Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

I was recently talking to a couple of homeowners about some of the great things there are to do in Florida and how you really can get away from all the hustle and bustle of the theme parks if you desire. We were chatting for a little while and they mentioned how much they enjoyed visiting Merritt Island and the National Wildlife Refuge.

I hadn’t been there so I quizzed them a little more and now it’s high on my list of places to visit when I’m next on the Space Coast. For those that don’t know Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is located due east of Titusville in Brevard County and and occupies approximately 140,000 acres.

To the north, it borders on the Canaveral National Seashore and to the south it borders on the Kennedy Space Center which in turn abuts Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Mosquito Lagoon and the Indian River.

Many recreational opportunities are offered at the Refuge.  Bird and wildlife observation, a wildlife drive, manatee observation deck, fishing and hunting opportunities, and boating and paddling are examples of available activities.

The refuge provides a range of habitats, from saltwater estuaries and freshwater impoundments and marshes, to dunes, hardwood hammocks and scrub.  It is therefore rich in over 1000 species of plants, 117 species of fish, 68 amphibians and reptiles, 330 birds and 31 mammal species.  Of these species, 21 are on the endangered list either by the state of Florida or by the US federal government. The following are some of the more important species using the refuge and most of them nest there:

Sea turtles (Loggerhead &  Green turtle), American Alligator, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Heron, Egret, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Florida Scrub jay, West Indian Manatee, Florida Panther and a recently discovered salamander.

Subject to the needs of NASA, public access is relatively unrestricted, though it is only allowed during daylight hours and camping  is only allowed for certain organized youth organizations.

The refuge provides hiking and driving trails for visitors, (yep, you don’t need to leave the comfort and safety of your vehicle), with excellent opportunities for observing wildlife without causing disturbance; most of the species listed above can be seen by a casual visitor. An observation deck is provided near the drawbridge that carries State Road 3 over the Haulover Canal, in the northern part of the refuge, since manatees frequently congregate there.

Boating is permitted on the waters around and within the refuge, and provides another excellent opportunity for observing the wildlife; there are facilities for launching pleasure boats at several places. In addition the refuge includes, and gives access to the unspoiled Playalinda Beach, known for its surfing spots,  on the outer barrier island and if you’re into fishing, then this  is generally permitted while hunting for wildfowl is allowed on a strictly limited basis.

So if your tired of the Orlando theme parks and just want a quiet day then why not head out to Merritt Island. It’s about 45 to 60 minutes drive and you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the beach as it is open  to the public daily between 6:00 am to 6:00 pm in the winter and 6:00 am to 8:00 pm in the summer and also some a great National Wildlife Refuge.

Do note however, that access to the beach may be closed periodically in preparation for Space Shuttle  or other rocket launches so you may want to check with the Visitor Center , located 4 miles east of Titusville, before heading out on 321-861-0668.

Finally, I’d just like to say many thanks to Andrew and Fay Roe for the pictures that you see here. They give a stunning view of what you can expect and how the real Florida really is.

I was on ESPN Orlando being interviewed about my new book “What You Must Know About Buying Your Vacation Home” yesterday. It’s always fun trying to work out what questions you’ll be asked and I’m always happy to let folks know my feelings on topics close to my heart. As you can see from the video I’m pretty candid about who should buy a vacation home and why…

If you’re thinking or have been thinking for a while about buying your own vacation home in Florida, make sure you read this book. It’s full of tips and hints and will help you make the right decision for you and your family. You can get a copy from Amazon.com

Debuting  at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex this Summer is STAR TREK LIVE. This new interactive stage show begins on June 11, 2010 and is based on the popular science-fiction franchise. The show takes audiences on an exhilarating 30 minute journey offering an unforgettable live theatrical experience for fans of all ages. The show combines fun special effects, audience interaction and an exploration of real space-age technology.

STAR TREK LIVE introduces a world of discovery by combining science with entertainment to teach and encourage scientific literacy.  Audience members join Starfleet Academy only to be unexpectedly whisked into an adventure steeped in the grand tradition of Star Trek. STAR TREK LIVE combines cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction, cool science and on-screen appearances from Captain Kirk and Spock themselves to create an exhilarating and unforgettable theatrical experience.

More eager to learn from Starfleet’s best and brightest, member cadets assemble, anxious to prepare for their first day at the Academy. As we are introduced to the Academy, the Earth itself comes under attack from a renegade Romulan, leaving the fate of the future itself in the hands of our cadets. Our cadets will have to quickly learn the intricacies of living and working in space, modern space travel and the latest in communication and technology as they draw on the achievements of science in the 21st century. It will require all their knowledge, ingenuity, logic and an exploration of science to discover what is happening and how to set things right before it’s too late!

Kennedy Space Center is located just a short 45 minutes drive east of Orlando and hosts more than 1.5 million guests from around the world. STAR TREK LIVE will be presented five times a day at the facility’s 300-seat Astronaut Encounter Theater. The show will be open daily and is included with regular admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

So now’s your chance to join STAR TREK LIVE and “boldly go where no one has gone before!“

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens at 9 a.m. and closing times do vary by season. The Visitor Complex is open daily except December 25 and on certain launch days. Admission includes the new Star Trek LIVE, Shuttle Launch Experience, Kennedy Space Center Tour, 3D IMAX® space films, Astronaut Encounter, all exhibits, and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame®, featuring historic spacecraft, simulator rides and the world’s largest collection of personal astronaut memorabilia.

Admission is $38 + tax for adults and $28 + tax for children ages 3-11. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Commander’s Club Annual Pass is $50 + tax for adults and $40 + tax for children ages 3-11.

Over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror adds new effects… and a summer-only drop sequence to the mix for guests daring to step into the attraction’s infamous service elevator for a ride into the “fifth dimension.” And on Hollywood Boulevard, in the shadow of the 122-foot-tall Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat icon, guests are invited to the Rock n’ Glow Dance Party, where a DJ and live rock band keep popular tunes coming five nights a week.

D Street, a new apparel store where urban inspired product “intersects” with a Disney creative edge, is open on the West Side, showcasing a mix of products for both men and women.  Building on the existing popularity of Tren-D at the Marketplace, D Street includes edgy apparel, pop culture novelties, Vinylmation figures and collectibles, artwork, handbags, accessories, jewelry and more.  The store features a raw, unfinished industrial look and provides a great venue to showcase Disney art created by local artists.

AMC Entertainment has upgraded auditorium #1 to be the first Enhanced Theater Experience (ETX™) in the United States.  The ETX auditorium includes a 20 percent larger, floor-to-ceiling screen, 3-D technology, 12 channel audio, and digital projection that delivers higher resolution than HD.

Opening this fall at Downtown Disney Marketplace will be an international Latin chicken quick-service restaurant- Pollo Campero.  This new restaurant concept will offer Disney guests savory combinations of freshly prepared Campero Latin chicken, flavorful side dishes such as yuca fries and sweet plantains, and Latin drinks including horchata and tamarindo.  For the more nutritious minded, they will offer chef-prepared salads, sandwiches and wraps, as well as sugar-free, gluten-free, low sodium, and organic offerings.

These new efforts come on the heels of the recent openings of little missmatched, Paradiso 37, Tren-D, Characters in Flight and Disney’s Design-a-Tee. While over at La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil world-renowned juggler Anthony Gatto has been added to the 90-minute spectacle at the famous Downtown Disney theater.

It’s a big day….my new book “What You Must Know About Buying Your Vacation Home” has just made it to Amazon. The book took some time to produce and I redrafted it several times as I was keen to make it as concise as possible.

The initial draft was lengthy and after much thought I decided to do away with large sections of it in order to make it a quick and easy read. The book is 52 pages long and you shouldn’t fear I have left anything really valuable out… I haven’t…I’ve just made sure that there are no long ramblings from me!

In the book you will find extremely valuable information on

• Why Vacation Homes Are Still Great Investments
• Financial Leverage and Tax Advantages
• Renting Short Term v Long Term
• Maintaining Your Home
• Marketing Your Home For Rentals

There’s also a ton more and plenty of helpful tips on buying and owning a vacation home. Even if I say so myself, it’s a must read if you ever are planning on purchasing a vacation home in the future.

The book is available from Amazon.com and is priced at $12.95. The link to it is http://amzn.to/9arkqd

Another great attraction at Epcot is Mission: SPACE and it’s a fantastic simulation of what an astronaut aboard a spacecraft on a mission to Mars might experience. You can really feel the G-Force at blast off and it is possible to feel a little nauseous at this time before the ride becomes a lot gentler as you leave gravity and enter space.

The attraction opened to the public in a “soft opening” mode in June 2003, and celebrated its grand opening on October 9 2003 with a ceremony attended by Disney CEO Michael Eisner, HP CEO Carly Fiorina and NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe, as well as several NASA astronauts from its many phases of human space exploration (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, the space shuttle program and two crew members aboard the International Space Station).

The attraction was built on the former site of Horizons and construction began on Mission: SPACE shortly thereafter. Industry estimates put the cost of developing the new attraction at $100 million.

Mission: SPACE is meant to simulate astronaut training for the first manned mission to Mars aboard the fictional X-2 Deep Space Shuttle in 2036, the seventy-fifth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin becoming the first man in space. (The year 2036 can be deduced from plaques in the attraction’s queue celebrating 75 years of human spaceflight, including two faux milestones in the future.) Riders are “trainees” at the fictional International Space Training Center (ISTC), where they are arranged into crews of four before watching an introductory video featuring actor Gary Sinise.

Before boarding the simulators, each rider is assigned an on-board role (navigator, pilot, commander or engineer) and given two tasks to perform during the mission (pressing a specific button when told). For example, one of the commander’s buttons initiates the rocket’s first-stage separation, and the other activates manual flight control. The spacecraft’s on-board self-automated pilot will perform each task if the rider does not respond to his or her prompt from Mission Control or if there is no one to perform the task. Also featured are various labeled buttons and switches which the rider may play with but do nothing; they are only there to add to the realism aspect of the ride.

The mission includes liftoff from the ISTC, a slingshot around the moon for a gravity-assisted boost, a brief period of simulated hypersleep (to pass the lengthy time required to reach Mars) and a descent for landing on the Martian surface. As a training exercise, the mission contains several unexpected situations that add to the drama.

The attraction line contains several items and commemorative plaques from past, present and fictional future space missions. Among the items on display are props from the 2000 film Mission to Mars,  including the rotating “gravity wheel” from the predecessor X-1 spacecraft, a model of which hangs from the ceiling, and a replica of a NASA moon rover from the Apollo program.

Upon conclusion of the training exercise, guests are invited to participate in activities at the Advanced Training Lab, a post-show area containing a group game called Mission: SPACE Race in which players perform tasks as Mission Control technicians aiding two X-2 spacecraft racing to return to Earth; a space-themed play area for toddlers; a single-person, arcade-style game in which an astronaut explores Mars on foot; and a kiosk where brief video postcards can be created and sent via e-mail.

The minimum height requirement for Mission: SPACE is 44 inches (112 cm). Warnings throughout the attraction caution that people who do not like enclosed spaces, spinning, or are prone to motion sickness should not ride. Signs also warn that the ride may cause nausea, headache, dizziness or disorientation, and that people prone to motion sickness, or who have a headache or an inner ear problem, or who have a history of migraines, vertigo or elevated anxiety also should not ride. There are also signs which instruct the rider to keep their head flat against the headrest; if one ignores this, the centrifugal motion acting on one’s head can cause undesirable effects such as dizziness and/or headaches, or possibly even more serious effects.

On May 19, 2006, Disney began offering a less intense version of Mission: SPACE (called Green Team, also known as Less Intense training or no spinning), where the centrifuge does not spin, thus eliminating the forces of lateral acceleration for riders who choose the more tame experience. The cabs themselves still pitch and pivot, providing some motion. The normal ride is still available and is called Orange Team (also known as More Intense training or spinning).

Here’s an Orange Team video I made…

One of my favorite rides at Epcot is Test Track. The ride is sponsored by General Motors and is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Motors uses to evaluate its cars, culminating in a high-speed drive around the exterior of the attraction.

After a long delay due to problems revealed during testing and changes to ride design, Test Track finally opened to the public on December 19, 1998 and it’s been a big hit ever since.

Guests ride in futuristic “test cars” in a GM “testing facility” and are taken through a series of tests to illustrate how automobile prototype evaluations are conducted. The highlight of the ride is a speed trial on a track around the outside of the Test Track building at a top speed of 64.8 miles per hour (104.3 km/h) on a 50-degree banked curve, making Test Track the fastest Disney theme park attraction ever built.

As you enter the Test Track building you get to see a sample repair and test shop where you are shown some of the different tests performed on cars and parts before they are released. The line then winds past different tests for tires, car doors, an anechoic chamber for radio receivers, and an area where crash test dummies are tested.

At the end of the line guests are then brought into a briefing room where they are shown automobile testing facilities and examples of tests being performed. The host tells the guests that they will take part in some of these tests and tells the technician what tests to set up and tells her to choose one final “surprise test,” as a video of a car crashing into a barrier is shown just before the door is opened for guests to enter the interior line.

Upon reaching the end of this second short line guests are loaded into the test cars to begin the trial. Upon dispatching from the loading dock, the car is brought through an accelerated hill climb. Next, the car’s suspension is tested over different road surfaces, including bricks and cobblestones. Next, the car’s anti-lock braking system is turned off as the car tries to navigate a course of cones, knocking many over in the process. The anti-lock brakes are then turned back on and a similar cone course is navigated quite easily.

Next, the cars are brought through environmental chambers: a hot chamber of 110°F (43°C), a cold chamber of 10°F (-13°C), and a corrosion chamber. Note: The nozzles on the corrosion robots are actually “Hidden Mickey’s”

The handling of the car is tested next. It climbs a set of hills with blind turns while increasing its speed each time. At the top the car almost crashes into an oncoming truck before swerving out of the way just in time. The car is now on the final test shown in the briefing room: the barrier test. The car lines up across from a barrier and begins to accelerate towards it. Just before hitting the barrier a series of flashes occur, where a picture of the guests is taken, and the barrier opens to a track outside. The car takes a lap around the building with banked turns and a max speed of 64.8 mph (104.3 km/h), shown on the car as MAX MPH. As the car returns to the loading dock a thermal scan is taken of the guests and shown on a large screen.

Once you get out of the vehicle you then wind your way to the exit and a large area devoted to a display of General Motors vehicles where guests can take a look at some of the latest models. Like most Disney attractions, Test Track finally exits into a themed gift shop featuring merchandise associated with the attraction where you are able to view and purchase photos taken of their vehicle on the ride or scan their Photopass to view or purchase the photos later.

It’s a fun ride and here’s a short video I took of the attraction:

Epcot is one of the attraction parks I always enjoy visiting and it was nice to get back there yesterday for Mother’s Day and take a look around at the International Flower & Garden Festival. For someone like me, who suffers from hay fever, there’s always some anxiety about coming down with an attack on the senses but I decided to risk it and I’m glad I did. Not only did I survive but I also came to appreciate why people love visiting Epcot at this time of year.

The festival started on 3 March and ends on 16 May so we’re into the final week and not much time is left to get over there and enjoy it…. so if you can’t make it just carry on reading this blog to discover what you’re missing!

This year the festival started a little earlier and runs a bit longer (75 days) and it really is a spring special event filled with a colorful array of flowers, gardens, topiaries, live music and educational events.

What’s more, you don’t have to be a gardening expert to love this event. It’s perfect for guests of all ages who enjoy the beauty of mother nature! You can see millions of blooming flowers and a vibrant collection of Disney-themed topiaries, and get up close with hundreds of colorful butterflies inside Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden. At the weekends there’s been the chance to meet with top horticulturists at one of the many Garden Town Programs and to learn helpful gardening tips and advanced techniques from around the world.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival its even been possible to finish off the day with a melodious evening at the America Gardens Theatre adjacent to the American Adventure Pavilion and enjoy music from the 1960s and 1970s during the Flower Power Concert Series as people and bands like David Cassidy, Davy Jones, Herman’s Hermits, Ricky Nelson and Chubby Checker & The Wildcats have all entertained.

Beyond the dazzling displays of blooms and topiaries, special gardens, events and children’s play areas this year the park offered more reasons to visit the festival than ever.

To start with there was a  tribute to the many community gardens being planted across the country as a new Community Garden sprang up at the American Adventure in Epcot’s World Showcase. Disney’s “fab five” topiary pals – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy were all present and they were in charge of  tending the tomatoes, beans, peppers, herbs and other edibles.

The popular Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden was expanded to include even more magical pixie dust. The playful garden area features colorful topiaries of Tinker Bell and friends from Walt Disney Pictures’ latest DVD release, Ticker Bell and the Lost Treasure.

Hundred’s of butterflies can be found among the lush foliage in Fawn’s Butterfly House, formerly known as Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly House, which was been named after fairy Fawn, from the popular Tinker Bell films.

The Garden Town Festival Center was the home of gardening experts ready to answer all your questions while Disney horticulturists shared gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity during Disney Gardening at Home presentations. These presentations were a first-come, first-served event and quickly grew in popularity.

During The Great American Gardeners series, gardening celebrities and authors from across the country also revealed their gardening secrets during weekend sessions.

The English Tea Garden featured the history and blending of tea as you strolled through the elegant tea garden.

You could also let your senses experience the pleasure, radiance and sensual perfumes of Guerlain in the Fragrance Garden as you discovered the “love story” between plants and fragrances.

The Festival and Flower Power Concerts are included in regular Epcot admission and you have just a few days left to enjoy the rest of the event otherwise you’ll just have to wait until next year. The 2011 Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival begins on 2nd March 2011 and runs until 15 May 2010.

More Photo’s Here!