|
|
 Orlando Hotels The Orlando area is home to more than 400 Orlando hotels. Each one offers a range of amenities to ensure a comfortable and convenient stay for each guest.
So what are some of the standard amenities you might be interested in when staying at a Orlando hotel?
Complimentary shuttles. Since so many Orlando hotels are located just minutes away from theme parks, you will find that many of them offer free shuttle transportation. Some Orlando hotels also offer transportation to Orlando International Airport. Be sure to ask about this if you do not have a car with you.
Pools. Most of the hotels have pools. Some even have waterslides. Others have multiple pools and slides. And you’ll even find Jacuzzis. What better way to take in the Florida sun than to swim around the hotel pool?
Internet Services. Complimentary Internet Access and some even offer business centers and meeting rooms~Most Orlando hotels offer in-room broadband access and some provide business centers and even meeting rooms}. If you have some work to finish while you’re on your vacation, it will nott be an issue.
Quality concierge services. A lot of local offer visitors concierge services. If you need assistance booking dinner reservations, finding the best spa or getting advice on which Orlando theme parks to visit, the concierge can help you out.
In-room coffeemakers and ironing boards. Most Orlando hotels offer these amenities, this way you can be sure to start your mornings off free of any stress. In addition to coffeemakers, many of the hotels even provide free coffee to guests.
Cleaning services. This is probably understood. You will find maid service and staff who will help your family with any housekeeping concerns you might have.
Gift shops. At the themed hotels and resorts, you’ll find themed gift shops. But at many of the Orlando area, you will find some kind of souvenirs.
Washers and dryers. Not all of the area hotels have washer and dryer services, but some do. And some are free. This is definitely worth looking into—especially if you’re planning on staying in Orlando for a few days. Also, some Orlando hotels provide dry cleaning services.
Lounge and restaurant. Most hotels in Orlando have a lounge and restaurant. Some even offer happy hours, free cocktail receptions or free breakfasts.
Fitness centers. Whether it is a small gym or a larger fitness center, most Orlando hotels accommodate guests who desire to stay in shape. The facilities are normally free to guests but it does not hurt to check with the Orlando hotel before booking your stay.
Wake-up phone calls. These are usually offered free of charge.
Each Orlando hotel offers unique amenities, but these are just the main ones that you’ll see across the board. If you are looking for something specific, do not forget to inquire about it before getting your reservation.
 Radisson World Gate If you are desiring a break and want to head to Orlando for a family vacation, you may not want to wait too long to book your reservations. Currently the Orlando vacation market is gearing up for high season, and what this equates to for travelers is higher prices.
The same hotel that booked for $42 a night is now booking for $52 a night. You might think that the extra $10 per night is no big deal but this is just the beginning of such increases across the board. Also, keep in mind that the hotel room that you currently book for $52 can undergo another increase as high season continues.
High season is when the Orlando hotel market is busiest, and this is when hotel managers cash in by raising rates when there is increased demand for rooms. High season is what helps keep hotels in business all year round. This is when they make their profit.
I say all that to say this. Book now before the rates go up again and you have to pay even more for your Orlando vacation. The sooner that you book, the more that you will save and that will enable you to spend more at the restaurants, outlet malls and at the Disney parks.
 Universal Studios Orlando Universal Studios in Orlando has rolled out their new ticket-pricing this past Monday. It was created in an effort to take advantage of an expected increase in attendance this Spring, when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens its gates for the first time in 2010.
The changes included adding new three and four day tickets which were not available before. The price for two day tickets increased but the one day ticket did not have its price changed. The one day ticket currently sells for $79. If you choose the three or four day ticket option, the per day park price drops significantly. With the three day ticket, your day at the park will cost you $42 and if you choose the four day ticket, each day at the park will cost you $34.
Visitors to Universal Studios Orlando will also have the option of going to all the parks on the same exact day. This upgrade is comparable to Walt Disney World’s Park Hopper option which allow park visitors to hop to all of the major Disney theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot Center) all in the same day. The main drawback with Park hopping at Disney World is that their theme parks all take to or 30 minutes to get to so hopping from park to park is quite a task. Those who choose to do so at Universal Studios will be able to visit the various Universal parks much more quickly.
 Tigger When I took my two year old out going daughter to Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, I was a little concerned with how she would react to the Disney characters that make appearances in the theme park. After all, she was only two. The characters all are friendly, of course, and they will take the time to pose for family photos and will sign autograph books and memorabilia. At any given time, you can find famous Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Tigger, Captain Hook and a host of other characters throughout all of the Disney parks.
Anyhow, while we were at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios I noticed Tigger not to far from us, and before I could grab my daughter, she ran off to him. She was not intimidated in the least. Once she got to him, she just stood there and looked at him. I think she wanted a hug or to be picked up by him. Her response really surprised me because smaller children can tend to be afraid of the characters especially the Disney villains. Tigger was kind enough to take a picture and sign her autograph book for her. Now, our daughter is a teenager and really does not remember meeting Tigger, but we have a picture, memories, and autograph to prove it.
 The sale of Marvel comics to Disney was recently approved by Marvel shareholders. Each share owned by the shareholders brought in $54.03. The final purchase price of Marvel by Disney was $4.24 billion. The purchase by Disney is their largest since they purchased the animation company, Pixar Animation Studios, the maker of Cars, Up and Toy Story.
Isaac ‘Ike’ Perlmutter, Marvel Chief Executive, will maintain his position at Marvel where he oversees all business and he will have to report to Disney CEO Robert Iger. Iger was quoted saying that the sale can help Disney increase profits.
Some 6,000 Marvel characters were included in the sale. Some of the more popular Marvel characters included are Captain America, Spiderman, Daredevil, Wolverine, Cyclops, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Dr. Strange, Ghost Rider, Sub Mariner, Green Goblin, and King Pin.
In a separate deal, Disney took 10% control of POW! Entertainment for $2.5 million. POW! is run by Stan Lee, who created many of the popular Marvel characters. Lee said that they agreed upon a three-year relationship with Disney where they will provide Disney greater rights to their creative output & exclusive consulting services. Stan Lee is considered the creator of Spiderman.
 Orlando Vacation Package My husband was sharing with me the other day about a fairly new concept for booking a vacation to Orlando. Most people book their theme park tickets and Orlando hotel or vacation home separately from one another, but their a few select companies out there that will combine your accommodations with your Orlando theme park tickets into one convenient Orlando vacation package. It truly is one stop shopping.
The theme park tickets that you purchase can be to the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Epcot Center, Universal Studios Orlando and Sea World Orlando. You can purchase tickets for both adults and children and you have plenty of multi-day ticket options. Now, when it comes to accommodations, you can select either a vacation home, condo, villa, town home or hotel in the Orlando area. All of the accommodations are pretty close to the theme parks. Some are just about 5 or 10 minutes away from them.
What’s great about purchasing an Orlando Vacation Package is that when you combine your tickets and lodging, you get them at one low price so it really does offer your family the best option for saving money on your Orlando vacation.
 Sea World Orlando Sea World Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa have a new concert series at their theme parks entitled “Bands, Brew & BBQ.” The name pretty much says it all. The concerts combine great bands, with Anheuser-Busch beer and some tasty barbecue. The good news for visitors to Sea World Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa is that there will not be an additional charge for the concerts. They are part of the regular ticket price. The concerts can be seen at Sea World Orlando on Saturdays and at Busch Gardens Tampa, the concerts are on Sundays.
The bands scheduled to perform at Sea World Orlando include LeAnn Rimes on February the 6th, Montgomery Gentry on February the 13th, John Rich on February the 20th and Yes on February the 27th.
For Busch Gardens Tampa, the bands are Dennis DeYoung, of Styx fame, on February 7th, Willie Nelson on February the 14th, Huey Lewis and the News on February 21st and Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo on February the 28th.
So, if you are traveling to the Orlando area for vacation in February, be sure to drop by Sea World Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa to catch one of your favorite bands.
 Disney World The 2009 struggling economy is expected to make it well into 2010, and as we all may kn0w, the economy affected the number of visitors to Orlando theme parks in 2009. Estimates for this year predict that the number of combined visitors to Disneyland and Walt Disney World will decrease by about three percent in 2010 according to an independent Wall Street analyst and investment firm. One of the reasons for the decrease in attendance is Disney is believed to be cutting back on there special promotional pricing for tickets and hotels that they have been using in 2009.
It’s hard to believe that in the middle of a global recession that Disneyland in Anaheim, California had their attendance increase by 7% for the Disney fiscal year (which ends in October) and park attendance at Disney World in Orlando stayed the same for the fiscal year. Although attendance did well during the current recession, profit margins were greatly impacted because Disney cut back on their ticket prices. Another important statistic is that those who are traveling to Disney World are spending less money. Spending per visitor is down by about 6 percent. That is why Disney will be cutting back on all of their special promotions so that they can increase their profit margins in 2010.
 Dinsey World Some interesting news for the Orlando area is that we have a new favorite fan. Yes, the Orlando area attractions have a new biggest fan- Canada. If I were to ask you which country you thought had most people visiting our area each year, what would you say? No cheating- you can’t say Canada. If someone asked me I would say Japan or Brazil. I would have been wrong. Until this year it has been the United Kingdom, mostly England. Sure, I’ve heard that English accent around almost all of the parks, now that I think about it. But perhaps the fact that they look so much like people from the United States, I didn’t realize how many tourists come from the U.K. each year. Not to be judgmental, but the Japanese and Brazilians are easier to spot- not alone perhaps. But these two nationalities tend to travel in large groups. I’m talking twenty or thirty people at a park per day. They are easy to spot because they often wear similar outfits or at least the same color shirts.
So I would have missed that one, but the news is that the British are no longer our number one visitors. Canadians are! What could account for this change? I think it is the economy. Our country is not the only one affected by the economic downturn and it costs less to travel from Canada to Florida than it does to travel from the U.K. here. Also, people may be taking shorter vacations than in years past. The flight from England takes about nine hours- basically a whole vacation day there and one back home. From Canada, depending on where in Canada, it can be as little as two and a half hours, if coming from Toronto.
So we love Canadians, because they love us! Thank God for the Canadians.
 Christmas at Sea World Are you tired of the same routine every holiday season. All the fuss about what to buy and where you have to go during your holiday vacation? If you would like to try something different, and you don’t mind a visit to sunny Orlando, Florida, then, we have just the holiday vacation celebration that you and your family are looking for in Orlando, Florida at SeaWorld.
SeaWorld Orlando has just added 3 brand new shows to its 2009 holiday celebration. For families with preschoolers, they have added “A Sesame Street Christmas” with all of your child’s all time favorite Sesame Street characters. They have also added “Clyde & Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas” which features some very special sea lions. All of the family will truly enjoy this show as well as get a laugh or two. Lastly, the “Winter Wonderland on Ice” is now running and this features a marvelous figure skating display that takes place at the Bayside Stadium which is held outdoors.
Returning acts to this years holiday celebration include Shamu’s Christmas, and the Polar Express Experience which is inspired by the holiday hit movie. SeaWorld does not run the holiday shows every day so be sure to check their events calendar before booking your vacation. Seaworld Orlando is a great theme park to visit for the whole family and a trip their during the holiday season will certainly create memories for a lifetime.
|
|
