Orlando Vacation Magic

By Nigel G. Worrall

The economic recession is responsible for many unfortunate situations today. It has affected salaries by making them smaller, investments by cutting their value and retirement funds have shrunk as well. The current, as well as future, employment scenario looks as grim as it has done for several years and it’s at times like this that luxuries the family routinely enjoys have to be cut back to the bone. It’s not much fun and it’s never easy telling loved ones that things you used to take for granted are now not the norm.

In such trying times, the family holiday with fancy frills and thrills is one of the most obvious to face the cut. In doing so, many of us forget that holidays and vacations need not cost much. Vacations and holidays build memories for the whole family for life and cutting back in this area can seriously damage future relationships and cause resentment and bitterness long after someone has passed away. After all, who doesn’t remember a family vacation with mom and dad or grandma and grandpa?

The vacation magic of Orlando is one way to protect your future memories. It’s a way to build quality family time and to build relationships that will carry you through future up’s and down’s.  No, you need not and should not give up your family vacation. It is possible to still have a great family vacation that is easy on your pocket and where you can still you can enjoy the comforts and extravagance of staying in a 5 star facility if you follow the following tips:

1. Selecting A Destination

It is advisable to choose a destination which is popular for its tourism. Orlando, Florida is one of the most popular destinations for vacations. More than 52 million people visit Orlando every year to explore the theme parks and to feel the sun and the sand. This means that great deals are available throughout the year.

2. On & Off Seasons

Knowing the dates or months of the low, medium & high season for tourism of a place is very important. May and September, for example, are generally low tourism months for Orlando. During these periods, there is usually an even bigger drop in the rates of hotel rooms & vacation homes; even rental car companies and theme parks usually have some special offers.

3. The Vacation Home Magic of Orlando has several important benefits for those on a limited budget and a few of these listed below:

a. Plan your vacation with your friends, family and rent a vacation home with 3,4 or 5 bedrooms. This will give you ample space for each member of the party as well as giving you the ability to also divide the cost which makes it highly economical.

b. Instead of eating your meals at expensive restaurants, usually followed by a huge bill & a heavy stomach, you can cook your own meals in the kitchen- fully equipped with necessary utensils, dishes and electrical appliances. Shop for your groceries as you would at home and save big money eating when and where you want to.

c. Most vacation homes have wi-fi internet connections and the cost is included in the overall rent you are paying.

d. Whereas in hotels, swimming pool hours are restricted, in a vacation home you can swim whenever you wish to. Most vacation homes have a private heated pool and spa facility. Besides, you can have your privacy even when you are holidaying. There are no “resort” fees to pay as it’s all included in your price.

e. Many holiday homes have activity or games rooms, which sometimes include foosball, pool and ice hockey tables. You will save money by having days in at home rather than going out to the attraction parks all the time.

f. The majority of vacation homes are located in sub-divisions which have a play area or kids tot lot. Some homes even have a private garden attached to the house and this means you and your loved ones can indulge in sports and outdoor activities together on days when you might not want to step out.
4. The Charm Of Theme Parks

While in Orlando, it is virtually impossible not to visit one of the great theme parks. By carefully researching and planning your visit online you can optimize your time and your money. There are many web sites and locations that sell park tickets in advance with a discount so that you can spend a fun filled vacation with your family.

So, you need not go without your beloved family vacation this year after all. All you need to do is plan according to your budget and find new ways to make your money go further. Enjoy your vacation!

4th of July fireworks are a tradition for most people in the US.  If you are staying with us in Orlando for the 4th you must check out Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show.   This year the show at Magic Kingdom starts at 9pm and it really is the best!

Also Downtown Disney will have a fireworks show at 10:30pm so get there early and have a really great time in Florida this year. Enjoy the show!

It’s a MAGICal time to be in Orlando … the sky is blue, the sun is out and the Orlando Magic are in the NBA Finals.

To celebrate this great achievement we are going to let Dwight & Kobe help you pay for your next Florida Leisure vacation … that’s right … we are going to let these two superstars determine how much you should pay next time you stay in one of our superb vacation homes.

All you have to do is e-mail us at GoMagic@FloridaLeisure.com and tell us in how many games you think it will take the Magic to dispose of the Lakers. I pick 4 … but then I may be a shade biased. But this is no time to be modest … sure we’re facing the Mighty Lakers and their 15 Championships, 30 Conference Titles and 31 Divisional titles … but so what? They’ve been around for about 1000 years.

 

Kobe … You’re NEXT!!!!!!

  

 

Anyway, back to this great competition … e-mail me at GoMagic@FloridaLeisure.com and tell me how many games (Best of 7) you think the finals will go to … also let me know who will be the MVP for the series and 5 (that’s right … FIVE) lucky winning entrants will be drawn out of the hat and will receive 5% per game discount off of their next stay in a Florida Leisure vacation home … that’s a MINIMUM of 20% just for sending me an e-mail.

Make sure I get your entry before Game 4 which will take place on June 11, 2009 and remember GO MAGIC … let’s make Kobe and his gang BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

According to many people 60 million folks got it wrong at the last election but tonight a vote that really mattered almost showed America up again.

Yes, I’m talking about the votes cast in this weeks American Idol. 36 million votes cast and they somehow managed to place Matt Giraud in the bottom two. I’m bewildered. For me, his performance was one of the top two last night but it seems his face doesn’t fit and we’re going to lose one of the best talents in years unless something dramatic happens.

His version of “Let’s Get It On” was simply amazing and for America to vote it so low utterly mystifies me. Fortunately the judges didn’t need to exercise their “save” vote as the ever popular Michael Sarver was sent packing with his version of “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” ringing in his ears.

To me, it was an utter travesty that Matt Giraud found himself in this position as two other contestants literally butchered their songs. Megan Joy did an awful “For Once in My Life” and while I like her looks this didn’t deserve a “your safe”. The other performance I didn’t like was Scott MacIntyre but it seems he can do no wrong and he’s here for a while yet.

Performances of note, other than Matt, were Adam Lambert’s wonderful rendition of Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” and I really enjoyed Allison Iraheta’s version of “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”.

So…we move onto another week. Heaven help the country if they come up with another voting performance like this. And who was it that said that Florida couldn’t count?

Am I wrong…let me know…just add your comments below.

If you’re currently staying in one our luxurious vacation homes in Orlando you’ll need something to do today because it’s very chilly out there. As I write this the temperature is 32 degrees and even though the sun is out it’s not going to get much over 54 degrees today.

I know some people in other parts of the country will laugh at this but this is serious stuff for us Floridians and we’re just not used to it. We’re seeing freezing citrus crops and that could be bad news for our fruit industry and while some of us don’t mind the odd cold day, this has been around for about two weeks now and enough is enough!!

Anyway, here’s some great things to do today. Places you can take your family and stay nice and warm.

The Charles Hosmer MORSE MUSEUM of American Art holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany including Tiffany jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded glass windows, lamps and the chapel interior he designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

The Holy Land Experience is the world’s first living, historical, biblical museum. It has many fascinating biblical exhibits and profound biblical presentations.

Old Town is a mini park with shops, restuarants and rides like “The Giant Ferris Wheel”, rotating swings, “Wind Storm roller coaster, tea cups, merry go round, go carts and much more. On Staurday’s there is the famous “Saturday Night Cruise” which features hundreds of classic cars as they cruise the street of “old Town”.

Orlando Museum of Art has a broad spectrum of art genres on display. It was founded in 1924 and its mission is to be an education institution for the local community.

Reptile World Serpentarium features snakes and reptiles including venomous snakes from around the world. gila monsters, aligators and more. No web link for this one but if you go east on US 192 around 20 miles from I4 junction on US 192 you will find it on the left when the road narrows to two lanes.

Fantasy of Flight is home to over 40 rare and vintage aircraft many of which have been restored to flyable condition. You can climb inside the cockpit of a Corsair fighter or take a spin in a state of the art hang glide simulator in the Fun with Flight area.

Ripley’s Believe It Or Not  For over 40 years, Robert Ripley– the modern Marco Polo and the real-life Indiana Jones– traveled the world collecting the unbelievable, the inexplicable, the one-of-a-kind.  All of it amazing and much of it extremely amusing.  His collection is housed in over 27 museums in 10 countries.  Each museum’s collection is 90% unique and different.

WonderWorks. If you like Ripley’s then you’re sure to love WonderWorks. The exterior of WonderWorks is Orlando’s most photographed building. It is packed with over 100 games and gimmicks used by science museums to teach basic principles of physics and it turns them into a highly enjoyable interactive amusement arcade for all the family.

Some good news at last! Orlando is THE place to visit in 2009. While everyone else in the travel industry is in free fall, Orlando is bucking the trend. The first week of 2009 saw a 14.75% increase in hotel occupancy according to Smith Travel Research and here at Florida Leisure Vacation Homes we were in excess of 20%.

It seems Orlando is THE place to visit and there’s a long list of reasons for that. First we have the world famous theme parks. Walt Disney World with Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, then there’s Sea World, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Discovery Cove and hundreds of smaller places to visit to entertain the family.

We then have the beaches…within 90 minutes you can spend a day on the Gulf Coast or the Atlantic Coast. You can visit Kennedy Space Center and watch a shuttle launch or you can simply chill and do nothing.

Rounding it off, we have some world class shopping and a lot of really great dining experiences.

So while the rest of the country sees their numbers dropping, it seems now is the time to take a long weekend break and enjoy the sun and some down time.

In 2009, the road to NFL greatness leads to beautiful Tampa Bay and Super Bowl XLIII. Tampa Bay is an  exciting place with year-round sunshine, white, sandy beaches and thrilling attractions. Best of all, it’s just about an hour’s drive from Orlando and Central Florida and that makes it a great day out if you fancy a day at the beach rather than at the theme parks or lounging by the pool at your vacation home.

This years Superbowl is on 1st February and kick off is at approximately 6.30pm at the Raymond James Stadium, Tampa.

One of the things we enjoy most about the Superbowl is the advertising and this year it promises to be different. It seems that Dreamworks Animation and Pepsi’s SoBe beverages are teaming up with NBC and Intel Corp. to create a 3-D ad break set which will appear at the end of the second quarter.

Apparently the commerical will include a 60 second advert for SoBe Life Water that features the popular SoBe lizards, who appeared in 2008 game, and also a trailer for the upcoming Dreamworks movie “Monsters v Aliens’.  The ad will include a modern interpretation of Swan Lake, the famed ballet but will also feature the players and creatures in a rhytmic effect as they are infused by the refreshing SoBe Life water.

So this year will be different as previously advertisers have generally focussed on themselves and their product. This time round it looks like they are deciding to try to work together. Now there’s a novel idea!

Whether you’re a Giants, Bears, Patriots, Cowboys or another team’s fan, February 1st will be an exciting day. If you can make it to Florida we’d love to welcome you to one of our fabulous vacation homes  but if not, enjoy the game and the entertainment provided.

It’s been a very hectic Christmas here at Florida Leisure Vacation Homes but we’re now able to sit back a little and proudly announce our “MY DREAMS COME TRUE” CLUB.

The idea of the club is to provide all of our past guests and members unique opportunities and experiences when visiting the Orlando area. It’s taken us around eight months to be able to put all the component parts together and we always had 1st January 2009 as our goal to launch the club. Well that date is almost here and we’re giving you a sneak peak via our blog.

The idea initially came about when we were having one of weekly staff meetings and someone said that it was about time someone did something unique in the Orlando area. We all looked at each other and said “sounds like a challenge!”.

We like challenges so we started to lay out our plans. Plans to give vacationers something different, something unique and after a lot of hard work we’re now at the point where we can offer some unique lifestyle choices and experiences.

For instance, how many people have wondered how Magic Kingdom really works? Or how many people have asked questions about how Disney looks after the animals at Animal Kingdom? Or how about learning more about the space program when visiting Kennedy Space Center?

Well, we’re pleased to announce that we are now able to give people those unique experiences. We have three backstage Walt Disney World tours where you can learn the backstage secrets at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We’ve even managed to get a look at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where you can see behind the scenes at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, otherwise known as The Twilight Tower of Terror.

Additionally we are also able to offer private tours of Kennedy Space Center with an astronaut or put you in a day long astronaut training program where you can taste the experience of space flight. There’s also a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly like Superman as you board G-Force One and experience zero gravity.

If motorsport is your thing, then we can fly you to our private motorsport venue where you can drive a race or rally car. You can learn to drive an ATV over a 3 mile safari course or you can learn “high performance” driving techniques.

The “My Dreams Come True” Club is exclusive to Florida Leisure Vacation Homes members and guests. Each experience will be planned by our concierge and will be unique to each member and guest. Nothing else exists like it and we’re proud to launch it.

Honoring St. Cloud’s centennial birthday in 2009, the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 100 Years of Christmas parade on Dec 6th at 10am. It will be St. Cloud’s 45th holiday parade.

So if you’re here and staying in one our Florida Leisure’s Vacation Homes then you’ll want to visit this FREE event that will feature floats that represent each decade from the last 100 years along with grand marshals for each decade by age. 16,000 to 19,000 people are expected to watch the parade this year and it will be an exciting day.

Parade begins at St Cloud Lakefront

The parade will begin at the lakeshore, head down Pennsylvania Avenue and then to Ninth Street in front of St. Cloud City Hall, where the floats will be judged. The floats will then continue to New York Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue and then back to lakeshore.

Holiday season is upon us again and it’s true…we do get snow in Florida. In Celebration in fact.

Starting on 29 November Celebration Town Center will kick off it’s 10th anniversary of the month long “Now Snowing”. A tree lighting ceremony will kick things off from 6pm to 9pm and there will be live music, Santa Claus, and, of course, snow, made by the popular snow machines.

So, why not get along if you’re on vacation here and enjoy the strolling Charles Dickens carolers, photo op’s with Santa and horse drawn carriage rides. Parking and admission is completely free.