Holiday To Florida – Why Should you Go!!

I find this an unusual Blog post to be writing as I cannot imagine any reason why someone would not want to go to Florida in the first place but I suppose there are always some people that are not quite sure and so here is a blog post try and push you over the edge.

I think one thing that people do not allow for is that there are so many different things in Florida to see and do and so it is not all about Disney and Universal Studios although they are both things that have to be thought about.

I think what is a common problem though is that there is not the allowance that there are a lot of things that people like to do, for example there is some great shopping, the wildlife in Florida is great as it is varied and different to the the animals here in the UK. People’s first memories often is from tv and for me it was gentle Ben where you had a bear going around on an Airboat in the Everglades! This shows you the selection of wildlife there is to make the most of.
The obvious main attractions of Florida are of course the theme parks of Disney, Seaworld, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Kennedy Space centre ….. There are so many that we could just go on listing Continue reading “Holiday To Florida – Why Should you Go!!” »

Great Days out In Florida

There are so many interesting and fun things that can be done in Florida. This state has so many attractions to offer tourists and residents alike. Florida is blessed with many sunny days that make it easy to enjoy one of the pristine beaches. Daytona Beach is probably the most famous of the Florida beach communities. This area has a white sandy beach that seems to go on forever. Many students flock here during Spring Break to enjoy the sunshine and have fun with their friends. While in this area, a visit to the Daytona International Speedway is worthwhile. Great racing action takes place here and racing fans will not want to miss this attraction while visiting in the area.

For space buffs, there is Cape Canaveral, which is located near Orlando. This is where all the space shuttles have taken off and landed. Many people have been lucky enough to be there for a shuttle take off. There is a visitor centre located out of the boundaries of the NASA facility Continue reading “Great Days out In Florida” »

Driving In Florida And SatNav

Sat Nav In Florida

 

A great way to deal with navigation in Florida is to use Sat Nav. If you have a sat nav unit in the UK then it should work just as well in Florida IF you have got the US Map pack installed. It may be worth checking on the price of getting and installing the US map pack if you need to purchase it.

Your alternative is to hire a sat nav, most major car hire companies offer the facility to hire a sat nav unit with your car. There are advantages and disadvantages of this such as if you use a Tom Tom normally and the hire company use Navman then you will not be aware of the way to use the unit.

A big advantage of having a sat nav is that they will normally have a ‘Points Of Interest’ section and this will allow you to navigate easily to the major attractions as the highway systems can be a little hard to read sometimes.

Florida Harley Experience

A Harley Davidson In Florida

I have a full bike license and Florida is a great place to have a ‘Harley’ experience.

The first time, we went on a family holiday, and I rented a softail classic for 2 days just to have a bit of a cruise around the Orlando area – it was my first time on a Harley and it certainly takes some getting used to – they are huge & exceptionally heavy – but, they are also comfortable, and great fun. Cruise control on a motorbike – how luxurious !!!! A car stereo with speakers as well. Everywhere you go people notice and look – everywhere you stop, people want to take their photo with or on it !

The second time, my wife & I rented one for a 5 day trip and we rode from Orlando, down to the Florida Keys – a great bike ride, plenty to see, and loads of great motels & hotels to stay at on the way. This time we had a Road King – even bigger – my wife had an comfy leather seat with arm rests.

They aren’t the cheapest things to rent but as a one off, they are a great experience and you won’t be disappointed. Both places we rented from (can’t remember the dealers – sorry) were really friendly dealers – couldn’t have helped us more – even let us take a different bike out for lunch on our first day and then swap it over.

My Magic Kingdom Experience

My Magic Kingdom – Love It

As far as I am concerned, this is Disney! Each time I have been to Florida the first thing we have always done is go to Magic Kingdom. This always gets us into the perfect mood and gets you ready for what must be your best holiday! Where else can you arrive at a park and on arrival to get to the gate you can either go by mono-rail or paddle steamer! We have yet to go on the monorail as ‘It Has To Be The Steamer’. On arriving at getting through the gates you arrive in the square at the bottom of Main Street. If you have ever seen the photos of a friend that has been to Florida, there is a picture of main street and the mighty castle at the far end, I still look at the photo from the first time I ever went there and remember the buzz and enjoyment of finally being there! You can even sit on a bench with Walt and Mickey mouse for a photo, albeit a bronze version (Mickey is busy after all).

This square is the start of the Magic Kingdom and the location for hiring pushchairs and the like for your day, you can of course take you own or hire them. At the far end of Main street in the mighty castle. This plays as centre point of the park with the 4 lands of Magic Kingdom as paths from this point. The 4 lands are .. Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland. Each land has its own themes and ideas of things to do and I have tried to summarise them below for you

Fantasyland

This is where you are to forget about reality and the restrictions there are and let the mind wonder and enjoy the surroundings. In Fantasy land you have things like ‘it’s a small world’, this ride is a very sedate calm ride, works well after lunch or when you want to escape the sun. It is a cruise around the world and seeing different cultures., this ride seems to always have quite a long queue but it moves quickly. There is also Peter Pan’s Flight, this is an indoors ride (or experience), this is generally code for simulator but gives you a birds eye view as if you were with Peter Pan.

Here you also have one of our favourites for the kids ‘Dumbo The Flying Elephant’, the most recent time I went to Florida it wwas with my wife, our 3 year old son and 2 grand parents. As soon as the grandparents confirmed they were coming, Nanny made it quite clear she was taking her grandson on Dumbo – And She Did! This is the roundabout with a difference as you sit on Dumbo’s back and can control going high in the sky and back.

There are many more rides but these are the 2 that jump to mind

Frontierland

Here is one of the classic roller coasters ‘Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’, a firm family favourite as fast enough to thrill the children but not too manic that the adults will not go on and so a solid family favourite. There is of course the obligatory photo that you probably need to buy afterwards of you screaming along the ride but a real one for the scrap book.

Once you have recovered you the have to go on Splash Mountain, I would find it hard to believe that anybody that has heard of Disney in Florida has not heard of Splash mountain. A 5 storey downhill slide (in a log) before splashing down at the bottom with the threat of getting wet, it’s brilliant!

Adventureland

One of the slightly quieter lands, this is the location of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse that you can explore, but also the location of the ‘Magic Carpets Of Aladin’, this is a simulator where you can fly through the skies of Agrabah on a magic carpet. You can also take the ‘Jungle Cruise’ as well as go on the ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’ ride to sail through the Spanish Main with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland offers the probably most famous ride ‘Space Mountain’! This inside rollercoaster is not a big bare knuckle ride and so could be ok for a sturdy smaller shild although it is in the dark inside the Mountain that you see from outside.

For all those star ranger out there, there is ‘Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin’. This was a massive favourite with my 3 year old and a few rides were required on this. It is a slow speed ride where you can try and shoot as many aliens to try and get a high enough score to become a Space Ranger.

Here you will also find Stitch’s Great Escape and also Monster Inc Laugh Floor.

On top of the main rides there are many smaller rides and of course the parades and most important characters meetings. My sons first meeting was with Pooh bear, and I have never seen him smile so wide and be amazed all at once. THIS is what Disney is all about to me! I wish I could go every day and ideally that everyday was the first day!

We also do always stay in a villa so why wouldnt you (in my opinion the only way you would do this type of holiday) and by booking the villa direct you know exactly where you will be staying. What other holidays involve glorious weather, a villa with a pool and the most excellent entertainment in the world!

Florida is not a destination for planning ‘Shall We Go’ it is a ‘When Shall We Go’ – Awesome

Top 10 Disney Parks Florida Attractions

Florida IS Disney in my eyes and so whilst looking at Florida there is so much more to do around the Orlando, Florida area I though it would be good to come up with a Top Ten Disney Parks Florida Attractions. There are so many parts that are Disney and to see everything would pretty much take you the full 2 week holiday on its own and there is so much more to do, in this article I am concentrating only on the 4 main parks (Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Holywood Studios and Disneys Animal Kingdom Theme Park) and will cover other areas suchas downtown disney etc,… in another post. Here therefore is my Florida Disney Top Ten Attractions and Rides that are a must

1. Splash Mountain, Disneys Magic Kingdom, Florida – Splash mountain has to be a big one of the Disney Florida Attractions I think. I think it is almost a mandatory part of a florida vacation that you must have a photo of your group going down the water drop on the splash mountain roller coaster. It is not the most scary of rides and so most kids should be fine on it but the photo is a great keep and on a hot day it also works well as a way to cool off. The queue can get quite long but it is a nice family ride and as always the queueing in themed and you are protected from the sun most of the time.
2. Dumbo The Flying Elephant, Disneys Magic Kingdom, Florida - I think the Dumbo ride at Disney Florida is an iconic ride that I suspect with be in the park as long as there is a park. This is the rotating elephants flying thanks to those enormous ears, it is a great ride for small kids to do with mum, dad, grandparent or guardian and is a real memory keeper. Continue reading “Top 10 Disney Parks Florida Attractions” »

Cocoa Beach Florida

Cocoa Beach Florida some may say is not an attraction. I disagree with this statement as it is very much an attraction as much as the next place as it has its definate benefits and well worth looking at. Florida offers some of the best consistent weather as a vacation location and as such, beaches such as Cocoa Beach, offer a great chance for people to have a great day out.

When spending time in Florida people often only think about the parks and main attractions however it is also important to think about having quiet days otherwise people come back exhausted, the advantage of Cocoa Beach  is that it is a great way to have a family beach day in Florida so that you can have some relax time, sunbathing and check out the sea as this is the closest beach to the Orlando area.

In addition to being the closest beach Cocoa Beach is also located close to the Kennedy Space Centre Orlando, therefore if you feel you are not wanting to spend a whole day on the beach then you could go to Kennedy Space centre in the morning (one of my Top 10 Florida Vacation Musts) .

Cocoa Beach also offers other things to do of course, for example this is the location of the first Ron Jon Surf Shop. Ron Jon Surf Shop (if you have not heard of it) is one of the most famous shops for all things surfing, you are able to buy all things surf including swim wear,  Men and womens Surf Apparel, sunglasses and more. The shop is the Ron Jon flagship location with over 52000 sqaure feet making it a massive shop and worth a look.

Getting over to Ron Jon Surf Shop, Cocoa beach and Kennedy Space centre from the main location where most of the villas are located near Orland Florida. To get there depending on where you are you can get the I4 to the 528 which is known as the Florida Expressway but used to be called the Beeline expressway. This is a Toll road and therefore you will have to pay some dollars to use it but it is a direct, straight road that is perfect as traffic is quite light and the journey quick. From memory the speed limit was 70 which is slightly higher then interstates but as it is a long straight smooth road it is a nice drive in your american air conditioned car or van.

I have a strong memory from Cocoa beach as the time we went there is was where I went down on bended knee and proposed to my now wife as we are such Florida Fans. The slight problem I had after planning this for so long was to manage to leave the ring I had taken with me at the villa we were staying in and so had to buy a temporary ring at Ron Jon Surf Shop for the actual proposal and then repeat the moment back at the villa with the correct ring!

Top 10 Things To Include In Your Florida Vacation

Having been to Florida a number of times and staying in villas everytime my family and I have found a number of things that we have done in Florida that may not have been thought of or even heard of and and so I thought we would share them with other to help make the most of your florida vacation holiday

1. Arabian Nights Diner Experience - If you have not heard of this then you should have a look, this is an excelent evening out for families as much as couples. This experience is a meal where all people are seated around a central area where horses and riders play out a story. It is a fantastic experience with 2 seatings a day so that you can eat earlier with the children or later for adults. I have been under both a normal ticket as well as a VIP ticket, the VIP ticket was only about $10 per person more on a late purchase and this gives you a tour of the back stage and all the horse sections as well as front 3 rows seat for the meal/show. The price for the VIP element varies but is not that high and is well worth it if you have the funds.
2. Discovery Cove – I must admit to having not been to Discovery cove but this is  a no nonsense option to get one of the most well though of experiences in the world of swimming with Dolphins in Florida. Only approximately 1000 tickets per day this definately requires pre booking well in advance. One of the main advantages with Discovery Cove for me is the nice idea that the tickets include your food and drink and so pretty much every thing is included and so you can kick back and relax
3. Disney – I was almost going to not add this as it is too obvious but I must make the point (at least to me) that DISNEY IS FLORIDA, Disney was the first park to set up in Florida, get extremely popular and then everyone else followed in and new parks like Seaworld etc set up in Florida also
4. Seaworld – I will admit that the first time we went to Florida when much of my family went to Seaworld I went elsewhere as I did not want to go to a Zoo. SEAWORLD IS NOT A ZOO is something that I want to get across, it is much more. There are some fantastic things to do in SeaWorld like feeding the dolphins which if you have kids is amasing but I must admit that is was fantastic just as 2 adults, ironically after not going the first time we went there I made sure that we went there twice! This park is not a massive roller coaster park and as active as Disney and so when doing your planning whilst this is not a rest day it is a lot calmer. You must of course make sure you go and see Shamu and family as that is a show worth waiting for.
5. Kennedy Space Centre – This is a place well worth a look. I will admit that a child will look at a lot of it, say Wow Thats Big shortly followed by whats next. This is a great attraction to look at and worth going around the bus route they run that stop at locations around the site allowing you to see launch pads and mock up space shuttles. I would say this is  a half day attraction (or a little bit more) personally BUT as you have driven an hour to get there from the main tourist section of Florida you should go over to Ron Jons Surf Shop on Cocoa Beach Florida which was the location of the first Ron Jon surf shop. This is a massive shop and if you need anything for swimming, surfing, snorkelling or more then in Florida there is no better place.
6. Cocoa Beach Florida – Most Florida attractions are based in the centre of the state and although it is a thin state very few people think about going to the Beach. I think this is mostly as people tend to think we are in Florida and MUST DO EVERYTHING that we can. As I mention is a few posts you MUST have a rest day or 2 or you will come back having forgotten what you did and exhausted (albeit in a happy way). One good option for a rest day is going to the beach, lay back have some sun, a swim in the sea and catch up with each other. Cocoa Beach is the place for this, it is the closest beach and will take you about an hour. But as I said in my Top Ten Differences About Driving In America it is a lot easier and more relaxing to drive in the US. This beach is beautiful with soft golden sand, and to let you in on a secret the location where I proposed!
7. Universal Studios Orlando Resort – Universal studios resort Orlando Florida cannot be missed. Over the years this resort is getting better and better, Universal now has 2 parks Universal Studios and Universal Islands Of Adventure.  Universal Studios was the first park and has all the classics, it is centered around a lake making it not feel to cramped in. There are a number of rides and experiences from classics such as Jaws, E.T (still makes my wife cry!) and the Terminator and even the chance to see the Blues Brothers. The newer rides include the Simpsons and Revenge Of The Mummy amongst others. Universal Islands of Adventure theme park is the newer park and offers more high speed rides. There are some fantastic rides such as The Incredible Hulk Coaster , The Amazing Adventures Of Spiderman, and the Duelling Dragons which is one of my favourites. The BIG THING about Islands of Adventure is that this is to be the location of The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter which is due to open in SPRING 2010.  These parks are right next to each other and share a parking complex – So, could you do them both in day? If you arrived very early, left very late and ran everywhere then maybe BUT you would still miss bits. This should really be a 2 day thing, and fortunately they do sell 2 day tickets (often even a 3 day)
8. Blizzard Beach Water Park – As a bit of a water baby I have always been interested in going to the WaterParks in Florida. The first time I watched a promotional video (before DVD’s) for going to Florida I saw the Blizzard Beach Water Park and knew I had to go there. The naem Blizzard Beach is apt as it is a waterpark designed to appear as if a to be a ski resort. It is a wonderful mix of scenery to give the illusion and a great selection of rides to match all people. I have been to this park as a couple and a family and there is the “Summit Plummet” which is one of the worlds highest and fastest water slides, there a more high speed slides, there are slides 6 across so that groups can race each other, there is a lazy river to drift down and there are also raft rides down giant slides. Of the water parks that I have been to I would rate Blizzard Beach as the one to go to, especially if you are only allowing one day in a water park.
9. Orlando Florida Outlet Malls, Florida Premiem Outlets - This encompasses a few things as basically it means shopping. No matter what the exchange rate buying things in America is cheaper. Obviously the better the exchange rate the better the prices, last time I went i was lucky to time it with the $2 to a £1 and so shopping was all the better. In Florida it is the land of vouchers, there is nearly always a discount to be had also as all shops are fighting for your business. Places like Nike and Reebok often offer deals like 3 pairs of trainers for price of 2, last time I went I bought about 10 $10 t shirts and so costing me about £5 rather then what I would imagine to be about £20 in the UK. People often mention the Beltz Outlets in Florida but this was destroyed about 4 years ago I believe and there is a new setup call Premium Outlets. Form my experience the prices and deals are not as good as they used to be and so keep an eye out but malls and shopping must be a tick in your box even for the blokes !!
10. Aquatica – I must admit I have not been to aquatica, this is the new water park that Seaworld have opened and to be honest is a water park should be good then sea world should be in a good position to make one!! There are rides such as slides that go through sharks swimming areas and swimming sections where you can go face to face with a shark (fortunately there is a thick glass sheet between you otherwise it would be Jaws 4 or 5 all over again). i hope to add more details about Aquatica soon once I have a good write up for one and all to help spread the details.

Well, I hope that you have found this interesting. If anyone agrees or disagrees then note it here and we could make a revised version with others people opinion!!!

Welcome To Florida Premier Villas Blog

Welcome to the new Florida blog, this is a new tool to be able to help people looking for their perfect Florida villa for their vacation. Here we plan to offer lots of information about new attractions offered in florida, update everyone on the new villas being added to florida vacation villa site as well as offer information about the differing estates and tips and tricks to help you have the dream holiday.