Orlando Theme park ride height requirements

September 2, 2009 by

Orlando theme park ride height requirements

One of the most frustrating things to experience at a theme park is getting to a ride your kid has been talking about forever, only to find that he or she is not tall enough to ride it. The temper tantrums I have seen those poor kids throw, oh boy! So it’s a good idea to check first and make sure your child is tall enough to ride the ride before getting to it.

First let me explain just why they have height limits. Each ride is made with what they figure is an “average” size of the person who will be riding it. Rides for little kids of course are made for child size. Bigger rides are made for a happy medium between kids heights and full, tall adults. The restraints that hold you in are made to fit MOST sizes, but there is a limit as to how much difference they can hold.

Mild rides that don’t turn upside down or throw you around too much have a smaller height limit because there is less chance your going to get thrown out even if the restraints are loose on you. More extreme rides that do loops and throw you around must hold you in your seat very tightly. So you must be taller so the shoulder harness can securely lock you in place.
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Are Orlando theme parks still empty?

August 14, 2009 by

Are Orlando theme parks starting to fill up now

Sorry it’s been a while since I made a post here, life has a way of taking all your time! Because of the bad economy this summer has seen light crowds at the Orlando Florida theme parks. Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World has all seen attendance drop like a gold plated balloon! More and more however I keep reading about how things are getting better overall.

So, has things picked up at the theme parks? In a word, NO! This later part of the summer might be seeing a little bit more park attendance than the first part of the summer. But overall things are still down in the Orlando area. All the theme parks, hotels and rental agencies still report lower than normal sales. Of course I can see that just by going around town and looking with my own eyes.

It will not be too long before school starts. Once that happens things always slow down a lot, this year more than ever. This fall will be a fantastic time for that Walt Disney World or Universal Studios vacation. As I have said before fall has the best of both worlds in Orlando. It’s cooler, less humid and rains less than in the summer. Crowds are gone, prices go down and great deals can be had.

The only down side is that some rides in the parks get shut down for maintenance work, there are less fireworks and shows and less parades in the parks. But overall your enjoyment will be much better, especially since you can actually get on more rides and save money! So things might be picking up a little here, but the whole rest of the year promises to still be a slow one.

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Disney, Sea World & Universal Studios 4th of July fireworks

June 30, 2009 by

Disney, sea world and universal studios fireworks in the 4th of july

Well everyone, soon it will be the 4th of July! As you can imagine Orlando has some major firework displays going on. For tourist most want to know about what types and when to see 4th of July fireworks at the theme parks. Just so you know, anyone can buy fireworks here in Florida, unlike some other states.

So watch out for people letting some loose around you, which they do. Last year it was very dry here in Orlando Florida. Because of that a lot of firework shows were canceled due to the fire hazard. But this year has been wet so everyone will be out shooting off their fireworks! The theme parks have some really good shows scheduled this year too.

The theme parks are always packed on the 4th of July, and some may stop admitting people in once they are full. So get there early and don’t leave the park until your sure your not going to stay anymore that day. Here’s a break down of what the major theme parks have in store for you on the forth of July:
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Spring Break in Daytona Beach and Orlando

March 1, 2009 by

Hi everyone! Right now, March 1st, bike week in Daytona Beach and Orlando is still in full swing. But next week, on the 9th through the 29th of March, is spring break! Yes it’s that time when the college kids take off from school and go crazy. Daytona Beach has been both a popular and unpopular place for spring break over the years.

In it’s heyday MTV held shows at Daytona Beach spring break. They had some years when the kids got a bit out of hand, and the powers that be in Daytona did not want them there anymore. But, over the last few years it has once again become more spring break friendly, with a little more rules in place so it’s not a free-for-all.

Since Daytona beach is only around 60 miles away from Orlando, it gets it’s fair share of breakers that fly into the Orlando airport and stay in Orlando. Indeed many come to Orlando for the theme parks and other attractions, going to the beach maybe once or twice. The beaches of Daytona and theme parks of Orlando make for a great combination. [Read more…]

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Can you take an Orlando Vacation without a rental car?

February 5, 2009 by

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…]

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Orlando vacation theme parks and water parks

February 3, 2009 by

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…]

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Disney World Orlando Vacation outlook for 2009

January 31, 2009 by

It looks like a friend of mine and his family are coming down for an Orlando vacation sometime in the late spring. Now this friend is not big on going anywhere, they’ve only been down here one other time. But they wanted to go one more time for their kids, who are around 16, 14 and 10. One of the main reasons they are going this year is because of the economy.

Now you might think wait a minute. If things are going so bad, and everyone is hurting for money, then why would they actually want to pick this time to spend their money and go on vacation? Well, not everyone is having a bad time with their jobs. This family happens to be doing okay and has money set aside and so on.

They also look for bargains and ways to save money with everything they do. That’s one of the reasons why they are doing okay! So it’s because this is a bad year that makes it appealing to them to take their last big Orlando vacation. They know prices for everything is low, and that not many will be in the theme parks. So, it makes sense to pick now to come down here. [Read more…]

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Going to Universal Studios Orlando with friends

January 12, 2009 by

I’ve been having a very busy week, so sorry if I’m not posting each day. This Friday I’m going to Universal Studios Orlando for a full day with a friend of mine. It’s been a little while since I’ve been there, so I’m going to take lots of pictures to share with you all. Of course I should be doing that a lot now that I have a website devoted to the theme parks and Orlando.

That’s one of the perks you have when you live in Orlando is going to the theme parks. They have Florida residence annual passes that are a good deal so it becomes affordable to go every week if you want. Not too many people can just decide to go to Universal Studios at the last minute! However many people that live in Orlando hardly ever go.

Why not you may ask? Well, it’s just like anything else. Most people work very hard and deal with what life always throws at you. Florida is not what some think, that you move down and spend your time lying in the sand and going to theme parks every other day! You still have to work, deal with the kids and life’s curve balls. [Read more…]

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Walt Disney World Orlando holiday lights

December 17, 2008 by

Of all the times of the year, the Christmas Holiday season is the most fantastic for lights and fireworks at Walt Disney World in Orlando. I use to know a lot of the people who put up the Christmas lights and decorations around Disney. It was almost like a military operation! A long time before the decorations go up there is much planning and getting prepared.

Then on Thanksgiving night, crews all over the Walt Disney World resort go out all night long putting up all the holiday lights, trees, decorations and other holiday items. There are many Christmas trees that go up all over the resort. Most are fake ones, with limbs that stick into the main “trunk” of the tree. But they look real.

It’s amazing how much they do in that one night. People staying at the resort are in for a surprise when they wake up the next day to find everything decorated for Christmas. The Walt Disney World Castle has lights shined on it to give it a soft glow, and the lights change every few seconds. They make the fireworks display bigger, with more red, white and green colors for Christmas. [Read more…]

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A little about Orlando, Florida

December 10, 2008 by

Orlando palm tree

Well I guess the best way to start off my new Orlando vacation site is to tell you a little about,,, Orlando! Orlando is located almost in the center of Florida. It’s about 60 miles to the east coast at Daytona beach and around 80 miles to the west coast at Tampa. Interstate 4, or I4 as the locals call it, runs right through it. It travels from Tampa to Daytona clear across the state.

The Florida turnpike also runs through Orlando, which takes you all the way down to Miami, about 250 miles away! So just about anywhere you want to go in the state of Florida, there is a major highway leading to it from Orlando. Sometimes I’m not sure that’s a good thing, as it’s getting a bit crowded here!

The main source of income in Orlando is the tourism trade. Orlando is home to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World and many other theme parks, fun parks, water parks and more. Orlando is also home to The University Of Central Florida, a large college. Orlando has many shopping malls, discount outlets and other places to buy just about anything.

The weather in Orlando is on the hot side, at least for most people. Summer’s are normally in the high 80’s to 90’s Fahrenheit, with nights in the 70’s and 80’s. It gets very humid, and almost every day you have a quick thunderstorm, followed by sunshine right after, drying it up within an hour. Winters are dry, in the 70’s in the day and 50’s at night with almost no rain until spring.

The people that live in Orlando are a wide variety, coming from all over the world. You can hear many languages being spoken and colors of all kinds. There is a large population of Puerto Ricans that live in Orlando, as well as just about every other types. Most people here are friendly and understanding toward tourist who may be a bit overwhelmed with cultural shock!

All in all Orlando is a fast moving, fast growing city that has tourism at it’s center. Anything you could want on your vacation you can find here. From the cheapest motels and fast food joins to premiere resorts and $100.00 dollar steak meals, Orlando has what your looking for in a vacation!

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