Hi, I'm Andrew and I'm 20 years old. I'm a student at Northumberland College currently doing an HND ...
Hi, I'm Andrew and I'm 20 years old. I'm a student at Northumberland College currently doing an HND in Multimedia.
As you can tell from my username, im a big Kevin Smith fan.
I love music, movies and I'm a huge Newcastle United fan.
Member since:03.12.2001
Reviews:11
Members who trust:4
Orlando and its surrounding areas have something for everyone - yes this does sound like a cliché but it is true. Take a boat ride in to the heart of the everglades and see all the wonderful wild life, and see Alligators and Crocodiles in there natural habitat.
Theme Parks
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Entertainment is no problem, whether its Disney, Universal Studios, shopping or visiting a Seminole Indian Reserve or cruising to the Bahamas . See it does work for everyone believe me, I’ve gone there for five years running and I wouldn’t go anywhere else.
Universal Studios and Islands Of Adventure complement each other perfectly, the film buffs (like me) will love Universal Studios, there are lots of great rides including Back To The Future, E.T, Jaws, Kongfrontation, Earthquake, Twister, Terminator 2 3D, plus the trendy Hard Rock Café.
White Knuckle enthusiasts will love Island Of Adventure and the blood curdling rides at this newly opened Amusement Park. Rides here include Spiderman and Jurassic Park
Disney is a joy for the young at heart, meet all your favourite Disney characters and dine with them if you want. Altogether Disney have four Amusement Parks they are :-
Animal Kingdom, where you can see real wild animals in there natural environment,
and you can take a Jeep Safari to see them in there element, plus lots more including
Disney MGM Studios where you can ride the Tower of Terror or Catastrophe Canyon or the Great Movie Ride.
At Epcot you can visit travel the world at World Show Case, which is miniature country’s set around a beautiful lake, you can also stay till dark and experience the most fabulous pyrotechnics.
Magic Kingdom is as the name suggests - pure magic kids love it, there are parades daily featuring all of your favourite Disney characters,, there are also some excellent rides for the younger members of the family like the Peter Pan ride but don’t worry, Mum Dad and Granny can also go with you.
There are other non Disney attractions in the Orlando area, Gatorland is a fun day out, but it is more of a half day attraction that a full day thing. Gatorland is just what the name say’s it is, lot of Alligators for you to look at and feed and even touch (don’t worry it just a baby, its mouth is tapped up and someone is there to hold it so it wont run away). There are Alligator Wrestling shows, plus snakes in tanks for your viewing pleasure. There is a nice gift shop and a few nice places to grab lunch.
Kennedy Space Centre is a great attraction this is truly history in the making, scientists working across the globe to build the International Space Station, you can also see the actual launch pads, a scene of triumph for humankind, and human disasters, when The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after take off, killing all seven astronauts.
Entertainment and Restaurants
======================= For you party people out there, the place to go is Pleasure Islands, a place entirely dedicated to night clubs and they even celebrate New years at 12.00 every night.
Eating on International Drive couldn’t be easier, its boasts all the big names in eating like Taco Bell, Olive Garden, Burger King, McDonalds and Pizza Hut, Dominoes Pizza, and The Sizzler (small tip here if you go to The Sizzler, all you can eat breakfast buffet for $3.00, you can’t go wrong)
There are quite a number of theme restaurants or dinner theatres if you like, in Orlando including Wild Bill’s Wild West Dinner Experience and Medieval Times. These places are really good for the kids, young at heart and those game for a laugh.
Shopping
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International Drive is the buzz centre for shops, Hotels and Apartments including entertainment at the excellent Macardo Village (don’t miss the night time entertainment with Rick Jeffreys). Getting up and down International Drive is easy, there is a bus called the I-Ride which goes up and down International drive all day and is great to get around if you don’t fancy the walk, the waiting time for a bus can be anything up to ten minutes
Pointe Orlando at the south end of International Drive is the newest shopping Centre, boasting big manes like GAP, Victoria Secrets and Footlocker. Its also has a multiplex Cinema with 20 + screens.
The Florida Mall is a huge Shopping Complex, with all you could need. There are plenty eateries, and a huge food court. Basically they have all the shops we have just different names, for example there is a massive music store called ‘Camelot Music’ which could easily be HMV as it sell all the same stuff, but the good thing is everything is cheaper.
The Beltz Mall is loads of Factory outlets at the top (north) of International Drive. It boasts impressive outlets including Calvin Klein, Nike, Vans, Footlocker and Levi. I’m going to be honest here, in my opinion I don’t think the shops are as good as they are at the Florida Mall and the mall itself is not as nice as the Florida Mall, I mean this as in the way it is presented and decorated inside. And also I think the quality of shops are better at the Florida Mall, but having said that the outlets I have mentioned sell high quality good at affordable prices, much more affordable than back here in England.
Accommodation
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International Drive is more suited for the type of people who want plenty to do if they decided not to go to the parks. There is everything you could need and all the hotels are really nice. We stay at the Summerfield Suites on International Drive, its a 4 star hotel an I would easily recommend to anyone and everyone planning on staying on I-Drive.
Another part of Orlando I have been to is Lake Buena Vista. This is a very nice part of Orlando, we stayed at the Howard Johnson, which is situated in a good part as shops and eateries are easily accessible within walking distance. But I’m trying to be objective here so on the downside I will say Lake Buena Vista is a bit on the quiet side and we could not find to much in the way of night time entertainment. But on the bright side Lake Buena Vista is situated very near Disney and transportation e.g. Taxis, are very affordable, whereas is you are staying at International Drive the Taxi prices to go to Disney are more expensive due to the simple fact it is further away.
Useful Tips
===== The legal drinking age over in America is 21, so if you are planning a night out and you are still in your 30’s I strongly suggest you take your passport as drinking laws are very strict, and if you are caught drinking under age you will find yourself spending a night at the police /sheriff station.
Tipping is a big part of the culture everywhere in America including Orlando, we got a bit of a shock the first time we went there but it soon grows on you. The most common people and places to tip are at restaurants, taxi and bus drivers and pizza deliver people. We usually tip around $2 dollars which seem about fair to me, plus everyone we speak to usually tip around the same, so I would tell people planing to go there keep a few extra dollars handy at most times during your holiday.
If you ever want to phone home at any time I suggest you buy Phone Cards, they are available almost everywhere you go and are really easy to use. I usually get a $20 phone card and that lasts me a while and if I need another on I will then only need to get a $5 or $10 phone card. But at the end of the day it all boils down to how much you want to phone home, if you feel you only need to phone maybe once or and the most twice, then I would suggest a $5 phone card.
I recommend Orlando to everyone, there is something for all age groups to enjoy. In my opinion the best time of year to go is April, the temperatures are in the 90’s with low humidity levels which makes it more comfortable, and the queues for rides at the parks are reasonable.
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Great review, although I shuddered on your advice about tipping. $2 sounds awfully stingy depending on what it's for. Unlike so many European restaurants, few American add gratuity fees to their bills, except maybe in the case of large parties. Management leaves it to the punters to determine how much they want to show their appreciation for the service. Also, if you plan to return to the same restaurant anytime soon, it's a way to encourage even better service then. Today the current standard for tipping servers is 15% of the food/beverage bill (it's unreasonable to expect patrons to include sales tax, if any, in their calculations). Since few restaurant workers have a base salary more than minimum wage, they depend on their tips to survive. For hotel porters and taxi drivers, $2 is adequate, but it really depends on what the service they're performing is. Speaking as a former chambermaid, I hope you remembered her. She's probably the one the hotel guest relies on most. When travelling, it's always a good idea to carry loads of small bills. --AJF
GreendayBabe 24.03.2002 13:20
I went to Orlando. Was a great place, but theres was one thing that I thought really let all the parks down..JAWS. Come on I mean how plastic can a plastic shark look?! I didnt think they could look as plastic as the one at Orlando did!
Really I am not a kill joy.
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