Universal Studios continue to make the news with another new ride announced. A new roller coaster called The Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit will open featuring six near-miss moments, a record-breaking loop and eight corkscrew turns. WOW!!

Rockit will rise 167 feet in the air, making it the tallest coaster in Central Florida with speeds of 65 mph and high-intensity, multi-sensory experience It will will be located near the park entrance, between the Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast ride and the Sharp Aquos Theatre where the Blue Man Group perform but bits of the track will spill over into CityWalk and the lagoon.

Supposedly, the most technologically advanced roller coaster in the world, utilising the latest digital technology, it will feature high-energy video displays in the waiting line and numerous digital audio and video high-intensity, multi-sensory effects during the ride. In fact you will be able to select your own music for the ride (Got to be a PUN here!! YOU MAKE ME DIZZY by The Matchstickmen.  How about some replies?) and create a music video which you can then edit and download before post on video-sharing web sites.

The Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit is the latest in a series of announcements made by Universal in the last twelve months. Already Universal have announced the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter”, the The Simpsons Ride and Disaster! A Major Motion Picture Ride…Starring You!

2009 COULD BE THE BEST YEAR YET for NEW ATTRACTIONS in ORLANDO get BOOKING NOW

Our villa is situated just after “The Little White Chapel” at marker 14 on the 192 & before the Medieval Times Castle and Wal-Mart.

Hiring a car is essential, and weekly rates are fairly reasonable. You can pick up your car at either airport. Orlando International is a half hour drive from the villa, whilst SanfordAirport is approximately an hour away. Most scheduled airlines, including Virgin, use Orlando International, Air tours; Unijet, etc use SanfordAirport.

Local Attractions

Windward Cay is just 8 miles from World Drive, the entrance to Disney World, Epcot, Disney MGM Studios and Typhoon Lagoon

The 47 square miles of Disney World are all connected by shuttle-bus, ferry and monorail. Disney Hopper Plus Passes, allow you to visit more than one of the 4 main Disney Theme Parks on the same day, and offer complimentary use of the Walt Disney World Transportation System.

Sea World, Discovery Cove, Universal Studios and the NewIslands of AdventureTheme Park are all within 30 minutes drive away.

Sea World is the largest MarinePark in the World, and home of “SHAMU” the killer whale. Enjoyable for all age groups.

Discovery Cove is a new tropical paradise where you can swim with dolphins, snorkel with rays and tropical fish, or just relax on the white sand beaches and get the best tan ever.

Universal Studios now offer 2 amazing theme parks, and non-stop nightlife. Experience the action and excitement of the movies at UniversalStudiousTheme Park and the incredible universe of myths, legends and Super Heroes at the new Islands of Adventure.  

Nearer home is Kissimmee Old Town, which boasts shops, restaurants, amusement rides, and Classic Car Shows every Friday and Saturday. Still enjoyable just to have a walk around in and out of the shops or stop for a bite to eat.  If you want to explore further a field, Busch Gardens and the Gulf Coast delights of Tampa, Clearwater and St Petersburg are within easy reach.

On the Atlantic coast the superb beaches around Cape Canaveral, and the Kennedy Space Centre are less than an hours drive away

My 8 year old son Jack is a big fan of action movies and he had seen the Terminator ads on the Universal Studios web sites and just had to see the action for himself. So when we arrived at the theme park and one sign showed Universal and the other Islands of Adventure it was obvious which one we headed for! The Terminator 3D film show was only a few minute walk away in which a very excited young boy would not be let down by this spectacular all American swash buckling boys own annual show. This was the first of five visits and he greeted each one with the same enthusiasm as the last.

The show starts off with everybody standing by the doors to a huge theatre. A Sky Net representative explained about the whole ethos of the Sky Net organisation. A film show reinforced the words that were spoken and this lasted about 10 minutes, you then collected your 3D spectacles and the huge doors to the theatre opens and you enter for the show. We sat at the front on each occasion and the show was fantastic each time, I know there is a bit of a child in each one of us at heart.

Once inside and seated the same Sky Net representative continues her talk about the company, then the action starts, after seeing eight feet tall Terminators strut their stuff all hell breaks loose. The actors playing Sarah and John Connor appear and a very life like Arnie the Terminator makes his appearance. The show last about 20 minutes and is a great mixture of guns, special effects and action all the way. The characters run pass the people at the front in the audience. My son touched a Terminator and he lived that show. The guns made the right noises and looked like real, even the smell of the cordite made the show seem real. The seats moved to add to the special effects, and a spray of water for good measure all added up to a show that was just brilliant!

I normally book my park tickets over the net with one of the big named companies. I usually pay by credit card in sterling and have the tickets sent directly to my home address. This year I used the link on the Silver Creek web site to Billy Boy’s Discount Tickets! I think the prices were very reasonable and found a deal for a seven day ticket to Universal Studios and the Island Of Adventure. I had the option of paying in pounds or dollars. I have an American credit card and decided that this was the best and cheapest way to pay for the tickets. The tickets would not be sent to me direct, but would be collected on my arrival at the Parks by entering your credit card into one of the many machines at the entrance. I was a little sceptical about this, but on my arrival I had my tickets in seconds! This was a very easy and painless exercise and would be quite happy to recommend this company. We spent 5 days using the two parks and had a really good time, I am sure further articles will follow on this topic, but If I have one thing to add about a weeks holiday in Florida and that is a week is just not long enough especially with the kids!

Badges are available for purchase from all the shops in the parks and also on carts around the Parks. There is a badge for every ride, every character and every park so you can buy a badge showing your favourite character on your favourite ride, the combinations are endless !

All the Park Staff wear badges on their waistcoats or on badge bands hung around their necks, you can trade one of your badges with them if they have one that you want - but you have to be prepared to part with one of yours. You can also buy your favourite big badge to hang off the bottom of the badge band – my daughters has a Mickey as the Sorcerers Apprentice and a Stitch hanging from her neck straps. There are purpose made bags and books to display your badges in, if you prefer not to wear them, these bags and books are all available to buy from the Disney outlets.

As new films and rides are created a new badge will be produced to mark the event. My most recent favourite character is Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, I love that crazy pirate and have really enjoyed the films. There are badges with a picture of Walt Disney himself on, some of my particular favourite badges are the black and white old ‘Steamboat Mickey’ style badge (which I bought Christmas 2006). Also, special edition badges are produced to mark anniversaries and other notable events. My daughter has a fine collection of badges which must now number around one hundred of them.

If you manage to visit the Pin Badge Trading Post in Downtown Disney, you will not only see a fantastic selection of badges for sale, but also the serious badge collectors exhibit their badge collections outside the Trading Post and you can take a look at their collection. They are always on the look out for rare and unusual badges and will trade with you to enhance their collection.

If you miss buying your favourite badges whilst in the parks then visit the big Disney store in Downtown Disney and from Carts along the way from one end of Downtown Disney to the other, Park Badges are also available to buy.

Pin badge trading extends to all parks including Islands Of Adventure, Sea World for example and also to some restaurants, including the Outback Steakhouse.

There are 3 participating restaurants in different price categories.  Listed from most expensive to least expensive, they are Brown Derby, Mama Melrose and Hollywood and Vine.  The best part about this package is that there is no additional charge! By booking the Fantasmic Dinner Package in advance using your credit card, you pay a fixed dinner price and are given a reserved seating pass for the show.    

We opted for the buffet at Hollywood and Vine.  The food was really good and there were plenty of choices for every member of our family including our fussy young son!  They had a special section for children which included chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.   It was a hot day and the cold selections were especially appetizing.   The dessert bar offered a fabulous finish with a variety of sweets in tiny portions which gave us the opportunity to sample everything and go back for more of our favorites! 

At the end of our meal, the waiter presented us with our seating passes for Fantasmic with special instructions on where to enter and when to be there.  We were able to wait until only 30 minutes prior to start time to arrive and we were ushered in through a special entrance – no wasted time waiting in line!!  We were taken to a special reserved section and seated immediately. 

Here are some tips if you plan to book this package for your next trip to Disney:

1 – You can book this up to 180 days in advance by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE.   If you’re going during a peak holiday period, then book early.  We were actually able to book the package only a couple days prior as it wasn’t a busy time, but the only restaurant available was the Hollywood and Vine and only for the early seating. 

2 – The reserved seating section is on a first-come-first-served basis.  All the seats are great, so there’s really no value and arriving early to choose your seats.  However, take note that if you sit in the first few rows, you will get wet!

3- If you have elderly or disabled guests in your party, take into consideration that it is quite a long walk from the entrance to the seating area.  So, arrive early if this is the case.  No matter how early you arrive, you won’t have to wait in line – you will go straight to your seats!

They were very keen to do Universal as both are great film fans.  They enjoyed it but apart from Shrek in 4D and the make up show feel it is in need of an update.  However you can have your photo taken with Shrek and Donkey! Jaws is rather dated now.  We booked 2 park ticket which gave us admission to Islands of Adventure.   More of a fun fair really and not really much for the more ‘mature’ visitor!  They had Mardi Gras parade each Saturday which was fun.

Downtown Disney has a great buzz about it and the Cirque du Soliel, although rather expensive, is superb.  If a pleasant stroll round lake takes your fancy then the Boardwalk is interesting.  It has a few eateries, street entertainment and at 9pm you get a good view of the fireworks from Disney.

If you can accept whales kept in confinement then the shows at Seaworld are incredible.  Previous visit I did Discovery Cove.  Again expensive and a little disappointing. 

If you need a break from theme parks then a visit to Mount Dora is good. Interesting collection of olde worlde type shops and boat trip down one of the creeks is good value. 

For shopping the Florida mall has a great selection of shops.   Work has now started in earnest on the Posner Centre shopping mall which is just off Interstate 4 at junction 55. 

We did not do the Disney parks this time but I still feel they take some beating - particularly for small children - whose faces light up on seeing the characters.  Go with the right attitude and adults can have great fun too!

We visited Sarasota which has a stunning beach but is at least a two hour drive so might be worth staying a night. There are plenty of motels at all prices.We also visited Amelia Island which, again, is a long drive but well worth a visit.   We stayed at an old Colonial B/B.  Each room was themed differently.   We had 4 poster bed, antique furniture and a hot tub on our balcony! 

 Hope you will find this information of use and if you would like any further information do not hesitate to contact me.  Happy holidays!

David

As a hardened and regular traveller to Florida over the last three years I have flown on most direct flights from various UK airports, mainly Gatwick Airport in the South of England and on one occasion even flew from Glasgow Airport in Scotland. I have flown to Orlando International, Sanford International and Miami Airport. I have flown with Virgin, Thomas Cook, My Travel, Thompson Fly, and Travel City Direct, Air tours and Delta Airlines. I have flown to the states in February, March, August and November. I have in the Majority of cases flown with the cheapest Courier to the states. I am constantly probing the net for flights to the states. This summer I could not find a cheap flight this summer; I was looking at prices ranging from £600 for a return direct flight up to £900. I was even considering staying at home for the summer, but I know I would be sad and miserable if I did not have my Florida fix!

I was delighted, amazed and even shocked when I had a good friend of mine inform me that another Airline was travelling out of Gatwick and flying direct to Fort Lauderdale on Sundays, or a one stop flight via Bermuda on Thursdays! What’s the name I hear you ask? The reply was Zoom Airlines. A well-established Canadian Airline, which now flies from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale. There is a lot of scope for flying for a week, two weeks, three weeks or more! I opted for a 32 nights stay with my family of four, but the best thing is the price, wait for it, under £1600 for a direct flight from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale and return. I cannot find any better deal on the net. The only downside I can see is that I will have to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Clear Creek. I believe this is about 150 miles, and obviously do this again on my return. I think this is a very small price to pay when you take into account the money you are saving on a direct flight from the UK. Zoom Airlines offer a lot of flexibility with the dates. I will update you all with my Zoom experience in September.