JAWS Ride to Close in Universal Studios

Jaws is going to have to get a job as the new Land Shark on SNL because Universal Studios in Orlando Florida is closing the best ride with the worst effects ever. That shark was about as convincing as a budget grocery store Santa Claus, but it will forever remain in my heart as one of the best rides. Regardless of its awesomeness, it will close on January 2nd.

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Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Open in Universal Studios Hollywood

After the Wizarding World brought a 41% attendance jump to the Islands of Adventure in Universal Studios Florida in just one year, a second location is in the works. Most, including myself, hoped that the Orlando location would get an expansion, but NBCUniversal has opted to create a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood. Click HERE for Hollywood Dame’s Park Review with photos, price lists and hints to get the most enjoyment from the park….

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Affording Florida – Beyond Disney and Universal

After the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter an influx of park goers have left the attractions with the upper hand. Tickets for the attractions jumped in price and in the current economic climate, vacations have dropped from budget constraints. (Click HERE for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter park review, hints and expansion rumors…)

I personally went through a marathon of saving in order to make it to Disney and the Wizarding World at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. At some points I didn’t think it would be a possibility. Hotels were demanding a huge chunk of my budget and park tickets, food and flights refused to conform into a reachable amount.

Thankfully, I had help. Dolphin World of Travel helped me score an incredible deal, gave me tons of tips and made the planning as simple as reading an email. The vacation planners took over after I gave them the details of what I wanted.

My original goal was to stay at one of Disney’s value resorts to save. The issue was my large group of 7 people traveling with me. A standard room with 2 double beds or 1 king sized bed was going to start at $82 a night and boasted views of the parking lot. It was equipped with a tv, small desk and chair, hairdryer and vanity area with sink outside the actual bathroom. I would need two rooms to accommodate all of us and would be sticking two people in a double sized bed in two different rooms for a total (with taxes) around $1260 for just over a week of accommodations for one room.

Better options are out there. The idea of sharing a double sized bed didn’t scream comfort or vacation, but it was one of the more affordable options I found on my own with the typical tools out there. Enter my amazing travel planner. For a far more reasonable nightly rate my Dolphin World of Travel planner scored a two bedroom suite at the lovely Lake Eve resorts for nearly HALF of what Disney’s Value resorts’ bill for ONE room. Same amount of nights and same taxes.

I was a bit nervous that such a huge savings would mean sacrifice in level of accommodations. My worries were completely unfounded. My suite was clean, had one bedroom with a king sized bed and a second bedroom with two queen sized beds. A huge flat screen tv was in each bedroom (and in the living room). A private bathroom with a jetted tub and separate tiled shower, double vanity and TWO closets was in the master bedroom while a separate bathroom was just outside of the second bathroom that also had a closet in the restroom and a linen closet outside of it.

A kitchen was filled with pots, pans, silverware, bowls, cups and a dishwasher to put them in. A deep sink sat under a pull-out spray kitchen faucet and a full refrigerator with in door ice-maker and water dispenser that blew away the value resort mini fridge (available for an extra fee from Disney). We even had a dining room table to eat at and a washer and dryer. The view didn’t involve parking lots. In fact, no suite overlooks the parking area. The building’s U shape gave everyone a view of the courtyard pool or the lake sitting in front of it. A large in ground hot tub and even a concrete baby pool were available for those who aren’t a fan of the cool pool. Every large balcony (fit 4 patio chairs and mini two tables easily with room to spare) had a great view even from the second floor where palm trees welcomed me with my coffee every morning.

The location was perfect. Lake Eve is on International drive which is minutes from SeaWorld, Aquatica, Universal Studios, Wet N’ Wild, Prime Outlets, Premium Outlets, tons of stores, shops and restaurants which the I-Ride Trolley stops at. Disney, Epcot and Downtown Disney (home of the yummy Irish pub Raglan Road) is about 15 minutes away. It was still incredibly quiet as it is is somewhat removed from the inner hustle of the heart of Disney/Universal/Sea World mecca.

In short we saved money on a few meals made at the resort, doing laundry on site and taking a trolley to all our International Drive needs. (Note: You will need to take a cab to Disney if you don’t rent a car, as that is the one place the trolley doesn’t take you.) The trolley is free if you arrive at the concierge between 8-9 AM to nab a one day pass for the adults in your group. Kids ride free!

Dining Savings

Here is where those coupon queens can go nuts. Hit up brochure stands. At Lake Eve there is a stand packed with them right in front of the elevators. The I-Ride Trolley pamphlet has TONS of them complete with their trolley stop number on the coupon. Free guides at places like Walgreens (look next to the newspapers) are also at your disposal. My favorite had to be the Orlando Magicard. It’s free and you can print it from home or have one sent to you. Show your card at participating stores, restaurants and attractions and you will instantly save. Pair that with days kids eat free at certain restaurants (at the time of my travel kids ate free at Tony Roma’s on Tuesdays) and you can save a ton.

Shopping Savings

The Orlando Magicard gives you the opportunity to score a nice coupon book from the information centers in the outlets. Show your Magicard to someone working the info desk at the outlets you at and they will hand over a book or voucher full of coupons. Most are a percentage off and some have save ten to twenty dollars of a specified purchase amount.

Attractions

There are many options to score discount tickets. Be wary of stands and stores offering cheap tickets. They usually require you to sit through a time share lecture or simply aren’t legit. Ask if they are a certified retailer if you will receive actual tickets or just a voucher for the ticket. If they just give vouchers… pass. You will still have to wait in a ticket line once you get to the park to receive your actual ticket. Obviously pre-buying them defeats the time saving point if you don’t get the actual ticket. Visit the site themselves and see if any promos are taking place. SeaWorld is currently running a discount on children’s tickets. You can score a $5 children’s 1-Day pass with the purchase of an adult ticket.

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Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows New Posters – SEE THEM HERE

November 19th can’t come soon enough. (Nor can my trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for a park review. Stay tuned next week for details, photos and videos of the Harry Potter park.)

Until then, enjoy some new Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows posters!

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Harry Potter Ride, The Forbidden Journey, Seats Adjusted to Accommodate Everyone!

As I approach my Wizarding World of Harry Potter park review, I am beyond glad to hear that the main attraction is finally being altered to accommodate the shapely. Yes, The Forbidden Journey ride seats have been adjusted!

The Forbidden Journey is the chief ride in the Potter theme park. Seats for the attraction have an overhead harness that forced park patrons to skip the ride after being unable to completely latch the safety apparatus. Four seat benches attached to a robotic arm twist, turn and swivel along a track and take you into Harry’s world. Many park riders who weren’t necessarily “large” or “overweight” were turned away from being able to ride the attraction because of being too busty, having a larger midsection (butterbeer bellies) and a few were turned away as their broad shoulders couldn’t squeeze in.

Officials made changes after a insurmountable amount of complaints hit after the park’s opening. Via Attractions Mag:

“We always want to accommodate as many guests as possible on our attractions,” Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said. “After watching Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey operate for several months, we made some adjustments to the ride’s overhead restraints that would allow more people to ride. We’re thrilled to be able to give more people the opportunity to experience this attraction.”

Currently the adjustments affect the two outboard seats on each vehicle. As they tweak the safety harnesses and see success with the revamped seats, the rest of the seats will also be changed.

As the harness is pulled down over your head, three clicks indicate the restraint is locked down. Now, a stoplight safety indicator on test seats at the ride’s entrance will be the deciding factor. Guests who get a yellow are directed to a modified seat while guests with reds are not able to ride. Obviously green lights indicate you can ride on any available seat. Riders with a yellow light will get in a middle line which is now reserved for modified seat riders (if the line is short, green lighters can nab the adjusted seats too.) You then wait for a revamped seat to open. Again, as of today (9-13-10) only the outside seats are fixed.

Special thanks and congrats to Banks Lee and the Three Clicks for details and pics!

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Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Food=Taste Explosion!

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As I slowly mark of the days on my calendar to visit the soon-to-be opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter, more details of the park are funneling out to eager Muggles. The magical attraction will officially open on June 18th and yours truly will be visiting in October (just in time for Halloween) and doing an in depth park review.

Until then, several lucky fans have been privileged with a sneak peek into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter park offerings. Namely the food. The new beverages have been the highlight of anticipation when it comes to indulgences. Butterbeer was created to appease curious fans and J.K. Rowling herself. She was said to have had a say in the creation of the series’ staple beverages. (Side Note: an alcoholic version has NOT been created. However, the report confirmed a similar beer was created for the Hogs Head Pub called “Hog’s Brew.”)

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So how does the non-alcoholic drink taste? Mugglenet’s Eric Scull reports:

“It was thick, the fuzz, then rich, then colder and thinner at the bottom. A few
more drinks and I was sure that the substance I was drinking was from another
world. I don’t know how they did it, but the butterbeer feels like it changes
density as you drink. It’s chilled, too – the butterbeer will be kept just above
32 degrees when it is served in the park. As for the taste, it is described
as a cross between “butterscotch and shortbread” – I think that’s probably
accurate.”

“It is a solid beverage, a solid “brew” if you
will, that has a consistent taste and is not too sweet or strange. It holds its
flavor the whole way through, and let me just say the cream on top is excellent
for giving the drinker a butterbeer mustache. A frozen ‘icee’ version of the butterbeer will also be available in the park.”

Another popular concept is pumpkin juice. It’s mentioned several times through the book and has been created to be a cold and refreshing drink. I was personally worried it would turn out to be pumpkin pie in liquid form, but the review spoke highly of the beverage. (Side note: Neither beverage will be sold outside the park or shipped out. You can ONLY get it at Universal! UGH!)

“I mention apple cider because it is the only thing I can
think of to compare it to. It does for pumpkin what apple cider does for apples.
It is a sweet, delightful drink that tastes of cinnamon and ginger, pumpkin
accentuated and my, oh my is it tasty.”

Read More of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Food=Taste Explosion! After the Cut. Click “Read More…” Below

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Harry Potter Theme Park Details, Photos and Video

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It is no secret that I am a huge Harry Potter fan and I may or may not have a t-shirt that says “I get on all fours for Gryffindors!” So news that the Harry Potter theme park in Universal Studios will be open in 2010 makes me quiver with glee.

 

Today it was announced that the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will be open in spring of 2010.

Harry Potter stores will include Zonko’s, Honeydukes, and a wand shop full of deliberately dusty wand boxes where, just like in the books, you can be matched with your wand. Food on based on the books and traditional British fare will include butterbeer available at the Three Broomsticks pub. A rest area combine in open space where owls roost and anyone wanting to send a postcard can do it from the adjoining Owl Post. If you are a Quidditch fan, you can participate in a simulated Triwizard Tournament – and pick up some Quidditch equipment.

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Images Via: Universal Orlando