Universal Studio Resort as a Plus-Size Woman

3 years ago, I had trouble on a couple rides. And by trouble, I mean that I couldn't ride some of them. It didn't bum me out too bad because I knew that was a big possibility. And I wanted to let everyone know about my experience, but I quickly forgot about it because I was a little embarrased. Well, I don't care that much anymore. I'm roughly the same size now that I was then. And in case you were wondering, I do eat healthy and I do work out. I'm just fat. Oh well!

Here are my stats:
Height: 5 foot 6 inches
Weight: 324 pounds
Bust: 53 inches
Hips: 57 inches
Thighs: 50 inches
Pant Size: 24
And here's a picture of me in all my fat glory!

Rides that we rode:
Universal Studios –
1. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
I wasn't able to ride this. I feel like it was close, but I just couldn't get it to close. I mostly have troubles with the ones that close over your head.
2. MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack
I fit on this one just fine. No problems!
3. Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster
I didn't have any troubles fitting on this one, but it definitely felt safer to ride it by myself and to have my son sit with my husband instead.
4. E.T. Adventure
So, I was able to fit on this, but not comfortably at all! This ride squeezed my hips so bad, I almost couldn't make it through the whole thing!
5. Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
I had zero issues fitting on this ride.
6. TRANSFORMERS: The Ride 3-D
Again, this ride is pretty easy to fit in. I love those bench seats!

Islands of Adventure –
7. Skull Island: Reign of Kong
There are no kinds of restraints on this one and it's a bench seat so there were no fit issues.
8. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man
This is another bench seat that I had no problems with.
9. Jurassic Park River Adventure
No fit issues on this bench seat.
10. Flight of the Hippogriff
This one fit exactly like Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster. I fit fine, but I'm more comfortable with my son riding with his father.
11. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
I tried the test seat outside of this one and just couldn't make it. I tried, but it didn't close to the point that I could ride.
12. The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!
No fit issues on this one either.

Now, there are plenty more rides that we didn't go on. But this is my personal experience from our most recent trip. On our last trip, I also rode Cat in the Hat, Pteranodon Flyers, and the Simpson's Ride. You shouldn't have any problems with those. Basically, the rule for me is: if there's a test seat, I probably won't fit. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is right now.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Ok, this is going to be a long one, but it has a lot of information! I just love the wizarding world because you truly feel like you've stepped inside J.K. Rowling's brain when she was envisioning what she was writing. So, without further adieu:

Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure

Attractions:
1. Flight of the Hippogriff – Vekoma Junior Coaster – Over 48” or over 36” with adult
The posted time for this ride was 45 minutes, but with our Express Passes, we only waited 12 minutes. I love this coaster. It's so much fun! And perfectly themed. I love seeing Hagrid's Hut and Hedgwig.
Side Note: How great is it that there's a water fountain in this line?

2. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – RoboCoaster G2 – Over 48”
I couldn't ride this (didn't fit in the test seat out front), but my husband and son had a great time. They thought it was awesome! Owen wanted to ride it again. The posted time for this ride was 60 minutes, but with our Express Passes, we only waited 15 minutes. It's a continuous loading ride, which I thought was pretty cool.

3. Hogwarts Express: Hogsmeade Station – Park Connector – Over 48” or with an adult
Our wait time on this one was only 10 minutes with our Express Passes. I just LOVE the Hogwarts Express.
Side Note: There is an awesome photo op with the Hogwarts Express (not the one that moves, but a permanent feature) and frequently, a conductor! It's located just inside Hogsmeade near Honeydukes.

I have some grievances with this ride and it has nothing to do with the ride itself. First, we rode the Hogwarts Express 4 times before finally being able to sit next to the window. This may not seem like a big deal to some people, but when you have adults leaning forward, not paying attention to the window, and blocking half of it, it DOES become a big deal to a sweet little 8 year old that just wants to see what's happening. Second, during one of our trips, there was a family in the same compartment as us and the adults spent half the time yelling at each other. We were very uncomfortable and I just felt bad for their kids. Please don't do this. Third, I overheard a woman saying that the Hogwarts Express wasn't a ride, it was just transportation (“but at least it was better than the monorail”). Really? If you truly feel that way, please just make sure you don't ruin it for the people that really feel the magic and see it as a fun ride in itself!

Dining:
1. Hog's Head – located in the back of Three Broomsticks – Butterbeer, Pumpkin Juice, beers, specialty drinks, wine, spirits, and mixed drinks

2. Three Broomsticks – 'Great Feast Platter', Fish and Chips, Shepherd's Pie, Beef Pasties, Turkey Legs, and fresh vegetables
We ate here the last time we visited in 2015 and it was delicious, but that line can get pretty long at peak eating times.

Shows:
1. Frog Choir – vocal stylings of this small choir of Hogwarts students, accompanied by the smooth bass rumbles of their giant croaking frogs

2. Triwizard Spirit Rally – cheer on students from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang as they lead the excitement for the Triwizard Tournament.

Entertainment:
1. Ollivanders – 1 person (usually a child with a birthday button) is chosen to choose their own wand

2. The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts
We got so lucky when it came to watching this! First of all, it was SO crowded for the first showing. I just can't emphasize this enough. We chose to skip the first showing and ride Forbidden Journey instead. That turned out to be the best decision we could have made because as we were exiting the gift shop, the lights started. We quickly started walking to the bridge toward Jurassic Park and what do you know, it wasn't too busy! We weren't right up against the railing, but honestly, that wasn't necessary. It was truly amazing. I almost started to tear up. You HAVE to see the lights. It truly goes through every house and then ties them all together.

Shopping:
1. Dervish and Banges – Sneakoscopes, Sectrespecs, omnioculars, quidditch needs, clothes

2. Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods – apparel, house crest banners, stationary, toys
This shop is located at the end of the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. We bought a Marauder's Map here for a friend's son and I got an awesome Hogwarts frame. It's very cool because it really seems like you're in the basement where Filch would keep confiscated goods.

3. Honeydukes – acid pops, exploding bonbons, cauldron cakes, fizzing whizzbees, chocolate frogs

4. Ollivanders – wands

5. Owl Post – stationary, quills, seals, ink, stamps, and owl-related toys and gifts – mail your letters complete with a special Hogsmeade postmark here
We bought a fun Hufflepuff lanyard, postcards, and some stamps here. Make sure you go out the door by the covered area with benches to get them stamped and mailed. Everyone we sent one to really loved them! We also sent some to ourselves to keep as souvenirs.



Diagon Alley in Universal Studios

Attractions:
1. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts – Roller Coaster & 4D dark ride – Over 48” or over 42” with adult
I personally couldn't ride this one (didn't fit in the test seat out front), but my husband and 8-year-old son rode it. This was our first ride of the day during Early Admission so we only waited about 5 minutes. They said it was really neat and they truly felt like a side character in the movie.

2. Hogwarts Express: King's Cross Station – Park Connector – 48” or with an adult
We ended up riding this twice: once in the morning and then once at night. And neither time we rode it, did we wait very long. Granted, we had Express Passes, but they didn't really seem necessary either time. The first time, we waited 5 minutes. The second time, we waited 10 minutes. Please see grievances above!
All of that being said, have a great attitude, and definitely ride it going both ways. It's a little different each way which makes it just that much more fun!

Dining:
1. Eternelle's Elixir of Refreshment – small beverage kiosk with Gillywater and specialty elixirs

2. Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour – soft-serve with fantastic flavors like Butterbeer, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Earl Grey and Lavender, etc. plus pastries, crumble cake, and shortbread.

3. Leaky Couldron – Bangers and Mash, Fisherman's Pie, Toad in the Hole, Ploughman's Platter
We ate here the last time we visited in 2015 for breakfast and it was awesome! I definitely recommend it.

4. The Fountain of Fair Fortune – serves beer

5. The Hopping Pot – walk-up counter serving beer and other drinks

Shows:
1. Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees – singing sensation of the wizarding world

2. The Tales of Beedle the Bard – trunk show of wizarding fairytales

Entertainment:
1. Gringotts Money Exchange – ask a Gringotts goblin any question you want, and trade your currency for Gringotts bank notes

2. Knight Bus – talkative shrunken head and driver
Make sure you walk around to the back of the bus to take a look inside

3. Ollivanders – 1 person (usually a child with a birthday button) is chosen to choose their own wand
I was hoping that my little man (8) with his Birthday button was going to be chosen, but there was a slightly older girl (probably 12) also with a Birthday button so she was chosen instead. He was a little sad, but maybe next time (fingers crossed)! Anyway, it was still a great show. This was our second time here and it just never gets old! Whether child or adult, I totally recommend waiting for this show. We ended up waiting 15 minutes from the moment we got in line to the moment we were brought into the wand room. I really enjoyed how they made sure to have the shorter people in your party (kids) in front with everyone else filing in behind them.

Shopping:
1. Borgin and Burkes – Death Eater masks, skulls, costume replicas, apparel, accessories, jewelry, and collectibles.

2. Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions – hats, authentic Hogwarts uniforms, ties, scarves, sweaters, as well as jewelry

3. Magical Menagerie – Crookshanks, Fang, Buckbeak, Scabbers, owls

4. Ollivanders – wands
It is always super crowded every time we've been in here so you really have to hold on to your loved ones and maneuver around all the people. And the lines to buy a wand a usually pretty long.

5. Quality Quidditch Supplies – sweaters, brooms, Golden Snitches, Bludgers, Quaffles, and more

6. Scrubbulus – writing supplies, ink, inkwells, feather quills, parchment, notebooks, journals, bookmarks, backpacks, stationary sets and seals, envelopes and postcards

7. Sugarplum's Sweetshop – candies, fudge, Every Flavor Beans

8. Wands by Gregorovitch – wands

9. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes – novelty joke shop, Pygmy Puffs, U-No-Poo pills, Skiving Snackboxes, Puking Pastilles
My son bought an awesome pink Pygmy Puff here! He just treasures this thing and while I'm not a huge fan of stuffed animals (because they just don't get played with in our house), it just seems like a completely different story when it's a cute little Pygmy Puff.

10. Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment – crystal balls, telescopes, hourglasses
This is where we bought our Hufflepuff stein! I love it! I think it's adorable and I can't wait to find a spot to display it!

Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Feast Kitchen

We didn't spend very long at CityWalk. It was literally enough to time to take 1 picture with the Universal globe and eat dinner at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium and Feast Kitchen. Then, we went back to our hotel to rest up for our entire day at Universal that was sure to be exhausting. So first, here's our review of Toothsome:

First of all, this building is amazing! And if you can see it at night all lit up from the water, it's even cooler. It really looks like the chocolate factory of my dreams. When we walked in, they said it would be a 1 hour wait, but since we had preferred seating (which we got by staying at Royal Pacific), it ended up being only a 30 minute wait. To pass the time, we did some shopping in their gift shop. I got a candy jar and Owen got a chocolate bar and a jar of cotton candy. The inside of this restaurant is themed even better than the outside! It's truly amazing and definitely something to see.
For starters, we got the warm chocolate almond bread with salted caramel butter. I only knew to get this because of the recommendations from others and I'm so glad we did! It was delicious! We received the bread almost immediately after ordering.
For dinner (which we got within 30 minutes of being seated), Tom ordered the short ribs with cheesy grits and a chocolate gremolade. This was seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten. When we return, I want to come back to Toothsome just so I can order this again. It was that good. The short ribs in the gremolade were so juicy and buttery that they melted in my mouth. And the grits. Wow. I have literally never had good grits before I ate these bites of heaven. I know, dramatic, but really, it was one of the best meals I've ever eaten.

I got the wild mushroom, chicken risotto. It was really good too. But it just didn't compare to my husband's dish.
Owen ate really well (a rarity for him). He just got the chicken fingers and fries with applesauce, but he said it was quite good.
For dessert, we got the chocolate bread pudding and a cookie jar milkshake. Both were amazing. Again, we only knew to get the bread pudding based on other's recommendations. Apparently, these people really know what they're talking about because it was amazing! And the milkshake was great! I especially liked how it was in a plastic jar that you get to take home so when we couldn't finish it all right there, we just took it back with us to sip on slowly during our water taxi back to the hotel.

Overall, we had an amazing meal and we wouldn't hesitate to come back on our next trip to Universal.

Now, like I said, we didn't do anything else at CityWalk while we were there, but here's a list of all the things you can find in this area.

Dining
1. Hard Rock Cafe Orlando
2. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
3. Emeril's Restaurant Orlando
4. Antojito's Authentic Mexican Food – made from scratch mexican street faire, live mariachi music on select nights
5. Starbucks
6. Bubba Gump Shrimp Company – restaurant and market/shrimp and other favorites
7. Cinnabon
8. Pat O'Brien's Bar
9. BK Whopper Bar
10. Panda Express
11. Moe's Southwest Grill
12. Bob Marley – A Tribute to Freedom – jamaican influenced
13. Red Oven Pizza Bakery – neapolitan style pizza, stone oven, fast cooking
14. Cold Stone Creamery
15. Menchie's Frozen Yogurt
16. Vivo Italian Kitchen – classic Italian food with open expo kitchen
17. Hot Dog Hall of Fame – hot dogs and sausages from all over the US
18. Bread Box Handcrafted Sandwiches – soup, salad, sandwich, sweet treats
19. The Cowfish Sushi and Burger Bar – custom designed burger or sushi or a combo, spiked milkshakes, premium saki
20. NBC Sports Grill & Brew – upscale sports bar
21. The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen – steak and seafood, all day brunch, gourmet chocolates, one of a kind desserts – milkshakes!, steampunk theme
22. Voodoo Doughnut – sinfully delicious, delightfully weird line-up of creations
23. Lone Palm Airport – fly by for island eats and outdoor drinks
24. Red Coconut Club – vintage vegas with a tropical twist
25. Fusion Bistro Sushi & Saki Bar
26. Fat Tuesday

Entertainment
1. AMC Theatres Universal Cineplex 20 and IMAX
2. Bob Marley – A Tribute to Freedom
3. CityWalk's Rising Star (Karaoke Club featuring Live Band and Backup Singers & Dancers)
4. The Groove
5. Hard Rock Live, a separate performance venue adjacent to the Hard Rock Cafe
6. Red Coconut Club
7. Blue Man Group Sharp Aquos Theatre
8. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, live bands take to the restaurant's stage to perform every evening
9. Hollywood Drive-In Mini Golf – a mini golf course harkening back to 50's era drive-in movies. The facility has two different and intricately themed courses: “The Haunting of Ghostly Greens” and “Invaders from Planet Putt-Putt”

Shopping
1. Tommy Bahama
2. BMG Gear
3. Fossil, Inc.
4. Fresh Produce
5. Quiet Flight Surf Shop
6. Universal Studios Store
7. Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company Element Skateboards

Travel Snacks

I researched a lot for our road trip, especially since we were going to be in the car for approximately 40 hours total. One of the things that I probably read a good 10 blog posts or more about was Travel Snacks. I wanted to know what everyone else brought so that I could use their food/snacks as inspiration for what we should bring. I started making a list WEEKS before we left. My husband helped me come up with some ideas. I noticed that a lot of people that made these lists were really focused on healthy food items. And while I don't like to eat like crap on my vacations, I like to have a nice mix of healthy and junk foods. Otherwise, I'll be craving something sweet and end up buying something way worse than a cookie. Here's what we came up with!

Meats:
1. summer sausage
2. beef jerky
3. beef stick (slim jim)
4. pepperonis
Crackers:
5. Seasoned crackers
6. wheat thins
7. roasted garlic triscuits
8. chex mix
In The Cooler:
9. Veggies (broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, red peppers)
10. Dill Dip (for the veggies)
11. Fruit (bananas, raspberries)
12. Go-Gurt
13. Laughing Cow Cream Cheese Wedges
14. cheese cubes
Desserts:
15. Milano cookies
16. zebra cakes
17. chocolate chip cookies
18. Pudding
19. Jell-O
Other:
20. applesauce
21. variety pack of chips

We also brought things to make sandwiches for when we were on the road during lunch. We didn't want to stop at fast food restaurants so we figured sandwiches would be cheaper and healthier. And these snacks lasted us our entire trip! We definitely didn't go hungry.

What are some of the snacks you bring on a road trip?

Universal Orlando Resort Hotel

Royal Pacific Hotel 6300 Hollywood Way

We arrived around 4:30pm. There was a line for check-in but it seemed to move pretty fast. Our room wasn't ready yet so they gave us a couple free drink/dessert tickets to use at one of the hotel restaurants. They also gave Owen a birthday button and a card with a free dessert ticket. We were also welcomed with some leis. That was a fun polynesian touch. We picked up our Universal tickets from the kiosk.
We also decided to go ahead and use our free drink and dessert tickets so we went to Jake's American Bar. It took a while and we didn't end up leaving until almost 6pm. I got a Blue Crush and Tom got a Ginger Crush. They were pretty good. They definitely give you that island feel. We shared a Jumbo Dark Chocolate cupcake with Nutella inside and cream cheese frosting. I felt like it was almost a little dry, but really good. And it was huge! Owen got brownies and a root beer float. Even though it took us a while to get out of there, at the end of the day, we only payed $4 so we made sure to tip well.
We did eventually get a text saying that our room was ready so we dropped some stuff off before going to CityWalk.
Our room was beautiful and clean. It was spacious and everything I could ask for from a hotel room. We had a great view of the pool. Plus, we were on the 3rd floor which was actually the lobby floor so it was very convenient.
The next morning, we had to check out very early so that we could get to the parks before early admission. Apparently, there are many ways to check out. I thought it was very cool that you could check out from your TV, but that wasn't available while we were there so we ended up calling. You just leave a message with your name and room number and that's it! You're checked out.
We will 100% be staying here again in the future! I just loved it! And next time, maybe we can stay even longer.

Roadside Attractions

We didn't hit nearly as many roadside attractions as we did last time, but we were also on the road a lot more so most of the time we just wanted to get to our destinations. But here are the few that we did stop at.

From Lillington, NC to Hilton Head Island, SC:
1. South of the Border
I-95 – US 301/501, Dillon, SC
This place is absolutely ridiculous. There are so many things to walk around and take pictures with. But what we wanted to do most was take the elevator to the top of the Sombrero and of course, it was closed. I'm not sure why. So we didn't get to do that. And honestly, it looked a little scummy so we didn't really want to go inside anywhere. If we go that way again, we'll definitely pass this up.
From Orlando, FL to Delray Beach, FL:

2. Manatee Lagoon
6000 N Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach, FL
This is an adorable stop that we want to visit again, especially if we can make it between November and March. When we stopped, the manatees were gone, but it was still a cute little stop with an adoroable manatee sculpture and lots of fun facts posted around the water. I think there was also a cute visitor's center (which we want to check out next time) that has tours Tues-Sat at 2pm.
From Delray Beach, FL to Nashville, TN

3. World's Largest Peanut
315 Whittle Circle, Ashburn, GA
This thing is basically just a huge peanut on top of a brick pedestal. We stopped to take pictures with it for a couple minutes. It was a great chance to get out of the car and stretch our legs. If you're not interested in stopping, you can still see the giant peanut from the highway.

4. Large Cow
2005 North St, Ashburn, GA
This big cow is fun to take pictures with and as a bonus, it sits in a Dairy Queen parking lot. I mean, what better way to take a break from the road than to get some ice cream and sit by a giant cow!

Like I said, we didn't visit very many roadside attractions this time. If you want to see our list from last time, check them out

Hilton Head Lighthouse

We ended up only having 1 morning in Hilton Head so we used that morning to visit the lighthouse. One thing that I never read anywhere was that the lighthouse was located in a community called Sea Pines. And in order to get into Sea Pines, you have to pay $6 per vehicle. I mean, this won't break the bank or anything, but it was a surprise and I definitely didn't budget for it.
Then, when we finally arrived at the lighthouse, it was a little before 10am so we sat on some red rockers that are placed around the base of the lighthouse facing the basin and waited. Well, apparently we also weren't told that they play fast and loose with their hours of operation, because they did NOT open at 10. We decided to walk around and saw that there was a pier we could walk down. As we got closer to the pier, there was a small beach that had a TON of shells so Owen took that time to collect some. We took some pictures and then headed over to the information booth to ask when the lighthouse would open. They said it would probably open some time between 10:30 and 11. We decided to walk past and it was open.
We entered around 10:15-10:20. It cost $4.25 per person. We walked up the 114 steps to the top stopping to look at pictures and random facts and to get some pressed pennies. It's pretty tight in there so if it's busy, I'd imagine it's not too easy to navigate past people.
When we got to the top, there was a cute little gift shop. You could go outside to see the views on a deck that wrapped around the entire top. After we did that, we came inside and Owen bought a lighthouse snowglobe.
And that was our trip to the lighthouse! We really enjoyed it, but definitely wish we had known a couple of these things before visiting.

Hilton Head Island, SC Hotel

Holiday Inn Resort Beach House 1 South Forest Beach Drive

For our second destination, we chose Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. I looked at a couple of places and decided it would be worth the money to stay on the beach to save time. Since we were only planning to stay for one night, it just made sense so that we could wake up and head straight out to the beach and then come back to wash up with plenty of time before check-out. After looking at pricing, we finally settled on the Holiday Inn Resort Beach House.

We check in around 5:30pm. My husband got a text after checking in to inform him that he could text the front desk with any requests or issues. I think this is a great feature that a lot of resorts are adopting.
The room was nice. It was your typical hotel room; nothing special. Unfortunately, there was a problem with a pipe or something so they had to turn off the water for quite a long time to fix it. It was very inconvenient for us. However, we understood there wasn't much they could do about it.
The bar next to the pool was very active the night we were there. Plus, outdoors there is a firepit (only 1, but it's a big one). You can probably fit a good 6-10 chair around it depending how close you sit.
When we woke up in the morning, it was a very cloudy day so we weren't able to see the sunrise like we had hoped. Luckily, we brought our own breakfast items since it's not included with this hotel. We made our way down to the beach after we packed everything up. It was unseasonably cold that morning so there was no way we were getting in the water. However, we were still able to take some pictures and play in the sand a little before we left.
Unfortunately, our stay at this hotel wasn't what we were expecting, but we could tell it was still a great hotel that we wouldn't hesitate to book again.

Dayton, OH Hotel

TownePlace Suites Dayton North 3642 Maxton Rd

We didn't stay here very long. It was basically just a stop on our way to our next location. We checked-in around 8:30pm. The room itself was great with it's kitchenette when you first walk in and the large open living space by the couch! I wish we could have taken this room around with us to every hotel we stayed at. There is tons of storage in the desk area and in the closet that connects the entry and the bathroom.
The breakfast selection was okay, but there was no meat or any hot items other than the gravy to go with the biscuits (which were cold). In fact, we took the biscuits back to our room to microwave them first before adding the gravy. There was also 1 waffle station which caused quite the backup. There was a long line for that one. Plus, all the tables were taken because there was a large group of college kids talking (not eating).
We checked out and left around 8:30am. Our 12 hours in this hotel were decent. If we ever stay in Dayton, OH again, we'll definitely stay here.

Packing the Car for a 40+ Hour Roadtrip

I've been a little MIA for a couple weeks because I've been preparing for our long roadtrip! And now that we're back, I'm ready to give you all of our tips! We've taken a couple different roadtrips lately. They're becoming one of our go-to vacations! You get to visit multiple different locations and spend lots of quality time with your family. They're definitely not for everyone, but they're for us!

There are so many things to plan when getting ready for a roadtrip like packing lists, locations, roadside attractions, budgets, etc. But something I've put a lot of thought into, researched, and even changed my mind about mid-trip before, is how to pack the car. The first thing I do is divide everything into catergories. And there are quite a few. Here are mine:
1. Travel Gifts
2. Non-refridgerated food
3. Cooler food
4. Entertainment for the car
5. Toiletries that we need every day
6. Outfits and accessories for each day
7. Accessories and supplies to be used at specific locations
You can organize all of these things in many different ways, but this is how we did it on our most recent trip:

We packed up one of those plastic drawer carts (like this one) with non-refridgerated snacks in the bottom drawer, entertainment for the car in the middle drawer, and travel gifts in the top drawer. We packed our large cooler with all of the food that needed to stay cold. These were the things that needed to stay within reach while we were driving.

The items in the trunk were put in larger, easier to stack, containers. We had a bin to keep our clothes that we had labeled for each day so that every time we unpacked for a hotel, we just grabbed whatever clothes we would be wearing while we were there and throw them in our overnight bags. Then, the dirty clothes would go in one of those collapsible clothes hampers. In our overnight bags, we kept all the toiletries that we would need every day (like hair brushes, toothbrushes, deodorant, etc.). The only things we had left to pack were those few things we would need at specific locations like our beach umbrella, sand toys, sunscreen, bags for Universal, etc. These things were put into bags or bins of their own with a label indicating which day(s) they were to be used.

I also suggest getting one of those backseat organizers. My son loved it! He could put drinks, a tablet, pens, pencils, and notebooks in all kinds of little compartments.