Plan Your Florida Vacation
The aim of this blog is to provide as much information about things to see and do whilst you are on the holiday of a lifetime in the vacation capital of the world - The Sunshine State of Florida.
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Disney’s Answer to Harry Potter?
Posted on October 13th, 2011 No commentsWritten by: Mary Phillips
Authors WebsiteRead more Articles by Mary Phillips
Hi Everyone,
In response to Universal’s Harry Potter taking over as the busiest Park in Orlando, Disney plans to build a multi-attraction “land” based on the movie “Avatar” in Animal Kingdom as the first step to regain the Top Spot.
Avatar is a set of worlds that is really exciting and offers them a chance to expand their themes with so much to explore in the different Lands.
They will begin construction of Animal Kingdom’s Avatar land in 2013 and expects to open it to guests about five years from now. It may seem a long time but believe me, it will be well worth waiting for, as Disney will never be Second Best!!! It is estimated to costing approximately $500 million.
The deal announced Tuesday gives Disney exclusive theme-park rights to use elements from the 2009 film and from sequels due out in 2014 and 2015. They plan to build multiple-attraction lands based on the film’s fictional world of “Pandora,” including themed shops and restaurants and entertainment. It’s the same approach Universal Orlando has taken with its Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The Avatar land will provide a huge uplift for the Animal Kingdom theme park. It has been criticized by some park fans for lacking attractions and not amounting to a full-day experience on par with the Magic Kingdom or Epcot. The last major new ride added to Animal Kingdom was the Expedition Everest roller coaster, which opened in 2006. That ride cost more than $100 million.
A precise date hasn’t been set for completion of the Avatar attractions in Animal Kingdom, but an opening sometime in 2016 is the target. With the planned release of sequal Avater films due in 2013 & 2015 you can bet that Disney will be up and ready to open on time!!!
We think this is great news for all of us holidaymakers, just hope the cost to us is not over the top!!!
Happy Holiday,
Mary & Larry
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New Born Gorilla At Animal Kingdom
Posted on March 22nd, 2010 No commentsWritten by: Mary Phillips
Authors WebsiteRead more Articles by Mary Phillips
Great news for Animal Kingdom visitors, there is a New Baby at The Park. They are celebrating the birth of a Baby Gorilla. This is the 3rd. baby gorilla to be born in The Park
Guests visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom can see this special treat along the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail where they can get a rare glimpse of a newborn gorilla born February 19. The very much endangered Western lowland gorilla is doing well and has already become the star attraction of the gorilla family group which includes first-time mother, Kashata, father Gino, and two other females, Benga and Hope.
They are unable to name the new born baby yet as it takes a while to be able to find out the Gender as it is constantly in the clutches of its mother.
Sometimes the mother does not take to the new offspring but members of the primate team at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are encouraged by Kashata’s natural instincts at motherhood. Evidently first-time mothers often experience difficulty knowing the right things to do. They must learn to properly hold the baby and be able to adapt to a demanding nursing and feeding schedule.
Since Kashata has been holding the baby close to her body, animal keepers have yet to determine the baby’s gender. Most gorilla mothers keep their offspring close for several months while the baby adjusts to the environment. Babies nurse for approximately 12 months and may be weaned between the ages of four and five so we all must wait a while to find out both the sex and the name of the new arrival .
We are over in April so Animal Kingdom is on our “Must Do” list. Hope you all get time to enjoy it too.
Kindest regards,
Mary & Larry
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Animal Kingdom with Toddlers
Posted on July 30th, 2009 No commentsWritten by: Patty Bensur
Authors WebsiteOf the four Walt Disney World theme parks, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are best suited for small children. There are several attractions which would not be recommended for the little ones, but the majority of Animal Kingdom can be enjoyed by all ages.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a small child who is not a big fan of going to the zoo. Animal Kingdom is like no other animal park your child has ever seen and amidst the animal exhibits are the wonderful attractions characteristic only of Disney.
Animal Kingdom is the smallest of the Disney parks and allows families with small children ample time to cover the park at a toddler’s pace. Your children will enjoy seeing some unusual animals that they may have never seen before like Komodo dragons, anteaters, and the Flying Fox (the largest bat in the world with a wing-span of 6 feet)!
The attractions that you will need to avoid with your small children are Kali River Rapids, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, It’s Tough to be a Bug and Primevil Whirl.
The rest of the park is totally suitable for all ages including Kilimanjaro Safaris which is a pleasant ride in an open-air safari jeep across the “African Savannah” where riders can view giraffes, zebras, lions and more in their natural habitat.
Your small children will enjoy the Wildlife Express Train or a ride on the TriceraTop Spin which is similar to Dumbo in Magic Kingdom (and always a family favorite) as well as playing in the Boneyard which is a play maze built around dinosaur fossils but don’t miss the fabulous performances. Our favorite is The Festival of the Lion King. The colorful costumes, incredible imagery including giant floats with all your favorite Lion King characters, stilt walkers, acrobats, trapeze artists, and talented singers rival the Broadway performance of The Lion King we saw a few years back in New York City!
Finding Nemo – the Musical is not to be missed by little Nemo fans! This colorful live performance with actors and puppetry is a shortened re-telling of the movie only with original music numbers added in.
Flights of Wonder is an interesting program but may not be interesting enough for young children. And if your children have a fear of birds, then this may a good one to avoid as some of the birds will be flying over the audience.
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Walt Disney World - Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Posted on April 8th, 2009 1 commentWritten by: Iain & Gillian Thompson
Authors WebsiteWalt Disney World - Animal Kingdom Theme ParkI have decided to write about Disney’s Animal Kingdom because it is one of my favourite parks to visit when we are on holiday in Florida. I have also got together some fun facts about my favourite rides and attractions. It was opened 10 years ago in 1998 and is the fourth of the Disney Parks and covers over 500 acres. I love it because all the animals seem to have plenty of room and are left to roam free where possible. The whole of the park is themed around animals.The park is split up into 7 separate lands, a bit like the Magic Kingdom really. When you go through the entrance, you have to walk past the ‘Oasis’ which has animals to look at such as anteaters, ducks, macaws etc. Directly ahead is ‘Discovery Island’ which is the centre of the park and has paths that lead to the other 6 lands: Camp Mickey-Minnie, Africa, Asia, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia and DinoLand U.S.A.Discovery IslandThis is the home of the ‘Tree of Life’ - a massive 14 story, 15 metre wide tree that is covered in carvings of animals.Fun Tree Of Life facts:- 13 people worked full-time for 18 months to create the 325 animal carvings on The Tree of Life.
- There are more than 103,000 translucent leaves in 5 varying shades of green that were all individually fixed in place and they actually blow in the wind.
- At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, there are over 4 million living plants and the Tree Of Life is one of very few artificial trees.
- The tree’s branches are constructed of fibreglass and its trunk and roots are made of concrete.
- For great photos of the Tree of Life, stop on the bridge between the Oasis and Discovery Island.
Other attractions are the ‘Discovery Island trails and one of the best attractions in my opinion: ‘It’s Tough To Be a Bug’ that is based on the Bugs Life film. My daughter is still scared of this 3D film show and she is now 21!!!! As soon as she sees the trays of glasses at the entrance, she doesn’t want to go in. She thinks the scary spiders and bugs are too realistic. This attraction is located at the bottom of the Tree of Life in the tree root system.Camp Mickey-MinnieThis is to the left of the entrance but you have to walk to Discovery Island in the centre of the park to access any of the other lands. This is where the theatre is located that shows ’The Festival of the Lion King’ 3 or 4 times a day. This is a fantastic musical show, with no animals, that involves lots of audience participation. I would recommend everyone visit this show at least once and parents with small children under 10, to sit as near to the front as possible so that their children might get picked to do something. Our son Lee was once picked to roar like a lion and he has never forgotton it. Children love to be picked, even for small things like this. He is 15 years old now but its still his top show to watch. Camp Mickey-Minnie was also home to Pocahontas and Her Friends but this show has just closed and won’t be re-opened again. You can see lots of characters in this area so its great for smaller children.AfricaThis is set round a fictional village called Harambe and is to the left at the far end of the Animal Kingdom. You can see African dancers perform a show here daily, they are excellent and again, are well worth watching. The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, a walking do-it yourself type of tour has lots of interesting animals to see. There is an underwater hippo section plus the gorillas, fish, birds etc. A ‘research centre’ half way round the walk has a really interesting bit with naked mole rats.The main part of Africa is the Kilimanjaro Safaris. You get on a safari bus and set off through the 110 acres of ‘African Savanna’. You take part in a mission to stop some ivory poachers on the way round which the kids always find exiting. Its quite a bumpy ride so you have to hold onto your camera pretty tightly. You can see giraffes, gazelles, elephants, lions, hippos plus much more. Its very good the way they have set this bit up because most of the animals are just roaming freely and you have to stop the bus sometimes whilst waiting for them to move, but some of the animals, whilst not caged, are not free to roam round. The lions for example are set on land that has a valley between them and you so that you can see them, but they can’t escape.Fun ‘Safari’ facts:- No two safaris are ever the same because the animals have minds of their own. Animals are typically more active in mornings and during cooler weather, so the best time to visit is in the morning.
- Disney Imagineers made many research trips to Africa to ensure that the landscapes accurately replicate the experience of taking a safari in Africa.
- There used to be gunshots in the chase for Big Red and Little Red but these have been stopped.
Rafiki’s Planet WatchI must admit, I have never really bothered with this part much, probably because I think it is more for smaller children in my opinion. It is located to the right at the furthest end of Animal Kingdom. You have to take the ‘Wildlife Express Train’ to get over there. The trains leave every 5-7 mins throughout the day so you never have long to wait for them. You walk through ‘Habitat Habit’ which is an outdoor discovery trail with lots of cute monkeys. There is ‘Conservation Station’ which Disney has created to promote awareness for animal conservation. There is a vetinary window where you can sometimes watch them operating on animals plus there are a variety of interactive exhibits. At ‘Affection Section’, a petting yard, you can go and pet or stroke lots of farmyard animals such as goats.AsiaLocated to the right of Animal Kingdom, this has our families favourite ride: Kali River Rapids. I don’t like it because you always get soaked. I’m afraid that I am one of those people you see looking daft with a rain mac on or I have to hold the bags for everyone (this one is my best excuse for not going on) 12 of you get on a round raft that rushes down the ‘Chakrandi River’ through an Asian Rain Forest, past a waterfall. geysers and an inferno. If you make it back without getting soaked, which is very unlikely, people can squirt you from the bridge just as you are returning.Fun Kali River Rapids Fact:- Most of the statues and the various bits of decoration are authentic and were made in Asia.
Other attractions in Asia include Flights of Wonder, a show with free flying birds, the Maharaja Jungle Trek and the latest addition to the park: Epedition Everest - Legend of The Forbidden Mountain. This is a fast train/roller coaster that goes forwards and backwards through Himalaya that is guarded by the Yeti. I’ve got to say that this ride is highly over-rated in my opinion and I wouldn’t go in if it wasn’t for the single rider line which means you can get on in a few minutes usually. Its good, but not worth queing up for hours.Fun Expedition Everest facts:- Bumper to bumper, the Expedition Everest train is over 20 metres long; while the track length is over 1,341 metres long.
- Up to 2000 people an hour use the ride
- In the making of the mountain, over 1,800 tons of steel were used.
- The yeti is 22 feet (6.7 m) tall.
- Plants - over 20 acres of rockwork on the mountain is covered by: 4 varieties of Giant Bamboos, 10 species of trees and 114 species of shrubs.
DinoLand U.S.ALocated to the right of the entrance, this land has quite a few attractions. ‘The Boneyard’ is a play area for younger children where they can even dig up bones. Primeval Whirl is a spinning coaster that is always seems to be shut because its broken. I have only been on the ride once despite going to the park lots of times.This is my least favourite land in the Animal Kingdom, mainly because they have added some stalls and attractions that you have to pay for and my son is a sucker for these things. Its a bit like Blackpool in front of the Primeval Whirl attraction. Triceratop Spin and Dinosaur are 2 other rides. The only saving grace for me in this land is that they have the ‘Finding Nemo - The Musical’ which is situated where the old ‘Tarzan Rocks’ show used to be. It is a fantastic show, the costumes are fabulous. It is better than going to see a West End production in London.Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle parade is held every afternoon and features over 60 cast members. Haven’t seen this though so I can’t tell you what its like but Disney always put on a good show so I would imagine its fantastic.The park closes earlier than all the other Disney Parks. Best to check the times before setting off because some days it has closed for 5pm. -
Central Florida Theme Parks
Posted on April 29th, 2008 No commentsAs well as being the Sunshine State, Florida is also the capital for Theme Parks after Walt Disney opened his first park around 50 years ago. Since the arrival of Disney, Florida has seen a huge increase in the number of theme parks with Disney alone having grown to a total of 4 and an additional 2 water parks.
Universal Studios followed Disney into Florida opening up it’s very own park which is also a working studio and more recently another park called Islands of Adventure which host a number of big thrill rides.
Sea World is a name that many people will recognise and they too have opened an additional park in the last few years which focuses on an “up close and personal” experience with dolphins, sharks and whales.
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World is the collective name for all the theme parks associated with the infamous name Disney. It is common knowledge that the area of Walt Disney World is approximately equivalent to that of the city of Manchester in the UK!
Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is what many people would associate with being Disney World itself. It is the land of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and of course Cinderella’s Castle. The Magic Kingdom is divided into a number of smaller themed kingdoms, each unique and hosting a number of rides and shows. Make sure you catch the Light Parade around 9pm and get yourself a good vantage point early!!! If your visit falls on Christmas Day then you are in for a special treat of a Light Parade - if you are planning on a Christmas Day visit, you will need to get to the park EARLY… gates close and admission is refused once the numbers through the gates have been reached!
Epcot
Epcot is the park that is most commonly known for having the giant golf ball like structure that is visible from miles around. The park exhibits cultures from countries around the globe by allocating streets or sections to that country. Local cuisines can be sampled and entertainment from the countries is put on at the street side and in theatres. Epcot hosts such rides as Honey I Shrunk The Audience and a number of virtual reality games. A must see is the fireworks show across the lake which is spectacular.
Disney MGM Studios
MGM Studios is home to huge number of great rides and shows including the Aerosmith Rock ‘n Rollercoster, The Twighlight Zone’s Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Stunt Show and much more. A fireworks show is also put on at the end of the night.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The newest of all the Walt Disney World theme parks, Animal Kingdom brings the African safari experience to Florida as well as animals from other parts of the world. It is advisable to get to Animal Kingdom as early in the morning as possible to ensure catching a look at the main attractions.
Walt Disney’s Water Parks
Typhoon Lagoon, the older of the two Disney water parks is themed around a tropical island which has high speed water shoots and a huge lagoon which generates man made waves every 10 minutes or so. A lazy river can be enjoyed if you can do without the big thrills of the water slides and big waves!
Blizzard Beach is the latest of Disney’s water parks and is themed around the sureal surroundings of a snow capped Arctic mountain! Again, big slides and everything that is needed to make your heart beat that little bit faster!
Downtown Disney
It is quite easy to spend an entire day and a night at DownTown Disney! Here you can enjoy dining at a huge selection of restaurants including the largest Planet Hollywood in the world where dining is amongst memorabilia of celebrities from the TV and movie industry.
Why not enjoy a visit to one of the renowned Cirqu du Soleil spectaculars or check out who’s playing at The House of Blues. If you like stay up to date with the most current hits either in the music world or on DVD then perhaps you won’t want to miss out on a visit to one or the largest Virgin Mega Stores in the world or watch a movie at the AMC 24 Screen Movie Theatre and enjoy the very best in surround sound and picture quality.
If you are over 21 and want to dance the night away and enjoy a drink then Pleasure Island is a must. Bars and clubs of various genres are here including one with a revolving dance floor which can get quite confusing towards the end of the night! They say that every night is like New Year’s Eve!
Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Orlando Resort comprises of two theme parks - Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. The latest addition to the Universal Orlando Resort is City Walk, where you can enjoy the many bars, restaurants and night clubs.
Universal Studios Florida
Experience a behind the scenes look at TV and movie favourites including E.T. Adventure, Back to the Future - The Ride, Men In Black and so much more. As well as being a theme park, Universal Studios Florida is a working studio having been used in movies including Beverly Hills Cop 3 - the park truly is a ‘must visit’ while in Orlando!
Islands of Adventure
The Universal company extended their popular theme park by adding a completely new park called Islands of Adventure which quite simply is an adrenalin junkie’s paradise. In Marvel Super Hero Island, experience The Incredible Hulk Coaster, the 3d Amazing Adventures of Spiderman and more. Get wet helping Popeye save Olive Oil on Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges in Toon Lagoon and even wetter on the Jurassic Park River Adventure. If you are in to big rides you will love the Islands of Adventure.
City Walk
At Universal’s City Walk you can enjoy a number of themed bars and restaurants. Special mention should be made of the world’s largest Hard Rock Cafe where you can dine with views of rock star’s memorabilia from Elvis to U2.
Hard Rock Live hosts many a rock concert in it’s 3000 capacity arena, so keep your eyes open and follow this link to stay up to date with their schedule - during 2004 and 2005, Hard Rock Live has played host to performers including Maroon 5, Nelly, Willie Nelson, Velvet Revolver, Keith Urban, The Killers and more..
Of course City Walk isn’t just about Hard Rock Cafe and Hard Rock Live… it has many bars, restaurants and night clubs of different themes and genres of music from hip hop to jazz.
Wet ‘n Wild
Located adjacent to Universal Orlando, Wet ‘n Wild-Orlando features a full day of fun for the entire family. The name Wet ‘n Wild has long been one of the nation’s best attended water parks - the world-class signature thrill rides and quality service offer something for fun-lovers of all ages!
Sea World
The Sea World brand is owned by the Anheuser Busch company which you may recognise is the owner of the famous American beer, Budweiser. In Florida Anheuser Busch has a total of 4 parks and all are within easy reach of our villas. Sea World and Discovery Cove are located in Orlando while Busch Gardens and Adventure Land are about an hour away near Tampa. Of course, due to the relationship between the parks and it’s various beer brands, you will find Anheuser Busch hospitality areas in the aforementioned parks where you are encouraged to sample their best selling and new brands of beer free of charge!
Sea World Orlando
Visit Shamu the killer whale and watch as these giant mamals jump feet into the air with their human trainers. This amazing show is the star attraction at Sea World Orlando. If you can, make time to view the daytime and evening shows as each is different and memorable.
When you visit the coast in Florida you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a dolphin or two. At Sea World Orlando you are guaranteed to see and even touch the dolphins. Also, make sure you take in the dolphin and whale show which is another of the park’s major attractions.
The Clyde and Seymore show is a must see - this team of sea lions will have you in stitches when they get up to their trained (and sometimes untrained!) antics!
In recent years, Sea World Orlando has added a new element in the way of rides and roler coasters. The Kraken is one of the fastest roller coasters ever made - in Orlando there is nothing to beat it as it is the fastest, longest, tallest floorless roller caster… you will reach speeds of 65mph and heights of 15 story buildings… you’ll love it!
The Journey To Atlantis quite simply will soak you - if you like to stay dry, stay away! This ride will take you on a log flume style journey through Atlantis and send you plunging from the mountain into the pool below. Beware of the sadistic on lookers at the end of the ride who have paid good money to soak you with water jets!!!
Discovery Cove
At Discovery Cove you can get a real up close interactive experience with dolphins. You will be provided with snorkel equipment, swim vests and everything needed to make your in the water experience with the dolphins a truly memorable one. Click on the link to visit Discovery Cove official website.
Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay and Adventure Island
Quite simply Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is a 335-acre, African-themed family entertainment park located in Tampa, Florida. It features naturalistic animal attractions such as the renowned 80-acre natural setting of the Serengeti Plain, thrill rides like Montu, a massive inverted roller coaster, and live entertainment. When you visit, make sure you take a ride on the Sheikra roller coaster which drops you 90 degrees… straight down at 70mph!
Adventure Island operates on 36 acres next to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The park features several unique water-play areas, thrilling splash rides and a 17,000-square-foot wave pool.
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