If you are like me and have fond memories of Pleasure Island in Orlando. You will no doubt be sad to hear the news of its demise. Disney has annonuced that they will be closing the entertainment theme park as from 27th September this year.

They have not come out directly and said what will be there in place of it but it sounds like it will be much more retail outlets along the lines of the West Side area.

I have had some great times there over the years including some real New Years Eve's! I have seen artists such as Little Richard, Robert Palmer, Blondie, the B52's and many more. I don't see the chance to do that anymore in such a relaxed venue.

It appears that Sea Worlds Aquatica Water Park has been a victim of its own success. Many days now the park has closed its gates at 11am once it is full. They have received another 1000 sun loungers and have more on order after people complaining of not being able to find one.

This may still be the "Honeymoon Period" for the park and no doubt it will settle down a bit once visitors to Orlando have seen what it is all about. So the advice here is get there early!

Halloween Horror Nighst have become very popular over the years and is now a well and trully major event at Universal Studios. It has been held at both Univesal Studios and Islands of Adventure in the past.

One thing I can sayis, it is definately not for kids! Or those of a nervous disposition. Many people don't like it and would not go again others, love it and can't wait till they get to go once again.

They dim down the lights and in some places it is very dark. There are people with chainsaws jumping out at you through the dark and smoke, others creep up on you and whisper in your ear.

The haunted houses, there are about 7 of them, have long lines most of the time but you can by a fast pass for around $70!! Called a front of line pass. If you don't have something like this you can expect to wait up to 2hrs to get it some of the houses. Many people complain that there are groups of younger guests that are drunk and a bit out of control too. 

I myself thought it was a good laugh and worth doing but wouldn't go again unless it was with someone that hadn't been and wanted to go. The dates this year are:

Sept 26 - 27
Oct 2 - 5, 9 -12, 16 - 19, 22 - 26, & 29 -31
Nov 1

Normal ticket price $69.99 plus tax. Or you can go for the Frequent Fear Pass at the same price and go as many times as you wish except for a few selected dates and the 31st Oct.

Here is a front seat view of the Hulk roller coaster at Universal studios Islands of Adventure Orlando.

 

I dare ya!

Here is a Riders Tye View from Sheikra at Busch Gardens Florida.

 

You are welcome to download this free eBook containing around 80 pages of information on Orlando and Florida.

 

Here is the link. Orlando & Florida Guide Book.

 

Enjoy!!

From the Orlando Sentinel 29th May 2008

For its next big attraction, "Manta," SeaWorld Orlando intends to mix 184,000 gallons of water, 3,000 sea animals and a roller coaster that puts riders in a prone position, then takes them through four inversions and as high as 140 feet and as fast as 56 mph.

"You say, 'Hey, you're putting as much emphasis on the animals as on the ride.' Absolutely. That's who we are. This is uniquely SeaWorld. We don't want to just put in a ride," said Joseph Couceiro, chief marketing officer for SeaWorld's parent company, Busch Entertainment Corporation.

SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Entertainment officials today announced details today for the new Manta roller coaster, which they said will seamlessly take guests from the awe of encountering rays in underwater flight into the sensation of actually being one.

Swooping over water and sky, Manta will show riders underwater animal habitats, then soar them face-down aboard a manta-inspired flying coaster, donned in hues of dark purple, ultramarine blue and cobalt.

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) -- Managers at SeaWorld Orlando are planning a review of training procedures following the death of one or their main performers in what has been described as a freak accident.

"Sharky,"  a dolphin died on Saturday during a show at SeaWorld Orlando's Discovery Cove.   A spokesperson with the attraction says the 30-year-old dolphin was performing a trick when it collided with a second dolphin.   The other animal is expected to survive.

There is a new ticket that has appeared on one of the ticket websites www.tickets4fun.com It covers all the main parks that you are likely to visit on your trip. It lasts for 14 days from first use. There are Two versions of it, the second version includes Busch Gardens in Tampa. Basically, it combines the Orlando Flex Ticket and The Disney Ultimate ticket. One thing to note it also includes Sea World's new water park Aqutica. The parks included in the ticket price are: Note: For UK Guests only.

Freedom Ticket
Magic Kingdom Park
Epcot
Disney-MGM Studios
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park*
Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park*
Pleasure Island in the Downtown Disney area
DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Park***
Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex**.
Universal’s Islands of Adventure®
Universal Studios®
SeaWorld® Orlando
Aquatica™
Wet’n Wild® Orlando

* Water Parks are subject to seasonal closure
** Valid only on event days, some events require an additional admission charge.
*** Excludes prize games.
Cost: £280 Adults £240 Child.
Freedom Ticket 2
As above but including Busch Gardens
Cost £302 Adult £259 Child.

After all said and done as much as I enjoy the "buzz" of Orlando with it's theme parks and attractions there comes a time when you just want to unwind and chill out. Or maybe it is not your type of thing to mix it up with the mouse.

Then the ideal place is South Florida and Fort Myers or Naples in particular. I love these places they are so far removed from the hustle and bustle of Orlando with an almost "Caribbean" laid back way of life.

Around a 3 hour drive from Orlando brings you to these Gulf Coast treasures. Fort Myers Beach is basically on a peninsula called Estero Island. It has a population of around 6,000 locals. It is quite close to the Airport too. The accommodation here is mainly Condo's but there are hotels too. A large proportion the Condo's can be rented and most of these are privately owned. With a price tag of around $750,000 for one on the beach with an ocean view! They are all well equipped and the ones I have stayed in were fantastic. We had an ocean view with 2 bedrooms and all the things we needed to make us feel at home. Every Condo had a jacuzzi and it was enormous, without any exaggeration you could get 4 people in it easily. I am 6ft 2in and I could lay out flat and neither my head nor my feet would touch the ends.

We had the most fantastic view of the Ocean from the master bedroom windows it was a delight to wake up to in the mornings. You could lay there for a while and watch the joggers exercising in the cooler early morning  temperatures or the beachcombers walking along the waters edge looking for that elusive shell.

The communal swimming pool was a delight and a 2 minute stroll gives you access to the uncrowded, white sandy beach. You can walk for miles along this unspoilt coastline. There is a pier if you wish to maybe do a spot of fishing.

There are many places to dine in Fort Myers beach, with most of them around the pier area. One place we went to and found it quite a novelty was the dinner and a movie at the Beach Theater. You choose your movie, order your food and a server brings it to your table where you can watch the movie in comfort. The rooms are quite small so it is has quite a personal feel to it. There area few rows of seats at the front, a counter top that you can sit at and then behind them are the tables.

If you wish to do your own thing, the condo has it's own set of gas barbecues. We did it one night, went to the nearby publix supermarket and got a couple of nice steaks and some shrimp and conjured up a tasty meal.

For shopping you really have to go to Naples which is about a 20-30 minute drive. There is the Coastlands Mall which contains the usual offerings of stores. One thing you will see a lot of are high priced furniture stores that cater for the wealthy residents of Naples, some quite famous ones too such as Judge Judy and Steven Spielburg  has a place here too. It is said the Naples has more millionaires per capita than any other city in the US. There are also a lot of seniors here  which has earned Naples the nickname "God's waiting room"

There are a lot more hotels here than at Fort Myers. It has a lovely Mediterranean feel to it inherited from it's namesake. It has tall palm tree lined roads and is well worth a visit.


Even if you don't spend your entire vacation (holiday) here just try to get down for a few days and chill out. The condos that we stayed at were Pointe Estero and the sister property next door The Gullwing. We got our 2 bedroom condo for $180 per night. You can contact the property direct or if you are in Orlando before you visit, do what we did and go to a room wholesaler such as "Know before you go" they have 2 locations in Orlando one on Sand lake and I drive and the other is on the 192 around the mile 13 marker if I remember rightly.


Enjoy!!