May 2013: Nothing tops Sea World’s daily schedule of events when planning your day. Pick up a copy at the gate. The five minutes it takes to study the schedule and compare it to the map can save a lot of backtracking during your hike around the lake. While no one can accurately create a [...] Read more...
May 2013: No other Orlando park focuses on the oceans like Sea World, and it has more shows and walk-through exhibits (aquariums) than rides. Still, Sea World’s two coasters rival the best at Islands of Adventure, and its water flume ride compares favorably to ones at Islands of Adventure and Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Sea World [...] Read more...
May 2013: Universal Studios made it official that a second theme park section based on the Harry Potter books will open in 2014. And proving that the rumors are sometimes true, it will appear inside Universal Studios in the now-gone area where Amityville and the Jaws ride existed. Also confirming rumors, the theme will be [...] Read more...
April 2013: Disney Villas At over $300 per night, villas contain more apartment-like amenities, such as microwaves and coffee makers. Most are part of Disney’s Vacation Club, which is Mickey’s version of a timeshare. If Disney offers a Vacation Club unit via its hotel reservation system, it means no Vacation Club member booked it that [...] Read more...
April 2013: Amenities – room size, resort layout, etc. – vary little with Disney’s moderate resorts and not at all with Disney’s economy resorts. Not so in the luxury category. Each resort offers a range of styles, room sizes, restaurants, and more. The Grand Floridian is undisputedly the most luxurious resort on Disney property – [...] Read more...
April 2013: While Disney’s economy resorts are identical, the moderate resorts are merely similar. Basic rooms in each have roughly the same amount of space and layout, with prices based on view; and none have the easy-park access of those on the monorail system. But the park commute from moderate resorts is, in general, shorter [...] Read more...
April 2013: This choice is simple – all Disney’s economy hotels are the same. Almost. Rooms are the same size; check-in is the same; restaurants – cafeteria-style – are virtually the same. Key differences: Pools reflect the individual themes, as do giant fiberglass (maybe it’s plastic) renditions of smaller objects, such as three-story guitars, 40-foot toys, [...] Read more...
February 2013: Golf is a world unto itself. Information on a specific course should include a rating, statistics, insights, location, cost, style, and more. With many Orlando courses within 30 minutes of the tourist attractions, it’s a challenge for a single website to do them justice, much less a webpage. Rather than duplicate a complete [...] Read more...
1. To stop the kids’ whining. 2. You have $2,000 to spend on a family vacation and you want the most bang for your buck. 3. The kids are getting older and you want one last blowout before they leave the nest and start families of their own. 4. You’ve gone to fantastic destinations for [...] Read more...
January 2013: Is travel insurance a good idea? Maybe, maybe not. First, crunch some numbers. A tour package may have set cancellation penalties in the back of the brochure, but hotels can usually be cancelled within 24 hours. If you’re not traveling for four months, why take out insurance that covers a hotel? Make sure [...] Read more...
