Well Manta has finally opened at SeaWorld and that should be enough to get you to leave your Florida Leisure vacation home nice and early this Summer as Manta has already become a big time attraction with it’s head first flying position proving an instant success with many of the visitors to the theme park.

As you wait in line to be the next to soar like Superman, you’ll experience a soothing aquarium stocked with hundreds of its namesake rays. More than 300 rays live with Manta and they are used as a recurring design element throughout the experience. You’ll find more than 30 manta images carved into rock walls and there’s even one of Shamu just to remind you where you really are!

Once you’ve tested the ride make sure you visit the other side of the aquarium as you’ll get to see sea dragons, sea horses and even a huge Pacific octupus.

SeaWorld is a great day out with something fun to do for each family member…and now you have even more reason to visit Orlando and it’s great theme parks.

HAHAHAHAHAHA bye bye LeBron …

 You’re next, Kobe!!!!

How do you feel Nike and NBA?

Better start building the “Superman” puppet.

It’s the first week since the American Idol finale and it’s been a bit strange this past Tuesday and Wednesday night. American Idol has become a tradition in our house and we’ve really missed it this week. Normally we’d sit outside overlooking the pool and have our evening meal as a family and then we’d come back inside and watch the show. We’ve even become experts at exactly what time we need to be inside so we can “Tivo” through the adverts and finish watching the show at the same time as everyone else!

So this week, we just stayed outside and chatted… it was nice but not quite the same! It did set me wondering what other families have done this week though so how have you used the time to bond with your family or did you simply watch whatever else was on?

For those of us that are missing our fix of “Idol“, there is a solution and fortunately for those of us living in Orlando we now have The American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The “Experience” has the same look and feel as the Hollywood, California television show but there is a difference; this version plays live several times a day and visitors to the theme park can either perform or watch and then vote for daily winners in the new attraction.

It’s already proved a popular new addition and not least because the person who ends up winning the daily finale show ends up with a “Dream Ticket” which allows them to skip the long lines at the regional audition for the American Idol television show.

So now it’s possible for around 400 budding stars to audition year round for Idol and the experience is very much like the real thing. Visitors aged 14 years and up who wish to audition can head to the “artists‘” entrance, located behind the theater, where they will either be admitted immediately or they will be assigned a return time for their audition. Once inside, potential performers enter private audition rooms where a casting director listens to them sing without any musical accompaniment. The director is looking for the singer to demonstrate the four P’s; pitch, posture, presence and performance. If the director likes what he sees then the singer moves on to a second audition with a producer.

Those selected for a second audition then proceed to the ‘red‘ room, much like the TV show, and then they get to use an MP3 player to listen to selections from a list of around 100 songs, choosing three to five songs for their second audition and possible performance. Categories include: country, disco, rock/pop, Latin, R&B and of course, a few Disney tunes.

Once the contestants have done this they then have a second audition in front of a producer and in addition to judging singing ability, producers use a spotlight to test star power and poise. At the end of the process just a handful of hopefuls will be selected to perform each day and just three will advance to sing in one of the several shows held throughout the day.

Everything about the American Idol Experience looks and sounds like the popular television show; from blue neon lighting, swirling logos and a huge screen recreate the familiar scene. The differences are minor; the stage is slightly smaller than the one in Hollwood and the judges table is on stage instead of off stage. One major difference that performers now get to enjoy is the fact that one of the largest teleprompters is available scrolling song lyrics from the back of the theater so there’s no forgetting the lyrics here!

So, how do you fancy being the next American Idol? Here at Florida Leisure we’re excited about it because we’d love to be able to say “The next American Idol stayed in a Florida Leisure Vacation Home while auditioning at the American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!” Now that would be cool… so why not give us a call, make your reservation to stay in one of our wonderful vacation homes and get along to audition. We’d love to hear about your experience and to see how talented you are.

In honor of Memorial Day we have set up a very special offer for those brave men and women who serve and who have served us with pride and honor.

Go to www.FloridaLeisure.com/Military for more details.

Would you believe that as a British ex-Pat I can see more live soccer/football on TV here than I can in the UK, not to mention every other match on taped delay, with regular updates througout the week.  In fact we have two channels here devoted totally to football … Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV.  Then factor in all the pubs and bars that show Premium channels like the Rangers and Celtic games.

That’s right Rangers and Celtic supporters get to watch EVERY game that their team is in LIVE … you can’t even do that in Scotland.  The whole USA is swamped with Supporters Clubs for both as each team draws passionate support from it’s cultural transplants.

Orlando has a thriving Rangers Supporters Club with branches in Kissimmee and Orlando, here this their latest promotional video.
Blue Sea of Ibrox

Florida Leisure has a list of pubs and establishments available for our guests on where they can watch their favorite team … in fact we have welcomed guests struggling to see the game into our own homes … we love football that much.

As this season ends, don’t let next season prevent you from taking a well deserved vacation over here … you’ll get to see so much football on TV, you’re friends will never know you left.

Star Wars Weekends is an annual special event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park that celebrates the epic space-fantasy Star Wars Saga and the new animated television series The Clone Wars. Join Jedi Masters, Sith Lords and Star Wars celebrities for special shows, presentations and memorabilia.

Weekends and celebrity guests scheduled for 2009:

May 22, May 23, May 24
Ray Park, Warwick Davis, and James Arnold Taylor

May 29, May 30, May 31
Peter Mayhew and Matthew Wood

June 5, June 6, June 7
Jeremy Bulloch, David Prowse, and Matt Lanter

June 12, June 13, June 14
Dave Filoni and Temuera Morrison

Fans of the Star Wars universe don’t have to travel to “a galaxy far, far away” to come face to face with droids, alien creatures and many of their favorite Star Wars characters.

Younglings can hone their lightsaber skills and prepare to do battle with Darth Vader himself at the Jedi Training Academy. Prove yourself the master of trivia in contests with prize giveaways. Board a runaway Starspeeder on the Star Tours attraction, or stare in awe as visitors from Naboo, Endor and every planet between pass by in a motorcade.

In addition to all of the entertainment, there are plenty of conversations, autograph sessions and motorcades with the celebrities and creators of the Star Wars galaxy.

Hunting for a special collectible bounty? Grab a Disney’s FASTPASS ticket to ensure your place in line for celebrity autographs, or find special limited-edition merchandise to add to your collection at the Tatooine Traders store and other vendors around the Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.

Each day ends with the Hyperspace Hoopla! show, where many favorites let loose with music, comedy, dancing and more.

With Ewoks, Wookiees, Stormtroopers, Jawas and more invading Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park, young Padawan Learners and their parents would be wise to have their cameras ready. Star Wars Weekends take place only once a year, so check back for the next event dates and plan your trip early. Do. Or do not. There is no try!

Begin your Jedi and Sith training now as you choose your allegiance, download a guide to bounty hunters, and more!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park admission is required. Star Wars Weekends events are included with admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Availability is limited for some events. Events may be cancelled at any time.

I was at Walt Disney World yesterday to learn about their upcoming programs and I have to say I was blown away by their “What will you celebrate?” campaign.

It’s always fascinating to watch how Disney does things and this campaign is one of the best they have done in a long time. The message is absolutely clear and asks a compelling question; “What Will YOU Celebrate?”

This is a time of year for great celebration …even though we are constantly being told we are in an economic crisis. All I can say to that is “nonsense”. Everywhere I go, restaurants, shops, theme parks, etc are all doing pretty well and there’s no shortage of people going about their lives and enjoying themselves.

Of course, this time of year is great for celebrations; maybe it’s a graduation, or a birthday, a wedding anniversary, a reunion, true love, a first visit or even a triumph? Whatever you are celebrating a visit to Orlando and to the famous Walt Disney World theme parks is a great way to celebrate.

Did you know that over 70% of people have taken a vacation primarily to celebrate a special occassion?

Did you also know that over 53% of people consider a trip to Florida and a Disney theme park as the best place to celebrate? Far and away the top place in the world as the next best, Hawaii, only came in at 18%.

The reason for this is that people want to create memories for life and that’s exactly what a trip to Walt Disney World does. What’s better is that Disney is now allowing everyone who has a birthday to get into a theme park for FREE. That’s right …FREE. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to come to Florida, to visit Orlando and Walt Disney World and to enjoy a great stay in a Florida Leisure Vacation Home.  Now that’s a reason to celebrate in itself!

Voices of Mickey

Wayne Allwine February 7, 1947 – May 18, 2009

Kris Allen…

Have to say it’s a little surprising but this guy has grown on me and I wasn’t too surprised in the end. Adam Lambert is an amazing talent and one of my daughter’s isn’t too impressed with the result but c’est la vie.

It’s been a great competition this year and the talent, IMO, has been the best ever. Already looking forward to next January

So, who’s it going to be? Adam Lambert or Kris Allen?

It’s all coming down to the wire and both of these extraordinary performers will be hoping to become the next American Idol. One of them will succeed but even for the loser, fame and fortune beckons.

 In previous years we have seen some amazing new talent enter the music business and past winners like Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Stannard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and David Cook have continued to wow us.

So, who is it going to be?

Let us know by submitting your “Name the Winner” comment below and everyone who gets it right will be entered in the Florida Leisure Vacation Homes Winners Draw for a chance to win $50. One lucky winner will get a $50 gift card from us so make sure you get your friends and family to participate. We want to make this the best American Idol yet and we want to give something back during these challenging economic times. Note: We will only take your first entry so you can submit as many comments as you like but whoever you name first, Adam or Kris, is who we will enter into the draw for you!

If you prefer, you can also email us at Idol@FloridaLeisure.com

Have Fun