It’s quite a way from our villa but the whole experience was worth the drive. It’s quite a big place with valet parking and at first we thought we were going to be underdressed, but, as with most restaurants in Florida it didn’t matter and we weren’t out of place in our casual clothes. You pay an all inclusive price for the meal which was about $50, this doesn’t include drinks.

After being taken to your table  you are served with water and drinks if you want them, then you help yourself to the salad bar. We have had a few salad bars over there but this was up there with the best of them. There is soup, different breads, cheeses, meats olives and all kinds of salad and the only problem is not filling up before the main course.

At your table you are attended by gauchos, dressed in traditional Brazilian costume, this is where it becomes more of an experience than a meal out.  

After finishing your salad the main course is served. The gauchos bring skewers of meat to your table and carve it straight from the skewer onto your plate. It was absolutely beautiful, perfectly cooked and seasoned. There was a choice of steak, pork, chicken, sausage, filet mignon and lamb all served with seasonal vegetables, we had mashed potato and fried plantain. You have a disk on your table, one side green and one side red. When you want them to bring you more meat, turn it to the green side, when you need a moments rest turn it to the red side.

We wanted to try a little bit of everything it was so nice but got to the point where we couldn’t possibly eat anymore so if you’re going to try it – go REALLY hungry.

Dessert was included but we just couldnm’t manage it, what we didn’t realise was that we could have had dessert ‘to go’ and taken it home for later – we’ll remember that next time.

When I think of Harry Potter—once I push past the death of my favorite character, and the unsatisfactory conclusion—I remember what I fell in love with when I first began the series.  Hogwarts and its many quirks., Hogsmeade, butterbeer, Zonko’s, and Honeyduke’s.  Then there are the dragons and hippogriffs., the Triwizard Tournament,  the Ministry of Magic, Quidditch, the Golden Trio, Draco Malfoy, Sirius Black, Professor Dumbledore and the list could go on, but that is where I usually start. 

I am pleased to say that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter successfully captured all the elements of the series that drew in the fans in the first place, while avoiding all the unpleasantness that popped up starting in book five. 

There was Hogwarts, albeit a bit small, standing in all its glory and containing the enthralling ride “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey,”  during which you experience all of the castles familiar characteristics, the Trio, Draco, Dumbledore, the Fat Lady, and a few other characters.  When you first cross into this section of Islands of Adventure, a sign greets you that reads, “Welcome to Hogsmeade.”  And what a welcome it is.  The village is complete with all of our favorite shops; Honeyduke’s, Zonko’s, the Three Broomsticks, and several more.  Even Ollivander’s is represented, successfully transplanted from Diagon Alley (this didn’t really seem to bother anyone, I think we were all just happy to see it).  There are several artful touches scattered around that subtly complete the scene.   

All around are the normal signs and warnings found in amusement parks, but these are all embellished with Ministry of Magic symbols and predicated by phrases such as “A notice from the Department of Magical Games and Sports” or “the Department of Magical Transportation” or “the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.”  The list of Departments goes on, and every time I read one of those names, it brought a smile to my face.    

Two adorable shows, one featuring the infamous Hogwarts Choir complete with toads (funny I missed that in the books) and the other ladies from Beauxbatons and gentlemen from Durmstrang complete the mood, and support the Hogwarts ride and a Triwizard Tournament roller coaster respectively.

There is even a kiddie roller coaster called Flight of the Hippogriff that takes off outside Hagrid’s hut for those who won’t like the loops and dives of the previously mentioned Dragon Challenge Triwizard Tournament coaster (which is a phenomenal coaster, by the way). 

All in all, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is very well done and highlights all of the things that one usually thinks of when Harry Potter is mentioned.  For a slightly disillusioned fan, it was exactly what was needed to bring the magic of Harry roaring back to life!

Written By: Gabriella Bensur

When planning for your vacation in an Orlando Disney villa, please, please remember to buy adequate travel insurance, especially for medical cover.  We recommend a minimum of $10 million coverage.

The USA is not a place to travel to without proper cover.  They do not have a National Health Service like we do in the UK and costs can be extremely high.

If you visit a hospital or medical centre, the first thing they will ask is if you are insured.  Then they will ask what is wrong with you.

If you go onto the web, you will find a multitude of companies offering discount travel insurance to the USA.  This is often much cheaper than taking out insurance through a travel agent.  We have a multi trip annual policy covering 2 adults and 2 children and we pay just £70 per year.  Always take out your insurance as soon as you have booked the flight / villa / accommodation.  This will insure you are covered immediately.  Do not wait until just before your holiday.

Make sure you take the policy with you on holiday.  In the event that you do need medical help at a hospital or medical centre, they will ask if you are insured and able to pay for treatment.  You should phone your insurer immediately to advise them that you are ill and request authorization from them for the treatment.  Costs can be very expensive.  I had pneumonia a few years back, and the treatment including x-rays, blood test and a few hours in hospital came to over £2,000.  Fortunately, I was fully covered and only had to pay a £35 excess.  Nowadays, our policy does not even have an excess.

Minor treatments by doctors can also be expensive compared to the UK.  By the time you have had a consultation and some medication, the bill can be up to £200.  Check you policy to see if you can obtain treatment up to a certain limit before you need your insurers ok to proceed.  If this is the case, be sure to keep all receipts as these will be required by your insurer (without them you may not be reimbursed).  If possible, obtain the name of the doctor you see as this may help in the event of any queries.

The other form of cover you should obtain is for lost or damaged luggage (either by accident or theft).  If you do need to make a claim for lost luggage, you need to report it to the airport authorities if the loss is at the airport or to the police if it is in Florida while you are on holiday.  You will need an incident number to give to your insurer.

Always remember to lock the villa, keep your wallet hidden, and just be cautious as you would in England and the chance of losing valuables is very small.

Have a great holiday in your Orlando Disney villa.

Every Christmas for the last few years there has been a spectacular event held at Gaylord Palms, called Ice. This features spectacular ice sculptures and lasts around 7 weeks – from November to just after Christmas.  My family and I went there recently and had a really memorable visit.

To create the displays, Gaylord Palms selects around 40 Chinese artisans, who are chosen from the participants in the International Ice and Snow Festival which takes place in China every year. It takes around one month for them to complete the wonderful display.

The walkways are carpeted and both wheelchairs and strollers can be accommodated. There are a limited number of wheelchairs available for rent if you prefer not to bring one of your own.

They do have a pre show before you actually get into the exhibit with entertainment.  You can also meet Santa.  They have a computer outside the exhibit where you can send an email to him if you don’t want to see him. 

Some interesting trivia they provided us:

48,000 pounds is the weight of the ice used to create the giant Santa Claus.

They have special programs where you can propose to your girlfriend or actually have a wedding at ICE!

5000 blocks of ice that are hand carved to create the exhibit. They come in a dozen different colors.

1500 specially designed LED tube lights that are frozen in the ice.

More than 18,000 square feet of space is used for the ICE! Exhibit.

The unique structure housing “Ice”, is also known as the “Florida Fridge.”  It is believed to be the first of its kind in North America.

In all they use a staggering two million pounds of ice to create the displays which are kept at a chilly nine degrees Fahrenheit.

Three kinds of ice are needed to make the sculptures. White ice has the appearance of compacted snow and this effect is created by freezing the water very quickly which lends an opaque appearance to the ice.

Crystal Ice is made from de-ionized water that has been multi filtered. Each 400 pound ice block uses 45 gallons of water and takes around 72 hours to freeze.

Colored Ice is made by simply adding a bright colorant that makes a nice contrast to the brilliant white of the un-dyed ice.

Threaded among the displays are thousands of twinkling lights that add sparkle to the snow.

There is a wall where you can touch the ice to see how cold it is, but you are politely requested not to touch the exhibits as all those warm hands will obviously eventually melt away parts of them away. 

There are incredible photo opportunities throughout the entire exhibition.  There is a 13 foot Santa carved out of ice.  You can pose for a picture with Santa.  There is a larger than life Gingerbread house which is another picture taking spot. Just be aware that the lens on your camera can fog up because of the cold temperatures. Be sure your camera batteries are charged because they drain quicker in colder temperatures.

Outside there is a skating rink and you will be pleased to learn that they supply you with skates for this.

You may be wondering if you can take all the cold when you are dressed in shorts and t-shirts? Well they have thought of that too and supply you with very warm clothing. The oversized parkas they give you kept my family and I very warm.  It is still a good idea to wear trainers or similar to keep the feet warm, and perhaps gloves as well.  There are no pockets in the parkas, and so ensure you have somewhere to put your car keys, wallet etc.

After the attraction, the hot chocolate is very welcoming as well.

There is the usual gift shop to visit and we feel it is always nice to take home a Christmas decoration that will remind you of your visit to ‘ Ice at Gaylord Palms’.

Prices are approximately $20 for an adult and $10 for a child.

As always, the key to a successful trip is proper planning.  If you have a clear view of every stage of the journey it will flow more smoothly than if you are having to react to a series of minor disasters which are being flung at you.

The issue we all have with air travel is that it is always rush, then wait, rush then wait.  You rush to the airport to ensure you can check in on time and get the seats you want.  However, you may have a long wait in the queue to get rid of your luggage and obtain your boarding passes.  Then we rush to passport control and again we may have to wait a long time in a line.  Once through passport control, we have perhaps 3 to 4 hours to wait for boarding.  We have a cup of coffee, perhaps a bite to eat.  It seems to go on and on.  With all the added security measures in place at airports, you must be prepared to wait for some hours at the airport.  If you have older children, they can often amuse them selves on a PSP, Game Boy or even the old fashioned reading of a book.  If you have younger children it can be more challenging to keep them amused.  Some airports do have play areas for them and this can help a lot.  Always try and take along a small, cheap favourite toy they can play with.  Being cheap, if it gets lost, then it does not matter too much.

Once on board, always remember to exercise when possible and at least once an hour.  Walk up and down the plane, or flex your feet.  This may well help to prevent DVT (Deep vein thrombosis).  Also remember to drink plenty of fluids (water – not beer !!!).

Take an Aspirin just before you fly.  Aspirin helps to thin the blood and so helps prevent DVT.  Make sure you only take the one as Aspirin does have side effects.

If you smoke, please remember that all flights are non smoking.  Many areas of the airport are also non smoking.  Please do not be tempted to nip into the toilet for a quick drag.  The toilets have smoke detectors and smoking will set them off.  It is a Federal Offence to smoke in the toilets and if caught, you will be prosecuted.

During your journey, you will need to complete a green Visa Waiver from and also a blue and white customs form.  The green form must be completed for all members of your party.  The customs form only needs to be completed for a family.  Most UK citizens can enter the USA on the waiver form for up to 6 months.  Once you have completed the forms, keep them handy with your passport to hand to customs and Immigration at your destination airport.  Be aware that if you have any kind of criminal record, have been a member of any organisation likely to be of interest to the security services or even if you have ever been detained in connection with certain offences, you are not eligible for the visa waiver scheme. If this applies to you, you should contact the American Embassy to ask their advice before you book your holiday. The UK and America share various form of information and you may well be refused entry to the country if you do not have the necessary visa.

When you land, just follow the crowds to immigration. You need to wait in line patiently.  Remember that these employees are keeping an eye out for illegal immigrants and terrorists etc.  They take their jobs very seriously.   We are all tired after a long flight, but please do be patient with them as they are only doing their job.  Answer all questions properly with out any form of joking.  If you do play them up, they can easily just put you back on the next flight.  Treat them with respect and your path through immigration will be uneventful.  At immigration you may well find small dogs sniffing around your hand luggage.  They are looking for food, which you are not allowed to bring into the country.

After immigration, you need to collect your luggage from the carousels and move onto to customs.   Usually this is quite painless and you go through quite quickly.  If you are unfortunate, you may be selected to have your cases opened which will hold you up for a short while.  So long as you have nothing to hide you will soon be on your way.

Once through customs, you need to go to the car rental desks to collect your rental car.  Make sure you have the car rental voucher with you, plus driving license and credit card.  You will probably be asked if you would like to upgrade your car and if you do consider this, always try bargaining.  You may get a really good deal.  Make sure you have some change with you for any tolls you may pass through. 

We hope you found this article interesting and helps you arrive at your Orlando Disney villa fully refreshed.

Bottles of Corona for $2

Beach Volleyball

Sunset on St Petes Beach

All of these can be found with a visit to the Undertow Beach Bar, which is right on St Petersberg beach just along from the large hotel Don Cesar.

You sit in the bar or directly on the beach and watch Beach Volleyball. They serve some wonderful food as well. What could be better?

They also have an upstairs veranda that gives you an opportunity to sit there and while away some time waiting for the glorious sunset.

If you visit the website the staff will explain all the wonderful cocktails that can be had as well.

Give it a go!!!

The more that the theme parks put their prices up the more that people are looking for cheaper alternatives to enjoy their stays in Florida - and to keep the kids happy.

During our Guest’s successive wintering in the sunshine we have built up a valuable ‘store’ of trips to make to places where the admission price was often only a dollar - or maybe just a few dollars more. The greatest source of these is the wonderful resource of Florida state parks and recreation areas and historic sites.

Here are just a few that we have visited and enjoyed ourselves.

Blue Spring State Park
2100 W. French Ave.
Orange City, FL 32763

Named Florida’s best manatee observation point. Blue Spring produces 105 million gallons of crystal clear water a day. Fishing, canoe and kayak rentals, picnic areas, scuba diving, swimming, camping, nature trails and the historic Thursby House. A designated manatee refuge, Blue Spring is visited by numerous West Indian manatees during the winter months. (Best avoid weekends and holidays - very crowded then)
Directions: I-4 W. to Exit 114 in Deland. West to U.S. 17, south to French Ave. in Orange City. West on French Ave. to Park Entrance.

Rock Springs Run Reserve State Park
Off State Road 46 (at entrance to County Road 433; County Road 433 not marked) Sorrento, FL32776

Rock Springs Run State Reserve is approximately 14,000 acres of a variety of plant communities typically found throughout Central Florida’s landscape. The reserve is located approximately 30 miles north of Orlando and easily located off of I-4 at the exit for S.R. 46; then follow S.R. 46 west for almost 10 miles. The property was purchased in March 1983 for habitat preservation, for watershed protection and to provide recreational opportunities in the Central Florida area. Directions: Off S.R. 46, 3 mi. W of Wekiwa River Bridge.

De Leon Springs State Park
601 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
De Leon Springs, FL 32130

Native Americans visited and used these springs as long as 6,000 years ago. By the 1880s, the springs had become a winter resort promising “a fountain of youth.” There is excellent swimming in the spring, which remains at 72 degrees year round. Canoe, kayak, and paddleboat rentals are available for exploring the springhead and spring run. Visitors can enjoy an outdoor picnic or dine at the “Old Spanish Sugar Mill” Restaurant where guests can make their own pancakes at the table. (Great fun for the whole family!) Directions: From I/4 N. of Orlando take SR.17/92, then S.R. 17 to De-Leon Springs, turn onto Ponce de Leon Blvd. The park is located at the corner of Ponce de Leon Blvd. and Burt Parks Rd.

First the bad news, Disney have gone ahead and increased their Day Ticket price by $3.00 to $82.00 for Adults & $74.00 for children, so it is even more important to look out for a good deal.

To follow up on a previous Article we made, there has been 6 arrests this month at kiosks along the 192 who are selling days left over from Multi day tickets, also 2 booths alongside Seaworld, so once again, we say, be very careful to buy you tickets at reputable dealers or face the massive disappointment of being refused entry when you reach the Park gate.

We thought that next years visitors may be interested to know the American holiday dates so they can avoid the crowds and queues when they plan their days out during their stay in Florida.

 See Chart Below

Happy Holidays, Mary & Larry

2011

Holiday                                                Date

New Year’s Day                                     January 1st

Birthday of Martin Luther King               Third Monday in January

Inauguration Day                                  January 20th every four years

Groundhog Day                                     February 2nd

Valentine’s Day                                     February 14th

Washington’s Birthday                           Third Monday in February since 1971

Inauguration Day                                   March 4th every four years

St Patrick’s Day                                     March 17th

April Fool’s Day                                    April 1st

Mothers’ Day                                        Second Sunday in May

Armed Forces Day                                 Third Saturday in May

Memorial Day                                        Last Monday in May since 1971

Flag Day                                               June 14th

Fathers’ Day                                         Third Sunday in June

Independence Day                                 July 4th

Parents’ Day                                         Fourth Sunday in July

Labor Day                                             First Monday in September

Grandparents’ Day                                 Sunday after Labor Day

Columbus Day                                       Second Monday in October

United Nations Day                                October 24th

Halloween                                             October 31st

Election Day                                          Tuesday on or after November 2

Veterans Day                                         November 11th

Thanksgiving Day                                  Fourth Thursday in November

Christmas Day                                       December 25th