Universal CityWalk

Jon & Ron

Image taken on 2004-09-30 19:12:17 by salma1.

Dreaming Theme Parks? Visit Orlando

Orlando, the â??family entertainment capital of the world’, is another jewel in the crown for Florida. Entertainment giants, including Disney and Universal have made the city a galaxy of mind boggling theme parks that delightfully grow on the senses and transport one to the realm of fantasy.

The world’s most popular marine park, Sea World takes you on a visit to the lost world of Atlantis on Journey to Atlantis, a heart thudding water coaster. Unseen forces surprise you and giddying slopes make you gasp. For the ultra adventurous, the Kraken, an extremely fast floorless roller coaster ride is the answer. For a tamer experience, try the Dolphin Cove with its friendly Dolphins that feed out of your hand or the docile rays at the Stingray Lagoon. The Sea Turtle Point gets you up close to endangered sea turtle species.

Enter the pages of your favourite childhood fairytales at the Magic Kingdom Park of Disney World. For simulated but stimulating nerve racing spatial and sky adventures, Disney’s Epcot is the place to be. Imagine being stuck in Jurassic Park. This is just one of the numerous other equally, if not more thrilling adventures at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. The futuristic Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, and Silver Springs are all packed with mind numbing wonders.

An air ticket to Orlando is not just about theme parks. The city is also home to the NASA Kennedy Space Center launch headquarters. This awe inspiring mecca of technological development with its humongous rockets and interactive simulators is like a tribute to the cliché â??truth is stranger than fiction’.

The shopping scene is also a universe in itself.  Every kind of retail outlet under the sun is to be found here, whether it’s opulent malls or flea markets. A paradise for bargain hunters, Orlando brims with discount outlet shopping plazas. After a day of hectic shopping or fun at one of the theme parks, one can look forward to an electrifying nightlife. The Downtown Orlando, CityWalk, and Pleasure Island are the best bets. With nearly 50 million annual visitors, the city makes sure that cuisine leaves nothing to be desired. Gourmets can pick from over 4,000 restaurants.

From Orlando, you can also take short trips to Clearwater and St. Petersburg, The city literally has everything. If its holiday time, don’t think twice before buying your air tickets to Orlando. A world of fun awaits you.

The Top Ten Orlando Holiday Attractions

Orlando is world-famous for its huge theme parks and water parks, but they can get very crowded, so it’s best to get there before 8.30am, or go after 4.00pm in the afternoon. You’ll still have plenty of time if you go late afternoon, since most are open until 10pm or later, depending on the season. Be sure to plan your day at the park ahead of time, and take plenty of water and sunscreen.

Sea World
At this popular theme park you can feed dolphins, seals and sea lions; visit a man-made ‘Arctic’ ocean, with seals, polar bears, beluga whales and walruses, and take a moving walkway through a naturalistic snowy Antarctic habitat, with more than 200 penguins. You can also get close to sharks, eels, and barracuda; and visit new dolphin mothers and their calves in the popular Dolphin Nursery.

Wet ‘N’ Wild
Wet ‘N’ Wild’s new water ride, ‘Brain Wash’, has a 53-foot vertical drop into a 65-foot domed funnel, where you are bombarded with light, sound and video, as you swirl around the funnel before you finally make your escape. And an exciting new raft adventure joins the popular Surge, Bubba Tub, Black Hole and The Blast. Children love the Kid’s Park, featuring smaller versions of the adult rides.

Discovery Cove
Here the focus is on interacting with dolphins, birds, and marine life, and the big attraction is a swim with a bottlenose dolphin. You will have to make a reservation to visit this popular park, since attendance is limited to 1,000 guests per day. Go for a snorkel among thousands of rays and tropical fish, then visit the huge, free-flight aviaries, where you can feed and touch hundreds of tropical birds.

Islands of Adventure – Universal Studios
Innovative rides and attractions are scattered throughout this Universal theme park: Marvel Super Hero Island where Super Heroes battle diabolical Super Villains; Suess Landing with its Dr Suess characters; Lost Continent, a land of heart-stopping adventure; Jurassic Park where dinosaurs co-exist with humans; and Toon Lagoon where everyone gets soaked on wild water rides.

Magic Kingdom – Disney World
There are seven ‘lands’ here, surrounding the Cinderella Castle, where you and the kids can visit imaginary lands of adventure – take ride on a magic carpet, plunge down waterfalls, hurtle through space – or visit the all-time classics ‘It’s a Small World’, ‘The Haunted Mansion’, and the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

Universal Studios
This huge entertainment park has over 40 computer animated rides, and the world’s largest movie studio outside of Hollywood. Don’t miss the popular Nickelodeon studios and the movie sets. At the CityWalk there’s lots of entertainment, top restaurants, nightclubs and shops, in fact something for everyone.

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach
Both of these water parks have big water slides, a pool at the centre, a huge play area, and a ‘lazy’ river, where you can take a relaxing tube ride around the park. Typhoon Lagoon is the world’s largest wave pool, where waves can reach six feet tall and you can surf here after hours. At Shark Reef you can snorkel with sharks, rays and tropical fishes.

Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex
A visit to Florida wouldn’t be complete without taking a daytrip to NASA’s launch headquarters, just 45 minutes from Orlando. Here you can tour launch and landing facilities, take a close-up look at huge rockets, train in interactive simulators, and even meet an astronaut. Try to time your visit to coincide with a launch or landing.

Busch Gardens Africa
This theme park, about an hour from Orlando, has more than 2,700 animals and is one of American’s largest zoos. There are also many exciting rides and attractions: SheiKra, the world’s highest vertical dive coaster; Gwazi, the southeast’s fastest double wooden roller coaster; Rhino Rally, Scorpion, and Edge of Africa.

Hot air balloon ride
The perfect ending to your exciting Orlando holiday would be an unforgettable early morning hot air balloon ride, with one of Orlando’s many ballooning companies. These fantastic tours usually finish with a delicious champagne breakfast and certificates and photos for all.

Treat Yourself to a Night Out at an NBA Theme Restaurant

If you are in the Orlando area and are a basketball enthusiast, or have kids who love the game, then you should visit NBA City for one of your evening meals. NBA City is a basketball theme restaurant that has won heaps of praise from visitors and the news media alike.

It was set up in 1999 and has been a hit with sports lovers ever since. What’s the secret of its appeal? It’s the sports atmosphere that permeates every corner of the place.

You will be dining in an environment filled with all kinds of sports memorabilia and while you are enjoying your dinner you can watch large flat-panel TV screens showing live sports or highlights of past NBA exploits.

In the highlight videos the basketball greats from all the eras are shown. Old timers will thrill to see Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain again and your kids will enjoy watching Kobe Bryant rack up the points.

There’s more to do than just eat at this theme restaurant. It has an interactive section where you or your kids can test your basketball skills. It is not just video games; you really will get a chance to shoot some baskets.

What about the food? It is contains the favorites of typical American cuisine. That includes hamburgers, pasta, pizza, salads, sandwiches and grilled steaks. The desserts are “home made” and the prices are quite reasonable. The average price for a meal is under $15.

The menu sounds quite plain but the food items are well prepared and that’s why this restaurant has won a lot of good comments not only from ordinary diners but from food critics as well. In particular, Fodor’s Review said that “the food is actually the real draw here.”

It’s a huge place. The restaurant exceeds 15,000 square feet and can seat more than 350 people on its two levels. It also has space for private parties ranging from small intimate rooms to areas that can hold cocktail receptions for several hundred people.

Serious sports fans may want to try out their SkyBox Lounge. This is the luxury area of the restaurant and it not only has a good view of Universal’s CityWalk area, but gives you the possibility to watch non-stop sports on 20 different TV screens.

Before you leave the restaurant you may want to pick up some NBA souvenirs, jerseys and memorabilia. They have a well-stocked shop and you can pick out something with the emblem of your favorite team.

If you are “sold” on this restaurant and want to visit it here is the basic information that you need to know: It is conveniently located in Universal’s CityWalk area. CityWalk is a special entertainment, dining and shopping area of the Universal theme park. Beside NBA City, it is also home to many theme restaurants, night clubs and other restaurants.

The restaurant is open daily from 11:00 AM and the closing hours are not fixed; they vary according to the amount of customers.

That’s about it. If you are a sports enthusiast and want to have a tasty, yet inexpensive, dinner in a basketball environment then be sure to visit NBA City in Orlando.

Orlando Flex Tickets and Arabian Nights Tickets: Entertainment Awaits

From many years Orlando city of US is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. Orlando is famous for its amusement parks, Gardens, resorts, dinner shows and many other entertainment areas. This is a best city to enjoy vacation with your family or group.

In actual Orlando is little expensive city but there are many options which can reduce burden in your pocket. The Orlando Flex Ticket is as such options which can make your trip cheaper and comfortable. These Orlando Flex Tickets could be brought from selected venues. These tickets are offered with heavy discounts, which can be used not only on attractions but also on shopping centers and dining places. There are various Orlando vacation packages available in Orlando and over the internet you can book your Orlando Flex Tickets. These Disney World Tickets are valid for four theme parks in Orlando. You can enjoy the rides and attractions of Universal Studio Florida, Wet ‘n’ Wild, Universal’s Island of Adventure, and SeaWorld Orlando. The ticket also includes free access to selected live entertainment venues at Universal Orlando Resort’s in CityWalk entertainment complex.

Orlando also offers many famous dinner shows and Arabian Night Show is among them. To enjoy this famous dinner show you need to purchase Arabian Nights Tickets. The show revolves around the love story of prince Aladdin and his princess Jasmine. The entire show is performed on the back of horses by great artists and the horses come from the different breeds and different places of the world. The Arabian Night Tickets offers you to entry in this majestic show, where you not only enjoy the show but also a good menu for dinner attracts you. It is a show of costume, dance and music. The show offers best performances by the artists and features 60 horses from around the world. To experience the world of love and affection of two love birds (Aladdin and Jasmine).

orlando vacation

Visiting Orlando, Florida is an incredible vacation experience for both children and parents alike. Most parents actually recall their childhoods when they visit Walt Disney World. The weather is fantastic year round, the summer months can be a bit warm and humid but so is the rest of the United States during that time. Basically 9 or 10 perfect weather months makes Florida the ideal destination for your next family Orlando vacation.

Orlando, Florida plays host to a wide variety of incredible tourist attractions, including the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando. Walt Disney World resort is the largest attraction and probably the most visited of three, it includes; Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney. SeaWorld Orlando is a large water themed park that features several zoological and marine animal exhibits as well as an amusement park with roller coasters and water rides. Universal Studio’s Orlando, like Disney, is a giant themed amusement park. Universal Studios Florida includes; CityWalk, and the Islands of Adventure theme park.

In addition to the incredible theme parks and attractions, Orlando has many fantastic hotels and resorts along with delectable restaurants. Most resorts have large beautiful swimming pools to enjoy in the afternoon and most provide free parking. Have fun and enjoy your next Orlando vacation.

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it seems that
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out these hot destinations to travel to this M.L.K. weekend.

Disney World Vacation

Visiting Orlando, Florida is an incredible vacation experience for both children and parents alike. Most parents actually recall their childhoods when they visit Walt Disney World. The weather is fantastic year round, the summer months can be a bit warm and humid but so is the rest of the United States during that time. Basically 9 or 10 perfect weather months makes Florida the ideal destination for your next family Orlando vacation.

Orlando, Florida plays host to a wide variety of incredible tourist attractions, including the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando. Walt Disney World resort is the largest attraction and probably the most visited of three, it includes; Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Downtown Disney. SeaWorld Orlando is a large water themed park that features several zoological and marine animal exhibits as well as an amusement park with roller coasters and water rides. Universal Studio’s Orlando, like Disney, is a giant themed amusement park. Universal Studios Florida includes; CityWalk, and the Islands of Adventure theme park.

In addition to the incredible theme parks and attractions, Orlando has many fantastic hotels and resorts along with delectable restaurants. Most resorts have large beautiful swimming pools to enjoy in the afternoon and most provide free parking. Have fun and enjoy your next Orlando vacation.