Booking Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove is one of the relatively new parks in Florida with the great opportunity to swim with Dolphins. Of course the swim is one of the things people associate as being something they have to do before they die! There are few places in the world that you can swim with Dolphins, and those that offer this are only assuming that they are able to locate the animals. There are a number of things that separate this experience at Discovery cove as this is a very controlled environment where the animals well being is paramount, this is stressed through the day as if the Dolphin does not appear happy of wanting to participate then it is excluded from the experience. This I think is one of the important things about the idea behind the cove as the well being of the animals must be paramount.

Booking Discovery Cove however is a MUST. Entrance to Discovery Cove is limited Continue reading “Booking Discovery Cove” »

Tikes Peak in Blizzard Beach

Tikes Peak is the section of Blizzard Beach that is designed and created for the smaller  children to be able to enjoy the swimming and paddling and even go down some child sized versions of the slides with or without the tubes to sit in.

This pool area has water that is no deeper than a foot or so and they can all paddle and as long as they can stand up then it should all be good. The Tikes Peak is near the entrance of the park but has a lovely covered area that works really well to give you a chance to cover up a bit in the mid day sun as well as be able to put a child down for sleep in a push chair when you want. This is a great place to have Continue reading “Tikes Peak in Blizzard Beach” »

Disneys Typhoon Lagoon Florida

Loved It – Want To Go Again to Typhoon Lagoon Orlando

Typhoon Lagoon near Orlando Florida is a wonderfully themed water park located near the main attraction and close to pretty much any of the villas offered through Florida Premier Villas. The design is that of a paradise in the South sea islands with a nice selection of fast and slow rides water rides so that you can zip along… or float and meander. At the centre of the park is a Mountain with a boat perched on top called Miss Tilly, and when you hear the boom and see Miss Tilly rock then it is time to be in the main Lagoon as it is time for Wave Machine to fire.

The Actual Typhoon Lagoon

This is a very large wave pool. It is intended really as a swimming area with nice lapping edge of the beach. When the trigger is fired for the wave machine then the waves can get up to six feet high. Some coves, built in to each side of the lagoon, offer some protection from the waves should you need. There are a number of life guard posts around the lagoon and from what I have seen they look to be very alert all the time.

Castaway Creek

Castaway Creek is a meandering stream that floats around the perimeter of Typhoon Lagoon. It is often used as a way to get round the park, rather then walk to a ride you want to go on you can simply jump on an inner tube that are found Continue reading “Disneys Typhoon Lagoon Florida” »

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” »

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!!!