Have you ever tried the putting green at Fantansia Golf on your way to the Boardwalk or Disney Downtown?

You will not be disappointed. We visited there during the summer and found that whilst the price was about $13 you certainly got your moneys worth. You can either choose from the normal type putting greens or take the Fantasia course for a fun time. There are eighteen holes and the purring surface is immaculate.

Once you finish, to our surprise, you are given a souvenir golf ball.

More than FORE out of ten!!!

This article focuses on themed dining - there are many different themed restaurants in the Orlando area, covering many different themes.  Two of the most popular are themed around the entertainment industry - Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe.

Planet Hollywood

Planet Hollywood is located on Downtown Disney, and is easily spotted by its distinctive shape - the large blue ‘globe’ (similar to the chain’s logo) is visible from some distance.  With plenty of free parking, it is easy to get to, and offers theming around the movie industry.  With large screens showing excerpts from films new and old, there is always plenty of entertainment on offer, be it from the classics or more recent blockbusters.  But the real star of Planet Hollywood is the massive collection of memorabilia and props from the movies.  Everywhere you look inside the restaurant, you will see items collected over the years - many are instantly recognisable.  There is also every opportunity to buy the Planet Hollywood merchandise, be it shirts, glasses etc.  Oh, and the food - it is easy to forget that the reason for a visit to Planet Hollywood is for a meal.  The menu has a reasonable choice, largely built around burgers, steaks and pasta.  It may be true to say that better food is available elsewhere (and the bill may be less), but perhaps the real reason for your visit to Planet Hollywood is for the theming.

Hard Rock Cafe

If Disney offers Planet Hollywood, Universal provides the Hard Rock Cafe.  Hard Rock’s theming leans more towards the music industry than movies - but there are similarities.  The memorabilia includes gold discs, posters, artwork, costumes - from a wide range of international artists.  Whether your musical tastes are from the 60s, 70s or more recent, you will recognise many of the items on show.  Hard Rock also offers occasional live concerts, and is situated just outside the two Universal Parks (free car parking applies in the evenings only).  The food at Hard Rock tends to have many similarities to Planet Hollywood - accompanied by music throughout the meal.

Summary

It’s difficult to pick one of these restaurants above the other - they both have fabulous theming, and your choice may depend on your entertainment preference (music or films).

You can visit Disney Marketplace and enjoy a few hours with the family for no cost at all. Parking is free and there is no admission. Bring your swimsuits and some towels and you and the children can cool off in the ground fountains that randomly shoot up through the sidewalk.  The Lego Imagination Center is a family favorite.  The Lego creations surrounding the store are massive and intriguing especially the giant serpent in the lake right out front.   The largest selection of Legos I have ever encountered is in this store.  Out front, your family will find stations with Lego bases and bins full of all shapes and sizes of Lego blocks.   Here you can build to your heart’s content.  Try building a car and race it against others on the ramp with 4 racing lanes.  Take your little ones over to the toddler play area - they have probably never gone down a Lego slide before!

Check the events calendar for free live family entertainment.  There are free daily performances at the Dock Stage and you  may even catch a street performer who will amaze you with juggling, magic, and other tricks.

Wander through the World of Disney store – it probably has the largest collection of Disney merchandise you will find anywhere.  The children will enjoy the Disney décor and may even catch their favorite characters or Disney actors on the TV.  Step into Ghiradellis and grab a free sample of their delicious chocolate.  Check out the amazing window displays at Disney’s Days of Christmas.

Once Upon a Toy is not to be missed!  Your children will be amazed at Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinkerbell flying overhead.  Here, your kids can play with toys and you don’t even have to buy them!  They can build their own Disney-themed Mr. Potato Head and build at the Tinker Toy and Lincoln Log play stations. 

Disney Marketplace opens daily at 9:30 a.m.  From Sunday through Thursday, closing time is at 11:00 p.m.  On Friday and Saturday, it stays open until 11:30 p.m.

Have a great time!

The food, though a little pricey (not surprising as you have to take into consideration the novelty of your surroundings), was very good.  One of their specialties is rotisserie chicken which you can see cooking in the “Kitchen of Fire” (the kids will enjoy this special viewing area as it is truly surrounded by fire!) as well as watch the chefs bake pizzas and flatbreads in the wood burning oven.

 We ordered the Footprints Flatbread and Dexter’s Dual Dips for our appetizers.  The flatbread was topped with 4 cheeses, carmelized onions, chicken and drizzled with a balsamic glaze.  The dips included a queso and an artichoke dip served with tortilla chips.  Both were very good. 

For the main course, my daughter and I decided to share our entrees.  I ordered the Omnivore’s Delight salad with grilled chicken and she opted for the Triassic Tortellini.  Both were delicious, but we agreed that the salad was probably the best we’ve ever had.  It was a huge salad of iceberg lettuce and field greens with really generous portions of sweet pecans, sliced strawberries, craisins, and goat cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  I was really pleased because I really love salads with pecans and goat cheese and I’ve never seen such a pile of pecans and so much goat cheese in any salad I’ve had before.  I really loved it!

You may be familiar with the Rainforest Café’s famous “Volcano” dessert – lots of chocolate, lots of ice  cream, lots of topping, lots of yelling “Volcano!” and just plain lots – one will feed our family of 5!  Well, T-Rex offers their version of this indulgent dessert – the “Chocolate Extinction.”  Make sure you finish off with one of these – it’s fabulous!

Cirque du Soleil are in Down town Disney resort and the show is called LA NOUBA which means “To party or to live it up” Audience participation is a must.

 If you are a big kid at heart like me, then this appeals to all ages. The magic of seeing performers do the impossible on high wire, German wheels, skating, and flying trapeze is certainly breathtaking. The shows lighting and costumes grabs your imagination, emotions and your senses. The music has 2 distinct sounds, smooth and dynamique and certainly has a French/Canadian style.

The atmosphere and make up are amazing and you will be enthralled for every minute you are there.

This company started with 20 humble street entertainers in 1984 in Quebec, employed 73 people and celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2009. It has won numerous awards. It now has over 4000 people employed which include over 1000 artists. It has visited over 200 cities world wide and 90 million people have seen a show since 1984. There were 15 million visitors alone in 2009.

If you have a celebration coming up and want a special night out, you must go see this show. Prices are not cheap with front row seats $117 for an adult and $94 for a child. Tickets can be booked by phone 407-939-7600 or can be booked 6 months in advance.

My daughter and her family are going to Florida this year and staying in my villa and will be out there for their  10th wedding anniversary. So as a surprise, I went to the theatre in July, this year, and managed to get front row seats on the actual day of their anniversary, 5 months in advance.

I don’t know who was more excited, my daughter, her husband or my 8 year old grandson. As long as when the 8 year old returns to London, he doesn’t try to copy all the tricks he saw at the show on his BMX bike.

Spoil yourself, you will remember it forever.

You will also find on one of the Disney Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutiques here - this is where my little daughter loves to go and enjoys having her hair and make up down, as well as dressing up in one of her favourite disney costumes.  The last time we went we went for the full package where you get a photo shoot included.  My daughter looked amazing when they had finished and the photos are an ever lasting memory.  It was well worth the money!  Everyone was commenting on her as we walked through Downtown Disney.  She also remembers that moment and she is only 6.  A must for every little girl. 

You will also find great shops with all the Disney Merchandise;  if you forgot to buy a particular item in one of the parks, you will hopefully be able to purchase it here.  There are also various other retailers, as well as some great themed restaurants.  

There are also some great entertainment venues, like Cirque de Soleil which is located in Downtown Disney. 

I have listed a few of  shops/restaurants, etc, which you can find at Downtown Disney below:-

World of Disney - if you are looking for loads of fun whilst shopping, this is the place to go.  It is one of the largest stores and has so much to choose from.  This is where you will also find the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique mentioned above. 

Once Upon a Toy - Play happily ever after at this amazing toy store that offers the largest assortment of toys and games in all of Disney.  From princesses to pirates you will find some great toys in here.

Lego Imagination Centre - this shop is great, especially if you kids are into lego.  Not only can they buy some great lego sets (which my son has plenty) they get to play and make models with the lego stands outside.  This has kept my kids occupied for hours (for free) whilst we sat and watched enjoyed a cup of coffee. 

Disney Days of Christmas - this is my favourite shop at Downtown Disney - its Christmas all year round.  You also get to personalise a lot of the ornaments so they make them very personal to your visit. 

Rainforest Cafe and the new T-Rex restaurants can also be found at Downtown Disney.  We have visit the Rainforest cafe a few times now, and the kids love it.  We have never eaten in the T-Rex one, but have had a sneek look inside.  If you kids love dinosaurs this is the resturant to visit.  It has large interactive models of dinosaurs dotted around the restaurant that move at certain times.  You will also DinoBear (part of the build a bear workshop) in her.  My son loved this as he was able to choose his own dinosaur and dress it.  Quite appropriate for a boy!

This is just a taster of what can be found at Downtown Disney. 

Don’t forget to make a visit on your next trip.  We hope you enjoy it.

The New Character Balloon Flight, next to Planet Hollywood was a big hit for our last guests. Being able to rise 400 feet above the crowds and see for miles around with the chance to get Photographs of the family in a very special and unique location.

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for their little girl proved to be her highlight of the visit. She was “Made Up” just like a Princess, having the full Princess Treatment in the Salon. A hairpiece, shimmering make over, finger nails done and a choice of her favourite Princess’s Dress (Cinderella). It was a little pricey but for a “one off” day they were delighted with the result and seeing their Little Princess’s face as she posed for her photographs, even strangers were taking pictures. They recommend booking early in your holiday to avoid any disappointment as there are only 10 Chairs in th Boutique.

They enjoyed the Irish Fish & Chip Shop on one visit but thought the T Rex Cafe was fabulous for all of them. The Table & Chairs have Dinosaur Legs, the massive Dinosaurs move and roar  to make it special place to have a meal. They said to make sure to take your camera as the special effects and the Coral Reef Bar are spectacular.

They intend to return during their next visit to fit in the things they couldn’t this time around. 

It is good to get a “Feed Back” from our guests and hopefully it will give 1st. Time visitors a reason to take time away from the Parks.

Mary —ps   Would love to hear some comments on Aquatica???