Welcome to our Florida Attraction Guide. A guide to all there is to do in Florida. http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/ en-us Copyright 2013, Orlando Villas Ltd. All Rights Reserved. info@orlandovillas.com http://www.orlandovillas.com/pictures/rss/logo.gif http://www.orlandovillas.com/ 75 50 http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/arriving-at-seaworld.aspx We find Seaworld to be one of the most relaxing Parks to visit everyone seems to be strolling around and apart from the end of the day it never gets mega crowded. We usually buy our tickets before we visit my parents who go regularly tend to have annual or two year passes which also gives them free parking which is quite a saving. Most of the time you can pay for one day and return another day for free although I think the second day has to be within seven days of your first visit. At certain times of the year usually later in the year they also sell a Fun Card where you pay for one day and return all year. It is easy to park here and for most of the day you will be guided by the attendants to your space. However later in the day they are not always around and it is often possible to get to one of the many spaces left by departing guests nearer the entrance. Wherever you park there is never a long walk and when the car park is really full they usually run a trolley bus to t... Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/what-is-the-disney-dream-like.aspx If you have children, and time to fit in a Disney cruise during your Orlando stay in a wonderful villa, then the Disney Dream could be just up your street. Disney already has two ships sailing out of Port Canaveral on the Atlantic coast, about an hour from the Orlando area, but this ship is really innovative. This new ship, which made its inaugural voyage in January 2011, looks absolutely fantastic. Larger than her two sister ships, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, the new Disney Dream can accommodate nearly 4, 000 passengers. Of course, with it being a Disney ship it has been designed with children in mind. But don’t let that put you off if you don’t have any – it is also a paradise for adults, too. Its décor has a number of art deco features – the fabulous art deco chandelier in the Atrium is a case in point. It is simply stunning, dripping with crystals, and with blue accents. The ship is elegant and stylish but with a few whimsical touches which will make you smile. Take... Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/what-s-so-great-about-universal-studios-part-2.aspx In part one we visited Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and for the brave Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket but what next? Well it just has to be Shrek 4D this is one show not to be missed especially if like me you’re a big fan of the original movie. There all the favourite characters Shrek, donkey princess Fiona Lord Farquaad in a ghostly form, Princess Fiona is kidnapped by Farquaad and Shrek and Donkey fight to rescue her including a gallop through a haunted forest, ride on a fire breathing dragons back and plunging over a waterfall all coupled with a humorous script this show is a great deal of fun and works even better with the 4D imagery The next show we come to is Twister. Now some years ago now Twister was a film that was a big box office hit and used a lot of ground breaking special effects as it tells the story of a group of Storm chasers who study tornados and this is what the show Twister is based on. You are in a stand overlooking the little sleepy town as the storm approaches yo... Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/what-s-so-great-about-universal-studios-part-3.aspx One show I always make plans to see on every visit to Universal Studios in Florida is the blues Brothers, it is based on the classic file from the early 80’s the blues brothers. I don’t know if it’s something to do with the fact that I had just left school when this film came out that draws me to it or just the fact that the music was just so darn good but like I say it’s my favourite show in Universal. Don’t miss this show or you will regret it! You can tell when it’s going to start as Jake and Elwood as you can hear them approaching in the blues mobile which has a huge speaker attached to the roof believe me you can’t miss them when their on their way. As they get out of the “bluesmobile” they are wearing their trademark dark suits matching sun glasses and their porkpie hats and it’s not long before they burst into song with a few classic tunes you all will know. There’s also Mabel the waitress and her other half who can play a mean saxophone, she sings a couple of great tunes ... Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/review-of-harry-potter-and-the-forbidden-journey.aspx Review of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey This ride is situated in Hogwart’s Castle, which is at the far end of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter within the Universal Islands of Adventure theme park. You enter through the Hogwarts Gates and on entry to the castle are directed towards a room filled with lockers, as you are not allowed to take any bags onto the ride everything must be stored in the locker. I did however take my camera in order to take photographs in the queue and stowed it in the small space in the back of the seat on the ride. The lockers are free for a certain length of time and any time extra after that is payable. You do have to remember the number of your locker in order to open it with the number and your fingerprint at the end. After stowing our gear we walked into the queue, as it was not a busy day we just walked through leisurely. The queue for this ride is truly part of the Harry Potter experience, it takes you through the chamber com... Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/review-of-aquatica-seaworld-s-water-park.aspx Review of Aquatica – Seaworld’s water park Whilst me, my sister, my Nanna and my mum were in Orlando America one of our theme park choices was Aquatica. Aquatica is just around the corner from Sea World. First we parked the car, it cost $12 for the full day. We entered the park through the turnstile and went off to explore. As we wandered through the park we looked for a place to lie in the sun and leave our belongings. Then we got changed and stored our valuables in a locker that cost $10 for the day. We found some sunbeds and chairs and placed our towels, shoes and bags on them. As we are all strong swimmers we didn’t bother with life jackets but there were plenty available in a range of sizes. The first thing we went on was the Roa’s rapids which is a long river ride which swishes you around really quickly, in fact the current was so strong that when we decided to get off we couldn’t as we kept swishing past the exit! We stayed on there for a while until mum c... Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/what-s-so-great-about-universal-studios-part-1.aspx What’s so great about Universal Studios? Previously I have written a number of articles all relating to how wonderful the Disney parks are in Florida and I thought it was about time I wrote a little about the Universal studios theme parks and attractions to balance my articles and also because they too are great place to visit on your stay in Florida. There are a number of Universal studio parks now just like the different Disney ones but I will start with the original Universal Studios which in my view is still the best and if I’m honest I think I prefer it to all the Disney parks as the rides seem just that little bit more grown up. As you approach the Universal studios you have to walk through the City walk area now this is a thriving bar and night club area late in the evening but in the day time it’s simply a few nice quality shops and so great eating places such as the NASCAR Café where there are always a number of old NASCAR Cars parked outside for the men in the family ... Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/new-york.aspx On our latest trip to Florida we continued our quest to see more of the USA and decided on a couple of nights in New York. The flight was just under two hours and we made our way by taxi to The Hudson Hotel which we had found on line. The hotel was built around 1920 as a dormitory and been given a make-over by a famous interior designer in a very modern style. The rooms were very small but cleverly designed and the hotel features a fabulous roof top bar and outdoor bar beautifully lit at night. It wasn' t very cheap but well worth the experience to stay right in the centre of New York in Manhattan. First on our must do list was a chill out and picnic in Central Park just round the corner. We walked around the lake and saw lots of different wildlife and several great street acts and musicians. We returned to our hotel to unpack and have a cocktail on the roof terrace before a short tube ride to Broadway and Times Square. We didn’t have time to take in a show but we did have a very... Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/rules-when-visiting-florida.aspx There are many rules and regulations in Florida that are ready to catch out the first time tourist. It is as well to know about these or you could at best get a ticking off from a local sheriff or at worst get yourself arrested. One of the ones that catch out a lot of young visitors is the rule about alcohol. Although it is unfortunately quite common in the UK to see teenagers staggering around drunk in the early hours of the morning on a Friday and Saturday, in America no one under the age of 21 is allowed to purchase or consume alcohol. There is no point thinking you will be able to get away with lying about your age, as all places that serve alcohol will require photo ID In the form of a passport or Drivers License. There are very heavy penalties on stores or clubs and restaurants that are caught selling or serving alcohol to minors so they will ask anyone who looks under 30 for their ID. Nobody under 21 will be admitted to any nightclub so if you are a young looking 30 ... Thu, 06 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/ziplining-in-florida.aspx Something quite unique is Zipline Safari, which can be found in St Cloud, just south of Holopaw, off the US 441. ‘Forever Florida’ is a 4, 700 acre wildlife conservation area which has nine unique and quite distinct ecosystems. Here you will see wetlands and forests, pasture and natural streams, marsh and cypress domes, which are home to numerous varieties of flora and fauna. There is also a working cattle ranch, the Crescent J, which features a living museum of Spanish Colonial Cattle and Florida’s Cracker Horses. Here at ‘Forever Florida, ’ you can take part in a horseback adventure, or ride on one of their Coach Safaris. However, the latest adventure is to zip-line above this diverse ecosystem, 55 ft above the ground, at speeds of up to 20 miles an hour. It is a thrilling ride which allows you to both see and learn about Florida’s natural flora and fauna. First you will take a short hike along the scenic Florida Trail, until you come to the launching area of the zipline ... Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/our-favourite-places-to-eat-in-orlando-area.aspx Our favourite places to eat in Orlando area When you visit Florida for the first time it can be very daunting trying to choose a place to eat, with so many restaurants everywhere you look and lots of unfamiliar chain restaurants (for us Brits anyway! ). Here I am going to recommend some of our favourite places to eat when we’re in Orlando. A reasonably priced place to eat is Chili’s, there are several of these dotted around and about, I have eaten at the one near the bottom of International Drive and the one on highway 27 at Cagan Crossing. Both restaurants are similar in décor and the menu is the same. The menu offers Mexican and American style food such as fajitas, burgers, enchiladas and tortillas as well as steak and seafood dishes. The frozen margaritas (have always been on two for one whenever we have been in) are to die for and I could quite happily drink a few of these during the course of the meal. The staff are friendly (sometimes a little too attentive) and the f... Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/tasty-treats-of-orlando-part-1.aspx One thing not often mentioned about Orlando is its proliferation of tasty treats. I have wasted a good amount of time sampling these – all in the name of research of course! At the edge of Celebration and in the Florida Mall (and possibly elsewhere) is the Cold Stone Creamery. This is an ice cream parlour which has a huge array of flavours and toppings which the assistant then blends together on a cold stone slab. After selecting your flavour and topping you can then ask for it to be served in 3 sizes of cup or in a wafer cone. If the choice is too mind boggling you can choose from their list of specials. This is the best ice cream I have ever tasted and is always a first stop at the start of my holiday in Florida. In Downtown Disney’s Market Place is a shop called Ghiradelli’s. This is another ice cream parlour which also sells “out of this world” chocolates. Here you take a menu and choose from the choices of ice cream sundaes. Most of these are so big that it is best to ... Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/tasty-treats-of-orlando-part-2.aspx More tasty treats in Orlando are: Funnell cake, which is served mainly in the parks. This is a batter which is coiled in a circle and deep fried then coated with icing sugar. Best eaten hot as it is very greasy but rather like eating a hot doughnut. I love these and to hell with the calories! Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme Donuts are now available in the UK but cost about 3 or 4 times as much. These are served with a variety of toppings and can be eaten warm straight from the fryer again a great favourite of mine. Auntie Anne’s pretzels are wonderful hot bread delights coated in cinnamon sugar and are perfect to have with your morning coffee. These are really delicious but again very large. Most outlets are in shopping malls. Cinnabuns are like Chelsea buns but of course, bigger, and are liberally coated in cinnamon flavoured icing sugar – you will get very messy eating one of these. Mainly served in shopping malls too. Churros, available mainly in the the... Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/under-the-sea-ride.aspx Under the Sea is the Magic Kingdom’s newest ride in Fantasy Land and offers a view of the life led under the sea by Ariel, the little mermaid. The area which features the Under the Sea ride is typical Disney magic. There are rocks, water-falls running down into rivers of (unnatural) blue seas, palm trees, castle turrets and minarets which lead to a shipwreck with a figurehead of Ariel, the little mermaid. As you enter the ride, you will be led into the cave itself. The floor is littered with shells and ancient fossils of the past, crabs and other sea creatures scamper around the rocks as you are led further and further under the sea. Ship wrecked artefacts are displayed, as the Disney idea of how to spend the time in a long queue is put to excellent use. All of this build up adds to the excitement leading up to the ride and during the walk through, Scuttle the seagull tells you what you are about to see and how the little mermaid came to fall in love. Eventually you w... Sat, 17 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/beauty-and-the-beastupdate.aspx The Magic Kingdom at Disney World is undergoing a make-over to update the park. They have started in the Fantasy Land and will not be complete until 2014. However some new parts are already open and one of the newest is a special area featuring the characters from The Beauty and The Beast. As you get towards the area, you will see Gaston’s Tavern, a refreshment tavern for drinks and snacks. Outside is a bronze statue of Gaston and Le Fou enjoying a flagon of ale. Further along is the Be Our Guest Restaurant which provides the usual Disney fare of Burgers, chicken nuggets and sandwiches etc. It is a very grand hall with all the décor and seating is exactly as depicted in the movie of Beauty and The Beast. The characters portrayed are all the magic walking and talking utensils. At the main entrance is Wardrobe and inside are Mrs Potts and chip and lumiere the candelabra plus many more. Further on is a show called Belles Story. This is an audience participation show and lets c... Sat, 17 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/preparing-to-pack-on-a-rainy-afternoon.aspx A great way to spend a rainy afternoon in the sunshine state. If like me you usually leave your packing to the last day, I found on a recent trip where we had a rainy afternoon my time would be best spent removing all those labels from the garments I had recently purchased for my family and friends. Most of the family clothing was for my grandchildren, I find a vast selection of clothing for boys in Florida. The girl`s clothing is also very nice and I got some really cute things for my granddaughter. I love the little nine west boots and cant wait to see her wearing them, oh and the cup cake pyjamas, they feel lovely and warm, and should be perfect for our UK winter. The removal of the tags took me quite some time, once I had done this I was able to see what I had bought and it gave me the opportunity to update my list of things to buy. I made a pile for each family member then separate piles for friends. I soon realised I had bought quite a lot of stuff, I then started to wo... Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/epcot-a-theme-park-for-adults-and-children-part1.aspx Epcot a theme park for adults and children Part1 Epcot has to be my favourite park out of all the Disney Florida parks, although Magic kingdom has that something magical making it a special place, the park I like visiting best is Epcot I can remember the day when this special park opened the iconic mother ship earth or the Golf ball as many people remember it was shown on John Cravens Newsround , it was portrayed as a futuristic almost space travel like park I can remember thinking how exciting it looked For those of you that have never been to Epcot your view as you approach from the car park is dominated by a huge dome that does look like a golf ball from a distance its only as you get closer you start to realise the size of this structure it is indeed huge I would recommend that you make time to visit Spaceship earth at least once on your visit in fact we often visit it twice in one day it is a truly great and entertaining ride in my vie , the ride is a very good illu... Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/a-florida-timeline-the-early-years.aspx If we are attempting a timeline of the history of Florida we have to begin 12000 years ago (yes, really) This is the time when what is now known as the Native American inhabited this lovely State. 12000 B. C. It is believed that this was around the time that Florida was first inhabited by the human being. THe Paleo Indians came in search of new food sources and what a rich seam they found. At this time, Florida was about twice the size it is today and the Paleos lived in caves. The food they hunted and ate included the sabre tooth tiger, giant armadillos, horses and mastodans. Now, maybe you will permit me to go down a side alley, but I always thought that Mastodan was an American group. Well, it jolly well is, but before then, it was a gigantic creature like an elephant or a woolly mammoth. They died out about 12000 years B. C. and this was thought to be because of the climate change (and being hunted for food cannot have helped much, either! ) 7000 B. C. is known as ... Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/florida-guide-epcot-morocco-pavilion.aspx As if transported by a magic flying carpet, the Morocco Pavilion sweeps you away to a far away and exotic land full of exciting new sights and sounds. Disney were actually assisted in the design for the pavilion by the Moroccan government and the result is a beautiful pavilion which is themed like a Moroccan city, with a Minaret towering above it. Throughout this pavilion the detailing is quite immense, there are beautiful rooms filled with tiled mosaics which must have taken an age to complete. As you wander around the pavilion there are also many North African plants growing, including date palms and olive trees. In one area is the Fez House which is meant to represent a typical Moroccan home, well if this is typical then they must have many grand homes in their country! The home is beautiful, with interconnecting rooms and an open courtyard with gallery above. It is telling that many people when they wander around Epcot don’t actually seem to take the time to explore the pavil... Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/our-4th-july-celebrations-pt-1.aspx This was the second time we had been in the US for Independence Day celebrations. On the previous occasion, having visited Boston just a few days earlier, visiting Independence Hall and taking in the history of the War of Independence, we expected great things on July 4th. By the time Independence Day came around we were staying in a beautiful but small bed and breakfast hotel, in a seaside village in Rhode Island. I don' t even remember where we ate that evening, but apart from viewing a lone firework above a distant beach, it' s safe to say that America' s birthday went by very much uncelebrated. On the second occasion we were determined to find the celebratory atmosphere somewhere! Research, especially on the Orlando Villas Forums, indicated that the theme parks were likely to be exceptionally busy, and depending upon whose account you read, there may or may not have been special events and special fireworks taking place. Avoiding the theme parks left us with two options, Do... Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/our-4th-july-celebrations-pt-2.aspx As we approached Celebration via the I4 and World Drive, the roads were unusually quiet. With the excision of one notice, advertising the free park and ride from Celebration Place, there was nothing to indicate that the town would be busy or parking difficult to secure - how wrong we were! As we turned off Celebration Ave and drove down by the golf club we started to see cars parked at the side of the road - not bumper to bumper just more than we would usually expect to see - and the numbers increased as we got nearer to the town centre. Passing in front of The Corpus Cristina Roman Catholic Church we noticed an enterprising individual holding up a board saying ' Parking $5' and we committed this to memory should it be required later. Driving on towards the town centre we started to see more and more people on foot making their way towards the evening' s events. On approaching the school it was obvious that this was also being used for parking with prime ots on the playing field al... Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/our-4th-july-celebrations-pt-3.aspx Apart from the food on offer there was plenty of entertainment to be had. We had missed the judging of the fancy dress competition whose theme was An All American Salute To The Cinema, but those contestants who had not opted to change in to something cooler could still be seen mingling with the crowds, we spotted Jack Sparrow, Marilyn Monroe, Beetlejuice and some particularly good horror themed costumes. At the main stage the crowd was enjoying live music and on the corner of the lake the Disney Radio station crew were doing a great job of entertaining the children with games and competitions. There was a particularly energetic looking Hula Hoop Competition taking place as we passed by. In the same area you could board the miniature train for a ride around Celebration or for $5 take a wagon ride. If you fancied something a little more personal, or even romantic, then you could choose a carriage ride, reminiscent of those seen in Central Park New York or the cities of the de... Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/our-4th-july-celebrations-pt-4.aspx By this time we had resigned ourselves to being inside the restaurant when the fireworks display began, but in the hope that we get seated early and have finished our meal, we arrived at the restaurant some 10 - 15 minutes before our scheduled time. The party in front of us who had not made a reservation, were quoted a 20 minute wait and 45 minutes plus for a table outside on the patio. We were promised seating within a couple of minutes so decided to ask about outside seating and just hit lucky as a table had just become available and with no wait at all, we were shown to a great location at the front of the patio, prime viewing for the fireworks scheduled to start in just over an hour. The restaurant was very busy but it suited us to eat at a more leisurely pace as was required due to the servers being fully occupied with so many covers and despite the busy atmosphere, at no time did we feel we we feel that we being neglected or that the service was too slow. We started with ... Tue, 07 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/people-of-florida.aspx People of Florida Recently I wrote an article on what I thought was the very best thing about Florida I have to say I had to think long and hard to come up with the weather as the number one thing it was a close run race but the second best thing has to be the people of Florida or Floridians as they are known. Maybe it’s because I am from the UK where people tend be a little reserved and keep themselves to themselves , but I have to say that the people from Florida are truly some of the friendliest that I have ever come across. From the moment that you step foot off the plane you are greeted by genuinely friendly folks with the standard greeting found throughout Florida and other parts of the United Sates of How are you all doing today, this is very closely followed by have a nice day! If you’re visiting any of the tourist areas of Florida you will come across these phrases many many times per day and the scary thing is they actually mean it, indeed you will find many Floridia... Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.park-tickets.com/florida-attraction-guide/perhaps-the-best-shows-in-universal-islands-of-adventure.aspx Perhaps the Best Shows in Universal Islands of Adventure Someone asked me the other day if you had to choose very best ride in universal islands of adventure what would it be, hmmmm I thought not as easy as you might think to choose a favourite. Firstly I will say I have not chosen any of the Harry potter rides or shows because on my last visit they had only just finished them and the queues were so very long indeed you had to take a ticket and queue just to be allowed in to Harry Potter land. Poseidon’s Fury has to be up there with them for sure, it is a must see show although it’s quite old fashioned it’s a definite must see especially when you have to travel through a curtain of water that is transformed into a tunnel of water it’s a great show and the children love it. Close by Poseidon’s fury is the eighth voyage of Sinbad stunt show, this is one not to be missed and both the adults and the children will both enjoy this show, it’s done with acrobatics and lots of humour alo... Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT