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

Whilst over here for the Christmas period and New Year we decided we were going to treat ourselves to a meal in a Disney World restaurant in Florida. We were hoping to get into the Contemporary Resort on New Years Eve but we did not book early enough. Remember you must book at least a couple of months in advance to get the special time and date that you want.

Eventually we took it upon ourselves to visit the Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort as there were a number of different restaurants there - not a Burger or Steak I mean.

On visitng the Lodge Resort we found that we were able to have a good look around and they have viewing areas within the complex giving you a great chance to get up close a friendly with animals roaming around near to the rooms and restuarants. We saw Giraffes, Wilderbeast, Antelope, Zebra and Ostriches. Staff were on hand to give you all the information you needed. We were even there when the keepers stated to feed the animals. What a great opportunity to see these animlas almost in their natural habitat.

Take the opportunity as well to be there after dark when they light up some outdoor fires that you can sit around in rocking chairs. Have a chat with the other tourists there.

We headed for the Sanaa Restaurant for our meal. The food here was Indian/African influenced with Tandoori food, spices and all the trappings of spicy food you would expect from Africa/India. The meals are no more expensive than at home in the UK but you feel like your eating in an upper class atmosphere.

The staff are all very friendly and if you get to visit at Christmas or New Year the decorations are excellent. Plenty of photo opportunities in and around the hotel.

So head towards Animal Kingdom and check out the two lands in Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House and Kidani village. You can even try out their pools and jacuzzis. There is a fantastic pool, area with two large jacuzzis nestled in amongst the jungle.

So don’t miss out and treat yourselves in a great restaurant in a superb location away from all the hustle bustle. Even take a look at the cocktails in the main bar. There are even ones for the Kids to enjoy. The staff are there for you to get the most out of the visit.

There is plenty of car parking and the hotel will even ferry you between the two villages to get the most out of the visit.

Finally, there is plenty to do there with some boards around and about that are free to use. Not fogetting the usual opportunities for buying some Disney gifts to take home.

So try it out and get a taste of Africa/India with the food.

While you are taking your vacation in one of the many Disney villas, Florida villas, Orlando villas, Florida vacation rentals and villas near Disney that are available to rent, why not visit the theme parks and have a great time on the following wildest rides around.  We can guarantee some spectacular fun !!!

Universal Islands of Adventure - The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.  On this 3D simulation ride you are taken into the world of the comic book hero Spider Man.  The ride has quite a few twists and turns and a fantastic virtual 400 foot freefall experience. As Spider Man swings high above the city, riders will see, hear, and feel the action unfolding around them.

Universal Islands of Adventure – The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster – on this ride you loop the loop several times.  You need to be at least 54 inches tall to take this hair raising and thrilling ride.  After you have been on it you will see why you need to be able to fit into the seat and harness comfortably.  At take off, you are launched from 0 to 40 mph in two seconds flat. The Incredible Hulk ride has a total of seven inversions and two subterranean trenches during the 2 minute, 15-second ride.   This is one that our children just adore.

Universal Islands of Adventure - Dueling Dragons – this is another ride (in fact there are two rides), where you have to be 54 inches tall to ride.  Dueling Dragons are the world’s first inverted, dueling roller-coasters. Locked in mortal combat (and coming as close as 18″ of each other) each dragon’s 2 minute and 25 second ride includes several inversions, including a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, two corkscrews, and two vertical loops.  My wife went on Fire and then Ice immediately after and came off feeling rather sick.  The boys loved it and wanted to do it again.

Walt Disney world Epcot - Mission Space – is definitely not for the faint hearted.  The ride was designed with help from NASA to simulate what astronauts experience during a launch and spaceflight. Riders can choose between the heavy-duty g-forces of the original Mission: Space or a slightly milder version of this ride.  You are very close to the screen and it can become quite claustrophobic.  To be truthful, I came off feeling quite ill.  However, once again our boys loved it.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom - Expedition Everest – is a roller coaster that takes riders speeding towards the top of Mount Everest.  If the forward motion of the ride is not enough for you, it also goes backwards as well.  There are also a few surprises, including the fearsome Yeti, which lurks in the Himalayan mountain range.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios - Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – is for both roller coaster lovers and fans of Aerosmith.  This fantastic ride takes you from 0 to 60 mph with the force of a supersonic F-14.  There are high speed loops and turns as you travel along the Los Angeles freeway.  The entire ride is all synchronized to a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack.  Another ride we all love.

Sea World – Kraken – is always ranked as one of the top ten rides by coaster enthusiasts.  You can see Kraken from all over Sea world as it is so large and high.  It is the tallest, fastest, and only floorless steel roller coaster in the whole of Orlando.

Walt Disney world Epcot - Test Track.  In this ride you can see what it takes to be a crash test dummy.  You enter the car and then go through a series of exercises on the track where you test the brakes, swerve around hair pin bends, test the ABS (Antilock Braking System), and also experience extreme weather conditions from freezing cold to very, very hot, just like the desert.  Toward the end of the ride you career on to a 50 degree banked curves at around 60 miles an hour.

Universal Studios - Men in Black Alien Attack – is based on the smash hit movies “Men in Black”.  The ride provides you with laser guns with which you hunt down deadly aliens through the streets of New York City. If you score enough points you can earn the title of “MIB agent”.  Even if you don’t, its great fun playing against friends and family.

Universal Studios - Revenge of the Mummy – is an indoor rollercoaster that goes both backwards and forwards (mainly forwards).  This frightening ride is set and goes inside a very dark Mummy’s tomb.  There are fireballs, scarab beetles, and even an army of warrior mummies.  A really great ride and very, very fast so hold on to your hats – I lost mine once !!

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

Wet and wild is a good park if you really like water slides because it has loads of them, but is no relaxing space.

But there is some good slides like “Bran Wash” which is a big drop, it drops you in a tube 2-4 people per tube. There is a little park for the kids with the bubble which is a big bubble with water coming down which you slide down on.

Magic kingdom

Magic kingdom is very good for all ages. The main street is where all the main shows take place like “Spectro magic & Wishes” gathering by the castle with fire works and lights and Tinkerbelle. There are other “lands” with rides and shows in like “Tomorrow land” which is all equipped with things for the future, there is a “in the dark rollercoaster” called Space Mountain. There are more “lands” like “Adventure Land” with the great ride “Pirates of the Caribbean”. There are also “lands” like “Frontier Land with the very good “Thunder Railway”. There is also a “land” for younger kids which is “Mickey Toon Town Fair” which is a good for little kid with little kiddie roller coasters and fair rides.

Animal kingdom

Animal kingdom is very good it has the ride called the “Everest”, which is a very scary rollercoaster. It is based around Asia and Africa. So you can picture what it looks like very green, with a wide selection of animals including Monkeys, Gorillas, Giraffe and Birds. There is a wide selection of rides from rollercoaster’s to water rides. There is also a wide selection of shows for all the family to watch.

Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios is all about glitz and glamour with movie theatres and dress shops which are all props. But it is a very good park it has to big rides with the Rock and Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. There is a animation bit of the park with a show from Kermit the frog and Miss piggy. You can go behind the scenes in real movie studios to see what producers do. There are skylines like in Manhattan so you can get the “REAL” feeling of different parts of America.