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

Just six weeks after its official grand opening, LEGOLAND® Florida today released details of its first expansion – LEGOLAND Water Park. Scheduled to open in time for summer 2012, the water park will feature a wave pool, Build-A-Raft lazy river, tube slides, body slides and an interactive water-play structure – DUPLO® Safari.

“We’re very excited to share plans for this amazing new attraction,” said LEGOLAND Florida General Manager Adrian Jones.  “True to our mission, the water park attraction has been designed for families with children ages 2 to 12 and will add hours of water play to an already full day and move LEGOLAND Florida into a multi-day experience for vacationers.  The additional also adds another great value proposition for our Annual Pass members.”

Admission to the water park attraction is included with an all-new LEGOLAND Premium Pass, which offers 12 months admission to LEGOLAND Florida and seasonal access to the LEGOLAND Water Park.  Single-day LEGOLAND Florida guests may upgrade to a water park attraction ticket for an additional $12 per person (children under 3 are $3).  The Premium Pass is now available for purchase at www.LEGOLAND.com

Key areas of LEGOLAND Water Park attraction include:

• LEGO Wave Pool – Families can catch a gentle wave or simply cool off in this perfectly sized wave pool where the waves are just big enough for all ages to enjoy
• Twin Chasers – Friends ride tubes 375 feet down an intertwining pair of enclosed water slides before plunging into a refreshing pool below
• Splash Out – The thrill seekers of the family can ascend to the tallest point of the water park attraction and choose from one of three unique slides, then speed down a 60-foot drop  and “splash out” into the water below
• Joker Soaker – A fun, interactive playground with various lengths, heights and types of slides that offer something different for every member of the family.  Guests can wade in the surrounding pool and be surprised with a torrential spill from a 300-gallon bucket
• Build-A-Raft River – Families can imagine, design and build a unique LEGO vessel and set afloat on a maiden voyage around the 1000-foot-long lazy river, set amongst  playful LEGO Friends, flowering vegetation and palm trees
• DUPLO^® Splash Safari – Toddlers will rule at this water play area with shorter slides and interactive, larger-than-life DUPLO creatures

“This newest attraction is just one of many ways we will continue to evolve LEGOLAND Florida over the next several years,” said Jones.  “Creating a multi-visit proposition for families adds another dimension to the LEGOLAND Florida offering.  Adding the water park attraction will fulfill this criteria as well as offering a unique attraction in Central Florida. ”

Universal Orlando  Holidays event kicks off this weekend with holiday entertainment the whole family will enjoy. At Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure, the popular Dr. Seuss book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is brought to life in the heartwarming live stage show, “Grinchmas Wholiday Spectacular,” starring The Grinch and the Whos from Whoville.

At Universal Studios Florida, the Macy’s Holiday Parade will fill the streets every evening with some of the same iconic elements seen winding through New York City each year at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The beloved parade features colorful holiday characters, fantasy-filled floats and dozens of larger-than-life balloons. Mannheim Steamroller, the masters of Christmas music with more than 40 million albums sold worldwide, returns to the Music Plaza stage in Universal Studios six times this year to play their memorable holiday hits for guests, performing on December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 and 18.

Also at Universal Studios, guests can enjoy special holiday-themed versions of their favorite shows, including The Blues Brothers Show and A Day in the Park with Barney, as well as nightly a capella holiday music in the nearby Holiday Village, which is filled with hand-blown glass ornaments, hot chocolate, a cookie decorating location and more.

This special holiday entertainment – including the Mannheim Steamroller concerts – is included as part of regular admission to Universal Orlando’s theme parks. To maximize the fun, guests can experience all holiday-themed activities at both theme parks with any annual pass, two-park or multi-day admission to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure (*Note: Power Annual Pass is blocked out December 26, 2011 – January 1, 2012).

The Holidays fanfare runs Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011 through Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012

Here’s some video from this morning’s launch at Kennedy Space Center… travel well Curiosity… 8.5 months to get to Mars!

A nuke-powered rover the size of a family size compact car will start its journey to Mars this morning.

The Curiosity, NASA’s $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory, is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at exactly 10:02 a.m. this morning and it hopes to answer the question: Can the Red Planet sustain life?

The rover will be carried 354 million miles to the planet on an unmanned rocket known as the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5. The perilous trek will take 81/2 months, meaning Curiosity is expected to touch down in August 2012.

“This is the most complicated mission we have attempted on the surface of Mars,” said Peter Theisinger, Mars Science Lab project manager with NASA’s prime contractor, Lockheed Martin.

Curiosity weighs 1 ton and has a 7-foot arm that was retrofitted with a jackhammer and a laser so that it can puncture the Martian rock. Scientists say what makes the rover truly unique is its ability to analyze rocks and soil with never-before-seen accuracy.

Curiosity can’t actually detect the presence of living organisms. Instead, the rover will be on the lookout for organic, carbon-containing compounds. In that way, scientists hope to discover whether the planet has — or has ever had — what it takes to nurture life.

Ten feet long, 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall, Curiosity is about twice the size of previous rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. In a space first, Curiosity will be lowered to Mars using a jet pack and a tether system. Curiosity will be “the largest and most complex piece of equipment ever placed on the surface of another planet,” said Doug McCusition, director of NASA’s Mars exploration program.

The journey to Mars is tricky and often proves to be too much for space explorers to complete. More than three dozen missions have attempted to reach the most Earth-like planet in the solar system, but fewer than half have made it. Only one of those — Opportunity — is still working on the barren planet.

More than 13,000 guests are expected at the launch, which will be complicated by the fact the rover is run by 10.6 pounds of plutonium. The plutonium is encased in protective layers in case of an accident, and radiation detectors are expected to take air samples during the launch.

Today is Small Business Saturday. An American shopping holiday created by American Express that was first celebrated on November 27, 2010 and it is a counterpart to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which feature big box retailers and e-commerce stores respectfully.  The idea being, that by contrast,  holiday shoppers are encouraged to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are both small and local.

Small business is an important cog in the economy and Florida Leisure Vacation Homes is proud to be classed as a small business that helps families enjoy great vacations in Orlando.

In the US, small business (less than 500 employees) accounts for around half the GDP and more than half the employment. Regarding small business, the top job provider is those with fewer than 10 employees and those with 10 or more but fewer than 20 employees come in as the second, and those with 20 or more but fewer than 100 employees come in as the third. The most recent data shows firms with less than 20 employees account for slightly more than 18% of the employment and according to “The Family Business Review,” there are approximately 17 million sole-proprietorships in the US. It can be argued that a sole-proprietorship (an unincorporated business owned by a single person) is a type of family business” and “there are 22 million small businesses  in the US and approximately 14,000 big businesses.” Also, it has been found that small businesses created the most new jobs in communities.

We’re proud to be classed as a small business as small business is very often able to deliver a better product, service and experience to the customer. Small business is more flexible and can bring new ideas to the table far quicker than it’s cumbersome counterpart, big business… and we only have to look at the role big business has played in the current economy to know that big isn’t better.

To all small businesses around the country, we salute you.

Thanks to everyone who entered our “Thanksgiving Sweepstakes” to win 2 x Disney theme park tickets. The winner is announced in the video below…. and we also have a special announcement…. so check it out…

We’ve been working on a new web site for a little while and we decided that Thanksgiving would be the perfect day to launch the new look. For some time now we’ve been talking about the things to do in Orlando on our Facebook / YouTube and blog sites and that played a big part in our decision to rebrand the site and put more focus on the Central Florida area.

Of course, our Florida Leisure vacation homes still play a big part on the site, as everyone needs a great place to stay when they visit the area, but you can now find more information about the Orlando area and that will help your trip planning go a little smoother!

Let us know what you think!

Happy Thanksgiving!

During the holidays, Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park is transformed into an international celebration of Yuletide traditions filled with festive decorations and live entertainment. From Holidays Around The World to Candlelight Processional, you can delight in the sights and sounds of the season.

The Candlelight Processional is a special holiday event held nightly at the America Gardens Theatre as part of Holidays Around The World. The event retells the stirring story of Christmas with a special celebrity narrator  accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a mass choir.

The Candlelight Processional is a terrific way to get in the Christmas spirit and to share the magic of the season with your family and friends. The event has become an essential family tradition for many Guests — once you experience it, you may be inspired to share it every year with the ones you love.

Academy award-winning actress Mira Sorvino returns to Walt Disney World Resort Nov. 25-27, 2011, to kick off the event. Sorvino is among a dozen celebrities, ranging from contemporary Christian and country music artists to a soap opera legend and award-winning actor, who will take the stage for the joyous retelling of the Christmas story. They join a 50-piece orchestra and mass choir at Epcot America Gardens Theatre for performances at 5, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. most nights. The lineup (artists subject to change):

Nov. 25-27: Mira Sorvino
Nov. 28-Dec. 1: Michael W. Smith
Dec. 2-3: Geena Davis
Dec. 4-6: Edward James Olmos (guest shows at 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. only)
Dec. 7-9: Isabella Rossellini
Dec. 10-12: Neil Patrick Harris
Dec. 13-15: Lorraine Bracco
Dec. 16-18: Chita Rivera
Dec. 19-21: Trace Adkins
Dec. 22-24: Susan Lucci
Dec. 25-27: Blair Underwood
Dec. 28-30: Marlee Matlin

Our annual Thanksgiving Sweepstakes is upon us again and this year we’re celebrating our partnership with Walt Disney World and the Vacation Rental Home Connection by offering 2 FREE tickets to the winner of the drawing.

The sweepstakes started last night at 6.45pm and will run until 10pm on 25th November 2011. All you have to do to enter and to stand a chance of winning the tickets is click “LIKE” on our Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure page and then submit you details on the entry form. It couldn’t be simpler.

Over the weekend we had the pleasure of attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. The party is a special event held each winter on select nights and the purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend. This festive celebration is filled with live entertainment, spectacular fireworks and an oh-so-jolly holiday parade.

It;s a chance to celebrate the magic of the season in the holiday wonderland of Magic Kingdom theme park and gather with loved ones for a festive sight- and sound-filled special event that is sure to make you merry!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party features:

• The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
• Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
• An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season
• Live entertainment featuring Disney Characters
• Meet and greet opportunities throughout Magic Kingdom theme park with some of your favorite Disney Characters
• Complimentary cookies and hot cocoa
• A magical snow fall on Main Street, U.S.A.
• Many of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions

The party is also a wonderful opportunity to be at Magic Kingdom when the crowds are a little quieter and getting on rides is a little easier. One of the highlights of our evening out was being able to ride Buzz Lightyear and become a “Galactic Hero”… here’s me getting my badge…

Tickets are available from www.FloridaLeisure.com and the remaining event nights are as follows:

November: 27, 29, 30, 2011
December: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 2011
Event time: 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

More photos are at Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure and here’s some video: