Orlando area and theme park Oktoberfest events

Orlando area and theme park Oktoberfest events

Since Orlando is a major tourist and party place, it’s only natural that a lot of events are going on around here for the 2009 Oktoberfest celebrations! Based on the fall event from Germany, Oktoberfest features lots of German dances, songs and lots of different types of German beer to sample! Just about every club, bar, restaurant and theme park is having their own version of Oktoberfest.

The biggest and most recognizable Orlando Oktoberfest celebration is at Disney’s Epcot Center, where the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is taking place until Nov. 9th. Celebrate Oktoberfest with a festive show at the fabulous Biergarten located in the Germany location. Dance to authentic German music and song. Enjoy the oom-pah sound of the band and yodel and sing along with the group.

Other places throughout the park will have Oktoberfest events and of course different Germany beer to sample. Just about every Disney theme park will have something for Oktoberfest, from German toys to special German dances and songs plus more Germany beer selections in different restaurants.
[Read more…]

Safety tips for your Orlando Vacation

Orlando vacation safety tips

Most of the time the thousands of tourist on their Orlando vacation never run into anything bad. The tourist areas in Orlando are for the most part very safe. Like most cities, the bad guys tend to stick around their own areas and prey off each other, which is far from the tourist areas. However, there is always a few that decide to try to take stuff from people on a vacation.

You don’t know the area well, your distracted with all the new sights and attractions, and you can let your guard down. Taking the time to do a few things will insure that your not a victim of tourist crime. Most thieves are looking for a fast and easy victim. So a little precaution will go a long way to discourage them from picking you out of the hundreds of others around you.

So here’s a few general tips that will greatly reduce the chance of you becoming a victim in Orlando. First, don’t rent a convertible! No Floridian ever drives a convertible, which means it says “hey, here’s a tourist, take my stuff”! Trust me, you don’t want to drive one in Florida anyway. It’s so hot that as soon as you stop at a light you’ll be dripping in sweat. Convertibles look fun, but not in Orlando!
[Read more…]

Sneak peek at Universal Studios The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

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

Soon all rental cars will be available at the Orlando airport

Orlando airport rental car companies will soon all be at the airport

Most people think that they can hop into any type of rental car right at the Orlando airport. For most of the rental car companies that is true. Almost all the rental car booths are on the first floor of the main Orlando airport terminal. BUT, for some like Hertz, you then need to take the rental car shuttle van or bus to their rental car lot located a mile or two from the airport.

The reason for this is that up until now there just was not enough room at the airport to hold all the rental cars. With around 6 major rental car companies operating out of the Orlando airport, each one with hundreds of cars, they take up lots of space! So large ones like Hertz had to get car lots just outside of the airport.

But now the Orlando airport is making some big construction jobs, one of which is to make more room for rental cars. So by next spring of 2010 all the major rental car agencies will have their cars ready to pick up right inside the airport terminal garages. That also means you can drop off your rental car right at the airport and be on your way to catch your flight.

More than 2 million rental cars are used a year by Orlando airport guest. So now it will be that much easier to grab your car and take off as soon as your plane lands. If you like Hertz rental cars, look for them to be operating out of the Orlando airport by spring of 2010, like all the other major rental car agencies!

Orlando airport checkpoint friendly laptop bags requirements

Orlando airport checkpoint friendly laptop bags requirements

One of the things I hate the most when traveling by plane is having to take my laptop out of the case. My laptop is my whole job, so I am very picky about it. Seeing it dumped into a dirty plastic tub and smacked around while I hurry up with my other items is very stressful. Well now there is good news, at least at the Orlando International airport.

They now will let you keep your laptop in the case,,, IF it meets the checkpoint friendly laptop bag requirements. Which brings up the question, just why do you need to take it out anyway? It all goes back to a plane bombing about 18 years ago. The bomb was inside a boom box. So they now X-ray all laptops to make sure there is no bomb inside of the case.

The screeners know what the inside of a laptop should look like and if it has been tampered with. So they need a very clear view of the laptop. If there are pockets full of pens, papers, wires and so on over it they can’t get a clear view of it. So that’s why they need to view it outside the laptop case. But now they have decided your laptop can stay in the case as long as the case gives a clear view of the laptop.
[Read more…]

How much does it rain in Orlando Florida?

how much does it rain in Orlando, Florida!

In most Orlando vacation fliers and ads you always see it sunny without a cloud in the sky. You always hear about the Florida sunshine and getting sunburned. However for those who are not from Florida you might be surprised to learn that it often rains every day in the summer here in Orlando! In fact Florida I believe is the USA’s number one ranking for lighting strikes.

However the type of rain here is different than the rain you get up north. Yes it’s still just as wet, if not more so since it comes down so fast here! The difference is how long it last. Up in Vermont where I’m from a rainy day means it’s going to be wet, cold and dark all day. In Florida however it’s very flat, meaning the storms roll in and roll out very fast.

A normal summer day in Orlando Florida sees the morning as bright and hot, with very few clouds. Then in the afternoon clouds form, get very dark and roll in fast, often with plenty of thunder. It then rains very hard, often so hard it fills up roads and driveways with several inches of water. Then, about a half hour or so later it blows away, and the hot sun comes out again.

Within an hour or two all the water is gone and you can’t even tell it had rained! It does that almost every day, all summer long. So early afternoon is a good time to plan on doing something inside on your Orlando vacation. Take in an inside show, watch a movie or something. Normally the rain only last an hour or so, then after that it’s like it never happened.

Now, in the fall and winter it hardly ever rains. Day after day goes by with no rain. That’s the dry season in Florida. Sometimes it gets too dry and we end up with a water shortage, brush fires and yellow lawns! So, it does rain in Orlando, a lot actually. But only for an hour or so in the afternoon. So don’t let the rain stop you on your Orlando Vacation!

Are Orlando theme parks still empty?

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.

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

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:
[Read more…]

Summer Orlando vacation hotel rates still a bargain

The 21st marks the official first day of summer. Of course it feels like summer already, especially down here in Florida! With the summer season comes the summer crowds and tourist. Many think that Florida is the most busy during the winter, but that’s not true. It’s in the summer, like most places in the USA, that Orlando gets the most tourist.

All the international tourist that are having winter in their side of the world come to Florida in the summer. Also here in the US summer is when schools are out, so that is when the family gets to take that yearly vacation. Along with the summer crowds are the summer prices on everything, which usually is higher!

Most of the time it can be quite a bit higher too. Hotels put their summer rates up, which can be anywhere from 20% to 50% higher than the fall and winter seasons. However that does not seem to be the case this year. As we all know it has been a bad year everywhere, and still will be well into next. So the hotel prices have been low.

They will jack them up higher in the summer, but not as much as before. Also since they are already lower than normal, the price increase is not as much as in the past. There will be plenty of “middle class” hotels in the Orlando theme park area with daily rates of $30.00 to $50.00 per day! Plus many weekend and weekly specials.

So there still will be plenty of hotel bargains in Orlando this summer. Just check out some of the hotel booking places you see in the sidebars here and see for yourself what a great summer of bargains an Orlando vacation this summer will be!

Orlando Gay Days at Disney a big success

Well this tourist site would not be complete without a recap of Gay Days in Orlando that was this past weekend. Started 9 years ago, Gay Days has grown into a large event with many big name sponsors and theme park activities. My good lesbian friend Ashley and her girlfriend went and stayed at The Regal Sun Resort, which was the place to be for lesbians at Gay Days this year.

They would not let me go with them, some friends huh! 😉 There is always conflicting numbers as to how many come into Orlando each year for Gay Days, but 150,000 is about what they expected. This year there was many pool parties at hotels, Gay Day parties at the local clubs, lots of special events and more.

Of course the big highlight of Gay Days was Saturday, when everyone wears red and goes to Disney! But this year there were plenty in the other theme parks too, like Sea World and Universal Studios. Gay Days pumps in millions of dollars into Orlando, so the parks and attractions are really starting to welcome them more each year. Check out the Gay Days official site for lots more information!

Orlando flooding not in the tourist area

It seems like these days the news tends to dramatize everything. If a tornado hits one town in Oklahoma they make it sound like the whole state got blown away. That seems to be what is happening right now in Florida.

If you’ve seen the news, you know that parts of Florida is having a little flooding problem. The east coast and parts of central Florida have been having days of thunderstorms and lots of rain. Talking to some family out of state they seem to have the impression that every house in Florida is under water and all roads closed!

That of course is not true. The only places that are suffering some flooding is areas on the east coast, in places that are in flood plains. Places they never should have built any houses anyway. Even then it’s only small areas of those towns. But of course it does not take much to equal a lot of damage in dollars.

Here in central Florida where Orlando is everything is pretty much normal. We always get afternoon thunderstorms in summer, but only for an hour or two. These just happen to be bigger ones that last longer. I just wanted people to know that despite all the hype on the news, everything is normal in Orlando and the tourist areas.

Latest updates in Orlando Inside

Wow, talk about not keeping up with my site huh! It’s been a while since I made any post on here, sorry about that. I blame it on the economy. You see, this is a new site, one that I am growing. But when it’s new, it does not make much, if anything. So with the downturn in the economy I had to devote all my time into the sites I have that do make money.

So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! The tourist industry is still light in Orlando, and expect it to be all year. The summer will be busier like it always is. But still lighter than normal. I don’t see the Orlando tourist crowds to be back up to normal until next summer, if that. So if you want that Orlando vacation when the crowds are light, any time this year is good.

Prices are still way down too. Normally you see higher prices for everything once summer is underway. But I don’t think they will go up much this year. If they can’t fill the hotels and rent the cars now, how can they increase the prices! Even I’m taking advantage of low air fair prices, I’m up in Vermont visiting my mom right now!

Working on my laptop on vacation, can’t get any better than this! I’ll try to start posting more on here and getting this place big with lots of information and the latest news. So again, sorry about not keeping this place updated. But I’ll try to get back into it and keep it current. Now come on down and enjoy a light crowd, low price Orlando vacation! 😉