I’ve been going hog wild with my new camcorder at the theme parks! I really love taking videos of all the rides and attractions at Disney, Universal Studios and the other parks.

This one is a youtube video of The Incredible Hulk roller coaster at Universal Studios Island of Adventure. I’ve been on it dozens of times, but I still get a rush when it shoots you up from the start at 60 miles an hour, then puts you in a curving corkscrew!

I took the video from several different angles and viewpoints. From an overall view of the whole ride to close-ups of different curves and tricks. I highly recommend it if you love roller coasters. Enjoy this video of The Incredible Hulk roller coaster at Universal Studios!

Well everyone, I took a cool video of the Mardi Gras parade at Universal Studios Orlando this past weekend. In fact it’s my very first video with my new camcorder. I think it came out well, although night videos with a standard camcorder is not that great.

But I got all the floats and dancers, plus all the music and people yelling! I can see I need to zoom in a bit more on big objects like the floats to see the details. But again, being at night did not help.

Also I got to Universal Studios during the day when it was warm and just had on my T shirt. By the time the Mardi Gras parade started at 8:00 PM it was cold! So I was shivering like crazy, I really tested out the ant-shake device in the camera, lol!

It seems to work good since you can’t see too much shake. The microphone works pretty good too. I will go back during the day and take videos of all the Mardi Gras characters they have walking around during the daytime. Anyway I hope you enjoy this Mardi Gras parade youtube video I made at Universal Studios!

Harry Potter fans have been keeping a close eye on when Universal Studios will open up the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter land. They have been tight-lipped about telling when it will open. But now we have a much closer open date!

That’s because Universal Studios has been starting to offer new vacation packages tied in to the Harry Potter attraction. The new deals are good starting May 28th. So, if they give vacation packages upselling how you will see the Harry Potter attraction, then it’s clear it will be open at least by May 28th!

But they always have a “soft” opening before that, so they can work the bugs out of the new rides and so on. They want to be sure everything is working good before they invite guest to stay and see the Harry Potter attraction.
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Click here for my Orlando tourist youtube channel!

Well everyone I’m really excited about the past few days. I got myself a cool new camcorder! I’ve been meaning to get one for a long time, and finally got one. It’s nothing fancy, a Panasonic SDR-S26. But it’s great for youtube videos, with a 70X zoom on it!

I also just opened up my own youtube video channel, click the link to see it and all my videos so far. Right now I just have some picture slide show videos I made. But very soon I’ll be taking a lot of videos of Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and so much more here in Orlando.

In fact next Sat. I’m going to Universal Studios Mardi Gras and take a nice video of that parade. Plus bike week in Daytona is almost here and I’ll take a lot up there. I can see how I’ll be spending more time in the theme parks taking videos of the rides!
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Universal Studios is well known for their extreme rides that are suitable for teens. But they also have some spots made just for the little kids and toddlers. Inside Universal Orlando, which is the “old” park, is a place called Curious George play area. It’s suitable for toddlers and kids up to around 10 years or or so.

Curious George play area at Universal Orlando is made to look like that misfit monkey Curious George has let out all the animals from the zoo! There are buildings you can go in and let the kids push buttons, levers and handles that spray and shoot water at different things.
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Universal Studios Mardi Gras parade

Well it’s almost time for Universal Studios Mardi Gras! Each year Universal Studios in Orlando holds it’s own cool version of Mardi Gras from New Orleans. With parades, it’s own French Quarter area, New Orleans food, music and shows; Universal Studios Mardi Gras is always a big hit. The Mardi Gras parade floats are very colorful and just like the ones in New Orleans.

The dates for Universal Studios Mardi Gras events are Saturday Nights: February 6 – April 17, 2010 PLUS Sunday, February 14 and Friday, April 9. The Mardi Gras parade times are : February 6 – March 20, April 17: 8:00 pm March 27 – April 10: 9:00 pm

The French Quarter area at Universal features plenty of Authentic Cajun & Creole Cuisine from New Orleans. Dance to blues musicians and bands straight from New Orleans. Performance Times: February 6 – March 20, April 17 – 5:00 pm, 6:15 pm, 7:15 pm March 27 – April 10 – 5:00 pm, 6:15 pm, 8:00 pm.
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Universal Studio’s Portofino Bay hotel

Most people know that Disney has lots of hotels of their own. But Universal Studios also have a few very nice hotels on their property too. One of the nicest ones is Universal Studio’s Portofino Bay hotel.

Universal’s Portofino Bay Hotel is inspired by the charm of the seaside village of Portofino, Italy. If you want to stay very close to Universal Studios, this is the place for you. The hotel offers exceptional services, first class amenities and 42,000 square feet of meeting and function space.

Nightly entertainment includes Italian singers from a balcony overlooking the main courtyard. You are transported to a realm of class, style, and atmosphere from the moment you step into the hotel. The restaurants are amazing and the location is wonderful. It makes every guest feel like a king because they always make sure that your room is clean and you get the best service possible.
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Empty water ride boat at Universal Studios

Well it’s the new year, 2010! The holidays are gone, and it’s now the middle of the winter here in the USA. Of course down here in Florida it’s still toasty warm, maybe a bit cool. It’s also one of the most perfect times to take that Disney Orlando vacation you’ve been waiting for! A lot of people have the misconception that winter is when it’s crowded in Florida.

Everyone knows the snowbirds come down here for the winter. That’s true, but most of them are older folks who don’t really care for the theme parks. The kids are back in school, so most in USA don’t feel they should take an Orlando vacation in the winter. Same is true for our Canada neighbors.

Even the tourist from the UK, which makes up a lot of the theme park crowds, wait until summer to visit Disney. That leaves from now until Easter with the theme parks light on crowds. The weather is nice, around the 60’s or 70’s during the day. The bugs are gone, and it does not rain hardly at all during the winter months.

That means it’s a perfect time to see Disney, Universal Studios and Sea World here in Orlando. If your an older couple with no kids, single, childless couple or home school your kids you don’t have to worry about taking the kids out of school. Prices for everything are also lower than in the summer. It really is much lighter now than the summer tourist crowds.

So if you can, head down here to Orlando and enjoy the theme parks without having to fight the crowds, summer heat, rain, bugs and higher prices. Pay for your theme park tickets online and be all set when you get here!

If you want to take in a very different and funny show on your Orlando vacation, you can’t go wrong with The Blue Man Group show, located at Universal Studios. It’s a separate show from the theme park, and is fun for the whole family. Part musical, part mime, part theater it’s all fun!

Blue Man Group’s show is often described as “hysterically funny”, “wildly inventive” and “visually stunning”. Their unique form of entertainment combines multimedia theatrics, music and comedy, which creates a unique party atmosphere suitable for people of all ages. This creative organization produces concerts featuring music, theatrical shows and multimedia.

All the productions are centered on a trio of anonymous mute performers wearing black clothing and blue grease paint over latex bald caps. Blue Man Group performances features a variety of themes including science and technology, information overload and information pollution, rooftops, the outsider, innocence and naïve imitation of cultural norms. This show is the best choice for anyone who appreciates great actors, social satire, and fantastic music.
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Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas, at least those that celebrate it. The next big holiday of course is New Years eve. Just about all attractions in Orlando will have some type of New Years event or party going on. Many want to know what will be happening at the big theme parks for New Years Eve. So here’s a brief run down of what’s going on.

Universal Studios
Since Universal Studios has a big nightclub complex right at the parks it’s only natural that they will be having more events than the others. Most of the clubs at Citywalk, Universal Studios night time party zone, will be having live music inside them. Two big time bands; The Temptations and The Four Tops will be performing several times on New Years eve.

Between performances you can dine on all-you-can-eat gourmet cuisine and great desserts! Then, cap off the night with a midnight countdown, champagne toast, confetti burst and more! Yes you have to buy a special ticket, get your Universal Studios New Years eve party tickets here.

Walt Disney World
Disney’s New Years eve events are not really that much. The holiday is not one that fits the family friendly parks. About the only thing different will be better firework displays in each of the parks that have them. However they will have the best fireworks of any place in Orlando, and well worth it to go and see.

Sea World
Surprisingly Sea World will be having a special New Years eve event going on. From 9:00 PM to 12:30 AM you can hear continuous Jazz music from live entertainers in the park. At the Bayside stadium Michael Andrew and the Atomic Big Band will be performing live. Then at midnight you can see fantastic fireworks light up the sky.

So there you have it, the New Years eve events at the big three theme parks here in Orlando. Of course many nightclubs and smaller attractions will have their own little fireworks, party poppers and holiday events. You can buy fireworks in Florida, so don’t be surprised to see and hear folks setting off their own fireworks display!

Well it took long enough, but I finally got to ride the new roller coaster at Universal Studios, rip ride rocket! Or rather rip ride rockit, as it’s really called. There was not too much of a wait the day I went, only around 20 minutes. Since I was by myself I took the “single riders only” line. One thing that quickly became apparent to me is that the single rider line for this ride moves very slow!

That’s because the roller coaster only seats two people across, a bit unusual. Since most people come as couples or with kids, it’s harder to find a single seat left each time. You basically have to wait for a group of three people to leave a single seat open. So, single riders will have to wait longer than at other rides to get a seat.

However it’s still faster than the normal line if your single. Getting in was pretty easy, and everything fit snug. Once your in you get to choose a song from a short play list with buttons in front of you. As soon as you take off you start the slow climb up the tall 90% first hill! It’s scary to see nothing but blue sky as you go straight up!

Once at the top there is no pause, and the sharp bend around and down makes you think your going to fall right out of your seat! Then the fun begins, as you go through a series of loops, barrel loops and over-under twist. Several times during the ride it slows down, only to get back up to speed with more drops.

You go through a building at one point, and the ride stretches from the far back of the park to the front. Time wise it’s longer than most coasters here in Florida. The music was loud but not too much so, and since you can pick your own it was good. Overall rip ride rocket was a blast and one I’ll go on again and again.

It’s not as fast as The Hulk roller coaster, but it last longer. The big fun is the 90% grade starting hill and the drop at the top. If you have a fear of heights that will really make you sweat! The height requirement is 51 inches, so no little kids can ride this. I highly recommend going on rip ride rockit for some thrilling fun!

Below is a slide show I put together. Click the first thumbnail to start it, click the picture in the show to exit it. For roller coaster junkies, rip ride rockit is a winner!

Written by Bill Manning

Each year at Christmastime Universal Studios Orlando puts on a nightly parade. They use some of the same parade floats that are in the Macy’s parade, so they call it the Macy’s holiday parade at Universal Studios. They have lots of characters in Christmas outfits and funny ones, including many on high stilts.

I liked the girls in skin tight candy cane outfits myself! I took a lot of pictures of the Macy’s holiday parade and made a slide show here for you. It starts at 5:00 PM and they come out from the back by the starbucks place. Then they make a circle up to the front and back down and out again. It has some great music to go with it.

So if your going to Universal from now until Jan. 1st make sure you take in the parade, it’s well worth it. I took these pictures across the street from the Terminator show. Click the first thumbnail to start the slide show, then click the picture in the slide show to exit it when your done. I hope you enjoy these pictures from the Macy’s holiday parade at Universal Studios Orlando!