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.

Unfortunately, I did not receive my green-inked letter, and to my utter astonishment and very real disappointment, I have never met anyone who has. 

So when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened and I heard that Universal was planning on building Hogwarts, I decided I would have to settle for the amusement park experience of our favorite magical school.  A visit to the park is considerably shorter than seven years of Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, and History of Magic, so I suppose that’s a plus. 

What I was not expecting was Hogwarts to be presented to the hoards of Potter fans as a ride entitled Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Gee, J.K. Rowling, why didn’t you name one of your seven highly acclaimed books that?  I can’t for the life of me see why. 

Anyway, so Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey;  first you walk through the dungeons, which are pretty artfully done, and then you proceed through a line that meanders about the Herbology greenhouses.  When you finally enter the castle, you find yourself in rooms that incorporate one of the best features of Hogwarts—talking portraits!

The paintings are adorable.  They bring to life several characters that you will surely remember from the books, and the magic starts to come to life.  They are followed by various statues, the entrance to Dumbledore’s office, the Fat Lady, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and several other artful touches that will enchant the true fan and the casual movie watcher alike. 

The Trio makes their appearance before the ride begins of course,  and when you board the ride you are hoisted into the air by one of Hermione’s spells—because nothing is complete without the genius witch’s wandwork!

What then follows is an absolutely ingenious conglomeration of the first four Harry Potter books which includes the Chamber of Secrets, a dragon, Aragog, dementors, Quidditch, and the stunning usage of bubbled screens that truly make you feel like you are flying with Harry himself. 

It was unlike any ride I have ever been on, and it was an absolute thrill.  My sister and I described it as crazy amazing—it was a bit crazy in that neither of us really knew what was going on, but amazing in its effects and ability to bring the series and the grounds of Hogwarts into stunning clarity before the awed visitor. 

So, despite my skepticism, it was a bloody brilliant ride.  It avoided all the elements of the series that I disliked (the entirety of the last three books) and rejoiced in the bright and exciting adventures of Harry in his early years.   Is Hogwarts finally accessible at Universal Orlando? Of course not.  But the Forbidden Journey offers us Muggles a superb taste of the magic that will always be just beyond our reach.

Ever since James Cameron’s highly acclaimed movie “Avatar” was released, at least a few mentions of floating mountains, Pocahontas, and blue people are going to crop up.

So, naturally, as I was strolling through City Walk at Universal, Orlando on my way to see the Blue Man Group, I had aliens on my mind. 

I was disappointed to find that these blue men do not come from Pandora and are not nine feet (ten feet? eleven feet?) tall.  Instead, their blueness comes from some sort of latex and paint film on their faces and hands while the rest of their bodies are conveniently covered in nondescript black clothing.

The Blue Man Group has been around far longer than Cameron spent filming “Avatar,” which is definitely saying something.  The show is known throughout the States as family friendly and highly amusing entertainment.  The advertisements always show men who are ostentatiously blue-skinned and staring wide-eyed at the viewers as though we should clearly have cobalt skin too. 

So no one really knows what the show is about before going in.  And from what I gather, the routines differ, perhaps not night to night (except when audience volunteers elicit different reactions in certain skits) but definitely from city to city.  This is quite alright, because honestly I don’t think anyone knows what the show is about coming out, either. 

The Blue Man Group involves excellent drumming by the Blue Men, a fantastic rock band playing back-up, strangely baffling stunts involving paint, lots of noise, and incredible lighting.  It appears that in order to be a Blue Man, you must be highly musically inclined, have excellent hand-eye coordination, and be able to perform an entire two hour show without speaking a single word. 

There was definitely something delightfully endearing about the silently sapphire men and their mute appeals for attention.  Their silence was also highly amusing.  The three men interacting in very strange situations without uttering a sound was simple, cute, and funny.  It also brought about lulls in the show where small children (or exhausted adults) probably fell asleep, but the incredibly loud rock music was bound to wake everyone up every once in a while, so that was alright. 

The show was also distinctly unique because all of the situations and comedy centered around very ordinary things that were vaguely scientific and at times simply amazing.  Somehow, the Blue Men managed to make plumbing, ears, eating Twinkies, and the definition of animation both interesting and comical.  Their inclusion of various audience members in their show was both adorable and personal, and usually highlighted by sarcastic, understated, or bizarre humor. 

The lagging bits of the show notwithstanding, the Blue Man Group delivered just what it advertised - a mysterious hodgepodge of colorful paint, lights, comedy and music which was family friendly and at times awe-inspiring.  The actors are no doubt exceedingly talented, managing to elicit delight and laughter from a very diverse crowd with only body language, accented by videos or scrolling words to set up their miming.  Their performance is both one-of-a-kind and breathtaking. 

Although I would have much rather been able to say that I watched looming aliens lope around the stage, I suppose that I can settle for the Blue Man Group being a show that is out of this world. 

Written by my daughter: Gabriella Bensur

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).

We bought our tickets in advance and printed them off at home. That saved some time at the gates.

We entered the park to be met with different street zones that were not only scary but amusing as well. There were also six haunted houses to visit. Meet Cleaver was our favourite.

My wife has never screamed so much - she nearly lost her voice. The ticket also let us visit on two nights so we did not have to worry too much about getting in all the houses on one night as there was some queuing.

All in all a scary halloween in the heat of Florida at 80 degrees.

Well worth the trip

Halloween horror nights at universal is THE BEST experience ever, we have been going now for the past 6 years and always make sure our holiday is around the time when this is on. the best deal out there is the frequent fear pass, you do not need an annual pass to get this, it is a very special offer, you get to go to the horror nights at least 12 times, you get to ride all the rides on the side they are having the horror nights, so not only are you getting to experience all the fun of the horror nights with the haunted houses and scare zones, you are able to enjoy universal also.

We would also recommend the meal deal bands that they have, it is a great deal $19.99 for the whole day at selected restaurants, pizzas, burgers, chinese, fried chicken, pasta, deserts, cookies. it is great for the whole family, something for everyone….

There is also a drinks cup you can buy, if you buy it with your armband your drinks are free all night, if you just buy the drinks cup then refills are about $1 per refill, still a great idea drinks can get quite expensive when you are hot and sticky running around in the hot weather from ride to ride !!!Express pass is great but a little expensive, seaworld and busch gardens are doing similar options now a lot cheaper.

but you can not beat disneys fast pass (FREE) you just have to collect a ticket from each ride you want to go on.

Best times to visit the parks is MAY and September, very quite easy to get on the rides not too much queing

Best restaurants > GOLDEN CORRAL and for the kids a great cheap meal out

all you can eat CI-CI’S Pizza at $5.00 per person for all you can eat pizza, pasta, salad, deserts !!!!!!! great value great taste’

you can find ci-ci’s on international drive, highway 192  vineland rd

Many more opening,

best crazy golf, highway 192 BONANZA golf only $3.99 per person, special offers always in the books, check out all coupons can save you a lot of money over 2 weeks !!!!!

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

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

When the evening arrived we headed off to the Sharpe Aquos theatre at Universal.

My wife and children had no idea what to expect but they thoroughly enjoyed the 1 hour 45 minute performance (note there is no intermission during the show so make sure the kids have visited the rest rooms before the performance begins).

Without giving too much away to anyone who wants to see the show it includes interactive plumbing, paint-filled drumming, marshmallow art, mini-cam shenanigans, cereal crunching, a rock concert movement primer, funny sign reading, paint spitting, a romantic Twinkie dinner, and lots and lots of percussion music from the men in Black clothes and of course Blue faces. They also use members of the audience in some of there sketches. Four musicians performing high over the stage look like colourful Day of the Dead skeletons, and complement the onstage percussion.

The show is appropriate for all ages, although it may be a little too intense for the youngest tots, Blue Man Group plays with sound, light, and perception and do not say a single word throughout the performance Strobe lights are used twice during the show, plus simultaneous music and streamers (100 percent recycled), and the three performers literally stroll on top of the auditorium seats, all of could be a little overwhelming for more sensitive audience members. The first four rows have plastic ponchos provided as splashguards against the paint, food, and other goodies that come flying from the stage.

The show should thoroughly entertain just about everyone. Not recommended for children under the age of three, the Blue Man Group show lasts for one hour and forty-five minutes with no intermission. Although the ticket price does not include admission to the theme park, ticket stubs do provide free entry into selected clubs at City Walk.

If you’re going to Orlando, don’t miss this show.