It is easy to let your guard down when you visit the happiest place on Earth—but scams and crime can and do happen in Orlando. Be aware of some of the common scams that take place in the area and you will be able to avoid being taken advantage of.
Food delivery scams: You can find attractive flyers with tempting food of all types offering incredibly low prices all over Orlando. The catch is that when you call to order, your credit card info is taken and used, but the food never appears. Alternatively, the food appears, but your credit card is charged at a much higher rate. Avoid this scam by ordering from your resort, a known chain or a restaurant recommended by the concierge or hotel staff.
Fake Tickets: Buy your Universal, Sea World and Disney World tickets at the front gate, or directly from the company or your booking agent before you arrive. If you book a package, your tickets will be included. Never buy tickets secondhand or from a stranger—they’ll get your cash, but the tickets won’t be valid.
Fake hardships: You’re approached outside a gas station, grocery store or fast food joint by someone who claims to be stranded, hungry and broke. While there are legitimately homeless or troubled people in any city, some of the scammers in Orlando and Kissimmee work the same areas over and over, making an income from helpful and sympathetic tourists.
Avoiding Orlando Scams: You can cut the chance of being scammed down considerably by staying at on on-site resort in Disney or Universal, and sticking close to the theme parks. Alternatively, rent a luxury home in an actual neighborhood, and head to more local-friendly destinations that are out of the tourist areas to avoid the worst areas for scammers.
Yes, Orlando has done it again! The City Beautiful is ranked as the number 1 family destination place in the entire world for 2012. This survey was done AAA in there top 5 family destination hot spots for 2012. The final rankings were: 1) Orlando, Florida 2) Honolulu, Hawaii 3) Rome, Italy 4) London, England 5) Anaheim, California. The list is really quite impressive and one that The Disney Company should be really proud of, as they are the largest draw in Orlando with Disney World and Anaheim with Disney Land.
Being on the AAA list of family destination hot spots is nothing new to Orlando just think about all that this city has to offer families. Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World are just a few of the popular attractions. Orlando also has a thriving Art district, the NBA Magic Basketball team, spring training for many MLB teams including the Atlanta Braves, popular beaches within an hour drive, great golf courses, many lakes for boating and fishing, numerous shopping venues, and world class restaurants.
If you have not visit Orlando recently you should make plans to come this summer!
With the busy spring break season approaching, it’s a good idea to come up with some strategies for dealing with long lines at the Orlando theme parks. Whether you are heading to Universal or Disney World, using these basic strategies will help you spend less time waiting in line and more time having fun.
Arrive at dusk and stay late to reduce your wait times at Disney World.
Use Fastpass: Disney’s Fastpass is free, and can save you a place in line while you do other things. Disney World has recently tightened up the rules, so you have to return within the window on your ticket to get into line (up until very recently, you could return at any time after the printed time period, not just within the hour). Even with this change, Fastpass will save you a ton of time.
Check all lines before choosing one: It’s strange, but people tend to flock to a line that is already established. You can occasionally find an entrance turnstile, cash register or line queue that is totally empty, just because no one has caught on that it is open. Look both ways before choosing your path, and when in doubt, go left; queues are often shorter on the left side, simply because most people turn right.
Abandon your routine: If you usually get up at 7am and head to work, get up a little earlier and head to the parks, you’ll beat the crowds. Not an early bird? Switch gears entirely and sleep in…then head to the parks in the late afternoon and stay until they close. Crowds and wait times with thin significantly as the night progresses.
Bypass parades and street shows: If you want to ride a popular attraction line Splash Mountain, but the Fastpasses are all gone, wait until the Main Street Electrical Parade begins. As people flock to see the sparkly lights, Splash Mountain’s wait time will be drastically reduced. Use this same method wherever there is a parade or other large spectacle.
Keep an eye on closed attractions: Expedition Everest, Space Mountain and Test track are notorious for closing for technical delays. Use this to your advantage and keep an eye on the entrance — there is no announcement when the ride re-opens…just a wide open line queue that you can breeze right through.
Heading out for an Orlando vacation in April? Here’s what you need to know to get the most from your trip, no matter where you stay or which attractions you visit:
Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter this April.
Weather: Expect the weather to be warm in the morning and evening, and hot in the afternoon. While the average daily temperature is in the low 80s, it can spike in the afternoon, so pack hot weather gear, swimwear and a light sweatshirt or jacket and you’ll be covered.
Toss in a rain poncho or two from the dollar store, you’ll pay about 8 bucks each for a thin plastic rain poncho in the Orlando theme parks. It does rain frequently in Orlando in April; particularly in the afternoon.
Crowds: Expect to see moderate to heavy crowds most of this month. If you are visiting Orlando for Spring Break 2012, expect the theme parks to be very crowded, and allow for extra travel time to reach your destination, regardless of where you are headed.
Events:
Spring Break is in full force in April, check back next weeks for some great insider tips on dealing with record crowds.
Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival continues in April, and is packed with exhibits, activities and classes for the homeowner or garden enthusiast. Most programs and activities are free with your park admission.
April marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic; expect some hoopla and special events at Orlando’s Titanic: The Experience.
Mardi Gras continues at Universal Orlando through the middle of this month; stop by the theme park to take in one of the biggest parties of the year. Mardi Gras festivities are free with your paid park admission.
The Florida Film Festival showcases mainstream and independent films, and is rapidly becoming a major industry event. Attend the festivities right here in Orlando when you visit in mid-April.
Disney World released a new 2012 promotion this week–”One More Disney Day”. 2012 is a leap year, meaning we’ll get an extra day of work or play this year. What will you do with the extra time?
On New Year’s Eve, Disney announced a group of promotions and special events geared to help you figure out how to spend your “extra day” this year. If you are headed to Orlando at the end of February (or thinking of visiting during this time), you can take advantage of some special leap year events and promotions:
The Magic Kingdom will stay open a full 24 hours on February 29, 2012, beginning at 6am. If you’ve ever wanted to see the sun rise (and set) inside the park, this will be the day to do it. Disney has traditionally offered some kind of premium–a pin, special map or poster to commemorate this type of event; stay tuned for more details. This will be the first time either park has ever been open for a full 24 hours of fun.
60 lucky families will win a trip for four to either Disney World or Disneyland; the company is giving away a free trip per day until February 29, 2012. Official rules and entry information can be found on the Disney Website.
Disney is offering various ticketing promotions for this event as well–most add an extra day to your vacation at no additional charge, making this a fun way to stay and play in Orlando without spending a lot of extra cash. Contact Orlando Vacations for more details on how to save on your extra Disney day.
I was reading the other day about the progess they are making at Lego Land and I am super excited about this new park opening up. If you are not familiar with LegoLand let me bring you quickly up to speed. Legoland is going to operate on the same parcel of land that Cypress Gardens used to sit on and this theme park is really targeting people of all ages but it is mainly geared towards children 11 years old and younger.
Lego Land is Coming Soon to Orlando!
From what I hear, they are really having to do a lot of renovation to the old Cypress Gardens facilities to bring them up to code. In fact, they are actually tearing down more buildings as they have found that it is going to be cheaper to rebuild them then it will be for them to actually bring them to current codes. The target date for the theme park to open is October 2011; however, as with most large construction projects I think it will probably open in January 2012.
I was just thinking the other day with the addition to Legoland, parents are going to have to spend at least a week here in Orlando to see everything (and at that I’m not sure you can fit it all in). Not only does Orlando have Disney World with it’s four major theme parks, but you also have Universal Studios with two major theme parks, SeaWorld, and now Legoland. What a great time to be offering travel deals to Orlando…with all these great products Orlando is in great position to keep their status as the World’s #1 Family Destination.
If you’re planning to celebrate America’s independence with a trip to Walt Disney World, you’ll find plenty of events to keep your family entertained throughout your stay. Headline events at Walt Disney World Resort in July include several live concerts in each of Disney’s parks, including Disney’s “Celebrate America! concert, July 3 and 4 , at 9 p.m.;Epcot’s “Illumnations:Reflections of Earth” laser light show. Several shows continue throughout the month of July, such as the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade and the Electric Light parade, both at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. At Animal Kingdom, guests can watch a 15-minute,parade known as Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade, which loops through the various sections of the park—Africa, Discovery Island, Asia, and back to Africa.
Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade begins at 3:45 p.m.,daily and features elaborate animal puppets, spectacular stilt walkers, drummers, musical safari vehicles , wacky rickshaw taxis and 8-foot-tall Party Animals. Other popular parades in July include Disney Hollywood Studios Block Party Bash,featuring your child’s favorite Pixar characters, including characters from Monsters Inc, The Incredibles and Toy Story. Other attractions at the Block Party Bash include acrobats, trampolines and retro tunes. Like the electrical light parade, the Block Party was originally featured at Disney’s California Adventure Theme Park. Another popular show at Hollywood Studios in July is Fantasmic! Which features one million gallons of water and 50 costumed performers. Combining explosive pyrotechnics, shimmering laser lights and dazzling dancing water effects
A two week-long sporting event known as ESPN Rise Games highlights the third and fourth weeks of July at Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports. ESPN Rise is a series of sports challenges for youth and high school sports teams in basketball, football, lacrosse and soccer, and youth baseball, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, and track & field teams. If you don’t think your family can afford a week or long weekend at Walt Disney World, you should visit reputable discount Orlando vacation package sites. With hundreds of Disney-area hotels desperate to sell rooms during the economic depression, there’s never been a better time to find an incredible deal on lodging in the central Florida area.
Next time you’re heading out for fine dining in Disney’s World nightlife spot, Downtown Disney, be sure to check out one of the newest additions to the restaurant lineup, Paradiso 37 which is located on the west side of Downtown Disney. The waterfront restaurant offers casual dining at a reasonable price, with main courses ranging from$15 to $30 per dish.
Paradiso 37 features the foods of 37 countries of North America, Central America, South America and Caribbean. Specialities at Paradiso 37 include skirt steak, ribs, fish fry, Mexican food and half-pound burgers. Popular items on the appetizer menu include the dipping trio. One of the most popular drinks includes corzing which includes strawberry puree, jaberno line juice, and tequila.
If you’re craving a beer or microbrew, your taste buds will be happy to know that they’re about to experience the world’s coldest draft beer, which is served at approximately 29 degrees. For starters, the appetizer menus includes several items under $7.99, including home-style North American Potato Pancakes, which are topped with chives, Special Paradiso 37 Spice Blend, and then sauteed to a Golden Brown. This dish is served with sour cream and the cost is $5.99. Other items include Mexican Chips and Salsa, served with fire roasted Tomato Salsa for just $3.99. Mexican food lovers will also enjoy the Chile con carne, slow cooked tender ground beef with onions, peppers, and chills, topped with Chef’s Special cheeses and served with Corn Tortilla Chips, all for $6.50. Paradiso features 38 tequilas and nightly live entertainment. Paradiso’s menu features 15 appetizers, 3 salads, Mexican food, a Colombian style whole crispy hen, Chilean styled salmon, burritos, quattro tacos, enchiladas, bacon and pineapple BBQ, surf and turf and citrus BBQ pork ribs.
Desserts at Paradiso 37 include Chilean sopapillas, which are crispy fritters dusted in sugar and served with a chocolate sauce, for $5.99, and the world famous churros, dusted with cinnamon and served with caramel, for $5.99
Despite the new attractions and adventurous rides that have recently been added to central Florida’s theme parks, the parks haven’t been immune to the damaging effects of the international recession. A perfect example is Universal Studios in Orlando, which recently released its first quarter reports. The report revealed more discouraging news in and a recurring theme from the past two years: profits were dramatically down. According to the report, profits at Universal Studios Orlando saw a 44 percent decrease from this time last year. 2009 first quarter earnings were $34 million and 2010 has only brought in $19 million.
While much of the blame can fall on slumping tourism dollars, other contributing factors may include the heavy amount of marketing and advertising dollars the resort is leveraging to promote one of the most widely anticipated theme park additions across the world: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For months, Universal Studios has been leaking clips of videos and hints about the Island themed around the bestselling Harry Potter books penned by J.K. Rowling.
Officials are hoping to see an increase in attendance and profits with the opening of the new attraction on June 18.
According to reports from the Orlando Sentinel, attendance was down 10% at Universal’s two theme parks during the first quarter of 2010.
Universal Orlando spent $3 million to advertise the Harry Potter Island in a Super Bowl commercial. In a written statement, Universal Studios President Bill Davis said:
“We are excited about the June 18 grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and what it will mean for our guests and our business. We continue to look to the future and manage our business aggressively.”
The contrast with last year was especially sharp because Universal in 2009 cut deeply into its marketing budget as it sought to reduce costs during the global recession.
Give mom a memorable mothers day gift with a vacation package to Kissimmee. What better way to express your love for your mother than to make her feel like a kid again. You can bring back the childlike joy with a trip to Walt Disney World or one of the many other attractions in the Kissimmee/central Florida area.
If your mom loves marine life, she can dine with the Dolphins at Discovery Cove. Or you might want to check out Sea World’s Mother’s Day Escape package at Discovery Cove which includes a note delivered via Atlantic bottle nose dolphin, a Crabtree & Evelyn La Source spa essential gift basket, photo and frame, champagne and private cabana. The cost is the standard park admission plus $329 and the purchase of at least one dolphin-swim, which is priced at $200. This is quite expensive but it will definitely put a smile on Mom’s face.
For a cheaper experience with the fish, you can bring mom to EPCOT’s Coral Reef restaurant at The Seas with Nemo and Friends exhibit. When your mom is done dining with the fish, the family can walk a short distance to EPCOT’s annual spring event, the International Flower and Garden Festival. She’ll be awestruck by the majestic beauty of millions of blooming topiary and colorful butterflies inside Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden.
For the moms who want to just get away and get the royal treatment, Gaylord Palms’ first-ever “Mom Prom & Family Affair” Mother’s Day weekend package, for $149,which includes one night in a guest room and 20% discount on Mother’s Day Brunch in Emerald Plaza on Sunday, May 9 and self-parking for one vehicle.
Other restaurants to consider for a Mother’s day dinner include Jiko at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, for an African feast of dishes including savanna rolls, Swahili curry shrimp, and grilled swordfish. She can top-off her first-class meal with Tanzanian chocolate cheesecake.
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