Just magical! - The wand chooses the wizard at Olivanders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPJKPE0yKGM&feature=relmfu

Old Town Bands

Old Town in Kissimmee is one of the best attractions in the area.  Old Town has a great mix of kiddie rides, bigger kid rides, boutique shops, and special events, all in a charming and traditional setting.

As one of the top attractions, it has been covered by other bloggers before me.  However, I thought I would focus on comparing the standard ticket prices for some of the attractions compared to the wrist bands that offer unlimited access.

I’m sure that many of the blog readers will have spent time gazing up at the pricing boards at attractions trying to work out whether the all-inclusive option is true value for money.  I hope I can help shed some light on the Old Town Band options.

When it comes to rides and attractions, Old Town is essentially split in to three areas,Fun Spot USA, Old Town Front and Old Town Back.

Fun Spot is a collection of bigger rides for all ages including older teens and adults, together with some kiddie rides too.  Attractions include 4 different go-kart tracks, the 3ooft Skycoaster, and a number of other smaller family rides.  Family rides start at $3 each, extreme rides are priced at $6, and the go karts $9 each.  This is where you need to do your maths.  If you have a couple of adventurous kids, the cost here can be quite high, especially if you plan to spend the day here.  The Youth armband is priced at $24.95 plus tax; this entitles the wearer to unlimited rides on all family and extreme rides.  So say for example your child went on 3 thrill rides and  3 family rides , that would cost you $27.  Already its pretty clear to see that the Youth armband would be better value.

For older (taller) kids, there is an Adult armband option too.  This is for anyone over 52″ tall.  This is priced at $34.95 plus tax.  Like the youth armband it includes unlimited access to the family and extreme rides, however, it also includes unlimited access to the kart tracks.  With one kart race priced at $9, it only four go’s to bust the $34.95 armband value.

So although it always seems that handing over the bigger sum of money for the initial outlay of a wrist band is the more expensive option, chances are it will actually save you money in the long run as you’ll no doubt have your hand in your pocket over and over as you give in to your kids demands for ‘another shot please’!

The other two zones are Old Town Front and Old Town Back.

Although they are in their own distinct areas, they are connected in ownership so the ticket options cover both areas.

Each ride requires a number of tickets, for example the tea-cups needs two tickets, the Tilt-A-Whirl takes four.  The tickets can be bought in ticket packs with 30 tickets costing $29.  Taking say 8 rides at 2 tickets each, and 4 at 4 tickets, then you’d be better off with one of the value wrist bands.  There are two options here; one is the SUPERventure Band priced at $24.95 which provides unlimited  all-day access to the following 12 attractions: Ferris Wheel, Flying Dutchman, Frog Hopper, Jump Around, Merry-Go-Round, Motor Cycles,  Super Shot, Teacups, Tilt-A-Whirl, Quad Runners, Wacky Worm Coaster, and Windstorm Coaster.

The other wrist band is the AMPventure Extreme Band priced at $29.95.  This offers UNLIMITED all-day access to the following 8 attractions: Zip Line, Rock Wall,  Ropes Course, Ferris Wheel, Flying Dutchman, Super Shot, Tilt-A-Whirl, and Windstorm Coaster!

My advice would be to stop by Old Town and plan the best part of a day here.  That way you can take advantage of the wrist band offers.  The lines for rides are usually quite short so you can pack in quite a few shots on each.  And if you’ve gone for the wrist band option, you can let the whole family go mad and tire themselves out on a good range of rides and attractions.

Flying in to Florida

For my family, we always feel that our vacation starts in the airport as we prepare for the journey over to the US.  Whilst we appreciate that the whole airport or airplane experience isn’t always everyone’s idea of a vacation, we always try to embrace it and make it as much fun as possible.

We prepare well in advance and ensure that we have coloring books, sticker books, new pencil and pens and plenty of items to keep our younger kids happy and entertained on the long flight over from Scotland to the US.  Investing a bit of time here pays dividends later on.

When travelling to Central Florida, there are two main airports that serve the Orlando and Kissimmee areas, these are Orlando International Airport and Orlando Sanford Airport.  Further over on the coast there is also of course Tampa International as well.  All in all the area is pretty well served for the airline traveler.

As regular visitors to the area, we have flown in to both International and Sanford airports on many occasions.  I thought for my first blog, I’d write about some of the pros and cons of each airport to hopefully help the long distance traveler plan their best option for their next trip to Kissimmee.

Orlando International is the closest airport to central Florida serving the heart of the Orlando/Kissimmee area.  However, its central location also makes this the busier of the two airports.  Despite the huge volumes of people moving through the facilities on a daily basis, the airport is pretty well run and they do a good job of keeping everyone moving.

Overseas travelers should ensure that they have their customs and immigration details 100% correct and up to date as the notorious US Customs and Immigration officials will give you short shrift if there is even a small mistake on a form.

One other unusual aspect of Orlando International is the need to collect your luggage twice.  Once you have identified it following your flight, you need to hand it over again to airport officials to pick it up for a second time at the airport exit area.  It sounds more of a hassle than it actually is, so don’t let this put you off.

Once you have all your belongings, the taxi rank is conveniently located outside of the terminal building.  If you are on a fly-drive vacation, then many of the rental car companies are now located together on a lower floor in the terminal building.  Once you have registered and paid, then the car pick up area in now conveniently located directly opposite the terminal building.  A few years ago, the airport authorities moved many of the leading car rental firms into the multi-story car park and the different companies are all easily identified.  Many of them use the ‘choose any vehicle’ option which is a great way to get exactly what you are looking for.  This basically means that if you have booked a mid-size car for example, then you simply find the row of vehicles marked mid-size and then you are free to choose any of the vehicles parked in the line.  There are usually a range of manufacturers and models and a number of different colors.

Exiting Orlando International is easy and you can connect easily on to the major routes like the I-4 or Orange Blossom Trail.

Sanford airport is located north of Orlando itself.  However, the Kissimmee area is just 45 mins to an hour away.  The main connection routes are the I-4 or some Toll roads.  The I-4 is the busiest option, and you should give some thought to putting around $6 aside and consider taking the toll roads as they are usually quick and quiet – perhaps money well spent?

The airport itself is usually a lot quieter than International.  Many of the holiday company charter flight options fly into Sanford.  Because it is a smaller airport and less busy, lines at Immigration can be shorter.

Once you have collected your belongings, the car hire locations are not all centrally located so you will need to find your chosen provider.  However, the majority are located across the road at the front of the terminal building at various locations around the car parks.  The signposting to each option is clear so don’t worry about getting lost.  Again, many of the providers use the ‘choose any vehicle’ method of selection.

Despite the airport being located further north than International, the additional journey time will only be around 30 mins or so so Sanford is a great option if you can only find an airline that lands in this location.

My final piece of advice is again to embrace the airport as a fun part of your vacation.  As you are standing in line, waiting to be served, just remember that your vacation in Kissimmee is waiting for you on the other side of those doors!

Radio Disney Party

Radio Disney will be hosting a party at the popular Orlando Science Center on the 1st October 2011 to celebrate its 15th birthday.
The fun will kick off in the first-floor clubhouse where there will be  fun, music and games. It all starts at 10 a.m. until noon.
Organisers promise plenty of  prize giveaways, including a kids’ birthday party at the Orlando Science Center.
Admission to the Orlando Science Center, 777 E. Princeton St., is required. Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for ages 3 to 11.

ICE ICE BABY! at Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee
The 2010 ICE exhibit returns to Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee.
This year the 8 wintry scenes depict the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' rhyme. The amazing sculptures and scenes are made almost entirely of ice.
It runs from Nov 20 - Jan 2

Continental Airways UK fares

Continental.com
Fares from the United Kingdom starting at 344 GBP return.
Warm up with these great Christmas holiday fares. Visit your friends and family or catch some sun on your favorite beach. Give yourself the gift of travel.

Gaming at Downtown Disney

For a limited time only, The Wonderful World of Gaming comes to Once Upon a Toy store at Downtown Disney from 1 to 6 p.m. on a Saturday.

There are seven Nintendo DS game systems set up for kids to try out.  Games include The Princess and The Frog, G-Force, Stitch Jam, Club Penguin, Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy Rescue, Phineas and Ferb, and Toy Story 3.

Fans of the Wii console can play Toy Story Mania, Disney Guilty Party and Disney Sing It 2.