Orlando has its own Ripley’s Believe or Not “museum” along with 30 other locations worldwide. An admission price of $20 for adults (check for coupons in store handouts and ask about discounts) makes it a nice way to kill about two hours. If nothing else, it’s interesting and a good side trip for a vacation [...] Read more...
August 2011: Fourteen months ago, I posted a story called The great Orlando gas scam, noting that a few stations close to the Orlando airport overcharge customers about $2 per gallon, making a shady dollar off tourists who rent a car and must fill up the tank before returning it. At that time, Orlando city [...] Read more...
Orlando parks have a marketing ploy: If it’s a slow season, schedule a weekend celebration. In this case, the weekend targets Harry Potter fans as Universal Orlando announces its first-ever “Celebration of The Harry Potter Films” Nov. 11-13, 2011. With that nod to the marketing gurus out of the way, it’s a phenomenal weekend for [...] Read more...
July 2011: One drop of Disney magic has been cut back. The Disney monorail once gently moved tourists from massive parking lots to hotels to theme parks, and it will still to do so – but only during high demand times. Vacationers who book a late night meal at Epcot or shop past park closing [...] Read more...
Hyperion Wharf is out at Downtown Disney (maybe) and bowling is in (for sure). While Disney announced major changes to its onsite-shopping complex in November 2010, it’s having a change of heart. Pleasure Island – the portion of Downtown Disney that once offered adults a theme-park-like experience with cocktails and dancing – was slated to [...] Read more...
Disney’s Hollywood Studios debuted a new edition of Star Tours, and while the ride movement remains essentially the same, designers nailed the “Star Wars” concept in the upgrade. Disney stumbles at times and an upgrade fails to measure up to an original, but people who enjoyed the Star Wars movies won’t be disappointed. The ride [...] Read more...
Florida county deputy sheriffs arrested 10 people last week. Their crime? Selling used theme park tickets. Sheriffs seized almost 1,900 tickets worth more than $300,000. The lesson here: Buying used tickets is illegal. It’s not just immoral. It’s not just pulling one over on the theme parks. It’s also a misdemeanor crime. Reselling theme park [...] Read more...
You don’t want to spend vacation time dealing with problems. That’s reason No. 2 for thinking about finances before a vacation. Reason No. 1? Why worry about anything on vacation? Do the ugly work before you leave home. To alleviate worry and minimize financial problems, consider: 1. Don’t tell thieves you’re out of town. Stop [...] Read more...
Island of Adventure’s Spiderman – one of Orlando’s coolest rides tech-wise – will get a facelift soon. And Universal Studio’s Jimmy Neutron ride will soon nix Neutron and focus on the movie “Despicable Me.” While Universal is billing the latter as a new ride, it’s really the third incarnation of a ride that began as [...] Read more...
Disney World’s two major holiday parties – Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – are selling tickets for the 2011 season. Both take place in the Magic Kingdom starting around 7 p.m., though many guests arrive earlier. In no case does Disney schedule a party for a Saturday night. (Day guests [...] Read more...
