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Universal Studios Florida to Close Jaws Ride

13 Dec 2011 -

Jaws Ride

Universal Studios Florida will be permanently closing the “Jaws!” There are a few more weeks left to experience the ride at Universal Orlando Resort, and with the holidays upon us, it is a good time to visit this Orlando theme park. The ride and Amity area of Universal Studios Florida will be closing for good on Monday, January 2. The ride is one of the longest running attractions in Central Florida, opening in 1991, and will be missed by many park goers.

“Jaws” is one of the last standing original rides from when the theme park opened. Guests fill up tour boats which wind around the attraction, then are suddenly “attacked” by a robotic great white shark! The ride was based upon the 1975 movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Once it closes, “E.T. Adventure” will be the last original ride open in this Orlando area theme park.

While there is much speculation as to what will replace this attraction, I have no doubt it will be tied to the overwhelmingly popular Wizarding World of Harry Potter which has increased the Orlando theme park’s status immensely. There are a lot of possibilities, so we’ll have to wait for further announcements from Universal.

In the next few weeks, while you’re enjoying the “Jaws” ride one last time, you’ll also enjoy Universal’s holiday events. There is a lot going on at the theme park. You can get all of the details by visiting their web site, but make sure you check out these holiday happenings:

  • Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure
  • the Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal (every evening)
  • Mannheim Steamroller Concerts (next weekend – Dec. 17 & 18)
  • Holiday themed version of the Blues Brothers show

Say goodbye to “Jaws,” and enjoy one last bite!

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Holidays in Space at the Kennedy Space Center

03 Dec 2011 -

Now through January 1 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, you can learn what it’s like to celebrate the holidays aboard the ISS with astronauts and cosmonauts from other countries. The Space Center is hosting its first-ever “Holidays in Space” event. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to celebrate the holidays in outer space or in another country, now is your chance to find out without leaving the USA!

During this special celebration, visitors can learn about holiday traditions in countries that are partners of the Interenational Space Station, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and of course, the United States. A mural just outside the Rocket Garden is filled with information about the holiday customs of each partner country. Decorative wreaths and garland throughout the Visitor Complex add to the international holiday celebration.

A section of the Rock Garden is also set up with a 40-foot-by-40-foot Space Skating Rink with a synthetic, polymer surface. Guests can enjoy 20-minute skating sessions beginning on the hour and half-hour from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for $10 including skate rental ($8 for ages 3-11).  Here you will also find a 42-foot Christmas tree decorated with Space Station themed ornaments, lights and flags from the ISS partner countries.

If you’d like to watch the crew in space, you can see actual images prior to every IMAX film.  You can even send a holiday greeting e-mail  to the crew. Perhaps you have someone in your family that would rather send a letter to Santa this time of year, instead of the astronauts. They’re in luck, because guests can hand deliver their letters directly to Santa five times daily (10 – 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 1:30 – 2:30 p.m., 3 – 4 p.m., 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.) through December 24th. He’ll be in his Launch Control Center, located near the IMAX theater. If you’re lucky, you can catch Mrs. Claus reading a special space-themed story for kids of all ages. She’ll make appearances at 10:30 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. daily.

A team of international carolers wearing astronaut flight suits will perform traditional holiday songs throughout the day. Holidays in Space is part of the regular admission price which is $43/adult and $33/kids 3-11, with exception of the skating, the commemorative 2011 Holidays in Space ornament, and Santa’s special holiday cookies. They are available for a nominal fee and feature a different cookie daily from around the world.

If you’re wanting to experience the holidays from a different perspective, go to the Kennedy Space Center this season. You’ll learn how to celebrate the holidays in another country or while in outer space. Actually celebrating in another country or in outer space is another matter. Unless Santa has been very good to you, you’ll have to let your imagination launch you from there.

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Black Friday & Thanksgiving Day Shopping in Orlando

22 Nov 2011 -

This Friday is Black Friday – the biggest shopping day of the year. Black Friday can’t begin soon enough for many Orlando shopping venues. Some are even open on Thanksgiving Day! If you are visiting the Orlando area and want to know more about our shopping opportunities, check out our shopping directories and locate a shopping area near you on our shopping map. We’ve covered the malls, outlets, farmer’s markets and other places to shop in Orlando.

Here are some guidelines for Orlando shopping covering who is open and when. There are a lot of places to shop in Central Florida. You can check the store’s web site that you are interested in and it will most likely have their Black Friday hours and hottest deals.

Listed first are mall hours for Black Friday shopping in Orlando. Listed below that list are the outlet stores open ON Thanksgiving Day. When scheduling your shopping this holiday season, please consider shopping at smaller stores, local businesses and purchasing American made products. Enjoy shopping! At least you’ll be working off the turkey and stuffing while you shop Orlando. Hope you get some great deals!

THE MALLS (in alphabetical order) BLACK FRIDAY HOURS:

  • Altamonte Mall, Altamonte Springs: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Macy’s, midnight to 10 p.m., Dillards, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; J.C. Penney, 3 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sears, 4 to 9 p.m.
  • Festival Bay, Orlando: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Florida Mall, Orlando: midnight to 10 p.m.
  • Lake Square Mall, Leesburg: 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • The Loop, Kissimmee/Orlando: Beall’s, midnight to 10 p.m.; J.C. Penney, 4 a.m. to midnight; Kohl’s, midnight to 11 p.m., hours at other stores vary.
  • Mall at Millenia, Orlando: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Orlando Fashion Square, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Orlando Premium Outlets, Vineland, midnight to 11 p.m., some stores earlier.
  • Orlando Premium Outlets, International Drive, midnight to 11 p.m.
  • Oviedo Mall: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Seminole Towne Center, Sanford: 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Volusia Mall, Daytona Beach: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., some stores open at midnight.
  • Waterford Lakes Town Center, Orlando: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • West Oaks Mall, Ocoee: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Winter Garden Village at Fowler Groves: Beall’s, Best Buy and Old Navy, midnight to 10 p.m.; Super Target, midnight to midnight, hours at other stores vary.

PREMIUM OUTLET STORES OPEN ON THANKSGIVING DAY:

Vineland Ave.:
Stores remaining open Thursday straight through Friday:
A&W/Old Time Ice Cream, American Eagle, Ann Taylor, Bass, Calvin Klein Men’s, Calvin Klein Women’s, Carter’s, Chicken Now, China Max, Columbia Sportswear, DKNY, Ecco, Ecko Unltd, Fragrance Outlet, Gymboree, Izod, Jones New York, Levi’s, Loft Outlet, Lucky Brand, Maki of Japan, Marc Ecko Cut & Sew, Nautica, Nike, Nine West, OshKosh B’gosh, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Sunglass Hut, Taco Bell, Talbots, Tommy Hilfiger, Villa Italian Fresh Kitchen, Wilsons Leather, Zales
Opening Thursday, November 24, 8pm:
Guess, Guess Accessories
Opening Thursday, November 24, 9pm:
Charlotte Russe, Diesel, Robert Wayne Footwear
Opening Thursday, November 24, 10pm:
A|X Armani Exchange, Coach, Coach Men’s, Cole Haan, Crocs, Elizabeth Arden, Fossil, Hurley, Kipling, Lacoste, Maidenform, Oakley Vault, PacSun, Skechers, Starbucks Coffee, Timberland, Tory Burch, Tumi, Watch Station International
Opening Thursday, November 24, 11pm:
Beauty Express, Brooks Brothers, J.Crew, Michael Kors, Subway, TAG Heuer

International Drive:
Stores remaining open Thursday straight through Friday:
Aeropostale, Ann Taylor, As Seen On Tv, Bass, Big Apple NY Pretzel, Calvin Klein, The Children’s Place, Claire’s Accessories, Columbia Sportswear, Converse, Easy Spirit, Ecko Unltd., Ed Hardy, Izod, Jones New York, Kasper, Lacoste, Levi’s, Loft Outlet, New York & Company, Nike, Red Brick Pizza, Robert Wayne Footwear, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Samsonite, Solstice, Tommy Hilfiger Kids, Van Heusen, Victoria’s Secret, Zales
Opening Thursday, November 24, 8pm:
Nautica, NauticaKids, SAS Shoes, White House | Black Market
Opening Thursday, November 24, 9pm:
2b bebe, Bath & Body Works, Calphalon, Crabtree & Evelyn, Fragrance Outlet, Kenneth Cole, Surf Warehouse, True Religion
Opening Thu, Nov 24, 10pm: Brooks Brothers, Coach, Cole Haan, Elizabeth Arden, Forever 21, Fossil, Hurley, Kipling, L’Occitane, Lane Bryant, Michael Kors, New Balance, Oakley Vault, U.S. Polo Assn.
Opening Thursday, November 24, 11pm:
Eddie Bauer, Hartstrings, Kate Spade New York, Maidenform, Marc Ecko Cut & Sew, PacSun, Starbucks, Yankee Candle

LAKE BUENA VISTA FACTORY STORES:

Some stores open on Thanksgiving Day – located at 15657 South Apopka Vineland Road:
Tommy Hilfiger, Ecko Unlimited, Izod, VanHeusen, Old Navy Outlet

 

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Halloween Alternative Near Orlando

24 Oct 2011 -

Halloween is right around the corner. The Fall and Halloween decorations are out and being picked through while employees make room for the Christmas decorations to take over. Billboards and commercials are enticing theme park guests to take in the spooky offerings of “Hall-O-Scream,” “Halloween Horror Nights,” “Halloween Spooktacular” and “Mickey’s Not So Scarey Halloween Party.” But what do you do if you flat out don’t care to get scared?

I have the answer. You go to Capone’s Dinner & Show. Instead of a sinking feeling in your stomach from the result of pure terror, your belly may jiggle from all of the laughter. It’s fun. Not frightful. I think there are a lot of folks out there like me, who’d rather skip the candy handouts and tricks being played upon them and instead, enjoy an evening out enjoying a nice dinner and a show. If you’d like to come in costume, you can. It is not mandatory, but if you do, you just might win a CASH prize. They are having a Halloween Costume Contest on Halloween night!

Prizes are:

  1. 1st place $150.00
  2. 2nd place $100.00
  3. 3rd place $50.00
  4. EVERYONE receives a free etched Capone’s 14 oz. heavy tapper glass (excluding infants) with their paid admission.

At Capone’s Dinner & Show, you can purchase your tickets in advance and receive 50% off. It is the best value of all the Orlando dinner shows. You may have to skip the sweets after you hit the all-you-can-eat dinner buffet; it is filling! Dessert is offered…if you have room for it and your belly can handle it on top of all the laughter. The drinks will keep coming all evening too. The wait staff work very hard to accommodate every guest, even if they do have that ‘made’ attitude. It’s all part of the act, so loosen up and enjoy!

Capone’s is a great alternative to Halloween activities in Orlando. Kids enjoy it too. So turn your porch lights off and come to Capone’s on Halloween night. They’ll have a treat waiting for you and promise not to scare you away!

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Vacation Rental Homes – Best Bang for Your Vacation Dollar

21 Oct 2011 -

Never rented a house or condo for a vacation? Vacation home rentals are a great way to get the best bang for your vacation dollar. Try it on your next trip and discover a different kind of vacation.  All the homes have fully equipped kitchens saving you money by not having to always go to restaurants. Most homes have private pools or a community pool. You can rest easy no loud hotel rooms and vacation home rentals are safer then large hotels.  Many homes require as little as a four night stay. Please check out our new partners and see what homes will work best for your Central Florida Vacation. Most of the vacation homes are about 15 minutes to Legoland’s new theme park in Winter Haven.  You will also be just minutes from the Walt Disney World Resort, Kissimmee and Lake Buena Vista. Universal Studios and Sea World, Aquatica, Discovery Cove and Wet-N-Wild are all less than an hour away.

Blue Sky Home Management
Blue Sky offers three to six bedroom homes all with private pools in the Kissimmee area.  They are a family run company. Blue Sky strives for guest satisfaction and provides personal attention to their guests. Visit them online www.blueskyhome.net or you can call them at 407-433-5018. Blue Sky Vacation homes start at $90.00+tax to $200.00+tax per night.

Hayes Vacation Homes:
Hayes Vacation Homes located in the Kissimmee and Davenport areas recently celebrated their twenty first anniversary of pleasing home owners and guests. With three, four, five and six bedroom pool homes they have the perfect home for you.  Visit them online www.hayesvacationrentals.com or you can call the at 407-932-0388 or toll free for US and Canada 1-800-847-8110

Jeeves Holiday Homes:
Jeeves Holiday Homes takes great pride for providing a wide range of services for home owners and short term vacation guests. Soon to be celebrating a decade of service Jeeves Holiday Homes strives to provide legendary service, honesty and attention to detail. Offering eighty seven homes ranging from only $95.00 to $1,450.00 per night plus tax (depending on season and home selected for your perfect vacation home)  Visit them on the web at www.JeevesFloridaRentals.com , Facebook  www.facebook.com/pages/Jeeves-Holiday-Homes/132392743477026 and follow them on Twitter www.twitter.com/JeevesHolidays. You can also call them at 407-704-8986.

Lowery’s Vacation Homes:
Lowery’s offers 115 choices of condos, townhomes and pool homes with two to seven bedrooms. Resort style amenities are available at many of its rentals including spas, exercise rooms, wireless internet and so much more. They have vacation homes in Orange, Osceola, Lake and Polk Counties giving you the widest choices of locations. Visit them on the web at www.moremouse.com or call them at 407-397-0088 toll free from US, Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean 1-800-LOWERYS (800-563-3545).

Oasis Vacation Homes:
Oasis Vacation Homes offers a total of ninety three condos, townhomes and villas in three communities: Windsor Palms, Windsor Hills and Emerald Isles. Rates start as low as $90.00 to $250.00 per night plus tax. Oasis can also save you money on tickets to the Walt Disney World Resort. Because of their commitment to satisfying guests they enjoy a good reputation with the B.B.B. so visit them on the web at www.OasisVacationHomes.com or call them at 407-944-9398.

No matter the size of your group you can experience personal attention to detail, friendly service and trip planning assistance from any one of these great vacation home rental companies. If you know of a Vacation Home Rental management company that should be listed here, contact us!

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