New flying roller coaster Manta at Sea World youtube video

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!

Orlando vacation theme parks and water parks

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…]

Sea World of Orlando, Florida raises prices

Well I see just in time for the New Year Sea World of Orlando, Florida has raised it’s basic one day ticket price up $5.00 for next month. The new cost of a standard one day ticket for an adult at Sea World will now be $74.95. All three big parks in Orlando; Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World, almost always raise prices once a year, if not more.

Of course most people never pay that price for a normal one day ticket. That’s because they want you to buy their multi-day tickets. I admit the multi-day tickets are a good deal. Or at least, they look like a good deal compared to the cost of a single day ticket. 😉 But that’s really the point of the cost increase, to make you get a multi-day ticket.

Now with Disney having four main parks, and Universal Studios having two, a multi-day ticket is the way to go. You’ll never see everything in a day, even at Universal. Plus kids always want to go back and do the rides again, they never get tired of them! So now Sea World is playing that game, but there’s one problem. [Read more…]

Orlando Disney holiday season still light this year

Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas day! I myself roasted a whole chicken and watched some movies on my computer, fun fun! I also took a drive out to Disney, but I did not actually go into the parks. In hindsight I think I should have, because it was very light crowds, at least for the holiday season.

I took a look at the parking spots and a few other ways I know of to peek into the parks without actually going in. (sorry, can’t tell you how) 😉 It is DEAD around Disney for a holiday season! I see that last month the hotels had only a 53% occupancy according to the local results that keep track of those things.

That pretty much mirrored what I’ve been saying and seeing. So that means the other parks like Universal Studios and Sea World also had light Christmas day crowds. The ones that are here are really having a good time with no crowds and low prices. I have to wonder if they know how lucky they are to be here this year. [Read more…]

Youtube video of Sea World water park, Aquatica

Many people who have been to Orlando’s Sea World in the past might be surprised to know that they now have a full water park! It’s actually just across the street from the main Sea World park. I always thought that Sea World should have a water park, and now they do. I feel ripped off somehow, it was MY idea!

Sea World’s water park is called Aquatica, and it has many water flumes, shoots, rivers and wave pools. Since they have done so much work around water they really knew what to make when they made this water park. They even have a slide where you go right under water and see dolphins above you, is that cool or what!

I’ll have more detailed info on this park, as well as all the others once I really get this site going. But for right now enjoy the youtube video of Sea World’s Aquatica water park. To find out more about it right now, go to the Sea World’s Aquatica water park website here! It’s a fun water park that is state of the art, you’ll love it!

A little about Orlando, Florida

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!