We just wanted to bring to everyones atttention regarding the Disney Ticket scams which are taking place all along Highway 192 and International Drive. Our friend who works in Disney has just sent us an  E Mail to warn all of our guests of the latest events at Magic Kingdom.

”Hello Mary,  - I would just like to pass along the latest news regarding the resale of Disney tickets so that you may pass the information onto your guests.

Disney are finally wiseing up to the crooks that resell tickets and many tourists are quite angry that the have been taken by these less than scrupulous people.

Disney no longer does what is called level 3 entry so each and every person now must have a ticket that matches their finger and ID is benificial for at least the adults.

Orange County Sheriffs are on stand by to arrest the people selling the tickets, a lot of them come right into the park after they have sold them at kiosks on Hwy 192 & International Drive so they can then get the tickets back from the guests and sell them again.

Today we saw and caught one of these people and after watching her for awhile and seeing how many times she tried to get the family bunch of people in the officers arrested her and counted the tickets she had in her possession. She was then charged with 20 misdemeanors. She also got charged with tresspass and if she came back on Disney property she will be arreseted and taken to jail.

Now as for family coming to Florida - IF they happen to buy from these people there is likely nothing that can be done for them and they will never see their money again nor will they get into the Park. Something to think about before they purchase their bargain tickets”

This really points out the chance you are taking when buying these tickets. We have forwarded the E Mail to all of our coming guests. So our advice is to makes sure you get all of your Park Tickets from a Reputable source or Outlet. It seems to us that the packages for Park tickets here in the UK appear to be the best value in any case???

Hope this saves a family the cost, embarassment, anger and having to explain the the children that they can not get in when they visit Disney.

Regards,

Mary & Larry

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

Old Town is also a great place for the family as there are shops and also rides. One of the rides is the highest ride ever it goes by the name of the Sky Rider!!! It takes you up a 300ft pole and when you are at the top you are forced to pull a leaver to plummet down toward the crowds of people watching you fall from the sky. There are also Go-Karts which has a top speed of 15mph and it goes up-up-up and back down again. And if you are afraid of heights there is a smaller one too! The shops are for any one, of any age. There are toy stores and leather stores and many other to please you and satisfy you in any way.

Disney has 7 main parks to choose from, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom, these are the best parks in Disney and you would be dumb not to visit.

Animal Kingdom is known for one Rapid Roller Coaster, EVEREST! It is in a Yetis cave and when you’re with a yeti something is bound to go wrong. It is an evil yeti who is angry and rips up the track and you have to fly backward in-stead!!!

Hollywood studios is a great park if you like big scary rides as it has the biggest ride in Disney… Tower of Terror and it is amazing. You take a long journey into… the twilight zone and then when you least expect it, it drops you down into a dark hole. But it also takes you to the top and you can see for miles and another ride you can see from all away up there is Rocking Roller Coaster. It goes 0-60 in 1.4 seconds. It is a race to get to the party before you miss the gig and that, you don’t want. You are looping and spinning and it is an experience of a life time that you don’t want to miss.

Epcot is the one with less rides (more educational) but just as good quality as the other theme parks. Mission space is a ride where the mission is to get to Mars safely but some of you may have never flown a spaceship before so that is a problem. It all goes wrong… will you get there?

Soarin is also a fantastic ride to check out as you take a relaxing journey over many amazing different places. It is like flying with the birdies and you can feel the wind bouncing of your face and it is just so amazing.

Magic kingdom is the main park as it is the biggest and it has the most rides compared to the rest. One of the best rides is Space Mountain because it is inside and you cannot see where you are going. It is extremely bendy and swings you around like you are a toy, Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain are two rides that are quite the same as the all swing you around but splash Mountain is a water ride.

With the largest ever expansion to The Magic Kingdom, the all new Fantasyland, it is almost doubling in size, is well on it’s way and should begin it’s opening in the latter part of 2012.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride will be the first of it’s kind system taking you through the million diamoindshine mine themed set with music, a little speed and new swing action, delivering you right to Snow White and all of The Dwarfs.

The Princess Fairytale Hall will be a smash hit for all of the girls. Aurora, Cinderella and all of the other Princess’s will be there to meet and greet their guests in their elegant new Royal Court home.

The Two Dumbo rides are alongside the all New Storybook Circus, with the Old Favourite, The Barnstormer, featuring Goofy as the Circus leader Goofini!!

The all new Major attraction, Under The Sea, The Little Mermaid will take the young guests on an exciting adventure both above and below the Sea with the music backdrop from the Movie.

A Castle of The Beast will stand on a hill just across from the old stone bridge from Ariel’s new home. A new restaurant will feature a lavish dining experience in the elegant Ballroom, Gallery and Mysterious Castle. It will be Fast food by day and full table service by evening. Just outside of The Village is Belle’s Cottage and The Enchanted Tales with Belle. An all new Magical Mirror is the doorway to a captivating new kind of Storytelling experience with interactive features. All great news for the Young Ones, it will be even harder for us parents to plan the day out at Magic Kingdom.

Happy Holidays,

Mary & Larry

Theme parks are made to make you scream and shout. Any person in the world would love the opportunity to visit this amazing place.

Walt Disney World is one of the most outstanding places ever.  It is filled with spine-tingling rollercoaster’s and if you don’t like big rides, don’t worry there are smaller ones too.

Theme parks are probably the main attraction of Florida as Disney and Universal are probably the most famous ever. Because of this it has high ratings. It has some spectacular rides that go extremely fast and some that bend and bend until you’re so dizzy you want to go on again, but the highest one of them all is Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. You go up 180 degrease and just drops you helplessly from the sky and you plummet around a bendy, loopy track, you even get to listen to music whilst going around. The Mummy is another great ride at Universal as it was one of the first there. It takes you on a journey into a Mummies Sarcophagus and then into a dark room where it throws you around. There are many amazing rides at Universal and these two are the scariest there but that is for you to decide!!!

Disney has some fantastic rides like Tower of Terror and Rocking Rollercoaster and many more. But it is not just the rides that are awesome but also it is the people and the sights. Disney has some amazing things to see and people to meet. You can meet your favourite Disney characters and you can have a photo with them. Disney rides are made for people big and small, thin and wide so you can ride no matter what size you are.

Another amazing attraction is Air boating. You cruise across lakes and lands in the fields but do be careful as a huge alligator could come and eat you but only if you’re a child!!! There are two types of airboat trips one with a guide and one with no guide. The one with the guide is a bigger boat and he takes you slowly around the river. If you are on your own you can go as fast as you want without anyone to stop you.

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

Fore!

If you fancy playing some golf at Disney then look no further than Oaktrail just on the other side of the entrnace to Magic Kingdom.

Last year we decided to purchse a 5 day Hopper pass for Disney and that gave us Free rounds of Golf at Oak Trail. It is a walking course but is great for a knock around. They do not have too many rules and it is well worth the visit.

If you take the family there is a pool nearby and a small refreshment hut whilst you hits some balls around the course.

Mind you it is not an easy course. Whilst you are there you can check out the Palm Trees and Mgnolia Course which is a bit more expensive.

Even if you do not have a 5 day disney pass giving you free rounds it was only $38. Great Value. So check it out.

Yet again more changes to the Theme Park prices, there are so many packages now it is really difficult to choose the best deal that suits your family requirements.

In readiness for the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Universal Orlando have announced a new ticket pricing structure called “U Select”. It is similar to the Disney “Magic Your Way” ticket system where you buy a base ticket for a number of days with the option to park hop if you wish. Presumably this is to encourage visitors to stay longer than just one or two days during their vacation. Just like Disney they want you in THEIR Parks to spend your money to make up for the smaller crowds.

You can buy either a one, two, three, four or seven day pass to Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme parks (excluding separately ticketed events such as Halloween, Thanks Giving, Christmas Shows). If you wish to visit both parks on the same day, then you can upgrade to the park-to-park access option.

Though the adult one day ticket remains the same price at $79 plus tax, the two day ticket is considerably more expensive than it used to be. By buying three or more days then the “day rate” drops. Tickets are valid for up to 14 consecutive days from the date of first use but there is not a optional “no expiry” charge like the Disney tickets. If you are still not confused to which is the best for YOU there is more!!!

The joint Universal and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment tickets known as Orlando Flex tickets have also gone up in price by $25.

We think everyone needs to get as much information that is going to help them get the best deal and save them some money. Most home owners will do their best to help but it will still come down the the guests prefered choice.

With all of this going on, we still feel the Fun, Entertainment, Shows and the Magic is still worthwhile.

Happy Holidays

Mary & Larry

All the parks have seasonal opening hours so it’s a good idea to check on the website before you go –www.waltdisneyworld.com.  Most people buy their Disney tickets before they leave home but you can also buy them at the entrance to all the parks or from places such as Wal-Mart where there’s a dedicated attraction ticket shop inside the store.

Drive into Disney and follow signs to the Magic Kingdom

You’ll need $14 for the car park and make a note of where you’ve parked! It’s very easy to lose your car!

Take the monorail or the boat into Magic Kingdom (both only go there so you can’t get lost and often the characters are on there)

There’s a bag search at the entrance, then you’re in!

Remember to collect a map with show time guide as this changes daily.

Everyone usually walks up to the castle and turns left so if it’s really busy and you want to avoid all the queues turn right instead.

As with all the Disney parks the most popular rides use a “fast pass” system. You go to the ride put your park entrance ticket into the machine and it will give you a time to go on the ride (this is usually on a sign above the machines). This means you go straight to the front of the queue and can save a lot of time. Whilst you’re waiting for the allotted time you will probably have time to go on other rides, have something to eat or do a bit of shopping. There’s usually a separate entrance to the ride for people with fast passes so be sure to get in the right line. Sometimes there’s a time on the fastpass that tells you when you can get another fast pass for another ride so if you know where you want to go next you can plan ahead.

Must Sees at  Magic Kingdom (lots of other rides too!)

Tomorrowland

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin 
Be a superhero and fire your laser cannon at interactive targets to help Buzz Lightyear, star of Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story,” save the toy galaxy from the Evil Emperor Zurg!

Space Mountain  (height restrictions)
Rocket into another galaxy aboard this rollicking high-speed roller coaster space adventure.

Honey I shrunk the audience

Great show

Star Tours

Simulator –ride through space

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor 
Join Mike Wazowski and his pals in this new interactive comedy showcase inspired by Disney·Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.

Frontierland

Big ThunderMountain Railroad

Great train ride

SplashMountain

Log flume –exciting with good drop

Adventureland

Pirates of the Caribbean

Log flume –very gentle (now based on the film)

Fantasyland

Mickey’s PhilharMagic 
Immerse yourself in a magical 3-D adventure show starring Mickey Mouse and a surprise “con-DUCK-tor”.

It’s a small world

Mad Tea Party

Peter Pan flight

Liberty Square

The Haunted Mansion 
Ride through the most haunted mansion ever with a ghost host, ghouls galore — and some ghastly surprises(Very clever and not too scary)

Wishes Nighttime Spectacular Be dazzled by the biggest, brightest fireworks  - a great end to the day

This is best viewed from Main Street – usually at 9pm

Disney’s Wide World of Sport holds lots of races throughout the year with levels varying from full marathons to fun runs with everything in between. Whichever level race you’re looking at they are all incredibly well organised and all usually start early in the morning before the sun warms up and before the parks open. Routes vary but they always go through some part of Walt Disney World and the meeting place is either Wide World of Sports or the car park at Epcot. As usual Disney’s attention to detail is evident from the start to the finish.

In March this year I attended the Princess races which ranged from a half marathon (13 miles) to a 3k fun run. The registration process was very simple to complete on line and then we had to collect the registration pack from Disney Wide World of Sports the night before the race. This contained your number for the race, directions to the start plus some goodies from the sponsors. My husband took part in the 5k race and he ran through Epcot past lots of characters including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck. The race was started by Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella and Prince Charming waited on the finish line to cheer the runners in. There was lots of ticker tape and a DJ playing very loud and uplifting music at the start and finish. The atmosphere was exciting with spectators cheering on the competitors at the finish line. There were stations for water and fruit and breakfast muffins were handed to the competitors when they finished the race. Coffee tents sold refreshments for the spectators too.

If you’re interested in finding out more or when the next races are please go to www.disneyworldsports.disney.go.com