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

Over the last 24 hours a lot of people have asked me about “Splash! Animals” after seeing them on the video I posted on this blog about the opening of “Cheetah Run” and “Cheetah Hunt.”

Splash! Animals is a live art experience committed to the conservation of endangered animals. It is an award-winning conservation focused live art experience that combines art, music, choreography and features endangered species. Based in Southern California (San Diego), Splash! Animals performs all over the United States and internationally at fundraisers, theme parks, zoo, schools and many other venues and events.

Splash! Animals made its debut at the World Famous San Diego Zoo in June 2007 as the nighttime entertainment and regularly appears at Downtown Disney in Orlando and California on weekends. The focus of Splash! Animals is to connect the audience to endangered animals emotionally through an inspiring performance while educating them about the importance of conserving wildlife.

The show always starts with a blank “canvas,” painted black, and in less than 10 minutes, beautiful portraits of endangered animals are revealed by the performing artists. It’s pretty amazing and following on from the feedback from the performance we featured on our “Cheetah Run and Cheetah Hunt Opens at Busch Gardens Tampa” video, we’ve created another video that shows both of the paintings the Splash! Animals team produced at the Busch Gardens VIP party. Enjoy!

If you love all things automotive, then Downtown Disney is where you need to be today, tomorrow, and Sunday. Sixty classic cars have lined up along the Downtown Disney promenade for Disney’s Car Masters Weekend,but as with most things that Disney does, don’t expect this to be just an ordinary car show. This time some very classic cars are going to meet their match as 4 time Piston Cup champion, Lightning McQueen, Mater and their new friend, Finn McMissile, roll into the weekend to celebrate the release of Disney Pixar’s “Cars 2″.

In celebration of Pixar’s 25th anniversary, the muscle cars will also be joined by the largest life-sized, radio controlled car replicas ever built – giving fans the chance to hang out with their favorite “car-acters.”The three day event begins today and runs through Sunday May 15th. The fun begins each day at 10:30am and will last until 6pm and your young ones will enjoy the “Race Into Reading” read and play log (pictured below) they’ll be given as they leave the “Cars 2″ area.

In addition to meeting your “Cars” favorites, NASCAR fans are able to take a look at Richard Petty’s race car, which is on display inside Ridemakerz and it’s also the location where you can “test-drive” some of the new “Cars 2″ Ridemakerz models.

Also featuring will be a variety of different activities throughout the weekend including games and giveaways as well as a  video kiosk. There’s also a sweepstakes as “Agents on a Mission” will give away some 18,000 prizes including a brand new car.

Taking place on Saturday and Sunday is the Classic Car show, which will be judged by Pixar Animation Studios’ “Cars” franchise guardian and resident car expert, Jay Ward.

Also, the 2006 Disney-Pixar “Cars” film returns to the big screen for a limited time at AMC Pleasure Island 24 Theatres throughout the weekend. Moviegoers can even catch a glimpse of the new movie trailer from “Cars 2,” which then comes to a theater near you on June 24th.

It promises to be a fun filled weekend so if you’re in Orlando why not pay a visit? If you can’t make it, then don’t worry as we have made a short video for you and we have plenty of pictures on our Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure page.

The newly remodeled Lego Imagination Center reopened on Tuesday so I went along to take a look at what the new store now looks like. The store is larger and features some new Disney Lego sculptures such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs seen below. (To see larger images simply click on the picture.)

There’s a large model of Maleficent in her dragon form on the east side of the store and a brave Lego man on horseback who seems ready for the fight while close by is the outside play area which has swapped sides from where it was before.

Facing the Downtown Disney lake  is a model of Buzz and Woody from Toy Story as they blast off.

Meanwhile inside the store it appears better laid out and much easier to get around. The only large sculpture to be found indoors now is the one you see below of Woody and there’s a brand new room where Lego classes will be taught and birthday parties can be held.

Of course, the wall of colored Lego is still available and this is always a big hit with kids wanting to build stuff.

And pictured above is Brickly the Sea Serpent who remains unchanged. There’s loads more photo’s on our Facebook page so click here to be taken to them… make sure you click “LIKE” to access all the photo’s. And finally, here’s some video of my trip…

It’s St Patrick’s Day and that can only  mean one thing if you are Irish or have Irish roots… celebrate!

Very few folks celebrate like the Irish and that usually means copious amounts of alcohol washed down with copious amounts of more alcohol!

St Patrick’s Day or Paddy’s Day, is an annual feast day which celebrates Saint Patrick, one of the patron saints of Ireland. Around this time of year you will find several St Patricks Day Parades, Irish Festivals and of course Green Beer. Not only is this day is a national holiday in Ireland but for most here in Orlando FL, St Patrick’s Day 2011 is a day to party and celebrate with friends!

If you’re currently in Orlando there’s plenty going on today and here’s some suggestions of where you might want to hang out and enjoy the party.

Enjoy an authentic pour of Guinness at a local Irish pub. Orlando is home to dozens of Irish and English pubs that promise to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. Take your pick and head out for your first toast at your favorite spot.

Visit The Harp & Celt Restaurant and Irish Pub. It’s located on South Magnolia Avenue in downtown Orlando, and is a laid back, locally owned pub that serves up plenty of classic Irish food and drinks.

Head to Downtown Disney as the Raglan Road Irish Pub features special events and festivities over Saint Patrick’s Day weekend, and it’s a great place to dance the night away to the tunes of a Celtic band.

Head to downtown Orlando for the weekend celebrations.   Almost every bar and restaurant downtown hosts a special menu and plenty of corned beef with cabbage and scotch eggs. You can also head out for a St. Patrick’s Day picnic at Lake Eola park. The park is a great venue to enjoy a picnic, and the weather is nearly always perfect over St. Patrick’s Day weekend so round up some sandwiches and treats, and head outdoors for the day to catch bagpipe music and other live entertainment  acts throughout the area.

From 4pm till close you can celebrate at Pat O’ Brien’s at Universal’s City Walk. There is no cover charge until 7pm and there will be a Live Rock Band & Dueling Pianos. Traditional Irish food can be purchased and you’ll find leprechauns, beads and $7.95 hurricanes and $2.00 Bud Drafts. General admission is $12 and VIL (very important leprechaun) is $20.

Included with general admission at Bok Tower Gardens will be some very special carillon music featuring lively Irish melodies. Concerts are at 1 pm and 3 pm and are totally free with admission to the Gardens.

Finally at Will’s Pub there is a St Patrick’s Day tribute to Thin Lizzy starting at 9pm.

Exciting news just announced at Disney!!

Work will soon begin on a completely re-imagined Pleasure Island and other one-of-a-kind experiences as Walt Disney World Resort continues to bring new stories to life at Downtown Disney.  Combined, the projects are expected to create an estimated 1,200 new jobs over the next three years.

“We have made great progress since first announcing our vision to bring new shopping, dining and entertainment experiences to Downtown Disney, many of which can’t be found anywhere else and have already become guest favorites,” said Keith Bradford, vice president of Downtown Disney.  “We look forward to providing even more ways for our guests to enjoy Downtown Disney, while at the same time creating new jobs for Central Floridians.”

A nostalgic yet modern take on an early 20th century port city and amusement pier will evolve Pleasure Island into “Hyperion Wharf.” By day, the bustling port district will draw guests in with its stylish boutiques and innovative restaurants and by night, thousands of lights will transform the area into an electric wonderland.

Taking its name from Hyperion, the Greek god of light, as well as the street on which Walt Disney built his first major animation studio, the wharf district also will feature a relaxing lakeside park and enhanced pedestrian walkways.  Its diverse eateries will expand dining availability at Downtown Disney by more than 25 percent.

“Hyperion Wharf will offer guests of all ages a vibrant atmosphere and new experiences that can be enjoyed by day or by night,” said Bradford.  “Whether looking for a great place to dine with the whole family or a place to relax and enjoy live music, Hyperion Wharf will provide the perfect setting for guests to make new memories with us.”

In addition to the new wharf district, numerous other projects are underway at Downtown Disney, including:

·         an extensive renovation of Lego Imagination Center, which will increase its overall footprint by nearly 3,500 square-feet and add new Lego exterior models featuring scenes from classic Disney movies;

·         enhancements at AMC that will take the movie-going experience at Downtown Disney to the next level with new digital technology, a paradigm-shifting Concession Stand of the Future and Florida’s first Fork & Screen Theater;

·         numerous new or renovated retail shops and merchandise vignettes, as well as additional atmosphere entertainment, throughout Downtown Disney.

Combined, these projects are expected to create an estimated 600 construction jobs, 500 restaurant, retail and entertainment jobs and support 100 vendor and supplier jobs.
Other recent additions to Downtown Disney include:

·         new entertainment, such as the Characters in Flight tethered balloon ride, the ETX theater at AMC and an enhanced outdoor performance area;

·         unique shopping experiences like D Street, littlemissmatched, RIDEMAKERZ,
Tren-D and Disney’s Design-a-Tee;

·         immersive dining, like T-Rex: A Prehistoric Family Adventure, Paradiso 37 and the recently opened Pollo Campero and Fresh A-Peel, a new quick-service restaurant combining authentic Latin-style chicken and side dishes, as well as fresh, healthy creations such as salads, wraps and gluten-free desserts.

Wow! It’s been a week since I last posted to this blog and having been in the habit of writing something everyday it feels a little weird not to have contributed in so long. So where have I been?

Last week I attended a marketing conference in the lovely city of Baltimore. I’ll write more about it later but having gone there expecting rain, dull and cloudy weather, not to mention cold, I was very pleasantly surprised. The weather was wonderful and the whole 5 days were a combination of hard work, catching up with old friends, learning new things and enjoying a fabulous city.

So, what’s been going on in Orlando while I’ve been away?

Over at Disney the Pollo Campero restaurant opened at Downtown Disney. It shares the space with Fresh A-Peel and Babycakes NYC. Pollo Campero features Latin-flavored chicken, Fresh A-Peel offers salads, wraps and all natural burgers and hot dogs and Babycakes NYC is a vegan bakery.

At Epcot Disney has taken Duffy the Disney Bear to new heights as guests at the park can now check out the 20-foot-tall Christmas tree made from 1,200 stuffed Duffy bears. The tree starts Disney cast members’ annual collection for Toys for Tots. Topping the “Cuddliest Christmas Tree” with a giant red bow at the ceremony were members of the U.S. Marine Corps, Walt Disney World Ambassador Clay Shoemaker and Walt Disney World VoluntEARS.

Each year, Walt Disney World VoluntEARS donate thousands of hours of service and tens of thousands of toys to Toys for Tots – all with the goal of making the holidays brighter for deserving children throughout Central Florida. For the next few weeks, cast members will play the role of Santa’s helpers by collecting new toys for the annual toy drive, which will be added to the 1,200 Duffy bears.

At the Children’s Miracle Network Classic held at Disney’s Magnolia course last on Sunday, Robert Garrigus shot an 8-under 64 to win allowing him to keep his PGA TOUR card and atoning for his colossal collapse earlier this year at Memphis. He finished at 21 under, three shots clear of Roland Thatcher  for his first tour victory.

Over at SeaWorld, it was announced that its popular killer-whale show ‘Believe’ will be replaced early next year. Park officials confirmed that the new show, which has yet to be named, will debut in the spring of 2011 at all three of the SeaWorld venues.

There’s nothing to report from Universal so it seems it was a relatively normal week here in ‘O’ Town.

Decided to revisit Downtown Disney yesterday to check out how busy it was this Labor Day weekend… and I was amazed how busy it was and how much business some of the stores were doing. Looked to me as if an awful lot of people were ignoring the economic climate and just getting on with their lives.

Smiles, laughter and fun was everywhere to be found and that’s what makes Orlando and Disney so special. There’s a lot wrong with the world…but this place just seems to ignore all that and simply get back to the basics of providing fun and good times to everyone. It’s magical to see.

Anyway…take a look for yourself… here’s a video from last night’s adventure…

July was one of the warmest months on record in the Central Florida area but it seems the weather has now done a complete turn around. Cooler temperatures and overcast days seem to be in our upcoming forecast this week and it seems we are going to get a lot of rain in the next few days. With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a list of some of the things you can do during the wet weather.

1. Visit A Museum

Museums are educational as well as fun! The Orlando Science Center and the Orange County History Center have lots of activities to occupy all the family for the day. On the cultural side you can visit the Orlando Museum of Art which has a nice selection of American Portraits and Landscapes.

2. Go to the Movies!

Your vacation home is a great place to while away the rainy hours with it’s games room, large screen TV, internet access and other fantastic amenities but sometimes you just want to get out and about. A visit to a local movie theater to catch the latest flick is a great way to spend some time. Downtown Disney, The Loop and the I-Max theater at Point Orlando are all great places to enjoy a movie and have some fun.

3. Wander the Malls.

When its raining is a great time to visit the Malls. Mall of Millennia, Florida Mall, Orlando Premium Outlets and many of the other malls are always an enjoyable place to visit and get that shopping bug out of the system. Orlando has some great shopping and dining places..go out and explore them!

4. Visit the ‘Distraction Attractions’

Sounds odd but the ‘distraction attractions’ are a great place to visit when the bad weather arrives and when wandering the main parks is no longer any fun. Places like the Titanic Exhibition, Orlando Science Museum and Wonder Works all have interactive exhibits that will amuse you for hours.

5. Visit the Library

The Hart Memorial Library at 211 Dakin Avenue, Kissimmee or the West Osceola Library at 6070 W Irlo Bronson Highway, Kissimmee are two great places to visit to find some great reading material. You can surf the web, browse through magazines and newspapers or  simply hang around and enjoy a great book.

6. Disney Quest

DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive theme park is a one-of-a-kind gaming experience in the Downtown Disney area. Discover 5 floors of cutting-edge technology, virtual reality and 3D encounters fueled by Disney innovation and imagination.

Don’t miss Pirates of the Caribbean, Virtual Jungle Cruise, CyberSpace Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Astroblasters, Animation Academy and much more!

7. Visit the Theme Parks

Lots of folks take a look at the weather and decide to visit the theme parks on another day. However, visiting the theme parks when it’s raining can be fun and it almost always means the lines will be shorter. Remember, most attractions and shows are indoors or in covered pavilions…it’s only getting to them that may cause you to get a little wet. So break out the poncho or the umbrella and go for it!

7 Step Guide to a Walt Disney World Vacation

By Nigel G. Worrall

If you’re planning a Walt Disney World vacation this Summer or Fall you’ll need to start planning and preparing like no other vacation before. Walt Disney World covers 47 square miles (think twice as large as Manhattan and you’ll get the idea!) and has  so many things to do that even those of us who live here struggle to keep up with it all.

In short, here’s just  SOME of the available offerings at Walt Disney World:

• 4 major theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• 2 water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon
• Over 20 large resorts
• 5 golf courses
• 2 mini-golf courses
• Numerous lakes offering water sports, boating and fishing
• 2 dinner shows
• BoardWalk entertainment district
• DisneyQuest “virtual theme park”
• Downtown Disney shopping and dining district

So with all this choice, just where do you  begin?

1. When.

Deciding when to go will be top of your list. Much will depend on  your budget, kids’ school schedules and other factors such as what you like to do individually and as a family, will heavily influence your decision.

Tip #1: Visit Disney when the kids are in school to enjoy the quieter theme parks more.  Lines will be shorter and more comfortable

2. What.

This is a critical step in the planning. There is so much to do that you’ll want to plan out what everyone wants to see and do.

Tip #2: List the “Must Do’s” and then do a secondary list of “Maybe’s”.  Involve everyone in this process and you’ll have a more enjoyable trip.

3. How Long?

There’s never enough time to see it all, so armed with your list in #2 you can now chart out how long it will take you to visit the “Must Do’s” and how long it will take you to do the “Maybe’s.” Be warned, even if you visit for a month, you simply can’t see it all.

Tip #3: If you want to visit all four theme parks and actually experience the majority of the attractions, parades and shows, you will need at least 5 full days! (Epcot can easily take 2 days all by itself as it is split into two sections; Future World and World Showcase. You might also find you need a day and a half at Magic Kingdom to enjoy everything there is on offer.)

If you then find you would like to do some of the “extras,” like Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon water parks or a trip to DisneyQuest you will need to allow more days. If you are visiting for a first time, I believe you need at least 7 to 10 days to do all the major theme parks and sample some of the other delights.

4. Transportation.

Depending where you live you’ll need to decide whether to travel by plane or automobile. If you’re flying, do you then want to rent a vehicle so you can see other things in the Orlando area?

Tip #4: Hire a car and stay off site to save money. There are some great places to stay that will help you save way more than the cost of vehicle hire.

5.  Theme Park Tickets.

A big expense when visiting Walt Disney World is the cost of entry to the parks. It is important to look over your itinerary, get out the calculator, take a look at all the prices and available deals to  figure out which tickets make most sense for your situation.

Tip #5: There are many ticket companies offering great deals. Check each one out and don’t be tempted by the deal that seems to be too good. Go with a reputable and approved Disney ticket agency.

6. Where To Stay.

Here’s another big decision. Stay on Disney property or stay off site?  If you take the advice in Tip #4 you’ll stay off site and save $$$’s but if you are seriously considering an on site resort stay then make sure you check out all of Disney’s resorts by searching for photo’s and details on the internet. Each resort is themed differently and some are very expensive.

Tip #6 : Rent a Vacation Home.  Renting a vacation home off site makes a lot of sense for most families. A fully equipped vacation home has 3 to 7 bedrooms (enough room for all the family at one nightly rate rather than multiple rooms at a hotel), a fully equipped kitchen (prepare meals at home rather than eat in expensive restaurants), large lounge and living areas (with flat screen TV’s, DVD’s VCR’s, games machines) and your own private heated swimming pool.

You’ll not only save money but you can keep all the family together and create some great memories.

7.  Relax and Enjoy.

Don’t forget to take some time out to do absolutely nothing. The temptation with a Disney vacation is to always be on the go. It’s important to allow time to recharge your batteries and to go home refreshed.

Tip #7: Allow one rest day for every two days of theme parks.

That’s it! Everything else is “gravy.” You can make reservations for meals, book special events and do all kinds of other planning but these are the seven basic steps to enjoy a great Disney vacation. Have fun!

I made a quick trip to Downtown Disney yesterday afternoon and considering we’re supposed to be in an economic downturn, I was amazed to see so many people in the Lego Imagination Center. It looked like great business and a lot of folks having some serious fun!

I was also amazed to see that the store opens at 9.30am everyday the week and closes at 11pm Sunday thru Thursday with Friday and Saturday getting extensions to 11.30pm! Are kids really up this late…even on vacation? I know when I was young (OK, quit the jokes right now!) I had to be in bed by 8pm after having a bath! How times have changed.

The LEGO store is also open every day of the year, including holidays, so if you’ve forgotten that gift for someone young and special, then this is a great option!

The store features new “WOW” models, like a 12-foot T-Rex and larger than life Titan XP Robot. It has special portholes that showcase LEGO motion activated scenes. Inside the store is a gigantic Pick A Brick wall – the world’s largest – featuring bricks of every conceivable color and variety and there’s even a newly improved demonstration area with hands-on events, like mural construction and beat-the-clock building contests.

Throughout the store, not to forget outside as well,  are giant statues made from LEGO. In the courtyard that’s just outside this shop, kids can walk up to the varioius kiosks and build their own LEGO creations. The LEGO playground is a fabulous place for young people to hang out and have a blast (as long as they’re supervised by a parent or guardian ) and this really is one of the coolest activities for kids in the Downtown Disney area.

Naturally, it’s here you can also purchase virtually every LEGO play set currently available, plus LEGO-themed clothing and souvenirs and judging from what I saw, I guess LEGO might just be a recession proof business! It was a wonderful sight to see… and now I know where everyone’s hanging out!

Here’s a short video I filmed on my visit… and yes, notice the rain clouds were rolling in…it’s been pretty warm here the last few days and we need something to cool us all off!

Make sure you check back often as we’ll be following the latest news on the opening of Legoland in 2011. We previously discussed it here. You can also sign up for regular updates as we’ll be keeping close eyes on all the latest developments. Just enter your email address and your first/last names in the box below and we’ll send you the info as and when we get it.