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

As each year comes to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on the year that was and looking forward to the year to come. We use celebrations, superstitions, resolutions and traditions to properly ring in the New Year and bid farewell to the old one. Here in the US our focus is usually on the big ball that drops in Times Square so it’s very easy to overlook celebrations and countdowns from around the globe. Often we forget that the new year has already started for many others so we’re going to use today’s blog to see just who celebrates first and how far in advance of us they really are!

The first people to celebrate the New Year are … the people of Samoa & Tokelau in the South Pacific. The parties start a full 19 hours before us on the Eastern coast of the United States as the cities of Kiritimati (Christmas Island), Apia and Fakaofo come to life. An hour later the party comes to other Pacific islands and Western territories such as New Zealand. In fact, the Kiwi’s celebrate like most cultures around the world as social gatherings and dazzling fireworks light the sky. The most impressive is at Sky Tower in Auckland City which stands at 1,076 feet tall, which is taller than the Eiffel Tower and the Chrysler Building.

By 7am Eastern Time it’s time for some small regions of Russia to start celebrating and by 8am it’s the turn of some of the Australian regions like Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra to get in on the act. We then leap forward to just 14 hours before midnight Eastern time to Japan where New Year’s Eve, or Omisoka, has been celebrated for centuries.

In India, it’s actually 10.5 hours before EST that the celebrations for “Diwali” begin. Diwali is based on the Hindu calendar and although the Indian New Year won’t officially be celebrated on January 1st, many displays and celebrations are still held in many of the major urban areas throughout the country.

9 hours before midnight EST, Moscow gets in on the act as the Kremlin counts down the final seconds of the year. Many Russians actually send those moments in silence though, rather than cheering and making noise. It’s during this quiet time that they take the time to make wishes for the new year and many actually take the time to write them out. In a rather odd tradition some of them then burn their written wishes, placing the ashes in a glass of champagne, and then drinking this rather weird concoction to hopefully ensure the wish will come true!

Jumping forward to 6 hours before midnight EST, it’s the turn of most Europeans to embrace the new year. In Spain, its the tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight, while many Danes enjoy the ritual of breaking dishes! For fireworks, then perhaps Paris has the best and most phenomenal fireworks in the whole of Europe until London gets into the act one hour later at 5 hours until midnight EST.

Also, 5 hours ahead of Eastern USA are some Western African countries and also Portugal. At 3 hours before midnight EST it’s the turn of our amigos in South America to heat things up. Unlike many Americans the folks in Brazil will be shorts, tank tops and swimwear as New Year’s Eve in the Southern Hemisphere occurs during the Summer and that allows for many festivities to take place on the beach.

Argentina joins in an hour later before some regions of Canada start to celebrate an hour after that and just one hour before we do! Then, finally, it becomes our turn as the final seconds of 2011 slip away and the Times Square Ball begins its descent. Many folks turn out in New York for this tradition and many others on the Eastern side of the United States gather around their TV sets, grab fistfuls of things that make a noise and then rush to secure a New Year kiss. When the ball finally reaches the bottom of its 60 foot pole, it’s the New Year! Time to party.

New Year isn’t done there though as it takes another four hours for New Year to cross over the USA and to Alaska before it finally reaches its journey’s end 2 hours after that (6am EST) at American Samoa and the Midway Islands. As you can see, New Year has quite a way to travel!

From all of us at Florida Leisure / Florida Leisure Vacation Homes and Florida Leisure Blog, we have enjoyed bringing you our own perspectives on Orlando and the Central Florida area this year and we wish you a very Happy and prosperous New Year in 2012. We do hope we’ll get to see many of you as you make a return visit to our Sunshine State and the “Happiest Place on Earth!”

Happy New Year!

In 2011 we posted over 100 videos (roughly one every three days) from in and around Orlando on our YouTube.com/FloridaLeisure channel. At the last count 53,604 people have “friended” us and 1555 have “subscribed” to us to regularly watch our video content. Through 2011 we’ve covered a wide variety of stories and we’ve shot just about everything there is to do in Central Florida, from the opening of the brand new Legoland Florida theme park to the Christmas celebrations going on all around our fabulous area.

Our videos also passed over half a million views, so we thought we’d take a look back at some of the most popular and some that had the most memories for us. We had a short list of 15 videos that we’ve had to cull but we really couldn’t cut 5 from the list …so we’re including 3 of them as Bonuses before we got to our Top 12! Here we go….

BONUS 1 – Kayaking

BONUS 2 – 2011 Sunburst Convention

BONUS 3 – Halloween Celebration

And now to the countdown… at Number 12… a look at Wet ‘N’ Wild… remembering those hot days of Summer 2011

Number 11 is the Fabulous 2011 Singing Christmas Trees at First Orlando

Number 10 is one of our wonderful Florida Leisure Vacation Homes… what else?

Number 9 features a first look in over 30 years at the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center… cool!

Number 8 was the chance to go below the water at Discovery Cove at the new SeaVenture…

Number 7 was the opening of Cheetah Hunt and Cheetah Run at Busch Gardens… superb addition to this great theme park…

Number 6 was the opening of The Grand Reef at Discovery Cove….

Number 5 sees the final journey of Space Shuttle Atlantis as the space shuttle program comes to an end…

Number 4 The opening of One Ocean at SeaWorld…

Number 3 As huge soccer fans we loved being involved with a fantastic first season with Orlando City. We featured the Lions on several videos but this one is our favorite…

Number 2 is the amazing “O Wondrous Night” at SeaWorld Orlando. You’ll not see a better Christmas production at an Orlando theme park than this…simply magnificent. We went to several performances and every one got a standing ovation… simply brilliant. We filmed this twice but decided to go with the full length choice rather than the shorter version in our selection … watch it and see why…

Number 1…simply had to be the Grand Opening of Central Florida’s newest theme park… Legoland Florida … and we’re going to cheat a bit here… because we have two videos! Enjoy….

New Year’s resolutions are almost as predictable as the Times Square bell dropping to mark the beginning of a New Year. According to a study by the Scanton Journal of Psychology nearly 45 per cent of adults make New Year’s resolutions. Any guesses for the top three?

Yes, you probably guessed them.

Better management of finances, lose weight / get in shape and to stop smoking.

Frankly, I think we need to add another one… one that can make everyone feel refreshed… taking an Orlando vacation!

It’s well known that during the Winter months there is less sun and that our bodies produce less vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, a healthy immune system and for heart disease prevention. Ever wondered why people in warm climates live longer? Now you know. So, make sure you plan an Orlando vacation as one of your New Year resolutions… make that reservation right now by calling us on 1-800-760-1114 and you can be sure that this will be at least one resolution you can keep that is good for you!

Hope to see you soon!

Given how busy the Orlando theme parks at the moment, we thought we’d put together some of our thoughts on when the best time to visit an Orlando theme park actually is. Of course, it’s subjective as what suits one person may not suit the next but for this article we’re going to assume that no-one enjoys lining up to enjoy one of those fabulous Orlando theme park rides! We think we’re pretty safe in that assumption, so just when is the easiest time to get on the most popular rides?

In order to determine when your favorite ride maybe the least busy you need to study the calendar. It goes without saying that your best chance of walking straight onto Space Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, Manta, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey etc is obviously when fewer people are in the Orlando area. For that you need to know when the most folks are likely to be in Orlando and listed below are the dates when you can expect a lot of people to be in the Central Florida area.

2012 Likely Busy Times:

Now – Jan 2 – Holiday break for schools

Jan 14-16 – Martin Luther King Jr. weekend

Feb 5 – Superbowl

Feb 18-20 – President’s Day weekend

Mar 10 – 30 – Spring Break

Apr 7 -8 – Easter weekend

May 26 – 28 – Memorial Day weekend

July – Summer Holidays

July 4 – 4th of July

Aug 1-20 – Summer Holidays

Sep 1-3 – Labor Day weekend

Oct 6-8 – Columbus Day weekend

Nov 10-11 Veteran’s Day weekend

Nov 22 – Thanksgiving break for schools

Dec 23 – Jan 2 – Holiday break for schools

So that’s the list of days when you can expect attendance and the lines at the theme parks to be high but there are some other tips you might find useful in order to avoid the long lines.

Other Tips:

• Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are usually the least busy days.
• Weekends can be twice as busy as weekdays
• Saturdays are busier than Sundays
• Good weather can cause larger attendance
• Sporting events in Orlando bring people to the area and they go to theme parks before and after the event
• General Rule: If school’s are on a holiday or break where you live… Orlando theme parks will be busy

Don’t despair if you really have no choice other than to visit at busy or peak times there are some advantages to this. For a start most attractions should be operational and the parks generally operate longer hours. This is very important as it enables you to enjoy the park at a slower pace rather than trying to rush around doing everything quickly. Also, if the theme park has a nighttime spectacular event running then you can be pretty sure that it will be on.

On the downside, you should note that on a busy day you will probably only get around 10-20 attractions done. Most Orlando theme parks have in the region of 50 to 60+ attractions so there is a lot you might miss out on. Wait times can be over an hour for a 3 – 15 minute ride so you can see the ratio isn’t good and this is why we recommend getting a multi day pass so you don’t feel the need to try and get everything done in one day. Remember, you are on vacation… you should be relaxing and not getting worked up about lines and other people.

So, if you can visit during a quieter time of year you’ll find that you can get a lot more done and the pace will be much nicer as you wander from one attraction straight onto the next without much of a wait time. In fact, it’s not uncommon to walk straight on to most rides and even the most popular rides only have wait times of up to 20 minutes. Also, you maybe able to complete every attraction on your hit list in a single day with some careful planning. We’d still recommend two days for some of the parks however as there are things you’ll want to do again and again!

Another factor to keep in mind is the popularity of each park. Some parks are better attended than others and here’s a list of the top parks in Orlando:

1. Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom  – 16.92 million visitors in 2010
2. Walt Disney World – Epcot – 10.83 million
3. Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom – 9.69 million
4. Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios – 9.60 million
5. Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure – 5.95 million
6. Universal Studios Florida – 5.93 million
7. SeaWorld Orlando – 5.10 million
8. Busch Gardens Tampa – 4.20 million (not Orlando but we thought it should be on the list to help planning)

As you can see, Magic Kingdom really is significantly more popular than the other theme parks and you can expect lines at most rides regardless of the time of year you visit. Again, if you keep away from peak times you’ll have a more enjoyable experience and line times will be less but you should still expect them.

These attendance numbers are also interesting for another reason and that is the fact that a lot of our guests staying in our Florida Leisure Vacation Homes often report they enjoyed a different park because it just felt less crowded. SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland Florida are the two parks we hear these comments the most often about but those who travel an hour to Busch Gardens also remark on how much they enjoyed their day out because it was quieter.

Many factors can combine to make your day more enjoyable. No two families are alike and that’s why we recommend utilizing a planning service to help plan your families vacation and the Florida Leisure concierge would be pleased to assist in this as well as helping you get discounted theme park tickets at the best rate. www.FloridaLeisure.com is the link and then navigate to “Attraction Tickets” to see the current discounted rates.

It’s certainly busy right now here in Orlando! In fact, it’s so busy that Disney, Universal and Legoland Florida all shut their gates yesterday because they had reached maximum capacity. Lines were crazy as tourists lined up for up to three hours to ride Space mountain at Magic Kingdom and the entrance ramp leading off of Interstate 4 to Universal Orlando looked more like a parking lot by midday.

Legoland Florida, which opened in October on the site of the former Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, said it closed its parking lot at around 12:30 p.m., and officially stopped allowing guests into the park at 1:25 p.m. Legoland did extend it’s operating hours until 8:30 p.m., an hour and a half later than normal.

“We’re definitely busy and you can definitely feel that we’re full. However, people are still smiling and having a great day,” said Legoland spokeswoman Jackie Wallace.

Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park also hit capacity and stopped admitting guests about 12:30 p.m. A spokeswoman for Universal said it set up a temporary queue for guests to wait outside the park and that it extended Islands’ hours from 11 p.m. until midnight. Islands also reached capacity several days during last year’s holiday season, helped by the popularity of its Wizarding World of Harry Potter which was almost impossible to enter yesterday!

Walt Disney World had to temporarily restrict access at three of its four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Admission was limited to guests staying in Disney hotels, people with higher-priced tickets such as park hoppers or premium annual passes, and those with dining reservations, among other categories. Even the Downtown Disney area was jam packed as seen by the photo below!

Capacity crowds are a common thing for Central Florida’s theme parks during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, when both tourists and local families are flocking to the attractions but this year it seems everyone has forgotten any economic woes that may be troubling them. It seems that families are still going to enjoy themselves even if they decide to save money in other ways…such as renting one of vacation homes. Yes…we’re sold out too!

Check back later today as we’ll be doing a blog post about the best time to visit Orlando and how to avoid the lines!

With an all-new festival featuring awesome concerts by LazyTown, Max & Ruby, the Doodlebops and Choo-Choo Soul and tons of family-friendly fun and activities, SeaWorld Orlando is the place for kids, Saturdays January 14 – February 4.

Super Kid Savings
This is a celebration that really is just for kids! And that means not only will kids have the most fun-filled experience enjoying the concerts, but there are numerous special offers too. On event days, parents can rent strollers at half-price, and the following items are free for kids with each paid adult: all-day dining deal, sky tower ride, and free Penguins Up-close, Dolphins Up-close or Behind-the-Scenes tours.

The concert lineup includes:

Saturday, January 14  LazyTown
Things are upside-down in LazyTown! Stephanie, Sportacus and others take kids on a fun journey while also promoting healthy lifestyles for children in a positive and catching way.

Saturday, January 21  Max & Ruby’s Musical Playdate
Celebrate the universal nature of sibling relationships in Max & Ruby’s Musical Playdate. Max & Ruby never quite want the same thing and their plans always collide – with hilarious results. Featuring upbeat and original songs, this playdate is sure to have the whole audience singing and hopping along!

Saturday, January 28  Doodlebops’ Musical Playdate
Get movin’ and groovin’ with the Doodlebops, a real favorite of all kids. Rock stars DeeDee, Rooney and Moe sing their favorite songs, tell their wackiest jokes and show off their funkiest dance moves.

Saturday, February 4  Choo-Choo Soul with Genevieve
Starring Genevieve Goings, Choo-Choo Soul allows parents to enjoy the same music their kids do. Featuring soulful and current renditions of the ABC’s, 1-2-3’s, and learning how to be polite, Choo-Choo Soul is a diverse and incredibly hip duo, teaching children through music on an animated train.

Concerts are included with park admission, with show times at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at SeaWorld’s Nautilus Theater. Guests will need to pick up concert tickets across from Nautilus Theater in order to attend the shows. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis starting at 9 a.m. each event day.

And, “Just For Kids” has even more fun in store!

Shamu’s Party Zone
Located at Lakeside Patio, this happening spot lets kids sing, dance and play the day away with a DJ spinning to a kid beat while bubbles float overhead. There are loads of interactive games, too, and kids can sit down for a face-painting session or make a sea-themed sand art souvenir with jewels and sea glass in the shape of dolphins, tropical fish, turtles and starfish. The Shamu character and others will be on hand for meet and greets, dancing and photos. (Please note: there will be a small fee to participate in face painting and sand art).

Elmo and Abby’s Treasure Hunt
Sesame Street’s Abby Cadabby and her friends Elmo, Cookie Monster, Rosita and Grover are off on a treasure hunt—and all kids are invited to come along! This 25-minute show will get everyone laughing and cheering along at SeaPort Theater.

Breakfast with Elmo and Friends
Elmo and his Sesame Street friends will perform a short song and dance number and then visit every table for an up-close meeting at this amazing breakfast buffet. Cost is $29.99 for adults and $24.99 for children ages 3-9. Times are 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. at SeaFire Inn at The Waterfront. This fun-filled breakfast also includes reserved seats at the concert of the day – attending the 8:30 a.m. breakfast includes reserved seats at the 11 a.m. concert, and the 10:30 a.m. breakfast includes reserved seats at the 2 p.m. concert.

Edie Falco was at Disney’s Hollywood Studios earlier today as she met up with a certain Donald Duck.

Falco is now known for her winning Emmys role of  “Nurse Jackie,” but to many folks, she’ll always be best known for her role as Carmelo Soprano on the HBO series “The Sopranos.” She visited Walt Disney World over the holiday weekend and like many stars she stopped to take a few photos with some characters.

A couple of weeks ago we had the privilege to attend the Stetson University Christmas Candlelight Concert. The concert was held in the Lee Chapel inside Elizabeth Hall on N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand.

The focal point of the chapel is the amazing pipe organ built in 1961 by the firm of Rudolph von Beckerath of Hamburg and recently renovated by Beckerath’s student, Hans-Ulrich Erbslöh. The organ represented a revolutionary departure from the generally accepted norms in American organ building.  It foreshadowed and strongly influenced a re-birth of classic organ design in the U.S.   The Paul R. Jenkins Jr. Beckerath Organ has profoundly affected the lives and thoughts of countless musicians and craftspersons.   It is a marvelous example of the period regarded by many as the apex of Beckerath’s creative efforts.  It speaks today with a voice as fresh as ever.

Stetson’s Beckerath Organ was named for Paul R. Jenkins, Jr., Organ Professor Emeritus, following his retirement.  The distinguished, mechanical-action concert instrument is capable of authentically performing a wide range of organ literature.  Internationally recognized, the Beckerath organ has had seminal influence on organ building in America and has been featured on the cover of Orgel Internationale.

The first modern European tracker-action organ of its kind built in an American college or university performance space, it was shipped piece-by-piece via boat from Hamburg, Germany, to DeLand, Florida, where it was installed in 1961.  It includes 2,700 pipes, ranging from 18 feet in length to the size of a pencil.  In 1992, a new case was built by Charles Nazarian to complement the chapel’s traditional look.  In 2004, the organ was arduously cleaned, and many improvements were made, including a new console and pedal board.

The Christmas concert featured the Stetson University Concert Choir, with conductors Dr. Andrew Larson and Dr. Milburn Price. Tickets were sold out a long way in advance and we considered ourselves very fortunate to be able to attend. Traditional favorites like O Come, All Ye Faithful, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and Silent Night were also mixed with Austrian yodel tunes and carols like Shepherd’s Yodel Carol and Still, Still, Still and both the Stetson Women’s Chorale and the Concert Choir performed superbly with various instrumentalists, readers and soloists for a very memorable concert.

Here’s some video:

As we enter one of the busiest times of year, we thought we’d take a pause, draw some breath and slow the pace down a bit today. Many folks will have spent the last weekend shopping for Christmas and will still be suffering from the stress of fighting the crowds and trying to make sure they get everything they need to make this holiday season a special one. So, we thought we’d take a look at the other side of Orlando… the one that usually goes unrecognized and forgotten about, the one that gets lost in the plethora of things there are to do in this area… so today, we’re taking a look at 9 Other Christmas Events to visit this week:

NOW SNOWING: Visit Celebration for a holiday festival with nightly snowfalls: hourly snowfalls from 6-9 p.m. daily through Dec. 31, at Celebration Town Center, 610 Sycamore St., Celebration. Cost: Free.

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC HOLIDAY FLUTE TRIO: 5 p.m. Dec. 23; Morse Museum of American Art, 445 N. Park Ave., Winter Park; Cost:  Free.  More Details:  407-645-5311.

CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW: 6-9 nightly through Dec. 31; Citrus Tower, 141 N. U.S. Highway 27, Clermont; Cost:  Free.  More Details:352-394-4061.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH: featuring the Cathedral Choir: 10:30 p.m. Dec. 24; Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 130 N. Magnolia Ave. Cathedral Great Hall, Orlando; Cost:  Free.  More Details: 407-849-0680.

LIGHT UP UCF: holiday light shows with film screenings, rides and outdoor skating rink: daily through Jan. 1; UCF Arena, Building 50 N. Gemini Blvd., Orlando; free entry, skating and ride prices vary; More Details: 407-823-6006.

LEU’S HOLIDAY HOUSE: themed displays: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily (through Jan. 1); Harry P. Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Ave., Orlando; $7 adults, $2 grades K-12 (free 9 a.m.-5 p.m. first Mondays monthly); More Details: 407-246-2620.

THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: string puppet version of the Christmas tale: daily showtimes vary (through Jan. 1); Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater, 451 E. Altamonte Drive, Altamonte Springs; $5; More Details: 407-834-8757.

CHRISTMAS AT BOK TOWER: events and home tours through Jan. 1: garden hours 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; Bok Tower Gardens, 3 miles north of Lake Wales at County Road 17A and Tower Boulevard; $10 adults, $3 children ages 5-12; More Details: 863-676-1408.

HOLIDAYS AT THE WATERHOUSE EXHIBIT: noon-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday (through Jan. 15); Waterhouse Residence and Carpentry Shop Museum, 820 Lake Lily Drive, Maitland; $3 adults, $2 children; More Details: 407-644-2451.

Recently we’ve been asked to put up the full length version of “O Wondrous Night” from SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration. More than happy to oblige …

And here’s the shorter version from the front row!