Hi Everyone,

We are lucky enough to be over in Kissimme at the moment with this glorious weather. We just wanted to pass on the latest news from Disney & Seaworld.

Fantasyland Update

Now that The Great Goofini children’s roller coaster and the first Dumbo the Flying Elephant carousel ride have opened, further dates have been announced. The second Dumbo ride plus the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station will open in July. The double Dumbo attraction will feature a special “no queue” queue space in a new interactive area to help you entertain themselves whilst they wait to ride the carousels.

The Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid ride, Enchanted Tales with Belle, the Be Our Guest Restaurant, Gaston’s Tavern and Ariel’s Grotto will all open in Autumn this year.   The indoor Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster will not now open until 2014.

Seaworld Update

New TurtleTrek has made a huge splash at SeaWorld. Opened last Friday to rave reviews TurtleTrek, featuring live sea turtles and manatees and a 360-degree domed theater with 3-D, computer-generated images. It is the biggest expansion in the park’s nearly 40-year history. The 3-D film let you feel the hard start to life that turtles face from birth to adult and back to the beach where they were hatched, while other experiences feature fish, manatees and a variety of sea turtles in floor-to-ceiling saltwater and freshwater habitats.

Our Grandchildren have just returned home today and could not fit this in on this visit, so it is Top of there To Do List for next year!!!

Happy Holidays.

Mary & Larry

Terra Verde Resort is situated on Poinciana Blvd, Kissimmee, Florida, just 5 minutes south of Highway 192 (exit nr marker 11 or marker 15), with its abundance of restaurants, shops and crazy golf facilities.

Terra Verde Resort is just a few minutes away from Medieval Times, and within 15 minutes of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and International Drive.

And also lying midway between the I4 and the Florida Turnpike, it is conveniently positioned to travel around Florida in any direction.

The AtlanticCoast is easily reached in 50 minutes and features the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and the world famous Daytona Beach and racetrack.  The GulfCoast is just a slightly longer drive in the other direction and a day out at Tampa’s BuschGardens and the world renowned beaches like Clearwater and St Petersburg are within easy reach.

Orlando International Airport is a 30 minute drive, and Sanford Airport is an hour’s drive.

Terra Verde Resort is a private vacation home community with a fabulous club house and heated community pool.  With 24-hour gated security, Terra Verde Resort safely nestles amongst tropical palm trees and lush landscaping, and provides the perfect location for family, friends and guests looking for an unforgettable dream vacation.

The resort provides beautifully furnished Private Pool Homes with 4, 5, 6 or 7 bedrooms and superb 3 & 4 bedroom Town Homes with either a pool or spa.

The 3 acre lake attracts a variety of local wildlife, including ducks and the magnificent sandhill cranes, which walk around the resort seemingly calling at every property to say ‘hello’.

At the side of the lake is the communal heated pool, where you can relax on the comfortable loungers surrounding the deck area. Or if you want to unwind, relax in the separate heated spa.

A range of soft drinks, beers, wines, smoothies and light snacks are available in the adjacent Tiki Bar,which is open 7 days a week, 11am – 9pm (with extensions during peak season), with Happy Hour 5-7pm, and karaoke evenings on Fridays and a DJ on Saturdays.

Special occasions are often celebrated pool side, such as the July Celebrations and St Patrick’s evening, as well as occasional events such as movie evenings.

The fabulous Clubhouse overlooks the pool and is open 7 days a week, 8am - 10pm, and offers the following:

A reception area which contains an ATM machine, stamps and newspaper vending machines, as well as DVD Rental, and restroom facilities.  Discount tickets & concessions are also available.

Lounge/Meeting Room where complimentary coffee is provided, as well as cable TV and free wireless internet (which also extends to the pool area).

Across the hall is a fully equipped Fitness Room with running machines and cycles.  And along the corridor is a Sauna where you can relax and be rejuvenated.

The Business Centre contains PCs with high-speed internet access and a printer.  Photocopying and faxing is available at the reception.

The Video Arcade/Games Room provides pool, football and air hockey, as well as a range of arcade games for all ages.

The ConciergeTeam provide a friendly and professional service to homeowners and guests.  They are happy to help you plan a day out, and to offer advice on the Orlando area’s attractions.

Outside of the clubhouse, there is a large choice of activities available:

• Volleyball Court
• Basketball Half Court
• Outdoor Table Tennis
• Croquet / Boules Lawn
• Children’s Play Area
• Lakeside Walk
• Fish Stocked 3-Acre Pond
• Lakeside Hammocks

And all this is inclusive for guests staying at Terra Verde Resort.

At mealtimes, whether you prefer to have a BBQ, eat in or eat out, Terra Verde Resort is central for all your requirements.  There is a 24/7 Walmart just 5 minutes away near Medieval Times, and another just 10 minutes away on the SR535.  And being minutes from Highway 192, there is an abundance of restaurants to suit every taste.

Terra Verde Resort has everything you could wish for; all the benefits of a first class resort or vacation hotel with all the luxuries and individuality of a Terra Verde home, located near to all the amenities, but nestled in its own peaceful haven.

Hi Everyone,

With the latest announcement of the new attractions at Busch Gardens, makes the hour long drive from Kissimme/Orlando, all the more appealing and worthwhile.

Busch Gardens  are going to remove the SandStorm ride from the Timbuktu section of the park. They are planning they will install a new drop tower along the lines of the 245-foot-tall drop tower they have at their other Park in Virginia .

Also, a new ice show called Iceploration opened at the Moroccan Palace section in February.

It is Busch Gardens largest ever ice show and features a cast of 20 including world-class skaters and actors combined with songs, acrobats, puppetry and live animal stars. The 30 minute story revolves around Austin who is a child addicted to the latest technology and his grandfather who is an old-world explorer.

After a weekend visit, they go on a journey which takes them on an adventure around the world, visiting four amazing places; namely the African Serengeti plains, the Great Barrier Reef, the Arctic and the Amazon rainforest.

It is a fun “Broadway” style show with lots of high energy, music and colour. There are over 75 costumes used during the show. You will need to get in line early as it is a complete Family Show and will no doubt be a very popular addition.

When you consider that there are over 2,000 animals at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, it will be no surprise to hear that Busch Gardens has its own Animal Care Center where the animals can be checked out and looked after onsite in the event of a medical problem or a routine procedure.

Now a new state-of-the-art 16,000 square foot facility is open to guests to witness anything from a routine check-up to major surgery (not for the squeamish!!). There are examination rooms, an operating theatre and laboratory. Glass display panels and flat-screen TV monitors allow you a behind-the-scenes view into all that is going on inside some of the rooms.

Overhead cameras give you a birds-eye view of the operating/examination tables and in the lab you can see down the lenses of the microscopes. Microphones even allow guests to talk to the vets whilst they are carrying out their procedures.

You can also visit the kitchen where animal diets are prepared and various demonstrations take place at regular times throughout the day.

The Care Center is located in the Nairobi area of the park where the Rhino exhibit used to be. Like Iceploration, a visit to the Animal Care Center is free as part of the regular admission.

Parts of this tour might not be suitable for those who do not like the sight of blood! It may be more frightening than the rides!!!!

Happy Holidays,

Mary & Larrry

We have just returned from some glorious Florida sunshine and have come to the conclusion that eating in is the new eating out!

There are several reasons why we have come to this conclusion, firstly we hadn’t realised it was Spring Break week. To us Brits that might not mean anything but it’s a big deal in the US and it seems everyone goes to Florida that week.

Eating a late lunch at about 3pm on Saturday afternoon in Longhorns was no problem and we enjoyed a delicious steak but then Monday evening at the Olive Garden was another story, we could see the car park was packed, as was every other car park around and the wait time was an hour which we thought was odd until we realised it was Spring Break, we actually waited 45 minutes.

The next day we decided to have a meal at home, it was a beautiful day so we sat out on the deck, both able to have a drink as no-one had to drive, no need to get showered and changed and as our deck is west facing we get the sun till the minute it sets. After that there was no contest,  either spend 2 – 3 hours getting ready, driving to a restaurant, waiting in line then driving back or relax and enjoy the sunshine, for us it was a no brainer and we didn’t eat out again.

We were only there for a week and there were only the two of us which does make it easier. Obviously if there are 8 people it’s more of a challenge and you might not feel like cooking, then again, it can be just as much of a challenge getting the kids to leave the pool and get everyone ready!  We kept it very simple, barbecues, pasta, takeaway pizza etc. There is a new pizza takeaway at the top of our street which is very handy and very nice. Sometimes it’s nice to get dressed and go out although in Florida there’s never a need to really dress up.

Hi,

SeaWorld have quietly decided to stop making a separate charge for a ride to the top of the Sky Tower. Up until now it cost an additional $4 to take a ride to the top of the iconic 400 foot tower. From the top you can see the whole of SeaWorld plus views of the two sister parks, Aquatica and Discovery Cove. The Sky Tower is one attraction that is part of SeaWorld’s Quick Queue chargeable front-of-line pass.

The new 3-D film attraction, TurtleTrek is scheduled to open on April 27 in the former Manatee Rescue attraction location. It shows 25 years in the life of a turtle from hatchling to adulthood in just 7 minutes. It is shown in a 360 degree domed theatre  covered in special silver-coated mesh screens. There are 34 projectors and 22 audio channels bringing the story to life in amazing 3D We have treated ourselves to a 3D tv and have watched some brilliant undersea films so this experience should be amazing. After the film  you can go and see the endangered turtles and manatees live.

The NEW major attraction due for 2013 is Antarctica - Empire of the Penguin which will replace the Penguin Encounter which  for all of it’s visitors know only too well how it smells!!  So that has got to be an improvement!!

In Other News

Adventure Island, the water park next to Busch Gardens opens for the 2012 season on March 10. Like most of the water parks outside of Orlando area, it is only open seasonally and it closes again in September.

Petrol prices have jumped up 20 cents in the last month making the average price now $3.76 a gallon. It will not be too long before it hits the $4.00 mark. It was less than $1.00 a gallon when we first bought our villa!!! On the bright side it is still way way below our prices.

Happy Holidays

Mary & Larry

Hi Everyone,

For all lucky holidaymakers who are in Florida in March and they enjoy St. Patricks Day celebrations the place to be is at Downtown Disney. The Patrick’s Day weekend live band performances are at the Pleasure Island stage.  The Wyndbreakers, a great pub-rockin’, guitar pickin’ Celtic band will get you in a foot tapping mood. We thought they were brilliant last year. Then the traditional Celtic band have their own twist on popular lrish tunes. There is lots for all of the family with include face-painting, stilt-walkers ,and there are loads of St. Patrick’s Day souvenirs handed out.

Just along from here is the Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant. they have their own Party going on. This year they are having a Four-Course  Luncheon. It includes a Culinary demonstration in the restaurant’s Grand Dining Room. Chef Kevin Dundon is going to demonstrate how he creates each course you will be having, including a Loin of Traditional Irish Bacon with IrishMist Glaze. You must pre book for this event if you want a table.

In addition to the four-course showcase meal over the weekend there is plenty more to enjoy. On March 15 and 16,  Murphy’s Law and The Irish Rogues will be live on the patio, with Creel performing on the Main Stage from 7 p.m. with special guest appearances. On March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, the doors open at 11 a.m. with Creel on the main stage from noon. Irish dancing will be performed throughout the day from The Raglan Road Dancers & Watters School of Irish Dancing. Elevation, a U2 Tribute Band, will be on stage from 10 p.m. There will be compititions for the children to get involved in and lots of giveaways all day. There’s a $10 cover charge for adults. Children under 12 are free. There is no need to pre book just walk on by and straight into the festivities.

Hope you can make it, sadly we won’t this year,

Happy Holidays,

Mary & larry

Since buying our villa 12 years ago we have flown to Florida 2 or 3 times every year. This can be expensive if you are paying for the whole family so we always shopped around for the best deal.

Sometimes this meant taking a non-direct flight, entering the US via an airport other than Orlando. There are of course pro’s and con’s to this, the main advantage for us as a family of four or five is the price. It can work out much cheaper than a direct flight. The main disadvantage is that the overall flight takes longer and there can be time spent waiting in yet another airport. You do clear immigration though so that when you do arrive in Orlando you are straight through.

We have flown with Delta via Orlando and other airlines via Chicago and New York.  On the return journey through Chicago we thought we were going to miss the connection and ran like mad through O’Hare airport only to discover that there is actually a one hour time difference between Orlando and Chicago and we had plenty of time!

One Christmas our in laws came with us and arranged their own flights via Paris. They got back to France to a sudden winter snap, their flight to the UK was cancelled and they had to take the Eurostar, then a train to Doncaster. After being picked up there they had to get their car back from Manchester, not a good experience and they were still in their Florida clothes!

Most of our flights have been direct with Virgin. When our children were younger they would love getting up at stupid o’clock and heading off to Manchester airport. They would be armed with games and things to keep them amused on the 9 hour flight.  Nowadays we almost always have our own seatback TV on the transatlantic flight and depending on the aircraft you can often choose which channel you watch. It helps to pass the time, for me it’s a tedious journey but worth it in the end.

The flight home, well that’s another matter. I can never sleep on a plane no matter how tired I am. The only saving grace is that the flight is slightly shorter.

Rumoured Test Track Refurbishment

Test Track ride at Disney’s Epcot look like updating their excellent ride. They are planning it will be closed from April 15 to September 21, 2012 for a complete rework.

As part of the refurbishment, the pavilion will be sponsored by Chevrolet rather than General Motors as a whole and the existing Test Track vehicles will be replaced by Chevrolet inspired models. Back in August 2011 a few new sleeker cars were spotted on the tracks wearing Chevrolet badges and Tron inspired graphics. Our Grandchildren love this ride or should we say the experience, so any changes can only make it even more awesome.

Mary

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