chance to eat.

Should you book a 2026 Unmasking the Horror Tour?

I paid $276.89 for this tour, after taxes. That’s a pretty good chunk of change. It also took almost 6 hours to complete the tours. I think it’s worth it if you are a big fan of one of the IPs, HHN in general, want to take photos in the houses, or are interested in seeing how the houses are built. However, I don’t think it’s necessarily a must-do to enjoy the event given the cost and time.

So, have you done a 2026 Unmasking the Horror Tour?

Disney Animal Kingdom Table Service Restaurants Guide

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Having recently covered the sit down restaurants in two other Disney World theme parks, I thought I would go over the Animal Kingdom Table Service restaurants!

Animal Kingdom Table Service

Animal Kingdom Table Service

For those who are just becoming acquainted with Walt Disney World dining, table service restaurants are sit down restaurants. This is compared to quick service ones which are meant to be quicker and simpler. I recently posted a Magic Kingdom Table Service Restaurants guide and a Hollywood Studios Table Service Restaurants Guide. So, today I am moving over to a third theme park – Animal Kingdom. It has four fun options!

Tiffins Restaurant

I’ll start with the nicest restaurant in the park – Tiffins. It is a fine/signature dining experience. As such, it is supposed to be an elevated experience with a higher price tag. In fact, this restaurant requires 2 Table Service credits to eat here on the Disney Dining Plan. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to try this restaurant. I typically don’t frequent signature dining experiences when visiting Disney. I’m usually more of a regular table service person due to costs. However, Tiffins seems like a great restaurant to celebrate a special occasion in Animal Kingdom.

Rainforest Cafe

I last ate at Rainforest Cafe in December 2023 with my mom. I shared a whole Rainforest Cafe Breakfast at Animal Kingdom Review, where I go into the details of the fun of eating here. Suffice it to say, I think the animals fit wonderfully with Animal Kingdom. It’s a great cool, dark place to get out of the heat of the AK. Plus, they actually serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner here. The thunderstorm that occurs every 20-30 minutes is neat too. I will say that the food is just ok. I think that you can find much better food at the other restaurants in the park.

Tusker House

Tusker House is a character buffet wherein the buffet features some African-inspired dishes and the characters wear safari themed outfits! I previously reviewed this location in my Tusker House Breakfast Review. Pro tip: booking around 10:15 AM will allow you to sample both breakfast and lunch dishes for a breakfast price. I enjoy that this buffet carries some good basic dishes while also providing some elevated dishes with a Lion King theme and African flavors. Plus, the characters are great!

Yak & Yeti

Lastly, we have Yak & Yeti! Unfortunately, I’ve had the pleasure of eating here only once and that was several years ago. My husband and I enjoyed what we ate here. It just hasn’t worked out to return here. When I do, I will definitely write up a separate review. What I most remember from my one meal here was the fried wontons for dessert. It was a fun and tasty dessert that I’ve never had anywhere else. I also recall the pot stickers being really good too.

Animal Kingdom Table Service Restaurants

So, there’s a quick look at the four table service restaurants at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Which of these four is your favorite?