(Courtesy Universal Orlando.)

Universal Studios has announced a new roller coaster for its Orlando theme park. Here's the press release.

ORLANDO, FL (March 19, 2008) - Adrenaline pumping and music thumping, you find yourself heading straight toward the sky. Suddenly, you are doing 65 mph, 17 stories over Universal Studios. Gasping with excitement, you rock out to a song you picked before strapping in. And, it's all on video. Once the adventure is over, you edit the video to send to your friends.

This is true high-tech, customizable, multi-sensory entertainment. Scheduled to open in spring 2009, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit will stake its claim as the most technologically advanced roller coaster in the world. The Universal Creative team is combining audio and special effects engineering, sophisticated on- and off-board video and one-of-a-kind guest personalization to create a roller coaster experience unlike any other.

"This is the perfect intersection of the digital age and theme park entertainment," said Mark Woodbury, President of Creative for Universal Parks & Resorts. "Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit blends roller coaster intensity and guest interaction in a way where no two experiences will be the same."

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit touts six near-miss moments and first-ever thrills including a record-breaking loop. Ride vehicles feature the brightest and most innovative color changing LEDs in the world. High-energy visual displays fill the queue line. With up to four ride vehicles on the tracks at any given time, and with concert lighting and special effects mixed in, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit will be a true high-intensity, multi-sensory experience that is unmatched.

Guests can customize their ride experience by choosing what song will play while they're on the roller coaster. LED boards in the queue lines will display song options from five genres (classic rock, rap, country, pop and disco). Once on-board, guests can choose their song or let the coaster's digital sound system choose for them. When the ride is over, guests will be able to customize footage from their experience and compile it into a take-home music video.

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit will be located near the Jimmy Neutron attraction traveling the southern perimeter of the Universal Studios theme park, over to the CityWalk lagoon and back.


Rumour has it that it will feature the first "non-inverting loop." Most coaster loops involve turning you upside down, on this one, the track will twist on the way up, then twist again on the way down so that riders are always right side up relative to the ground. Sounds Good!

Even if, when visiting Florida, you are spending the whole of your vacation in Orlando it may be worthwhile having a day at the Beach. My choice for a daytrip would be Clearwater Beach,
 
At just over an hour away it is quite an eye opener and quite different from Orlando. The Beaches themselves are gorgeous the sand is powder like and as white as sugar! The beaches do get a little crowded at weekends but as anyone knows who has been to Spain, I don't mean that crowded!! Sometimes the town fills up with football fans when the Tampa Bay Buccs are playing at home so accommodation can be scarce and expensive if you decide to stay overnight. I always like to visit midweek.
 
The pier is a nice place to visit if you want to do a couple of hours fishing they hire the rods out and you can get some live bait all for around 18 USD. It doesn't matter if you are not an accomplished fisherman it is quite easy to catch a few fish without a great deal of effort. Just be careful what fish you handle though! There is always a few locals on hand to give you advice etc. I may post another story about handling Catfish another time. As our son learnt the hard way!
 
If you want to take a trip out to sea then I can recommend the Sea Screamer. It is the world's largest speed boat and they take you out to play with the dolphins, which by the way, can be seen playing out at sea quite often, they come quite close to the shore sometimes, they love to play in the sea screamer's wake you can really get a spectacular view of them from the rear of the boat. If you don't get to see any they give you a free pass to try again another day.
   
Plenty of great places to eat all along the main streets of Clearwater. Two that I can heartily recommend are Reno's and Gondoliers. Both serve excellent food at reasonable prices. As the Sun goes down the restaurants fill up and people gather on the beach to watch the spectacular sunsets. The Pier 60 area comes alive with street entertainers and craft stalls. It is certainly a fun place and well worth a visit if only for a day!

 

Typhoon Lagoon is a gem in Orlando's treasure chest. It allows you to escape the concrete jungle of conventional theme parks and other attractions. It has a lush, tropical atmosphere with many sandy areas to sunbathe and plenty of shade for those that don't want too much Sun.
 
Without a doubt the most popular part of Typhoon Lagoon is the wave pool. It has two modes one is a choppy water effect and the other is a tidal wave effect. The latter of the Two is the most popular and you can hear the bathers chanting "We want the waves, We want the waves" They normally run the Tidal Wave for 30 minutes every hour with a 90 second break in between waves. The waves are about 6 ft tall at their highest and people try to "body surf" their way inshore on them. It's not that easy though! The force from the waves will knock you off your feet so watch out!
The wave pool is used to teach people to surf before the park opens to the general public. There are several videos on YouTube showing that.
 
There are sun loungers and chairs for your use but make sure you get there early in the busy times as they soon disappear, especially the ones close to the water.  The park opens at 10:00am but allows people to go through the turnstiles at about 09:45am where you queue on the bridges before getting to the actual water areas. This gives time for people to sort out towel and locker rental if they need it. You can also get free life preservers for kids too.
Throughout the day the music playing is playing is 50's and 60's "Surfer type" songs. There are several places to eat and get snacks but mostly it is fast food.
 
Other attractions there are the new slush 'n' gusher ride which is a water based rollercoaster type of thing, only you are on a 2 or 3 person tube. You go downhill and uphill on jets of water, through twisting enclosed tunnels to be finally dumped into a large pool at the end. A word of caution, though not often, they do tip over and I can vouch for that. If you do tip over the ride shuts down immediately, where you can either shimmy your way out of the ride or they open up the rope areas covering the tube runs to let you walk down the steps. Great fun though!
 
Tip: You can buy a souvenier mug for around 9 dollars and fill it all day long at the various soda fountains and eating places. If you visit again take your mug with you and get a new sticker with that days barcode for 7 Dollars and drink all day. If you want to read some more about it visit our Orlando Guide or Perfect Florida Guide.

 

 

Imagine the scenario; you want to have a large family get together in Orlando or one of the other beautiful Florida destinations. You have tried several hotels some can accommodate you some can't, those that can accommodate you can't guarantee you will be in the same part of the hotel complex let alone the same floor.

Even if you are travelling as a family, many offer 2 Queen sized bedrooms or a King. So if you are taking kids with you it's going to be Mom & Pop in one Queen and the kids in the other. Not much privacy there. Once the kids are asleep and you want to watch a bit of TV you have to keep the volume down low so as not to disturb the kids.

So what's the solution?
 
Simple, take a look at the many vacation properties available in Florida and particularly the Orlando Area. These luxurious vacation homes are equipped with everything you need to make it your home from home. Almost all of them have private heated pools, some with hot tubs and Jacuzzis. Many have large screen TV's, games consoles such as xbox and PS2 along with games. Others also have games rooms with pool and foosball tables. So after a tiring fun filled day at the theme parks if the kids have any energy left there is something for them to do. Mom & Dad can have some quality time too once the kids are all tucked up in bed. If you wanted to cook some meals instead of eating out all the time, even if it is Breakfast the choice is yours. All the facilities are there at your disposal. Some villa communities have communal areas with a pool, kids play areas, hiking trails and clubhouses too.

What about the cost?

Many times the cost is comparable or cheaper than hotel rooms, depending on the number of travelers. If you take in value for money then Vacation Villas are cheaper than hotels every time. The average cost of of a vacation home that has 4 bedrooms and can sleep up to 10 people (many have sleeper sofas), is around $900 per week. If, lets say, there were 8 people traveling in your group and you stayed in hotel rooms, it could easily cost more than the $900 especially if you had 4 rooms! Bedroom sizes can be as many as 7, often with more than one master suite. These huge villas can sleep up to 16, if you would want that many! For the privacy alone it's got to be worth the money.

When choosing a vacation villa online from a website such as Perfect Florida Villas or Florida Villas Elite you can rest assured that you will be dealt with in an honest and professional manner. All villas have been verified by the site owners as being registered with the state and hold a Hotels license and do indeed exist and are owned by who they say they are. All villas have a competent Management Company that provide any assistance that may be required by you throughout your stay.

When visiting Orlando Villas you are able to view the property you like  see many pictures of it and ask the owner for answers to any questions or requests you may have.

So it's time to break the hotel habit and give vacation villas in Orlando and Florida a try. You wont regret it!