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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Latest News & Exciting Rumours
Posted on January 29th, 2012 1 commentWritten by: Mary Phillips
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The latest news from The Parks is that yet again, Florida’s main theme parks reached saturation point.
Most of Florida’s major theme parks reached capacity crowds in the period between Christmas and the New Year with wait times of several hours on the more popular rides. Even Legoland Florida reported capacity crowds in its first ever Christmas season. With our school holidays dictating our choice of dates, it is really hard to avoid these queues and is something we all have to try to live with.
Change of Soft Drinks at The Parks have even had newspapers calling it The Soft Drink Wars.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi brands have always fought for the exclusive rights to sell their brands in the major Florida theme parks. Up until recently Coca-Cola have been at both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios and Pepsi have been the choice at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens.
On January 1 that all changed when SeaWorld and Busch Gardens both switched allegiance and replaced Pepsi by Coca-Cola. Legoland Florida is now one of the few parks where you will find the Pepsi brand in Florida. It is such a shame (for us) as we do genuinely prefer Pepsi!!!
Hogwarts Rumours
Following the announcement that the classic Jaws ride along with the surrounding Amity themed area are closed at Universal Studios, rumours are already beginning to spread about what will take its place. The Jaws ride was one of the parks original rides when it first opened.
Universal confirmed that they would be opening a Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Hollywood, they also stated that they will “significantly expand” the Wizarding World in Orlando in the next couple of years but they have given no further details at this time.
The launch of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter within Universal’s Islands of Adventure has seen attendance records soar by 30% compared to only 6% at Universal Studios so there is a possibility that part of Harry Potter might come to Universal Studios as well.
The Potter rumours include the construction of the Ministry of Magic, the Diagon Alley and using the Hogwarts Express train to transport guests between the two parks.
Splitting Harry Potter between the two parks would split the attraction of one park over the other and some guests might resent having to buy tickets to both parks, but it could result in increased multi-day ticket sales, particularly for Universal Studios. They are as good as Disney for new ideas, making us ‘Guests’ pay more!!
Rather than spill over into Universal Studios, they might simply replace one of the other lands within Islands of Adventure such as the remainder of the Lost Continent in much the same way as they did to create the Wizarding World in the first place. This would leave the Jaws attraction available for another possibility such as the Transformers ride that is currently being built in both Hollywood and Singapore. We can’t wait to hear more.
One thing that is certain and NOT A Rumour is that Despicable Me will open at Universal Studios in 2012
Best Wishes for 2012 & Happy Holidays.
Mary & Larry
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Latest Theme Park Updates
Posted on June 25th, 2011 No commentsWritten by: Mary Phillips
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Hi Everyone,
As we come to the end of our latest (last minute) visit to our villa in Florida, we have a few updates on what is going on at the Parks.
The Disney price increase has certainly not stopped the visitors as the Parks were busy, so it is still best to get to the Fast Track Stations in the Parks to make sure you have less waiting times on your favourite rides. For the other rides you want to make, try to plan them when the big Show Events are on, it makes a real difference with the queues.
Legoland at Cypress Gardens is ahead of scheudule and hope to open in October. It is about 45 minutes drive down the I4 from the Disney area, which makes it an easy choice to get to. Legoland planners say 50 million of the iconic plastic building bricks will be incorporated into rides, statues and attractions geared toward children ages 2 to 12 and their families. The lineup will include four gentle roller coasters, but the park retains its famous botanical gardens and water ski show from Cypress Gardens, which was one of Florida’s first theme parks.
At Seaworld, the new environmentally themed Shamu show called One Ocean is now open, replacing the well-worn Believe show. The show features majestic killer whales as ambassadors of the sea, and the ocean as the center of the universe. The theme of the show is the message that both animals and humans are part of one world, with one ocean, and its future is in our hands to cherish and protect.
One of the Orcas back at the Park exhibiting his talents in the new show is Tilikum, the whale that sadly and tragically killed drowned 40-year-old trainer Dawn Brancheau last year. Tilikum spent more than a year away from the exhibits but has recently returned.
Trainers have not been in the pools with the whales since the accident in February 2010, but they are now upgrading facilities with safety equipment and readying the animals for trainers to get back into the water. A firm date for that has not been announced, but SeaWorld officials said the new show is planned to incorporate “water work” with the trainers when the time is appropriate.
Back in the car for a 60 minutes drive to Busch Gardens in Tampa where the new Cheetah Hunt roller coaster that uses the force of repelling magnets to launch riders from zero to 60 mph in a matter of seconds, three different times during the ride is due to open very soon. Opening this summer, (Summertime) here was officially 21st. June.
Cheetah Hunt will be the longest of the park’s coasters with 4,429 feet (1,350 meters) of track. It is the centerpiece of a new animal habitat area called Cheetah Run that will allow visitors to get up close to the lithe cats living there. You will be able to witness the world’s fastest land animal in action during daily sprints conducted by trainers. It is a must do for our next visit to Florida, hopefully with the Grandchildren
Hope you all get to try it before us, have a great holiday everyone.
Mary & Larry
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Two New Attractions To Try
Posted on August 12th, 2010 No commentsWritten by: Mary Phillips
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Busch Gardens have now opened the new Sesame Street Safari of Fun. It is more for the little ones, which we believe, is needed as there are limited kiddies rides at a lot of the Parks. The height restrictions imposed at the parks can spoil the family day as the great disappointment for the little ones when they are turned away brings the whole family down.
The music filled area with the African dance tunes keeping everyone’s feet tapping while the kids can enjoy the kid size rides, water fun and lots of surprises waiting!!
Elmo’s Tree House is great climbing fun and Grover’s desert ride has the children all screaming with joy. They have now introduced the Dine with the Characters experience, this added with all of the Bigger rides helps keep all of the family well and truly entertained.
Aquatica’s Omaka Rocka ride has brought lots of comments from the guests at our villa and they are all GOOD!! Evidently, you get the same experience of snowboarding and skateboarding as you speed down the water slides into massive funnels, experiencing weightlessness as you can ride the curves up and down and even go backwards. Everyone can join in and enjoy the ride without being professional, even a Granddad has improved his ”Street Cred” with his family!! which he couldn’t help but mention in our guest book.
Larry & I are certainly looking forward to taking our grandchildren ( he needs some “Brownie Points of late!!)
Have fun
Mary & larry
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Latest Florida News
Posted on July 13th, 2010 No commentsWritten by: Mary Phillips
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Just a few snippets we have heard about through our returning guests and management over in Florida which may be of some interest to future visitors.
Odd details about the major NEW roller coaster project at Busch Gardens are slowly being revealed.
One of our recent guests noticed that signs have gone up on the construction walls with the slogan “Feel the spirit. Feel the speed, coming Spring 2011″.
On checking it out it seems that the ride will offer an immersive experience along the same lines as the new Manta ride at SeaWorld that opened in 2009.
Our management have told us that the name “Cheetaka” has been mentioned which makes you think it might have something to do with African cheetahs that are renowned for their speed. Bring it on!! the kids will love it.Final Shuttle Launch Dates
NASA are reviewing the launch dates of the last two shuttles.
Discovery (STS-133) is due to lift off on September 16, 2010 but this might now may move to October 29.
The final mission by Endeavour (STS-134) due in late November would then slip to February 28, 2011.Halloween (and Summer is not over!!!)Universal Horror Nights
Universal Orlando have announced the dates of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights. They are planning 24 nights between September 24 and October 31.
They can be really scarey for some children so be warned!! and check it out first.Petrol Prices
Despite the disaster in the Gulf, petrol prices have dropped again with the average pump prices in Florida going down another 5 cents from $2.75 a gallon to $2.70 a gallon. Just wish the Parking Prices at the Parks would do the same!!Hope this helps your holiday planning.
Happy Holidays Mary & Larry
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Good News For 2010 & Onwards
Posted on October 2nd, 2009 No commentsWritten by: Mary Phillips
Authors WebsiteHi,
More & more good news keeps coming for us Villa Owners and Holiday makers alike.
With Universal Studios confirming the first Phase of Harry Potter’s Theme Park opening in Spring 2010, both Disney and Busch Gardens have followed with announcements of their latest offerings in the pipeline. Neither dare be left behind but they have welcomed Universal’s lead as they know it will continue to bring in the visitors until their own Parks are up dated.
Disney’s Night’s of Joy will be moving back from Hollywood Studios to The Magic Kingdom in 2010 where they originally started.
The Princess Area to be created is now being cleared at Magic Kingdom. It is their biggest change which will allow guests to Interact with some of Disney’s most famous Princesses including Cinderella, Aurora and Belle.
The existing Dumbo Flying Elephant ride will be doubled in size (not before time, with those long queues) and be included in a Circus Big Top Interactive queing area to entertain all of us during our wait. There will also be a new Pixie Hollow Greeting Area to meet all of the Disney Fairies. The 1st. Phase including The Mermaid ride and the Princess Area will open in 2012 and Pixie Hollow by 2013.
Busch Gardens are also getting in on the act and will be bringing The Sesame Street Safari to life on the Land of Dragons site. The Sesame Street-themed play area will feature Elmo, Big Bird and many other popular Sesame Street characters.
The only downside, sadly is the closure, again, of Cypress Gardens which unfortunately falls way behind the other Parks pulling Power.
Hope the new owners of Seaworld also respond to all of the proposed changes, it can only good for us all.
Regards,
Mary & Larry
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Halloween Season 2009
Posted on September 5th, 2009 No commentsHalloween Season 2009
Written by: Mary Phillips
Authors WebsiteAs Halloween is a Massive Event in the US there are some fantastic shows to be seen all over but Especially at the Parks from September through to November.
Universal & Busch Gardens actually employ THOUSANDS of extra staff to dress up and SCARE the visitors as they make there way around the Parks. Their costumes are absolutely brilliant and with all of the Scarey bits there are lots & lots of laughs.
Seaworld include their nights in with the price but Disney, Universal & Busch have special ticketed nights so it is best to check the nights & prices out.
Universal have a Special Themed event each year & this year it is from The Silver Screen –CHUCKY & THE WOOLFMAN.
REMEMBER some Halloween Events are NOT suitable for young children. We have this chart below which will give you a good idea of the shows but again it is best to check everything out for your own family.
Halloween 2009 At a Glance
Magic
KingdomUniversal
StudiosSeaWorld
Busch
GardensSilver
SpringsSuitable for children
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Included in standard admission
No
No
Yes
No
No
Costumes allowed
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Opening times
7:00pm to midnight
6:30pm to midnight or 2:00am
normal park hours
7:30pm to 1:00am or 2:00am
8:00pm to 11:00pm
No. of nights
24
22
10
17
10
The events really do Blow the Socks off our shows here in the UK and are well worth visiting—IF YOU DARE!!!!!!
Have fun - we are over there so we certainly will
Mary & Larry
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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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