Archive for September, 2009
Sunset Lakes local restaurants…
Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Staying at Sunset Lakes is a great location, not only for Theme Parks, but for eating out too…
Just a mile away is the Highway 192, the main thoroughfare for Kissimmee with Shops of all description, Restaurants of every nationality and of course the all important access to Disney World and, via the I4, the Beaches, Malls and other attractions such as Universal and Seaworld.
As we have been lucky enough to visit many times we have built up a list of ‘favourites’ in terms of the local Restaurants.
Which we choose depends entirely on what mood we are in and how much time we have at our disposal. Long, lingering meals are usually not an option when the excitement of Fantasmic, Wishes or Illuminations beckons so quick and easy tends to be the order of the day. Golden Corral is our favourite ‘quick stop’, although we tend to stick to Breakfast here. Dinner gets a bit chaotic and makes you feel that you are back in the works canteen. For breakfast though it can’t be beaten. The choice of food is literally unbelievable with everything from eggs to fruit to breakfast pizza! Our kids always make sure to finish with a bowl of ice cream and sweeties. Well they are on vacation after all!!
ALso on the quick and easy list are Dennys, Perkins and Bob Evans. All great for a late breakfast or early lunch.
If we are kicking around at the Villa then the ‘local’ restaurants at the Formosa Gardens Plaza are a perfect choice; Outback is an Australian themed steakhouse. Their Prime Rib is to die for (in my opinion anyway) and we all love their ‘Bloomin Onion’ starter, although one is sufficient to keep us all happy.
Also on Formosa is the beautiful Carrabbas. An Italian restaurant with style and gorgeous ‘authentic’ pasta and meat dishes. We always make sure to visit here at least once a trip.
Other Restaurants worth a mention here are TGI’s and Giordanos. Both fine if the other restaurants are full, although watch the drink prices at Giordanos!
One thing about Orlando is that you’ll never be spoilt for choice of somewhere to eat. There are Restaurants of every type, on most every corner and for every budget. Some of our favourites are:
Sweet Tomatoes – cheap and cheerful and pretty healthy salad buffet.
Bahama Breeze – a taste of the Caribbean with live music on the verandah.
Texas De Brazil – A meat lovers Dream! Pricey but worth every penny!
Chillis – all day happy hour, need we say more!?
And just because you aren’t staying on Disney property don’t assume that you can’t eat at Disney Restaurants. All the Resort and Theme Park restaurants are open to anyone. Including all the Character breakfasts and upscale Dinner experiences at places such as the Grand Floridian and Polynesion resorts. All you need to do is a little research into your chosen meal and call Disney dining (404-WDW-DINE) to make a reservation. Easy! It’s also great fun to take a look around the stunning Disney Hotels.
New Details for Harry Potter Land released…
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
Exciting news from Universal regarding the new Harry Potter area of Islands of Adventure.
Unsurprisingly there are quite a few shopping opportunities in’ Hogsmeade’ with many of the items in the films on sale plus the ‘Three Broomsticks’ pub which will feature “traditional British food, including Pumpkin juice and Butterbeer”. Although exactly where in the UK these items are popular is beyond me!
Two of the current rides are being re-themed; Duelling Dragons will become ‘Dragon Challenge’ based on the Triwizard Tournament and the gentle ‘Flying Unicorn’ coaster will become ‘Flight of the Hippogriff’. Rumours are that you will enter through Hagrids Hut and will have to bow to a Hippogriff before being allowed to ride!
The major new attractions, aside from all the great themeing will be inside Hogwarts Castle. The new ride will be based on completely new ‘roboarm’ technology and will be called ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey’
The artists drawings look great and the proposed opening date of Spring 2010 is drawing nearer. Exciting times!
A word of warning though. The tickets on sale at the moment will still be valid for next year. Buy now if you can as Universal will most certainly be bringing in increases in their 2010 ticket prices to capitalise on the popularity of the new Harry Potter land.
We can’t wait to see it!
Rip Ride Rocket has Finally Arrived!
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
So, does it live up to the hype? And is anyone brave enough to try it after so many glitches in construction?
The answer it seems is yes. We were gutted to have missed out on trying this ride on our last trip and all the reports I have heard so far have been great, although I have noticed the phrase ‘Bone Shaker’ mentioned a lot on various fan forums.
The only negative point is that during the whole experience you are filmed for a DVD which is, of course for sale at the end of the ride. No slightly blurry picture of you screaming your guts out here – Oh no – you get to see yourself in glorious technicolor motion. And all for the ‘bargain’ price of $29.95.
Methinks that’s a tad steep for a few seconds of unflattering footage, i’ll be saving my dollars for some extra lemon slushies thankyouverymuch!
I have yet to read anything bad about Seaworld’s new ride ‘Manta’. By all accounts the theming, queue areas, and the ride experience itself are all brilliant. Plus the queues are shorter – everyone else is at Universal waiting in a 2 hour queue for Rip Ride Rocket, or in the seemingly endless queues at Toy Story mania over at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
First stop next trip for us will definitely be Manta it really is living up to it’s hype. Plus my mother is coming too an she’s a sucker for those Dolphins! It’s a Win Win situation 