Archives for February 2009

Gatorland youtube video in Orlando

February 25, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

Well everyone, today I’m having one of my lazy days! So, I thought I’d show you all a neat gatorland youtube video. You’ll notice when I’m having a bad day or not enough time I’ll throw in a quick you tube video! It’s not that they are bad, it’s just fast. One of Orlando’s smaller parks is Gatorland. It’s been around for a long time.

In fact one of the very first James Bond movies had a shot inside Gatorland. Over the years it has gotten bigger, and now it had hundreds of reptiles to see. From alligators, crocodiles, snakes and lizards, it has them all. They have several shows a day, including jumping alligators and of course alligator wrestling.

It’s fun for the whole family and good for a few hours or half a day. They even have a little train that goes around the park. So when you go on your Orlando vacation, if you like wildlife and reptiles, think about visiting Gatorland. I’ll write a more complete post about it sometime. But for today, enjoy this Gatorland youtube video!

Filed Under: Orlando vacation Tagged With: alligators, gatorland, Orlando, Orlando vacation, reptiles, snakes

Orlando vacation hotels & motels

February 23, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

I can’t believe I have made this many post and still have not made one about Orlando vacation hotels! I think that’s because trying to pick out a hotel is such a long, confusing process and I’m not sure where to start. So, in this post I’m just going to give you a general idea of what types of hotels there are in Orlando.

Now, The three big theme parks have their own hotels you can stay at. Disney World has a bunch of hotels and resorts to stay at. Universal Studios has several, and even Sea World has a few within walking distance of the park. So why not just stay at those then? Well, many do of course and they are fine.

All hotels at the parks are nice and clean with all the extras. They reflect the parks themselves, so they bend over backward to keep you happy. BUT, everything has it’s price, and with park hotels it’s exactly that, the price. For the most part you end up paying more than you would if you got a hotel outside the parks. Most of the time, but not always. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Orlando hotels Tagged With: cheap hotels, hotel chains, hotels, Orlando, Orlando hotels, Orlando vacation, park hotels, pricy hotels, theme park hotels

Orlando airport rental car information

February 20, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

Rental cars, how we love them and hate them! I could make 50 post about rental cars in Orlando, and I’m sure I will. So I’m going to just talk a little bit about them in each post. Today I’ll just give you some basics about getting a rental car at or near the Orlando International airport. Orlando is one of the biggest rental car cities in the world.

As you would expect, there are many rental car companies that have an office and cars right there at the airport. There also are many others very close to the airport, around 1 to 5 miles. Almost all of them have regular bus and van services to and from the Orlando airport many times a day. So lets say you decide your going to get a rental car, truck or van for your Orlando vacation.

The biggest thing you can do for yourself is MAKE A RESERVATION FOR A RENTAL! Please don’t wait until you get there and figure you’ll just pick out whatever is cheapest. Your going to be tired from the trip and if you have kids they will be hungry and tired also. You want to grab your car and get the heck out of there, not wait in another long line! [Read more…]

Filed Under: car rentals, Orlando airport Tagged With: airport, airport rent a car, airport rentals, car rental, car rentals, Orlando, Orlando airport, Orlando airport rent a car, Orlando vacation, rent a car, rental, rentals

Bike week in Daytona Beach and Orlando

February 18, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

Hi everyone! Today I’m going to talk about the upcoming bike week in Daytona. Now just like my post on the Daytona 500, Orlando gets a lot of overflow tourist from bike week even though it’s in Daytona Beach, about 60 miles away. In fact many fly in from the Orlando airport, get a hotel in Orlando and drive out to Daytona during the day.

I myself have been to bike week several times. I use to have a courier route that went right down A1A, which is the beach front road. I got stuck in that sea of bikers all week long with my cargo van, what a pain! However it was cool to see all the bikes,,,, and biker chicks! I also went there just for the event last year.

If you’ve never been there you just can’t imagine the sight of over 600,000 bikes all in one town. That’s over half a million motorcycles riding down the road. You know that sound when a dozen or so bikers ride by? Picture that sound 10 times louder and never stopping all day! If you don’t like load noises, bike week is not for you. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Orlando vacation Tagged With: bike week, biker, Daytona, Daytona Beach, Daytona bike week, Harley Davidson, motorcycle, Orlando

Staying in Orlando for the Daytona 500 NASCAR races

February 16, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

Well I did it again, being just a few days late about an event I should have posted about here in Orlando! Yesterday was the Daytona 500, the first race of the season for NASCAR. Of course the Daytona 500 is not in Orlando, it’s in Daytona Beach. But many get a hotel in Orlando or come to Orlando to do the tourist stuff.

Daytona Beach is around 60 miles north-east of Orlando. The best way to get there is on I-4, which goes straight there. I use to have a courier route that took me right past the track all week long. Now I have to admit I’m not a big fan of racing, but my mom sure is! She watches every race that comes on TV.

On race day it can be damn hard to find a place to park. The parking right there at the track quickly fills up and then people start parking everywhere all around it. The shops around the Daytona 500 track get real tough with their parking. If you can’t prove your there to use their store your going to get your car towed. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Orlando vacation Tagged With: campers, Daytona, Daytona 500, Daytona 500 races, Daytona Beach, hotels, Orlando, Orlando hotels, races

Roadside roses in Orlando for Valentines Day

February 14, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

Happy Valentines Day everyone! If your in Orlando on vacation you might be thinking about where you can get some roses or other gifts for your sweetie for Valentines. There actually are many places you can buy some roses, heart shaped chocolates and cards for Valentines day around the tourist areas.

The catch is, they are a bit cheap. As in mass produced and a bit low grade. Going into any large grocery store like the Publix chain you will find Valentines cards, chocolates, balloons and roses. Every 7-11, and you find them about every mile in Orlando, will have some cheap roses, cards and trinkets for Valentines day.

Even the many gift shops will have a few things to give your sweetheart for Valentines Day. One thing you will find down here, and it seems to be something you find just in Florida, are the many vans parked by the road selling roses. That’s right, today if you drive around your sure to see a van parked on the side of major roads with the back door open selling fresh roses, cheap too! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Orlando vacation Tagged With: florist, Orlando, Orlando vacation, Orlando Valentines, roadside roses, roses, Valentines, Valentines Day

Universal Studios Mardi Gras Times and Events

February 12, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

I always seem to post about events going on a little bit late. I’ve got to get out there more often! Well, there is still plenty of time for this event, which is Universal Studios Mardi Gras celebration. In case you did not know, each year Universal Studios has their own version of New Orleans Mardi Gras. Complete with parade floats and lots of live bands.

They also throw out all those cheap beads, candy and doubloons just like in the real one. They make their own floats and have many live performers dancing on the floats and walking next to them. They even have lots of those hot chicks in skimpy costumes, but not as skimpy as the ones in New Orleans!

Universal Studios Mardi Gras is a very colorful and loud event that takes place in the evening. So your not as hot as you would be standing in the sun, but I don’t think that was the reason. They just want to hold it after normal park hours so it’s a separate event and does not distract from the normal park activities. Here’s a list of the live concerts this year: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Universal Studio Tagged With: floats, mardi gras, Universal Studios, universal studios floats, universal studios mardi gras

Valentines day weekend hotel deals in Orlando

February 10, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

Click here for half off Valentine’s Day Hotels @ priceline!

So the 14th is Valentines day, love is in the air! At least it is if you don’t forget your sweetie on this day. If you do then it’s more like the smell of burned dinners for the next week! Orlando is a great place to be on Valentines day. There are hundreds of romantic places to get away, do things and shop for that perfect Valentines gift.

One great way to make your Valentines special this year is to book a romantic getaway hotel for the weekend. A good friend of mine is going to stay with his girlfriend at Universal’s Portofino Bay hotel. Almost all the major hotels in Orlando are having some type of Valentines weekend deal. With hundreds of them it can be confusing which one to pick.

Priceline has a nice list of the best Orlando area hotels that are having Valentines specials, so I recommend checking them out and seeing what is closest to you. In fact the links I have here will take you right to the Valentines special deals page. Just type in the area and let Priceline show you all the best deals you can get for romantic hotel Valentines specials!

Click here for half off Valentine’s Day Hotels @ priceline!

Filed Under: Orlando vacation Tagged With: hotel deals, Orlando, Orlando hotels, priceline, Valentines, Valentines hotels, Valentines hotels deals

New flying roller coaster Manta at Sea World youtube video

February 8, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

It’s been pretty cool the past couple of nights here in Orlando, hope it warms up. Of course for those up north I’m sure it’s hot compared to up there! Anyways I wanted to give you a sneak peek at a brand new roller coaster being made at Sea World. It’s called Manta, and it will be what is called a flying roller coaster.

Okay so just what is a flying roller coaster? It’s one where you step into it and get all buckled up. Then the thing tilts you forward so your in kind of a “superman” position, neat huh! It will seat 4 across and your knees will still be bent, but your front body is extended out and flat to the ground, sort of. The sensation you get will be like flying.

The total height of the coaster is 140 feet, with a 113 foot first drop. It has a top speed of 56 mph, but in that flying position it will feel a lot faster! It will last about 2 and a half minutes, and the height requirement to get on is 52 inches or higher. It is scheduled to be open on May 22 of this year, 2009. So check out the youtube video of the flying roller coaster ride Manta at Sea World!

Filed Under: Sea World Tagged With: flying roller coaster, manta, manta at sea world, manta roller coaster, roller coaster, Sea World, youtube video manta

Can you take an Orlando Vacation without a rental car?

February 5, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

One of the biggest things you need to figure out when you take an Orlando vacation is if your going to do any of your own driving or not. Much depends on just what your going to do when your here. Orlando is a very spread out city, with many points of interest miles away from each other. If you do much sight seeing a cab will quickly cost much more than a rental car.

However many tourist in Orlando do quite well without a rental car, because they don’t go very far. So lets talk about those who would not need a rental car. Lets say you and the family are going to be down here for 7 days. Your a big fan of the theme parks and have almost every day planned out, with each day going to a different park.

You schedule in a day or two to relax and take it easy. So for the most part your whole vacation will consist of staying at the hotel or going to the theme parks. Disney has buses that go right to the airport and whisk you right to your Disney hotel, if your staying at a Disney one. For the other hotels there are many other buses, passenger vans and taxi that operate out of the airport. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Orlando airport, Orlando vacation Tagged With: buses, hotel, Orlando, Orlando airport, Orlando vacation, rental cars, rentals, taxi, theme parks

Orlando vacation theme parks and water parks

February 3, 2009 by Orlando Vacations

Well everyone, the title to this post seems pretty simple huh? Theme parks and water parks in Orlando. Heck we all know who they are, don’t we? Well actually maybe not! Orlando is growing very fast, and so are the theme parks. Also the major theme parks keep adding new parks! So it can be confusing to keep track of all the big theme and water parks in Orlando.

So I want to make a nice list of them. Now, when I say theme parks, I mean big ones, and I mean each different park in each complex. Disney World, for instance, is a giant mix of 7 or more parks. Water parks are a mix of ones in the big theme parks and other smaller ones all by themselves. I’ll start with the most popular ones first, shall we! [Read more…]