Welcome to our Florida Guide. Your one-stop shop for vacation planning for that trip of a lifetime to Florida! http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/ en-us Copyright 2012, Orlando Villas Ltd. All Rights Reserved. info@orlandovillas.com http://www.orlandovillas.com/pictures/rss/logo.gif http://www.orlandovillas.com/ 75 50 http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/walt-disney-world-did-you-know-that.aspx Disney World never, ever has any “lost children” at their theme parks. It is the parents that are lost! Cast members undergo special training to make sure that children who become separated from their parents are made to feel comfortable. This way is it hoped that the children will not become stressed and it makes it easier for the missing parents to be found. The bricks in Cinderella’s Castle become smaller the higher up they are. This is a particular method called “forced perspective”. It gives the appearance of the castle being taller than it actually is. Every mosaic in the Moroccan pavilion in Epcot has one cracked or flawed tile within it. Artisans, who were brought to Orlando from their home country of Morocco, created the mosaics and their belief is that only Allah can produce something which is perfect. So in order to respect this belief they purposely included flaws in all the mosaics. Animal Kingdom is the largest Disney theme park in the world. It is five ... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/disney-character-meet-and-greet-part-2.aspx Disney Character Meet and Greet – part 2 …………. continuing on from my first article about Disney Character Meet and Greets: If your child wants to specifically meet one of the characters, you can call in at Guest Relations /b in any of the parks or City Hall /b at Magic Kingdom and ask them where this particular character will be appearing that day. Ask the Cast Members /b in the parks where and when your favourite characters will be appearing. They have a special telephone number which they will call for you to find out. If you are visiting Animal Kingdom early in the morning, walk over to Camp Minnie-Mickey /b as this is the least crowded place and time to meet your favourite characters. Everybody else will be heading over to the Safari ride or Expedition Everest. So you’ve found the characters, what do you do now? If you know what time they will be appearing, try to arrive a little earlier /b to avoid having to wait in a long line. Make sure your chil... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/spiderman-the-ride-universal-studios-islands-of-adventure.aspx The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman is located in Universal Islands of Adventure. The ride is based on a state of the art 4-D experience that totally immerses the riders in a visual and physical onslaught from start to finish. If you have not been on this ride before I would seriously recommend it! Having not really been a fan of the 3-D style rides and preferring the roller-coaster style on offer I was a bit dubious of the intention of a 4-D ride. I must admit I was also taken back by the age of some of the riders themselves, some as young as 4 years old. This ride was bound to be not as good as I had imagined. The entrance to the ride itself is set back into the scene of comic book land and as such the only thing that tells you it is the Spiderman Ride is the sign above the entrance door. They have made you think you are entering the daily bugle offices that are set in lower Manhattan, New York. If you hit the ride at peak times or during the summer months the wait can be... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/daytona-beach-alternative-day-out.aspx When looking for a day out away from the hustle and bustle of Disney why not look towards the Florida coastline to get away from it all. The East coast of Florida is around 1 hour from Orlando and is within easy reach due to the excellent freeways that take you there. The part of the East coast I am going to talk about is Daytona and surrounding area. Daytona is well renowned for its World famous speedway circuit; however it is the beach area that draws in the mass crowds. Mile after mile of flat sandy beach area is the main attraction and due to the beach being on the coast it tends to have more sun in the summer months than the Orlando area. We tend to go to Daytona beach in our second week of our holiday once we have done a few of the Disney or Universal Theme parks and are looking to do something a little different rather than the rides and attractions. We always tell guests no matter how hard they think they are to day on day on at the parks it is always nice to be abl... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/our-stay-at-treasure-island-part-4.aspx If you walk to your right on the beach from the Thunderbird you get to St John’s Pass however there is also a nice walk if you turn left. As there is a public car park close by the beach gets busy with families ( although still loads of space) and then you tend to have quite a quite strip with just a few fishermen but not as many as when you walk to St Johns Pass. Once 1. 00pm arrives as you stroll along here you start to hear plenty of music. This comes from Caddy’s Bar which is a great favourite with the locals and mostly the younger set. It is a great bar/grill which opens about 7. 00am for breakfast which tends to be the quietest meal of the day here! Caddy’s is on two storeys and plenty of space at the front on the beach where they provide lots of sun loungers I am not sure but I suspect you need to pay to rent these. Recently I have seen adverts for pre booking private Cabanas at Caddys. For those who drive here there is a fair sized car park but this can get very bus... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/often-asked-questions.aspx As a villa owner I am asked many questions by holiday makers about villa rental and associated questions about Florida. I shall try and answer some of those now so you will be better informed when you are trying to wade through all the offers you will get from other villa owners. Do I need to hire a car? My answer is always yes, unless you are prepared to take rather expensive taxis everywhere. Disney World is 42 square miles, almost the size of a small country in England! You could get a bus to the entrance to Disney, but then you may have another 20 – 30 minute drive to the park you require. Disney have sewn up their transport quite nicely in that you can only use their buses if you are staying at one of their hotels or vacation resorts. If you are only going to Seaworld or Universal Studios you may be all right using public transport but it is still not ideal. Taxis do tend to be very expensive but it is possible to get taxis to drop you right at the door of which ever park... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/often-asked-questions-part-2.aspx Can I book 2 or more villas together? This is usually asked by people who think that Orlando Villas are a management company that run all the villas on behalf of the owners. This is not true. All the owners advertise independently on the site and we do not know what other villas are near us and with whom they advertise. Some are not even rentals but Florida residents. There may be an owner who knows personally another owner nearby, but as most of us are based in the UK and do not know each others UK addresses it would not be possible to co-ordinate a rental with them. Where can I eat on Thanksgiving Day? More and more restaurants these days open on Thanksgiving Day, but not all. Of course the parks are all open and operating as normal (However, they are very, very busy) What is the best day and time to visit the parks? Best avoid weekends if you can but as for time, try and arrive as early as possible when the parks open. Go to the most popular rides first and work ... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/travelling-to-florida-for-the-first-time.aspx Once you have booked your flights and villa you need to make sure that you will be able to travel and so you will need to sort out your visa. Most holiday makers will probably travel on the visa waiver scheme and will need to apply for an ESTA, however, if you have ever been arrested or refused entry to the USA you will need to apply to the Embassy for a visa. You apply for an ESTA online at https://esta. cbp. dhs. gov/esta/. This will last for 2 years but there is a now a fee. It is wise to apply for this early just to make sure that you will be allowed to travel. The good news is that there is one less form to fill out on the plane before you arrive. Your airline will also require you to fill out their Advanced Passenger Information before travelling. When you have booked your car hire it is worth checking if you can pre-register your car hire to save time when you arrive. This process varies from company to company. The flight is a long one but the entertainment sy... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/self-catering-doesn-t-have-to-mean-cooking.aspx When you start to plan your villa holiday one thing to remember is that although most Florida villas are a far cry from the caravans, chalets and tents most of us associate with the typical UK self catering holidays that is still essentially what you are booking. Some owners including ourselves do offer a daily maid service or a mid stay clean as an optional extra to our guests but as far as I’m aware it is not possible to book an all-inclusive villa holiday or even a bed and breakfast option. This doesn’t mean that mum or dad have to spend half their holiday stuck in the kitchen cooking. Dining out in Florida is still reasonably priced when compared to dining out in the UK and eating all your meals in restaurants is an option but most people combine eating in and dining out to get the best from their villa experience. When it comes to dining out anyone staying on High Grove; the community we are most familiar with, will not be disappointed. Most days when we are in Florid... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/golden-corral-highway-192.aspx The all-you-can eat buffets are probably one of the cheapest ways for families to eat out whilst on holiday in Orlando. But which one do you choose and what is the food like? When we first went to Florida when our children were small and we stayed in a hotel on International drive we often used to eat breakfast a various buffet restaurants before heading off to the theme parks. Now we stay in our villa on High Grove at the junction of US27 and H192 and the only buffet we still enjoy is the one at the Golden Corral. Now eating at the Golden Corral could never be described as fine dining, the place is basically a café with wipe clean tables and unbreakable crockery. That said the branch on the western end of H192 has recently had a facelift and now has a much more modern feel to it. The breakfast is good value at around $10 including coffee, tea or soda with serve your self orange, apple and tropical mixed juice available in addition. There is a made to order omelette bar where th... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/one-of-my-favourite-rides-in-universal-studio.aspx I sat down at my desk today and thought “ what is the best show or ride in Universal studios” at first writing such an articles seems easy but then I started to think what the best ride in universal studios is really Jaws has to be one of the best although it’s looking pretty old by now and the story of jaws has long since been out of the movie limelight to the middle aged adult like myself it is remembered with pleasure, and its fun! The boat ride is very entertaining, the captain of your boat makes your trip fun, and really hypes up the acting! Make sure you visit soon as the rumour is its to be closed in 2012 But then what about the terminator 3D show this was at it time of launch a state of the art show and again I think its linked to the popularity of the movie many folks my age will remember the original ground breaking terminator movies, younger guests may not remember, but will still enjoy the show. Even as you queue for this show you are kept entertained and can w... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/best-show-or-ride-in-universal-islands-of-adventure.aspx Someone asked me the other day if you had to choose very best ride in universal islands of adventure what would it be, hmmmm I thought not as easy as you might think to choose a favourite Firstly I will say I have not chosen any of the Harry Potter rides or shows because on my last visit they had only just finished them and the queues were so very long indeed you had to take a ticket and queue just to be allowed into Harry Potter land, but things have got less crowded there now! Poseidon’s Fury has to be up there with them for sure , it is a must see show although it’s looking a bit old and a bit tame now it’s a definite must see especially when you have to travel through a curtain of water that is transformed into a tunnel of water it’s still a great show Close by Poseidon’s fury is the eighth voyage of Sinbad stunt show, this is one not to be missed and both the adults and the children will both enjoy this show, it’s done with acrobatics and lots of humour along with some e... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/fascinating-canaveral.aspx It was the invading Spaniards who gave it the name of Canareal which later evolved into Canaveral. Canareal means a place where cane is being grown. Very literal as most place names are. In fact it makes a pleasant diversion to research place names and with the advent of the interney this is dead easy. Moving swiftly on, we come to the forties when interest in space was growing exponentially and the government of that time were looking for the ideal launch place. Canaveral was not too densley populated and the weather was fairly consistant. Even more important was the fact that the Atlantic was adjascent for safer launches and there were also several small islands for tracking purposes. The land was already in country ownership as there had been a naval base here and then the Government purchased more land from The State of Florida. The first rocket launch took place almost 60 years ago was named Bumper. This was to be the first of very many and a lot of u... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/all-aboard.aspx So at long last you are on the plane; you will be on board for almost 9 hours so a little preparation is a jolly good idea. Particularly if you have children with you! Firstly, make sure everyone is wearing comfortable clothes; trackie bottoms and t shirts are fine with a couple of extra layers to allow for the plane getting cold. Likewise, comfortable shoes and nothing that is remotely too small! Your feet and body will swell on the plane. Next you need to pack at least one book into your hand luggage; you may not like the films on offer; something light and easy to read is best. A pen and a crossword book is also a good plan and some noise cancelling head phones if you have them. You can buy some bog standard ones in Walmart; not Bose, but hey they are less than $40! Some tissues, mints and something to suck for the landing can also go into your bag. If you know you suffer with your ears then get some earplanes which seem effective for most people. The s... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/walt-his-life-and-times.aspx We love Disneyworld; oh yes we certainly do; but I wonder how much you know about its founder? Walt Disney was an American who was born in Chicago in 1901. His father came from Irish stock and his mother from German. He is best known for creating Mickey Mouse but in fact he was selling his cartoons to neighbours from the age of 7! ( I wonder if any of those neighbours kept them? ) His second interest and hobby was photography and when he reached adulthood he put both of these passions to good use. After a spell in the military he started his career in advertising and by the tender age of 19 he had created a method of combining cartoons with live action. 3 years later he headed off for Hollywood where his brother Roy was already living. Together they co founded the Disney company with a meagre $750 and after a slightly shaky start, they built the empire that we know today. Nowadays, the Disney corporation turns over billions of dollars a year. Mickey Mouse ... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/especially-for-history-buffs.aspx The Orange County Regional History Center is situated in East Central Boulevard in Orlando. This museum started its' life as a singe kitchen exhibit for the Central Florida Centenniel celebration which took place in 1942. It was held in a single room in the old courthouse at the intersection of Magnolia and Central. After the Centenniel was over, many local folk donated historical items and the exhibition grew like Topsy til it occupied not one, but several rooms. In 1957 the collection was moved into storage for 6 years after which it reopened in the new courthouse annexe. 7 years later it moved into the Christ building and from there to Loch Haven Park The circle was completeted in at the turn of this century when it moved back to its starting point. So what will you find in this museum today? . Well, on the balcony you will find artefacts that cover the life and times of the local area. There is also a Jack Kerouc display which includes origi... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/trainer-for-the-day-discovery-cove.aspx A day out in Discovery Cove is not cheap; by jingos it is not; but it is a truly unique experience well worth ' splashing' out on. And while you are shelling out for this experience you can go the extra mile and treat one of your family to ' Trainer for the Day' experience. Well what is that? The day starts with you picking up a gift pack that includes a water proof camera and a T shirt that proclaims that you are a Trainer for the Day. You then meet your staff trainer. The dolphin swim is the highlight of the day and you have your own dolphin to get up close and personal with. At the end of the swim the dolphin will tow you at great speed while you clutch the dorsal fin. You can have a photo taken with a couple of dolphins for a permanent memento. Next you take your exclusive behind the scenes tour and quiz the trainer about how it is to work with these fabulous creatures all day and ask all you ever wanted to know about dolphins. Then you cou... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/arts-and-crafts-around-orlando.aspx In Florida the Farmers Markets include a number of arts and crafts stalls as well as produce. In fact if you visit the farmer’s market in Celebration on a Sunday morning the craft stalls far outnumber the produce stalls. This is quite a good way of finding unusual gifts to take home or for treating yourself to something to remind you of the great holiday that you have had. The range of crafts represented I wide including hand sewn items, the children’s quilts always look attractive and might double as wall hangings, handmade jewellery, and also more unusual items such as the wood carved pens that are produced by a talented young man. The Farmer’s Market at Celebration is one of our favourites as we can combine some shopping with a walk round the lake, a coffee, and/or an ice cream. The walk around the lakes justifying the later indulgence. This year, for a change, we visited the farmers market at Winter Garden, a small town that we had not visited, which is less than an hou... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/sea-world-2011.aspx Sea World was the first theme park that we ever visited but that was 6 years ago and another visit was long overdue. Sadly we are getting older and the legs are not what they were so one of the advantages of Sea World is that you sit down while you are waiting for the shows. This is much better for us than standing in line waiting for the rides at other parks. The first major change we noticed, and it really could not be missed was Mantra. While I had seen the pictures the reality was more awesome than I expected. The screams emanating from it were truly justified! I really am a wimp as taking the ride was not even to be considered by me, however, any adrenaline junkie could not resist it. To make the most of the park and get in the shows that you want to see some careful planning is needed on arrival as not all the shows are performed the same number of times and when we were there there were some big gaps in the afternoon where the shows were limited. The absolute must se... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/cafe-tu-tu-tango.aspx Unlike most people, I do not like food. My siblings just shunned me for admitting this out loud, so let me amend that statement before cries of “Anorexia! ” stream past your lips. Many people will list some type of food among their favorite things, say that food is one of their passions, or state that food is their favorite thing in the world. Ever since I went away to university, my enthusiasm for food has dwindled. I simply wouldn’t eat if I didn’t have to. I love my mother’s cooking, and I do enjoy eating it when I am home, but I do not like food in the same way that others claim to love food. I am for the most part simply indifferent. However, I do have some interest in tasting strange and unique foods because I have always been fascinated by other cultures and I have found that I usually tend to enjoy ethnic much more than the common dining hall variety. So whenever my family goes out to eat, I usually lobby for a strange and exciting sounding ethnic restaurant. I’... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/alternatives-to-theme-parks.aspx As villa owners who travel to Florida every year, it is often a challenge to find something new to do. However, Orlando never disappoints and here are a few ideas you may like to try. Hot air balloon ride. There is nothing quite like floating above Orlando and seeing Walt Disney World from a birds eye view. The Orlando Sunrise Hot Air Balloon rides offer three hour trips that leave at sunrise. They leave from Highway 192 between 5. 30am to 6. 30am depending on the time of year. They include a glass of champagne and a continental breakfast. The prices start from £126 per person and would be a delightful treat for a special occasion. This trip will give you something to remember for the whole of your life. Helicopter Ride. There are three different trips to choose from. 1. Orlando Tour from Walt Disney resort area, this starts from £30. 78 per person. This tour takes you over the whole of the Walt Disney World area plus Universal Studios and Seaworld. 2. To... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/poseidon-s-fury-at-universal-ioa.aspx As you wind your way around the Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios you will come across a hidden gem ( tucked away behind the talking tree that squirts water over everyone) is Poseidon’s Temple This is a very impressive looking setting looking like a proper full size temple on the outside sometimes this show is very busy and on other times its ridiculously quiet, best to arrive around 3pm in the afternoon when the visitors are starting to leave to tea time but before the evening visitors arrive You enter a long and winding tunnel under the temple this is a very elaborate way of getting you to queue, if it’s a very hot day as it always seems to be in Florida then it’s a good place to get out of the sun for a few minutes as it’s always lovely and cool in the tunnels Once inside you enter a tomb with your archaeologist guide, once again the guide tends to be very good at acting out his or her role as the professors assistant and the show can be quite amusing, soon the tomb do... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/toon-lagoon-at-universals-ioa.aspx Toon Lagoon is a great area within the islands of adventure which has a couple of really fantastic water rides such as Popeye and Blutos “Bilge Rat Barges” and Dudley Doo Rights ” Rip Saw Falls” Popeye and Blutos Bilge Rat Barges is a absolutely fabulous ride, it is without doubt the best white water raft ride within a theme park anywhere in the world and you help Popeye the sailor man rescue his beloved Olive from the grip of Bluto This ride twists and turns like no other through the waterways of Sweet Haven as you’re transported through a number of amusing scenes all designed to get you as wet as possible. Oh did I forget to mention your WILL get wet without a doubt it’s just a question of how much: soaked or absolutely soaked, We take our rain ponchos to save ourselves from getting absolutely soaked to the skin! As you were walking into Toon Lagoon did you see all those people either wearing a rain poncho in scorching heat or maybe all the people who’s clothes were obviously... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/jaws-ride-at-universal-studio.aspx The Jaws ride must have been running for 20 years now at the Universal Studios Park in Orlando and rumours are that it will close its doors in 2012 for good to make way for a new attraction so visit this attraction soon if you get the chance. I have visited this attraction many many times and very often we have had to queue for twenty to forty minutes although there ques and all under cover and so you don' t have to overheat in the hot Florida sunshine. The ride starts by you waiting for a boat on the docks at Amityville, shortly your boats pulls in alongside the dock complete with guide and soon you’re climbing on board and the keen eyed amongst you will notice certain areas of the boat seat seem…. shall we say a little wet ! You' re cruising around the harbour with your guide showing you the sites and pointing out some famous houses from the jaws movie when a message comes in over the radio for chief Brody a fellow cruise boat has sank and he needs you to go and pick up survivo... http://www.orlandovillas.com/florida_guide/what-villa-location.aspx If you are ploughing through all the villas on this site and do not know where the best place to be is, this may help you. Obviously if your whole reason for visiting Florida is to go to the theme parks then you may think it is easy – just look for the ones close to Disney. However, more people than ever now want to go to Universals Islands of Adventure to see the Harry Potter attraction. Universal is not near Disney World. Also, Sea World is not close to either of them. Once you have decided what your priority is, then you can choose your location. If you want to see them all, then you will want to be central to them all. Ask the owner of the villa you prefer to tell you the distances from all the attractions you wish to visit then you should be able to decide what area is closest to them all. Many people think they are all near each other. We also get enquiries from people who want to be near Disney World and the coast. I am afraid that is not possible as Disney in right in t...