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

I decided to wander along to Islands of Adventure recently to see how things were going over at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Remember, it officially opened to amazing scenes from Potter fans on June 18,  so I went along as I wanted to see how things were going.

And… I’m happy to report that it seems to be extremely popular…in fact, it’s still the busiest part of the Islands of Adventure theme park. I went on a relatively quiet day and still had to line up for the most popular attractions, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and the interactive Ollivanders wand shop!

The lines for Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff weren’t too long but I’m not a fan of being thrown upside down and being scared out of your wits so I refrained from those rides and instead found more gentle pastimes..such as in the Hogs Head Pub!

For those that haven’t visited yet, the area is made up of several attractions as you wander through Hogsmeade Village. As has already been reported, the village really is a work of art with a great deal of attention to detail being displayed and it really does give you the feeling you are some place special.

As you wander through Hogsmeade you are enticed by the shops selling all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff. Places like Honeydukes Sweet Shop, Zonko’s joke shop, The Dervish and Banges magical instruments and equipment shop, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods and the Owl Post. You can get your picture taken by the Hogwart’s Express and just take in the unique atmosphere.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the signature attraction and is located inside Hogwarts Castle. On the way to the simply amazing rides, guests are maneuvered through scenes inspired by the Potter books and films.

Dragon Challenge, the world’s first dueling inverted roller coasters and previously known as Dueling Dragons before Potter came along and the Flight of the Hippogriff which is a Vekoma junior roller coaster, formerly known as the Flying Unicorn take care of those looking for a thrill ride.

As I already mentioned, Ollivanders, an interactive experience based on the Harry Potter location Ollivanders is simply a “must do” and it’s extremely well presented. A lot of fun!

I also stopped by “The Three Broomsticks Inn,” which is a restaurant serving typical British dishes and “The Hog’s Head Pub” where you can sip on spirits and drinks inspired by those in the Harry Potter stories. I tried the “butterbeer” for the first time… not sure I could drink too much mind! Find out why, try it for yourself on your next Orlando visit!

Here’s a video…

PS. Just recently we celebrated posting our 100th video …and this was supposed to have been it! However, it took a while to get here (2 weeks late!) and other stuff cropped up in between time. If you enjoy our videos do take the time to let us know and leave a comment or two. We’d love to hear from you.

New details are coming out from Disney just days after dramatic evidence from Universal’s  shows just how important it is for our theme parks to keep offering new attractions.

Universal Orlando has just posted their best quarterly results in the resort’s 20 year history, fueled by the power of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Attendance alone for the resort’s two theme parks soared upwards by 36% for the third quarter, going up to 3.7 million guests from 2.7 million in the third quarter 2009. If that wasn’t serious enough, revenue surged ahead by 62% to $364 million, allowing the operating profit to over double compared to last year.

So, it appears that Disney imagineers are attempting to breath life back into Pleasure Island. The buildings that once housed the adult-oriented clubs at Pleasure Island have sat empty for the last two years, but some small details of what’s coming can be found in a couple of building permits.

Disney this week filed a pair of permits signaling the start of new construction at Pleasure Island, a once-popular dining-and-dancing spot that has since become little more than a cut-through between the two retail ends of Downtown Disney.  The permits suggest that at least two old Pleasure Island venues, BET Soundstage and Adventurers Club, will be razed completely.

What’s more, Disney World President Meg Crofton last week publicly hinted that changes were imminent. In a ceremony honoring new Disney World ambassadors, Crofton listed the “reimagining of Downtown Disney” among a list of current construction projects at the resort, along with the Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom and a new hotel dubbed Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

Currently, Disney has dressed up the area around the several vacant buildings with a giant Mickey Mouse pumpkin, but it’s hard to tell from documents what is planned and Disney will only officially say, “more shopping and dining establishments.”

Pleasure Island opened in May 1989. Disney completed some big renovations in 2006, but in September of 2008, they shut down all the night clubs to make the island more family oriented. Since the clubs closed on Sept. 27, 2008, the only notable new venue to be added at Pleasure Island is Paradiso 37, a Mexican and South American restaurant that opened in June 2009.

Disney has said in the past that it expects to complete its redevelopment of Pleasure Island by 2012 so we’ll continue to keep you updated on progress. It’s about time something was done because every time I’ve been there recently, it’s always been very very busy. .. and for Disney, that means they are leaving revenue on the table!

Here’s some video from a recent visit I made:

“Until death do we part” brought on a whole new meaning at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights as April Richardson and Adam Cochran became the first to share their special day with chainsaw wielding maniacs and other scary and undead weirdos.

The Legendary Truth haunted house was the scene of the wedding as cold fog and the sounds of an eerie bridal march filled the air as April walked down the aisle. As the couple were announced husband and wife, the wedding guests cheered and scare actors snarled while the sounds of chainsaws from the Chainsaw Drill Team erupted.

The newlyweds then boarded a hearse and rode to the wedding reception as it slowly meandered through Universal Studios, followed by the wedding guests dressed in black cloaks.

At the reception, everyone enjoyed a three-tier cake decorated with spider webs and a skull cake topper and the entire wedding party then “enjoyed” the horror of Halloween Horror Nights firsthand.

Adam was born in Virginia and April was born in Connecticut. Both grew up in North Carolina and they currently reside in Vermont. They met six years ago in college and were engaged in May 2010 following his proposal in the arboretum at their alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Over the years, Adam, a pharmacist, and April, a graphic designer and aspiring writer, said that getting married at Halloween Horror Nights is a dream come true, as the annual event is their “holy grail of Halloween celebrations.”

The Orlando Southern Women’s Show is on at the Orlando-Orange County Convention Center at the moment and I decided to pay the show a visit for the first time in a few years yesterday. The show features food, fashion, shopping, celebrities, health, beauty, lifestyle and a whole load of fun to make the day worth attending.

I arrived at the show just in time to catch celebrity chef Sandra Lee take the stage and she then proceeded to supervise the production of a couple of dishes by members of the audience. She had some advice for the guys as well so make sure you watch the video below… not quite sure what I make of it!

After that I wandered around and had some fun as I explored all the aisles and tried to work out just what some of the vendors were selling. What is it exactly that you women need with some of this stuff?

Lesley Sbrocco & Nigel Worrall

Anyway, I digress…I bumped into the “Thirsty Girl”… my kind of woman…knows her wine! (That’s Lesley Sbrocco with me in the above picture.) Her web site is worth checking out at www.beathirstygirl.com and you’ll most certainly enjoy checking out some of her recommendations. Leslie is also the author of two popular books, Wine for Women, and The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide, as well as  host of two television series on PBS …Check Please! and reality show The Winemakers. She’s also the winner of two Emmy’s not to mention a James Beard award and is now busily working on her latest book and TV series very aptly called, “Adventures of a Thirsty Girl.”

Another great feature of the Southern Women’s Show – Orlando is the entertainment and it certainly didn’t disappoint as Christian super group Point of Grace took to the Best Buy Fashion & Entertainment Stage. The group has ten Dove Awards, two Grammy nominations, five gold records and two platinum records under their belts and is looking to add to their “Circle of Friends” with their new album No Changin’ Us, as well as the release of a new cookbook, Cooking with Grace.

There were many other performances going on throughout the day as well as several presentations on health, beauty and lifestyle issues. The Suspended Artistry at Orlando Aerial Arts, who are housed just down the road from the Florida Leisure office, was particularly good but for many of the women the show stopper…as always… was the Handsome Heroes Fire Fighter Fashion Show!

The show runs through Sunday 17th October and is open until 7pm today and closes at 5pm on Sunday. The cost to enter is just $9 for adults and $5 for children aged 6 thru 12. Children below the age of 6 are admitted free. The show really is good value for money so make sure to pay it a visit if you can. You’ll have a lot of fun!

Here’s some more pictures…and a video…

A busy day at Southern Ladies Show – Orlando

The Lovely Ladies of Arbonne – Nicole & Cynthia      Votre Vu Booth

Lots of cooking demonstrations going on.                    Time for a bargain!

Fresh on top of the announcements by Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove comes news that a group of developers want to build a new amusement park complete with towering thrill rides, on an undeveloped piece of land on the north end of International Drive.

The park could feature as many as 15 rides, according to a rendering provided to the city of Orlando as part of an application for zoning and land-use changes. The documents also include photos of extreme-design roller coasters, with interlocking loops and vertical, “top-hat” drops.

The tallest ride, according to the sketch, would be 425 feet tall, just shy of the 441-foot-tall SunTrust Center office tower in downtown Orlando. Developers of what’s being called “Orlando Thrill Park” would need the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration for a structure of that height, the application states.

The park would be built on 77.7 acres owned by I-Drive Investors LLC. OTP Group LLC,  a company that has ties to longtime Central Florida hospitality company Baker Leisure Group, is a partner in the development.

The property, at 5001 Vanguard St., is bordered on the north by Festival Bay Mall and on the south by the residential neighborhood of Tangelo Park. The proposed amusement park does not fall under approved uses for the property, which means land-use changes would have to be approved by the city.

The developers acknowledged Tuesday that the park could lead to an increase in traffic, noise and light pollution in the area but also noted that it could generate additional jobs as well.

“Although we are in the early stages of development, we will eventually generate several thousand jobs during construction and operations,” Jorge Ortega, manager of I-Drive Investors, said in a written statement. “We are reaching out to the community to assure that we have taken all of their concerns into consideration.”

Pleased to report that we have more exciting news and even more to look forward to in 2011 as  Discovery Cove has announced that it will take immersion to new depths when it opens an all-new area , The Grand Reef, in June next Summer.  The new reef features multiple levels of exploration, from shallow waters to deeper swimming adventures, from white sandy beaches and hammocks swaying in the breeze, to snorkeling among canyons inspired by reefs from around the world.

“The Grand Reef takes Discovery Cove’s world-class animal encounters to an all new level — several, actually,” said Stewart Clark, the park’s vice president.  “It’s what our guests expect from us, unforgettable connections with the sea and making memories that will last forever.  This could only be created by Discovery Cove.”

Visitors just need to get their feet wet to enjoy The Grand Reef, or they can choose to go deep.  They can step into tranquil, shallow waters to discover a below-the-surface world teeming with sea life, or they can snorkel in deeper waters as thousands of exotic fish and graceful rays swim around them.

Surprises abound.  Families can seek discoveries along the water’s edge or cross a bridge to see sharks swimming below.  They’ll play hide-and-seek with thousands of beautiful fish, from small colorful wrasses to large spotted eagle rays. Further out in the reef, stunning habitats create the feeling of swimming right alongside venomous lionfish and sharp-toothed reef sharks, each safely behind glass.  Guests can take paths and bridges to the reef’s islands and hidden grottos as they delve into the reef from above, around and below.

Those looking for an even more exhilarating adventure can take part in The Grand Reef’s innovative experience, SeaVenture, an underwater walking tour.  Wearing dive helmets, guests find up-close excitement around every corner, each step yielding a new discovery.

They’ll come across lionfish and sharks (safely behind massive panoramic windows), one-on-one touches with unique animals and schools of fish and gentle rays swimming by. SeaVenture is a once-in-a-lifetime, undersea experience available for a nominal fee.

The Grand Reef is the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation, a fully immersive tropical escape, new to discover in Orlando in 2011.  There’s more to learn at www.DiscoveryCove.com. Here’s some video…

Just got this press release from Busch Gardens in Tampa… great news…

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Introduces A New Breed of Speed

New Mega-Attraction Pairs Up-Close Encounters
and High-Speed Thrills in Cheetah Hunt and Cheetah Run

Wednesday, Oct. 13 (Tampa, FL) – For more than five decades, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has found inspiration in its animals. Animal care experts have turned that inspiration into adventure with immersive natural habitats like the Serengeti Plain, Myombe Reserve, Edge of Africa and Jungala. Engineers have also turned it into adrenaline, capturing the spirit of the animals in wood and steel with coasters like Kumba, Gwazi and SheiKra.

Now, the next generation of thrills emerges from the crossroads where up-close animal encounters and awe-inspiring rides come together. This spring, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will introduce a new mega-attraction that introduces guests to join the hunt for excitement and experience a new breed of speed.

Cheetah Hunt

The centerpiece of the new attraction is Cheetah Hunt, a Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) Launch Coaster that uses the force of repelling magnets to launch riders from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds – not once, but three times.

This one-of-a-kind, multiple launch-point coaster will board in Busch Gardens’ historic monorail station, which has been completely renovated as part of the new attraction.

The first launch propels the train out of the station and into the grasslands that surround the new area. Moments later, a second burst of speed accelerates riders to 60 mph and up into the ride’s signature tower element that climbs more than 10 stories above the African landscape before plunging 130 feet into a subterranean trench.

Cheetah Hunt covers a lot of ground, setting a new distance record for Busch Gardens’ roller coasters at 4,429 feet of track. After leaving the Crown Colony Plaza area, it races across a portion of the Serengeti Plain, staying close to the ground to give guests the experience of a cheetah sprinting across the plains. Elements such as over-banked turns, air-time parabolas and a heart line roll inversion imitate the agile creature chasing its prey, leaping and pouncing into the Nairobi area, where the train twists through a rocky gorge that was formerly part of Rhino Rally.

At the far end of this three-quarter-mile path, a third burst of speed rockets the train back across the plain toward the station in a thrill-ride experience unlike anything Busch Gardens’ guests have ever experienced.

Cheetah Run

But this one-of-a-kind coaster experience is only a portion of the new realm. Building on Busch Gardens’ unrivaled ability to combine thrills with immersive animal encounters, Cheetah Run will set a new standard for bringing nature and humans together in a really unique way.

Located in the area that formerly housed the Budweiser Clydesdales, this expansive new habitat will give visitors the opportunity to get closer to cheetahs than ever before with elevated, glass-paneled viewing areas. Even more exciting will be the chance to witness the world’s fastest land animal in action. Busch Gardens’ trainers will conduct daily sprints with the cheetahs for an awesome opportunity to see one of nature’s true wonders in full form!

Families can also explore interactive touch screens to learn even more about these big cats and SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment’s work on their behalf. Through the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, the adventure parks have been helping wild cheetahs since 2005.

The Realm

While thrill-seekers race across the plain on Cheetah Hunt, and even non-riders appreciate the beauty and grace of the cheetah in Cheetah Run, the realm surrounding this new mega-attraction offers many more opportunities for adventure and exploration.

Built at the crossroads where Morocco, Egypt and the Edge of Africa all come together, the plaza will be a bustling, colorful celebration inspired by the sights and sounds of the cultures that feed into it. Busch Gardens’ famous Crown Colony House Restaurant will remain a focal point of the area as well with a new, terraced entrance that will feature additional outdoor seating and natural landscaping.

Cheetah Hunt and Cheetah Run open in spring 2011. Together, they form a unique experience – the kind you’ll only find at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

You can see a virtual video of the new attraction here.

Dining Delights in Orlando this week features P.F. Chang’s at the Mall of Millenia. The Mall of Millenia is located at Conroy Road and offers an extraordinary experience, for those of us who call Orlando home or those visiting Orlando for business or pleasure. There’s a dazzling selection of international stores and an exceptional collection of retailers all presented in a high class environment of dramatic architecture and amenities.

There are some fabulous places to dine and to enjoy a culinary experience. P.F. Chang’s is one of those places and it serves superb American Chinese cuisine from a menu that was originally conceived and planned by chef Philip Chiang. For those that don’t know, “P. F. Chang’s” is the namesake of Paul Fleming (P. F.) and Philip Chiang, whose surname is simplified to Chang.

The first thing that strikes you is the vibrant atmosphere as you enter the restaurant. If there’s a recession going on you simply wouldn’t know it when you walk into this place. People are everywhere and all of them are enjoying the company of friends and relatives while having an exceptional culinary experience.

The thing that makes Chang’s work is that the menu offers so much but it is kept all so simple. There’s nothing complicated or ridiculously expensive. It’s simply excellent food at an affordable price. P. F. Chang’s also caters for those who are vegetarian or who have to follow a gluten -free diet. In fact, it is one of the few restaurant chains that offers a dedicated gluten-free menu to diners.

The restaurant has a charming upscale ambiance and apart from its excellent menu it has a great wine list to boot. If you are looking for a great place to visit when you are next in Orlando…put P.F. Chang’s on your list of places to visit. Here’s a short video…

Just recently we were invited to check out “The Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner Show”.  Now before I start, I have to say that I’m not really a great fan of dinner shows as frankly, I’ve experienced some not so great shows and some awful dinners. So it was with some trepidation that I decided to go along to the home of “The Outta Control Magic Comedy Dinner show” at the WonderWorks amusement park on International Drive.

I had been told that this show was “great”, “fantastic”, “brilliant,” etc so having heard all these adjectives used before and then having been bored out of my brain I was very skeptical. The show started with unlimited fresh hand tossed cheese or cheese and pepperoni pizza, salad, popcorn and unlimited beer, wine, soda and dessert. For gluttons there’s plenty of food to enjoy but for those of us who want to stay in shape, it’s definitely best to restrain yourself… a little…as the pizza is very hot and very good. The salad I could take or leave to be honest and I’m not a fan of popcorn so I helped myself to a little pizza.

The show started at around 6.30pm, (there’s a choice of show to go to; 6pm or 8pm) and featured entertainer Tony Brent…and boy did he entertain. You literally couldn’t keep your eye off the stage at his antics and some of them were simply hilarious. Tony’s show is a mixture of amazing magic, impersonations and a lot of high energy improvisational comedy often at the expense of his audience member victim who’d fallen prey to being volunteered by their family.

The show lasts for just over an hour and it really does come to an end far too quickly. I’ve included a short video I made for this blog to give you something of an idea of what to expect but I didn’t want to show too much as it would spoil the show for you. Simply put, this is another of those “must do” things when you are in Orlando. You’ll be sure to have a great time and it really is great value for your money.

On Saturday night SeaWorld Orlando welcomed their 16th born killer whale calf to the family and the 27^th killer whale calf in all.

The 7-foot-long, 350-pound baby is the seventh calf for mom Katina, who instinctively assisted the baby whale to the surface for its first breaths moments after birth.

“It’s a terrific day for all of us,” said Kelly Flaherty-Clark, curator of animal training.  “Katina is an experienced mom and she appears to be bonding quickly with her baby.”

To view more, you can visit – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuvtPuoiS2s