How To Save Money On A Disney Trip

This is something that everyone wants to know. How in the world can you save money on a Disney trip. Well I have a few little tips that you may or may not have thought of.. The number one question a lot of people have asked me is "How do you get discounted tickets to Disney World?" B/c a lot of people know that I go there very often so they are curious. The answer is I'm very fortunate to have a Aunt that works for Disney so I usually get in for free. So unless you are lucky enough to know someone who works there you are going to have a hard time finding discounted tickets. There are a few places however that you can check into. One is buying the tickets online before you go to Orlando. It won't be a huge savings but it will probably save you $3 or so a ticket. Another way to save is by being a member of AAA. Also for all those people who are Florida residents you can get a discount on tickets. But you have to show your driver's license or some kind of proof that you are a Florida resident. If you want discounted prices on hotels, then you should look into one of the Disney Value resorts that I wrote about the other day. One thing I want to suggest is if you are planning on staying at Disney or visiting Disney your whole trip is purchasing a multi day hopper pass. It will cost more up front but in the long run it will save money. B/c I know from first hand experience there is no way you can visit all 4 Disney theme parks in one day. Another little tip I would like to pass on is to save your change. Everyday empty out your pockets and put your left over change in a bottle. This really does work. You will be surprised at how fast it will accumulate. My hubby and I went to Las Vegas last year to get married. Well before we left we decided to roll all our change that we had collected. We ended up having over $300 in change. So we used that change to gamble with. So you could do the same thing for a Disney trip, but you could use that money to pay for theme park tickets. I would highly recommend that you bring a water bottle from home and fill it up with water before you go to the theme parks. If you don't do this is will end up spending anywhere from $3.50 to $4.50 for a bottle of water. You can refill your water bottle at the many water fountains they have all over the park and the fountains are always ice cold. Or you could do something special for your little one and save money at the same time. At all the parks they have some sort of character bottle you can buy for $7 to $10, but the neat thing is you can get free refills the whole time you are there. Another super way you can save a lot of money is by packing your little ones favorite snack in tuber ware containers and put them in a back pack or diaper bag. You could also pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or whatever your family likes. But be prepared for security to search your bag when you enter the gates. Eating at the theme parks can get pretty pricey real quick. You could send anywhere from $30 to $70 depending on how many people are in your family and what all they eat. So if you brought your own lunch and snacks in just think about how much you would be saving. Stay tuned for more money saving tips. Tags: How, to, save, money, on, a, Disney, trip Powered by Qumana

Disney Vaule Resort Part 2

Like I mentioned yesterday there are some really great benefits when you stayi at a Disney World Resort. The one that I think is the coolest is extra magic hours. What this means is every day one of the Disney Theme Parks opens an hour early or stays up an extra three hours after the park closes. So that means you can enjoy yourself more and won't have to worry about long boring lines to stand in. Also you can live the park at the hottest part of the day and go eat lunch back at the hotel. Or you could go for a swim or even take a nap. But be sure to bring valid resort identification so you can take advantage of these extra hours. If you don't have your resort tag they won't let you in. The second benefit which I think is a really good idea is Disney Transportation. You have complimentary access to motor coaches, water taxis and the Monorail. This is perfect for someone who doesn't know their way around Disney and the surrounding areas. Another benefit is Disney Dining. If you purchase the Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining you have the choice to eat at 100 selected restaurants. The best part is, you pay a fee for this card. I'm not 100% on what the fee is. But I think it's under $80. Basically when you go to one of this selected restaurants you show them the card. I'm assuming it acts like a credit card. I would suggest to get this card b/c you get great discounts on meals and snacks for the whole time you are there. A few other benefits is the Disney Service and package delivery. The Disney Service basically is like having a personal tour guide your whole trip. A Disney Cast Member is at your beck and call for whatever you need. This next services I think is a really great idea. Who likes carrying around packages while you are shopping? I know I don't, well at selected Disney shops they will actually deliver what ever you bought to your hotel room. Talk about service. One last thing I would suggest when thinking about planning a Disney Vacation. Keep an eye out for package deals. A lot of times the packages include some great discounts on tickets, rooms, and dining. Tags: Disney, Vaule, Resort, great, benefits, when, you, stay Powered by Qumana

A Disney Mother's Day

We all know that Mother's Day is just around the corner. If I was a mother I know I would be just tickled pink if my hubby or children got me something Disney related. I recently signed up for the Disney Online Store to receive emails with offers and discounts. Well I was actually surprised that I've gotten so many emails from them. I've gotten one everyday or every other day for the past 2 weeks. Just to inform me of sales and promotions they are having. Well I got one for mother's day gifts. The one gift that stood out the most to me was this cute as can be Thumper stuffed animal that has a personalized frame attached to it. I think it's fairly priced at $19.99. So if you are a mom and love Disney why not drop the hint to your hubby or children. Another way a Disney loving mom could spend her special day is by having brunch at Epcot. As I mentioned a week or so ago Epcot's Flower and Garden festival is going on as we speak. What Disney loving mom wouldn't want to spend a nice brunch in a very gorgeous garden surrounded by beautiful flowers. Well unless you are lucky enough to live in Orlando or visiting Disney on Mother's day then you are going to miss out on this special occasion. But hey you can always buy Mothers Day Flowers for mom. What mom wouldn't be happy with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. DotFlowers has some really pretty arrangments from Monticello Rose bouqets or abundant glory arrangements. And all the tradtional flowers that will impress mom. So let your mom know she is the most important women in your life and give her some exceptional mothers day flowers. Dotflowers also has some other gift ideas for mom too. If you are a mom who likes to drink coffee or hot tea. Why not tell your little one that you would love the have a mug from the Disney Store. They are very reasonable. You can usually get 2 for $12 and they come in all shapes and sized. Plus there is a huge variety of Disney characters to choose from. So if you have been stumped on what to tell your loved ones to get you for Mother's Day and you love Disney there are some great suggestions. Happy early Mother's Day to all you moms out there. Thank you for bring us into the world and caring for no mater how old we are. Tags: A, Disney, Mother's, Day, great, suggestions Powered by Qumana

Disney Value Resorts Part 1

I'm sure all of you are a little shocked when you discover the prices to stay at one of the Walt Disney World Resorts. Well in 1999 Disney started opening their Value Resorts. There are 4 of them so you have some choices. The really neat thing about these Value Resorts is they are divided into 4 themes. One is Pop Century which focuses on larger than life icons from the 1950-1990. There is a huge big wheel outside accompanied by a huge fus ball table that your children can run around in. There is also a huge play doh container out front as well as life size Mr. and Mrs. Potato head. The second resort is called All Star Movies. The front of this resort is decorated in 101 Dalmatians. Also Herbie The Love Bug is out front on his own winners circle. The lobby is set up like a movie theater would be. The rooms are decorated in various Disney Movies Like Toy Story and Fantasia. All in all if I were to stay at one of these resorts I would probably pick this one. The third resort is called All Star Music. Which is decorated in a music theme. There are huge musical instruments surrounding the outside. My personal favorite is the electric guitar and below it is a black 1950's Chevy. There are also huge cowboy boots outside. Which I thought was kind of cute.. As you can guess the rooms are decorated in all sort of musical themes. The last Value Resort is for all you sports fans. It's called All Star Sports Resort. This one is pretty self explanatory. It's decorated in sports themes. There is a huge football helmet that sits above a football field. There are huge megaphones on the side of the resort. Of course the rooms are decorated in different sports themes. Like baseball, basketball, football and many more. Now for the best part the rates to stay at one of these resorts. All four resorts have the same great affordable rates for their rooms. A standard room during the regular season which is considered April 23-August 26 and October 5-November 25 is $99 a night. For the preferred room it is $111 a night. The preferred rooms are rooms by the pool and guest facilities. Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment about the benefits of staying at a Disney Value Resort. Tags: Disney, Value, Resorts, great, affordable, rates Powered by Qumana

Universal Studios Hollywood

I stumbled across this today and I thought I would share it with y'all. As you all may or may not know that there is a Universal Studios in Hollywood California. I know it's a bit off topic of my blog, but I thought it was worth sharing. Universal Studios Hollywood does Studio Tours. You basically get to go on a behind the sense tour of actual movie sets. The movie sets that you get to get an up close view of are "War of the Worlds", :Jurassic Park:The Lost World","The Grinch Who Stole Christmas", the classic"Psycho" and many more. The tour last about 45 minutes so be sure to bring your camera and be ready to capture some cool pictures. Also keep an eye out for stars. Two movies are currently being filmed at Universal Studios Hollywood. Evan Almighty on stage 12, 27, Backlot. Which I'm assuming that's the sequel to Bruce Almighty. The Fast and The Furious 3 is being filmed on Stage 29. If you go online to Universal Studios Hollywood and buy your tickets there you will get $10 off the cost of one day admission. So instead of paying $59 you pay $49. Which that is a really great deal. Tags: Universal, Studios, Hollywood, Studio, Tours Powered by Qumana

What Is Your Favorite Theme Park And Ride?

If you are a regular at my blog you may or may not have noticed I've mentioned something about a blog carnival. Well this week I became brave enough to host it. With the help of my friend Elizabeth. Elizabeth has been kind enough to set up a group name at blog carnival the site. We are called Alphabet Soup Blog Carnival. So what is my favorite theme park and ride? Well that is a tough one for me b/c I have so many. I love Islands of Adventures. For those of you who don't know what that is. It's part of Universal Studios. This may be crazy but I have 4 favorite rides there. The Hulk, Spiderman, Fire and Ice. The Hulk, Fire and Ice are all roller coasters. And Spiderman is a 3-D ride that is unbelievable. Now for the Disney theme parks. I really like Magic Kingdom mainly b/c it has some of the classic Disney rides there. My favorites are Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. My other favorite Disney park is MGM. I love Tower of Terror. The reason I love this ride is b/c no matter how many times I ride it. I never know when they are going to drop the elevator. The other ride I like there is Rockin' Roller Coaster. But beware people the line for this ride is insane. B/c of this I've only ridden it once. So please feel free to share what your favorite theme park and ride is. It doesn't have to be Disney World or Universal Studios. If you love Six Flags, Busch Gardens or even Great Adventures Feel free to write about those. Bikermomma was kind enough to write about a funny experience she had at a theme park in Canada on a rainy day. Check out her blog for the funny tale. Susan blog owner of Susan’s Spa likes "It's A Small World" at Disney World. Check out her blog for her full story. Elizabeth blog owner of Surveys & More said a fun experience I had one year when I was in North Carolina and went to Carowinds. They had this ride there that I think was called "THE DROP" or something like that. It's one of those rides that after being securely seated, takes you all the way up like, I believe, 150 feet or more in the air and then just drops you. It's the closest thing to bungy jumping that I have ever experienced. What a rush!!! It was scarey too. I don't think I'd do that one again, lol! Like me she can't decided on a favorite theme park. Please submit your blog article to this edition of “Alphabet Soup Blog Carnival”! Please use our Carnival Submission Form by clicking on the link below Blog Carnival Call For Submission Tags: what, is, your, favorite, theme, park, and, ride, Disney, Universal Stuidos, Islands, of, Adventures Powered by Qumana

Orlando Ale House

If you are in Orlando and you are looking for a good place to eat. This is it y'all. The Orlando Ale House it is my favorite restaurant in Orlando. Every time I go down there it is a must that I eat there. My favorite thing there to eat are the zingers. Zingers are boneless chicken wings. What makes them the best is the sauce they put on them. It is to die for. The sauce ranges from mild to Mt. St. Helens. I stick with the mild b/c my mouth can't take anything else. Another thing they are popular for is their Big Red which is a monster of a chicken sandwich. They also have cute little mini burgers that are really good too. I think all the food there is great. I've never had a bad experience there. The prices are pretty good too. It's like any Apple Bee's or Red Lobster. So if you are in Orlando and you want a good meal head to one of the 5 different Ale House locations and enjoy your meal and have some zingers for me. Tags: good, place, to, eat, Orlando, Ale, House Powered by Qumana

Discounted Universal Stuidio Tickets

I can't believe this ya'll. I just found out last night that Universal Studios raised their prices to compete with their rivals. I think this is really ridiculous, why raise your ticket prices? Hello it makes sense to keep them lower than everyone else therefore you will get more business b/c your prices are cheaper. I guess I just don't understand the logic of those who are in charge of that decision. Well any way the prices to get into Universal Studios was $59.75 plus tax for an adult and $48.00 plus tax for a child. Children under three are free of course. Well the new prices are $63.00 plus tax for an adult and $52.00 plus tax for a child. The good news is if you buy your tickets online at Universal Studios website you can still get the old ticket prices. You will only be saving three dollars a ticket but hey every little bit helps. If you decided to buy your tickets online then you have several choices on how to get the tickets. For instance you can print them from your computer. Keep in mind only the one day/one park ticket can be printed on your printer at home. Other ways to get your tickets is kind of like a will call. There is a machine outside the gates of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures. You simply put the credit card in the machine that you purchased the tickets on. Don't worry you won't get charged again it's just a verification thing. You type in your confirmation code on the conformation email that was sent to you and out pop your tickets. And of course there is always getting them by mail but you have to pay extra for that. I'm sure there are other discounted places all over the Internet offering cheaper deals. I've looked at some of them myself. But for some reason I had a feeling that they may or may not be legit. But hey that's up to ya'll to make that decision. So if you find an offer that is really great and want to give it a try go for it. I'm just a little hesitant to. Tags: discounted, Universal, Stuidos, tickets Powered by Qumana

Ride Rides Before They Open

I thought I would write a post about riding a ride at an Orlando theme park before the ride actually opens. With all the new rides opening at the theme parks this summer I thought this would be the perfect time to share this with everyone. I was lucky enough to ride 2 rides at Universal Studios before they officially opened. I rode Twister at Universal Studios before it opened. This was years ago. I know what ya'll are probably thinking why would they let tourist ride a ride before it opens. Well I'll tell you why, they want to get feed back on the ride and see if they should change anything. I know when I came back the next year and did Twister again they had changed some things. My husband and I rode The Revenge of the Mummy at Universal 2 years ago before it actually opened. I don't know if they changed anything from it b/c I haven't ridden it since. But I was very impressed with the ride. This is the first roller coaster they have at Universal Studios, and the ride is very exciting and has a lot of surprises all throughout the ride. I was very impressed with all the special affects and all the mummies and everything. My husband and I left ride with smile on our faces and with our heart pumping. I'm not sure if they have the rides open all the time for "test rides" as they like to call them. But I was lucky enough to get to ride them. I'm not sure if Disney does this but I'm pretty sure they do. I have never taken part in one but that doesn't mean they don't do it. But with Disney I think they like their cast members to be the first ones to test the ride Universal is opening a new ride at Islands of Adventures called High In The Sky Seuss Trolley Train. The ride is slated to open in June but if you are there before then check out the ride and see if they are doing test rides. You never know you might be able to ride it. So when you are at a theme park in Orlando and you know they are building a new ride keep you eye open to see if you can get a sneak peek before it actually opens. Tags: ride, rides, before, they, open, Orlando, Disney, Universal, Studios Powered by Qumana

New Disney Postage Stamps

Great news everyone 4 new Disney stamps are going to be available soon. Friday April 21, 2006 at 9:30 am to kick off the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot, the U.S. Postal Service is going to unveil the Art of Romance stamps. I'm not sure when these stamps will be available to buy at the post office but I'm assuming Friday or the Saturday. Check out the preview of the stamps below. I'm sure ya'll are wondering what this Flower and Garden Festival is at Epcot. Well this is the 13th year they have done this. Florida residents have raved about this festival and can't wait for it to come back every year. This festival last until June 11. Keep in mind that they only celebrate this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They have so many different activities scheduled for this year. For example, they have a concert every night in the gardens, Paul James from HGTV will be there April 22-23 from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. to answer any garden question you may have. The weekend of April 28-30 Disney characters will be hosting a garden party for guests. You can celebrate you "unbirthday" with Alice. Home Depot and FamilyFun magazine are hosting special kids activities. May 5-7 you will see the work of 12 different artists in the Epcot gardens. Children get the chance to paint whatever they want in a garden. Mother's Day weekend is all about mom and pampering her. May 19-21 Disney characters will be popping in and out at the festival. The Home Depot is hosting a variety of hands on garden act ivies all weekend. A butterfly expert will be there to tell you how to bring butterfly's to your garden. The new Tinker Bell Fairy Garden introduces a glittering Tinker Bell topiary. Memorial Day weekend they are having all sorts of fun filled family activities and games. June 2-4 you will learn how bugs keep your garden clean and they can be fun. Animal Kingdom's bug specialist will be there to educated you on bugs. Jiminy Cricket and his friends will be making an appearance all weekend. Lady bugs will also be released throughout the day. On the weekend of June 9-11 the festival wraps up and they are going to have experts there to teach you how to keep a healthy garden and to also dream up a neat garden container. One last comment about the Flower and Garden Festival, I've seen some of the Disney characters that they have created out of flowers, bushes you name it. It is really amazing. I wish I could do what they do to some of the bushes in my yard. I would love to have a bush or something made into Tinker Bell b/c I love her. So if you are going to be down in Orlando during this festival I strongly suggest to go check it out. You will also get some really great pictures of all the different flowers. Tags: new, disney, postage, stamp, flower, and, garden, festival, Epcot, Orlando Powered by Qumana

Disney Cruise Sailing To Mediterranean

Starting in the summer of 2007 Disney Cruise Line will be sailing to Europe. I personally think it's great that they added this locations onto their itinerary. You will be visiting Sicily, Italy, France and Spain. I can't think of a better way to see Europe while surrounded by every thing Disney. But unfortunately these cruises come with a hefty price tag. Prices start at $1,999 and go up to $6,699. for the 11 night cruise and $2,399 to $6,699 for the 10 night cruise. But hey I guess if you think about it you are going on a cruise for 10 or 11 days and you get to see a lot of pretty places in Europe. So if you got the money to spend go for it. After all I'm sure it will be something that you will never forget. Now for every one that is not rolling in the doe. You may want to consider just taking a 3 night cruise to Bahamas. You would visit Nassau and Castaway Cove (which is Disney private Island). Those prices start at $429 and go up to $2,999. Or you could embark on the 7 night land and sea vacation. I think this one is really cool . You actually start your cruise at The Walt Disney World Resort, where you stay for 2 days to enjoy all the Disney theme parks. Then you go to Nassau and Castaway Cove. Those prices range from $939 to $5,399. Then there is the 7 night eastern Caribbean Cruise which includes stops at St. Maarten, St. Thomas/St.John and Castaway Cove. Those prices start at $849 and go up to $5,399. There is also a 7 night western Caribbean cruise that stops at Key West, Grand Cayman,Cozumel and of course Castaway Cove. For this cruise it is $849 to $5,399. I haven't been on a Disney Cruise but everyone I've talked to has raved about it. They said the best part about the Disney Cruise is they have so many activities for the little ones that you and your sweetheart can slip away for some quiet time and you know the kids will be well looked out for and very entertained. They also said that having the Disney characters on board was really neat. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and they gang walk around the ship dressed in sailor outfits. All in all the Disney Cruise is like being at Disney World but sailing in the water. So if you are thinking about taking a family cruise some time soon. Think about taking a Disney Cruise. After all you know your kids will be very entertained and never bored. Tags: Disney, Cruise, Bahamas, Caribbean, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, private, island Powered by Qumana

New Attractions Coming To Disney World

Sounds like Disney is trying to give their parks a face lift. Disney has embarked on some changes to their theme parks. If you are a regular here you know that Expedition Everest opened at Animal Kingdom last week. Well that's not all Disney has up their sleeve. In late 2006 Disney's Animal Kingdom is planning on opening a new show centered around Finding Nemo. Sounds to me like this show is going to be rather entertaining. It's going to be more on the musical side. But hey those are fun. There is going to be singing of course, puppets, dancers and acrobats surrounded with animated backdrops. As of now the show is planned to last 30 minutes and it will be performed several times a day. Another show that they are working on will take place at Epcot. It too will be centered around Finding Nemo. The cool thing about this is it's going to take place inside a real life aquarium. This show is going to take up where the movie ended. So you get to follow Nemo and all his friends on a new adventure. This is slated to open in the fall of 2006. The last new addition to the Disney family is to Pirates of the Caribbean. I was wondering when they were going to put a new spin on this popular Disney ride. I mean the movie spun off of this ride and became a huge success for Disney. If you have been to The Magic Kingdom here recently and noticed the ride was closed that's b/c they are adding on to the ride to incorporated with the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie that is planned to come to theaters July 7, 2006. I know I can't wait. I absolutely love this movie. Well any ways back to the ride. They are adding Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa to the ride to coincide with the sequel that is coming out this summer. I know the next time I go to Disney I will be excited to check this out. Tags: new, attractions, coming, to, Disney, Findiing, Nemo, Pirates, of, the, Caribbean Powered by Qumana

Disney Store Huge Sale

Oh my goodness ya'll. I went to the mall today and of course I had to pop into The Disney Store. I couldn't believe what I saw. Almost the whole store was on sale. I must have spent 20 minuets in there just looking around at everything. They have infant clothes in there for $4.99 to $7.99. Too bad I don't have a baby otherwise I would have bought something. They had cute as can be pink pooh socks for newborns for $1.99. They had really cute footed outfits. They may have been pj's I'm not sure 2 for $20. They had ones of Pooh, Minnie, Dumbo and a whole bunch more. As soon as I walked into the store there was this table set up that had plastic children plates on it of pooh and eeyore for $1.99. They also really cute picture frames of Tink, Mickey and other Disney characters for $7.99. You could get 3 stuffed animals of any Disney character for $20 I think, it might have been $15. I was trying to soak everything up. So I"m sorry if my prices are off a little. Towards the back of they store they have some really nice big mugs 2 for $12. They had children shirts 3 for $20 of different Disney characters. They were also having a good sale on Disney pj's. A lot of their toys were on sale too. I noticed they had some princess doll, that were really nice that were on sale as well. So I guess what I'm getting at is if you need a last minute gift for an Easter basket or have b-day on they way and your child loves Disney. I would head to the Disney Store as soon as possible and take advantage of this wonderful low prices. This prices are not available online so keep that in mind. Great news for my fellow blogger's. Another blog carnival is going on. Come and join in on the fun.http://gottaspa.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-do-you-pamper-yourself.html Tags: Disney, Store, sale, low, prices Powered by Qumana

Animal Kingdom Part 2

Hope y'all were able to catch Expedition Everest last night on the Discovery Channel. It was really neat to learn what all goes into making a ride at a theme park. Another really great attraction to see at Animal Kingdom is, It's Tough to be a Bug. The best part about this is it's inside and there is cold a/c blowing on you. Which is nice when you have been out in that hot Orlando sun. This is not a ride or anything it's a mini 3-D show that lets you experience what it's like to be a bug. I really got a kick out of this. Of course it has all your favorite characters from A Bug's Life in it. But be prepared for a surprise at the end of the show. So sit back in your seats and enjoy the show. Something else you have got to check out while you are there is the Festival of the Lion King. This is a live show and is really entertaining. It's almost like a circus, with all the singing, tumbling, and acrobats going on at the same time. What I thought was cool about this is they include the audience in the show. You get to make animal noises which is pretty interesting. Of course Simba, Timon,and Pumbea take part in this show. All in all I thought it was a good show and I walked away with a smile on my face The last ride I'm going to touch on is Dinosaur. This ride is inside as well which is always nice. My cousins and I had a lot of fun on this ride b/c my cousins knew where the camera was. Since we knew when we were gonna get our picture taken we posed for the camera. We did the hear no evil, see no evil,speak no e veil. It turned out really good so we bought the picture. Any ways, this ride takes you back into a prehistoric adventure. You hop on you Time Rover and go back in time to try and save a stray dinosaur. But beware of the mean and nasty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Another tide bit of information I want to share with y'all is there is a McDonald's inside Animal Kingdom. Which I thought was pretty cool. That's about it for Animal Kingdom. I only did a few things there when I went b/c we wanted to hop to the different parks. Don't worry there is plenty more to do at Animal Kingdom. I just don't have any first hand experience with it. There are plenty of different animals to watch and observe at Animal Kingdom like, goats,sheep,pigs,liamas and chickens. At Discovery Island you can encounter Galapagos tortoises,lemars,cotton-top tamarin monkeys and other creatures. At Maharajah Jungle Trek you will see Komodo dragons, tapires, tigers and other exotic animals. Lastly, if you want to see some gorillas I suggest you go over to Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. That's about it for Animal Kingdom. So if you want to see some interesting animals from all over the world I suggest to go to Animal Kingdom and have a fun day in the sun with some magnificent animals. Tags: Animal.Kingdom, Orlando, fun, Mcdonalds Powered by Qumana

Animal Kingdom Part 1

I thought I would go ahead and write about Animal Kingdom since I mentioned it in my post yesterday. What I meant about Animal Kingdom getting a new ride is. I always felt like Animal Kingdom was missing something from all the other Disney theme parks. Granted Animal Kingdom is more centered around the animals and everything. But all the other parks had some sort of a thrill ride or something that gets your heart pumping. Like Magic Kingdom has Space Mountain, and Splash Mountain. MGM has Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster and Epcot has Test Track. So with the Addison of Expedition Everest I think Animal Kingdom hit the nail on the head with this thrill ride. It is really important when you are going to Animal Kingdom to get there when the gates open. If you want to look at all the animals they are more active in the morning than they are any other time of the day. With that said, as soon as you enter the park I would head straight to the back and hop on Kilimanjaro Safaris. This is the neatest ride. You get on an actually safaris bus and you ride around this habitat that was created for all the African animals. This is really a awesome experience. If your lucky some of the animals will come up close to the bus. So always have your camera ready. B/c you don't want to miss out on a great photo opportunity with a African animal. You will see giraffes, hippos, elephants, rhinos, lions, and many other animals. I got some great pictures on this ride some of them turned out so well they look like a post card. Another attraction I have to mention is The Tree of Life. It's not a ride or anything but you have got to check it out. It is a masterpiece. The tree stands 14 stories high and is 50 feet wide. You will be in aw at the 325 animals that are craved into the tree. The detail on all of them is amazing. This is also a great photo opportunity for the whole family. Don't forget to watch Expedition Everest tonight on Discovery Channel. Check your local listings for the time. Stay tuned for Part 2 of Animal Kingdom Tags: Animal, Kingdom, Disney, thrill, ride, safari, african, animals Powered by QumanaTags :

Expedition Everest

Great news for anyone who is planning on going to Disney World anytime soon. Animal Kingdom has opened their newest ride called Expedition Everest. I imagine this ride will not disappoint you. I'm actually glad that they have made a new ride at Animal Kingdom. I personally thought they were lacking something there. I'm not denying that it's not a good park and there isn't great things to see there. I will touch on that on a different day. The ride officially opened April 7, 2006. It looks like it would be a blast. The ride is not a roller coaster but you are in a roller coater like train and tracks. Disney wanted you to feel like you were on a journey to Mt. Everest. I think they pretty much nailed it. According to a cast member that wrote a review on the ride. To me it sounds like Disney stepped it up a notch on Expedition Everest you get dropped 80 feet and you twist and turn and even get hurled backwards and at the end of the ride you encounter the scary Yeti that is protecting the mountain. If you want to know more about this great new ride. The Discovery Channel is doing a special on it and it is airing Wednesday April 12, 2006 at 8:00 pm. Tags: Expedition, Everest, Disney, World, Animal, Kingdom, Discovery, Channel, new, ride Powered by Qumana

Discovery Cove Part 4

I bet y'all are wondering if there is anything else to do at Discovery Cove. The answer no. But they do offer some different type experiences there that I wanted to share with you. One being the Twilight Discovery. This is actually pretty neat. I have not taking part in this b/c it is new this year. You and 149 other guest get the opportunity to have a more one on one with the dolphins and of course you get to enjoy the other things as well. You get to have a wonderful dinner at the Laguna Grill including cocktails and for all you seafood lovers out there that is offered as one of your dinner choices. Keep in mind this is only available Tuesday through Friday evenings. It begins at 3 pm and ends at 9pm. The cost is the same as full day admission. If you have forgotten it's $279. Discovery Cove also offers the ultimate experience called Trainer for the day. Which includes more hands on and a longer encounter with the dolphins. Behind the scene feeding of all the animals of the coral reef. You also get to feed and take care of the wonderful exotic birds in the aviary. You get to take part in playtime and training sessions with the dolphins. You also get to take part in food preparation for all the animal at Discovery Cove. As cool as this all sounds it comes with a nice price tag of $449 a person. So I think the normal day admission is just fine. Not unless you've got the money to spend. The last package they offer is called Dolphin's Lover's Sleep over. I personally think this would be really cool and not to mention fun. You get to camp out on one of the beaches alongside one of the Dolphin lagoons. So you get wake right up and start you day at Discovery Cove before anyone else. The cost of this is $419 a person. I'm not sure how many people they allow to do this. But I wouldn't think it was a lot. So if you and your family are heading down to Orlando and want a unique and amazing experience. Keep Discovery Cove in mind. I know the prices are a bit steep but I think it is worth it. I mean it's almost a once in a life opportunity. I know if I could do it again I would in a heart beat. For all of y'all out there dying to know what a dolphin feel like. I'll tell you, they feel like a wet inner tub. There is also something about looking into a dolphins eyes. It's kind of hard to describe. It's like you are looking into their soul. They are really a fascinating creature. For all you bloggers out there come join in on a blog carnival. It's really a good way to get your blog out there. http://freesurveylists.blogspot.com/ Tags: Discovery, Cove, Orlando, fun, swim, with, dolphins, trainer, for, the, day Powered by Qumana

Discovery Cove Part 3

Don't worry everyone there is more to do at Discovery Cove than just swim with the dolphins and swim in the coral reef. They have a lagoon just for the sting rays. Granted these sting rays are not as big as the ones in the coral reef, but here you get to really interact with them.. You can pet them as they swim by and don't worry there are a lot of sting rays in there so you won't have a problem petting one. You may even be lucky enough to feed one. The water is very shallow in the Ray Lagoon so please remember do not splash around in there. There will be a Discovery Cove worker watching you and know one likes to get yelled at. Like I said before sting rays kind of feel a little slimy but in a neat way. I think it's cool just to watch them glide along in the water. I think they way they move is so graceful. After you get done swimming with the dolphins and you have already previewed your video and photos that were taken. Keep in mind if you want to purchase something it may be on the pricey side. I was very fortunate at the time I went b/c my cousin was working there as the head camera man so I didn't have to worry about the prices. I would recommend that you head straight to the Resort Pool. The water is kept at 80 degrees a heck of a lot warmer than the 72 degree water you were in while you were swimming with the dolphins. As you can imagine there isn't anything great to do in the pool except for swimming around. But the water is crystal clear and very refreshing. It also connects to the Tropical River that actually takes you around the different environments of Discovery Cove minus the Dolphin Lagoon. The Tropical River is actually really neat b/c a slight current revolves around so you feel like you are being carried away. Which helps b/c after a while you may get tried of swimming. There is also a cave to explore while you are swimming along the river which is neat. There are also plenty of waterfalls in the pool and river. Those waterfalls set the mood for a great photo opportunity. If you are all watered out you can take a break from the water and lay back in a nice beach chair and soak up some sun on beach they have there. They also have waiters come by asking if you want something to drink. Which I thought was really cool, b/c it made me feel like I was at a fancy resort once again. The last thing I'm going to touch on today is the Aviary. I thought this was really cool. Where else do you get a chance it get up close and personal with 30 different species of tropical birds. It's not like typical Aviary's where you are looking in on them you actually get to walk around in their environment. They fly above you walk beside you and everything. You also get the opportunity to feed the birds. I thought that was really fun. You just hold you palm out flat with some food on it and the birds will come right up to you and take it out of your hand. My cousin got some good pictures of me feeding a bird. Stay tuned for the last installment of Discovery Cove. Tags: Discovery, Cove, swim, with, dolphins, tropical.birds, fun, fancy, resort Powered by Qumana

Discovery Cove Part 2

Hopefully y'all didn't get scared off by the price of Discovery Cove. I know you are probably wondering what else is there to do besides swimming with the dolphins. Well when the powers that be came up with Discovery Cove they wanted you to feel like you were in you own little paradise. I know when I was there I truly felt like I was in a fancy resort for the day.When you first arrive at Discovery Cove you have to check in. They then take your picture and give you a necklace with your picture and name on it and the time you have been allotted to swim with the dolphins. You then get your picture taken by a Discovery Cove sign. After that they take you to get your snorkel and mask which comes in handy for the coral reef . Then you get to decided if you want to get a wetsuit or just a vest. Those come in handy when you swim with the dolphins. The water is kept at 72 degrees and that's pretty cold for a water temperature. Then you are given a locker and you get to make up the code for it and you are off to enjoy your day at Discovery Cove. I was lucky to have my dolphin encounter early in the morning. Basically you show up to the lagoon that is printed on your necklace. You watch this little video and the trainers give you some instructions and you are on your way. Just FYI they do not allow any jewelry while you swim with the dolphins except a wedding ring so make sure you take all that off. As I mentioned earlier there is a coral reef there. I was really impressed with the coral reef. There are so many colorful reefs there to look at. Also I was taken away by the assortment of tropical fish they have in there. You truly feel like you are in the ocean swimming around with them. Another awesome thing about the coral reef is they have sting rays in there that are up to 5 feet long. Can you believe that. I was taken aback by those b/c I'm 5 foot myself. Don't worry though all the sting rays have been clipped so they won't sting you. This would be a great time for me to tell you to purchase a under water camera. I did and I got some really great pictures. I got a disposable one at CVS. I guess you could say I was fortunate enough to have one of the 5 foot long sting rays swim right by me and brush up against me. They actually feel pretty slimy but in a cool way. That was really neat. If you are having trouble spotting one of the 5 foot long sting rays in the coral reef put your mask on and dive under the water the usually like to sit on the bottom of the sand. I also found myself in the middle of a feeding frenzy while I was swimming around. I was able to get a lot of great pictures of them b/c all of the fish were right in front of me. They also have some sharks and a barracuda in the coral reef. Don't be alarmed though they are behind protective glass in a shipwreck they created. When I went under to look at them I found the face of a barracuda starting right back at me and it startled me a little b/c I wasn't expecting it. Those things are one of the scariest thing to look at in my opinion. Oh and for you women out there I almost forgot if you have a bright colored nail polish on your tail nails that will attract the fish and you may get some nibbles on your toes. I know I did. Stay tuned for the next installment of Discovery Cove Tags: Discovery, Cove, swim, with, dolphins, coral, reef, paradise, tropical, fish, sting, rays, barracuda Powered by Qumana

Discovery Cove Part 1

I know that not many people have heard of this place and are probably wondering what it is. Well it is not really a theme park but it is part Sea World. It's actually located across the street from Sea World. It is a place where you can swim with dolphins for the day. The best part about this place is they only allow 1000 guest in a day. So you won't have to deal with crowds which is great. Every since I was 11 years old I've wanted to know what it would be like to swim with a dolphin. Well I got the chance when Discovery Cove was opened in Orlando. I went the first year they were open and I had the most amazing experience there. Keep in mind that unfortunately you can't swim with the dolphins whenever you please. You are allotted a 30 minutes period during the day to interact with the dolphins. Keep in mind parents that children under the age of 6 are not allowed to swim the dolphins. During your dolphin encounter you get to feed the dolphins, ride the dolphins, pet them, rub their belly, and instructed to do certain tricks. Towards the end of your encounter you have a photo opportunity. They have professional photographer and camera man there to capture the whole experience. I know most of you are thinking wow that's great but how much would something like that cost. Well it is pretty expensive. It is $279 a person if you want to swim with a dolphin but if you choose not to swim with a dolphin then it is $179 a person. Please don't let the price scare you. I know all of you are probably thinking wow a family of 4 or 5 that would brake the bank. But that price is all exclusive. It includes your parking, a breakfast, all the snacks and drinks you want throughout the day, Also a great 3 course lunch and a free photo. Plus they provide you with a personal locker to put all your belonging in and not to mention that their bathrooms are the nicest bathrooms I've every been in. I don't know if I have scared some people off with the price but for others that maybe interested please keep in mind that you have to make reservations. I would recommend doing it as soon as possible. Tags: Discovery, Cove, Sea, World, swim, with, dolphins, Orlando Powered by Qumana

101 Dalmatians

I know you all have seen Disney's 101 Dalmatians. It was actually my favorite Disney movie when I was in elementary school. Well the other day I was watching my nephew and he wanted to watch 101 Dalmatians. I couldn't find the cartoon one so I put in the one that Disney made with real Dalmatians. Well when the movie started my nephew said, "Look there's Boo Boo." (that's the nick name of my parents Dalmatian) See when I was 11 years old I had to have a Dalmatian I thought I was gonna die if I didn't have one. So my parents gave in decided to let me get one. Well turns out the was probably the worst thing my parents let me do. We ended up getting a female Dalmatian. She is a great dog. But she has a heck of a lot more faults than she does anything else. The main thing is she is very aggressive. I really believe she could seriously hurt someone if she was given the chance to. Secondly, she has a lot of allergies. She is even allergic to grass. Which makes things really difficult. She is highly allergic to wheat and it took us forever to find a dog food that didn't not have wheat in it. So for the longest time we had to feed her cooked hamburger meat and corn. She has also had some tumors removed from her hips and she has had cauliflower ear twice. I'm sure that there are Dalmatians out there that don't have these problems, but I have talked to a lot of people that went thru the same thing we did. So what I'm getting at is when you see a movie with a cute and cuddly dog in please please thinking twice and do some research on the breed before you make that commitment. B/c of the remake of 101 Dalmatians the demand for Dalmatians grew rapidly. So I feel they over breed some dogs and it weakened the blood line and that's why they have some many problems. Also b/c of this movie people went out and bought one and found out for themselves they take a lot of work and you are constantly taking them to vet and spending money. So a lot of Dalmatians were abandon and taken to shelters so then we were left with a ton of Dalmatians with no home to go to. I know getting a new puppy is a great feeling and heck we all feel like little kids again when we get a new puppy. But please take the time to find out all the information you can about a breed before you go out and get one. Remember getting a dog should be a life time commitment. After all if you had a child with special needs you wouldn't just give them away. We now interrupt for this commercial. If you are looking for barrington real estate. Searchillioisehomes.com has what you are thinking for. Whether it be a house, condo or a town home. They have the most comprehensive listings available in Barrington at NewCastle realty. Interestingly enough Barrington has a crime rate of 2%. And 74.1% of the jobs are white collard and the other $25.9 are blue collared jobs. So head over there and see if they have a home you are looking for. Tags: 101, Dalmatians, Disney, movie, feel, like, a, kid, again Powered by Qumana Powered by Qumana

Sea World part 2

Believe it or not Sea World offers some pretty cool dining experiences. I've personally been to the Makahiki Luau. It was the coolest dining experiences I've had. You basically feel like you are in Hawaii. I've always wanted to go there so to me I guess they hit the nail on the head as far as the way they have everything decorated. The neatest thing is there is a luau going on while you eat. There are fire breathers and everything. I would suggest experiencing this yourself. The prices are a little expensive but we are talking Sea World here. You also have to have a reservation. Prices are $45.95 for adults and for children under the age of 10 it $29.95. I feel it is worth the money. The food is good and you have great entertainment while you eat. Another dining experience they have is Dine with Shamu. Where you get to sit at a table next to the killer whale habitat. This experience includes an all you can eat buffet. With a lot of options. The prices for adults are $37 and for children under 10 it's $19. Reservations are required. You can reserve a table at the reservations table right inside the main gate when you enter Sea World. So if you are heading down to Orlando don't forget about Sea World. Tags: Ses, World, Dining, experience, Shamu, Orlando, killer, whale Powered by Qumana

Sea World part 1

A lot of people may forget about Sea World when they are planning their Orlando Vacation. But I would suggest to put it on the itinerary for your vacation. Sea World has done a lot of major changes to the park here recently. They have a new dolphin show called Blue Horizon. I think it's about time they got some kind of dolphin show at Sea World. I haven't seen it yet myself b/c last year when I was there they weren't running the show. Another new show that they have is called Believe. Which features the killer whales. Sea World best describes as a killer whale ballet. I myself am very excited about this new show. But the bad thing is it doesn't open until May 2006. I think the best thing about Believe opening in May is hopefully it won't be too busy. Last year my husband I went in May and there was hardly anyone at Sea World the day we went. Also when you first walk into Sea World and to your left is the dolphin nursery. Take a second to go over there and check it out. Last year when I was there they had 2 baby dolphins swimming around in there with their mothers. Sometimes if you are lucky they will swim up close to the edge so you can get a real good look at them. I would also recommend stopping by the Sea Lion pool. My husband and I stayed there for almost an hour watching them. They are so comical to watch and they look so cute when they are sunning and trying to take a nap. For you thrill seekers out there don't worry Sea World has a roller coaster called Kraken. It's the fastest, and tallest footless roller coaster in Orlando. At times you go as high as 15 stories and you reach speeds of 65 mph. And you go upside down 7 times. That's always loads of fun! Tags: Sea, World, Orlando, killer, whale, dolphin, roller, coaster Powered by Qumana