Disney, Universal Studios and Sea World New Years eve events

December 26, 2009 by

Disney, Universal Studios and Sea World New Year parties

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!

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More pictures and review of Universal’s Rip Ride Rocket roller coaster

December 20, 2009 by

Universal Studios rip ride rocket roller coaster

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

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Macy’s Christmas holiday parade at Universal Studios picture gallery

December 18, 2009 by

Macy's Christmas parade at Universal Studios

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!

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New pictures of Wizarding world of Harry Potter park at Universal Studios

December 14, 2009 by

Harry Potter World at Universal Studios

A few days ago I was at Universal Studios here in Orlando. So I took a few more pictures of the construction going on at the new Wizarding world of Harry Potter park. A theme park within a theme park at 20 acres in size, it sure looks to me like they have a long way to go. Yet they are still saying it will be open in the spring 2010.

Harry Potter World at Universal Studios

I sure hope so, as many are planning their vacations around the opening of Harry Potter park. I do think it will be amazing, and look very true to the buildings in the Harry Potter movies. As you can see the castle is looking pretty cool, as is the other buildings. You can’t seem them in these pictures but I saw some of those buildings with fake snow on the roof.

Harry Potter World at Universal Studios

You can see the long chimneys too, just like how they were on the town buildings in the Harry Potter movies. So I think your really going to feel like your walking right through town. The last picture shows a good closeup of Hogwarts castle. That’s where the star attraction ride is suppose to be, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

So, it all looks great so far. I think they will do a good job on making it all look very real and true to the town and buildings in the Harry Potter movies. The question is, can they get it all going by spring! If worst comes to worst I think they will make sure the main part and rides are working, and finish up any other parts of the place if they fall behind on time.

Harry Potter World at Universal Studios

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Christmas Holiday Pictures From Universal Studios

December 12, 2009 by

Christmas pictures from Universal Studios

Many people have seen Christmas Holiday pictures from Disney. But few have seen many Christmas holiday pictures from Universal Studios. Since I was there the other day riding the rides before the big Christmas crowds got here, I took a bunch of them. Universal decorates different than Disney. It’s more ritzy and hip, with not that many lights since they close at 6:00 PM.

So it’s not as pretty as Disney, but it’s still nice to see the holiday decorations. These pictures are from both Universal Orlando park and Islands Of Adventure. Some parts of the parks are not done up like Christmas at all, because they want to keep the theme going that is there. For instance, the Jurassic park part of Islands Of Adventure has no decorations.

Right now the park has very few people in there. I was able to get right on all the rides in 5 minutes or less. However starting around the 18th the Christmas crowds will start, and it will be busy until the new year. Then after that it will be slow again until Easter. So if you want to avoid lines go before the 18th, or wait till after new year.

Below is my Universal Studios Christmas slide show. Click on the first thumbnail to start the show. Click the arrow on the lower right screen once it starts to go to the next one. Click the picture in the show at any time to exit the slide show. I hope you enjoy these holiday pictures from Universal Studios!

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Christmas Holiday Events At Universal Studios Orlando

November 27, 2009 by

Universal Studios Christmas holiday events

Like the other big theme parks in Orlando, Universal Studios is having some great Christmas holiday events going on now through New Years. Here are some of the highlights:

On Dec. 4-6, 10-13, 17-30, & Jan. 1-2 you and the family can have breakfast with the Grinch and friends at a holiday character breakfast at Confisco Grille in Universal’s Islands of Adventure theme park.

Enjoy fluffy eggs, fresh fruit, cinnamon French toast, meats and more with The Grinch, The Whos and The Cat In The Hat. Please note: this event is not included in your regular theme park ticket.

At both Universal’s Islands Of Adventure park and Universal Studios Florida there will be The Grinch Meet and Greet stations as the Grinch dresses up as Santa Claus. Shake his hand and get your kids picture taken with him, every day now till Christmas.
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Thanksgiving day at Universal Studios and Sea World

November 12, 2009 by

Thanksgiving day at Universal Studios and Sea World

A week ago I made a post about what is going on Thanksgiving day at Disney. So I thought I’d also tell you what will be going on at Universal Studios and Sea World on Thanksgiving day. The truth of the matter is, there really is not that much extra going on at any of the theme parks on Thanksgiving day, except for bigger crowds!

Both Universal Studios and Sea World will have a few extra decorations and so on with a Thanksgiving theme. But there are no special Thanksgiving parades planned, or any Thanksgiving shows. It’s just not a Holiday that lends itself good with theme parks.

Here and there you will find restaurants in both Universal Studios and Sea World that will be serving the traditional Thanksgiving meal, like turkey, ham and cranberries. Normally it will be the bigger restaurants in the parks that will be serving Thanksgiving meals.

But that’s really about the only things that will be different. However because it’s a Holiday the parks WILL be full, very full. So be prepared for that and come early. Right after Thanksgiving all the parks will put up their Christmas decorations and lights.

They really do a good job transforming the parks into a Christmas theme, and the lights at night are fantastic. So if you are visiting the parks at Thanksgiving make sure you also come back the day or two after Thanksgiving, and stay till night to see the lights!

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Walt Disney World verses Universal Studios Orlando, what one?

October 15, 2009 by

Walt Disney World's Snow Whitemarvels spiderman

Living right here in Orlando, I’m always surprised at some things people ask me. But then I realize that not everyone deals with theme parks every week! I often get asked if Disney is part of Universal Studios. No, they are not, in fact they are big competitors of each other. So then I get asked the next question, which is, which one do I recommend?

Ouch! That’s a really loaded question, and it depends on so many things. So let me try to explain the fundamental differences between the two theme parks, and then you can decide for yourself. The biggest difference I think is the characters of the parks. Walt Disney World has all of the favorite characters of the Disney movies.

Snow White, Cinderella, Mickey and Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Daffy Duck, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell and all the other Disney stars are at,,,, Disney of course. Universal Studios has Marvel comics characters and Universal movie stars.
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Fall season best time for Orlando vacation theme parks visit

October 9, 2009 by

best time for a Orlando vacation is in the fall for Disney and Universal

Ok so my attempt at using one of my Vermont fall pictures and Tinkerbell is not so hot! I’ll do better next time. Now that fall is here I wanted to say something I’ve said before and I’ll say again; the fall season is the BEST time, in my opinion, for your Orlando vacation to see Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and the others.

The reason for this is many, and I’ll explain them all here. The summertime is actually the busiest time of the year for all the theme parks in Orlando. So, what happens when any area is at it’s peak for tourist? The prices for everything is the highest it will be all year long. Also, the crowds are the fullest, and the Florida sun is at it’s hottest. To me summer is the WORST time to come to Orlando!

But now that it’s fall, the summer crowds are gone. That means the prices for hotels, rental cars, airlines and so many other things are down. Or at least on their way down right now. It’s not as hot in the fall, yet still plenty warm. Most people underestimate how hot it gets here in Orlando in the summer. Also the afternoon thunderstorms are gone, or at least much fewer.
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Tips on how to avoid lines at theme park rides

October 7, 2009 by

How to avoid long lines at theme park rides like Disney

One of the biggest headaches, if not THE biggest one at theme parks, is waiting in line for the rides. Everyone is different in respect to their tolerance of waiting in line. Some seem to be happy and talk with others through a 2 hour wait, while a 15 minute wait for others is draining. The cruel fact is, your going to be waiting in line for most of your day when you go to a theme park.

In fact sometimes it seems like the whole point of going to a theme park is to stand in lines! Waiting an hour to go on a 2 minute ride does not seem like such a hot deal. But everyone does it, at least if they want to get on the ride. However there are some ways to cut down on ride wait times.

So I’m going to give you some creative tips on how to avoid some of the lines. You may or may not want to take some of these tips, it all depends on how big your family is, your kids ages and how much you dread long lines! So these are just tricks to cut down on some of the waiting throughout the day. The first one is pretty obvious, which is, get to the park as soon as it opens!
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Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights 2009

September 28, 2009 by

Universal Studios halloween horror nights 2009 attractions

If your looking for information on Halloween Horror nights 2010 at Universal Studios, please go to this years posting for the new Halloween Horror nights 2010. It’s got a lot of new haunted houses and lots more!

Once again it’s time for Universal Studios Halloween horror nights! The biggest and scariest Halloween party in Orlando, Universal’s horror nights gets better every year. Now in it’s 19th year (I think) I’ve been to several of them. They have people that work on the sets, themes and costumes all year long. Horror nights is in the “old” Universal Studios park, not Islands Of Adventure.

Each year the sets are a little different, depending on what new movie has come out. However the old favorites are always there. Frankenstein, Dracula, zombies and so on are always around. Halloween Horror nights are only on selected nights. Sept. 25, 26, (last weekend, sorry) Oct. 1-4, 8-11, 15-18, 21-25 and 28-31.

During the day the park operates normally. But once the park closes on these nights at around 6:00 PM or so they turn the place into a creep-fest! Lights burn a blood red, forest come alive, all the park workers are in costumes and fog seems to appear everywhere. Horror nights starts at around 7:00 PM and last late, until 2:00 AM I think.
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Sneak peek at Universal Studios The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

September 20, 2009 by

Universal Studios peek at The Wizarding world of Harry Potter park

One of biggest projects going on at Universal Studios Orlando right now is the construction of the new Wizarding world of Harry Potter park. Located where the dueling dragons are now at Islands of Adventure, it will be a theme park within a theme park at 20 acres in size. Harry Potter fans are very eager to see it open, and many will be scheduling their Orlando vacation around the opening date.

Up to now Universal Studios would only say it would open sometime in 2010, quite a big time frame. But now they have announced that The Wizarding world of Harry Potter theme park will open in the spring of 2010! That still leaves 3 months or so of time within to open, but at least it’s better than a whole year.

Universal Studios peek at The Wizarding world of Harry Potter park

As for what rides you can expect, there seems to be at least 3 major Harry Potter themed rides, maybe as many as 5. The biggest and best so far seems to be “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey,” a state-of-the-art attraction located within the recreated Hogwarts Castle. Not a roller coaster, it sounds like a mix between the “Spiderman ride” and “the mummy”.

The other Harry Potter rides will also be good I’m sure. Universal Studios is really banking a lot on this, so they know they have to get it right and get it good! If you need to schedule your Orlando vacation soon and really want to visit The Wizarding world of Harry Potter, I would play it safe and shoot for late spring, around June to make sure it’s open.

Universal Studios peek at The Wizarding world of Harry Potter park

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