Welcome to the October Newsletter

Hi subscriber, welcome to the October newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide. We plan to bring you a newsletter on the first day of each month with details of upcoming events and news from across Florida.

The hurricane season shows no sign of letup. After the terrible death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina, Florida was hit again by Hurricane Rita though as before, other states, in particular Louisiana, bore the brunt. Our thoughts are with the hundreds of thousands of people affected by these terrible disasters.

On a personal note, we are starting to plan our next trip to Florida. The flights are booked for the end of April next year and we are now searching for a suitable villa. Definitely something to look forward to as winter fast approaches in England.

Secondly, we plan to launch a new website which will review the best Florida hotels and resorts; more details next month.

Airboat rides in Florida

Florida is a mass of swamps, lakes and rivers and one of the best ways of getting around in this environment is in an airboat, particularly in the Everglades. With its flat hull and large pusher airplane propellor on the back an airboat is able to ride over both land and water with minimal impact on the environment. It needs only a fraction of an inch of water under the hull.

If you are staying pretty much anywhere in Florida, particularly in Central or Southern Florida, then one of the most fun things you can do is go on a Florida airboat ride.

Riding in an airboat is truly exhilarating. One minute you could be drifting slowly down a creek shrouded in mist and surrounded by tall mangrove and cypress trees festooned with Spanish Moss and the next minute you are speeding along a narrow channel cut through 8 foot high reed beds at 45 mph with the engine racing at full throttle just feet from your ears.

The highlight of our first ride was when the captain shot straight over a bank and then did a 360 degree turn without any warning. The whole experience was a bit like riding a rollercoaster but without all the ups and downs.

Once you are out in the wetlands you should get the opportunity to see a wide range of Florida wildlife in their natural habitat; anything from soft-shelled turtles, bald eagles, numerous water birds such as blue herons, cranes, egrets and anhinga and of course alligators.

Your best chances of seeing an alligator is on one of the night time airboat rides when their eyes are picked up in the light of torches shone into the darkness. Because alligators are cold blooded, they take a while to get going in the mornings particularly during the winter months so you are generally more likely to see them during the afternoons than first thing in the morning.

Most airboat companies require a reservation but some of the larger companies operate every 30 minutes throughout the day and you can often just turn up and ride. If you are planning a night trip then you definitely need to book in advance.

There are really two types of Florida airboat ride, the traditional style small airboats that hold a handful of people, typically up to 6 passengers and the large barge type airboats built specifically for airboat rides that can take as many as 18 to 20 passengers at a time. Both are fun to ride in but the smaller boats are more manoeuvrable and somehow you just feel more in touch with your surroundings in the traditional style airboats.

In some places you can even rent an airboat and drive it yourself though naturally they are not as fast as the real airboats.

There are a lot of companies competing for business so look out for discount airboat ride coupons in visitor guides and even on the airboat companies own websites (see our Florida airboat rides directory).

Click here to read more about airboat rides in Florida including typical prices.

Halloween Celebrations in Florida

October brings a whole host of Halloween events.

All the major theme parks will be putting on special shows and events for Halloween and some will be staying open late. Note that some events are not suitable for young children, some allow costumes, others don't and some parks charge a separate admission.

At SeaWorld, the Shamu's Halloween Spooktacular will run each weekend for October 8-9, 14-16, 22-23, and 29-30 with children's costume parades, trick-or-treating, stilt walkers and pumpkin-carvers, storytellers and special shows (included in the standard admission) and is suitable for the whole family.

The park is themed with Halloween and harvest fall decor including bales of hay, scarecrows, corn stalks and hundreds of pumpkins.

At Universal Studios they are planning Halloween Horror Nights "Tales of Terror" at both parks and it runs for September 30, October 1, 7-9, 12-16, 20-23, and 27-31. This is a separately ticketed event and the park opens at 6:30pm and closes as 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and at midnight on Sundays.

The event features all new horrifying haunted houses, intense scare zones and an all-new "Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure" containing parodies from TV, the movies, music, and more.

Some children may find some of the attractions too intense. Note that there are no childrens ticket prices and no costumes are allowed.

In marked contrast, Disney have their Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. This runs on selected days for September 30, October 2, 6-7, 11, 13, 16, 20-21, 23, 25, 27-28, 30-31. This is a separately ticketed event and the park opens at 7pm and closes at midnight.

Costumes are allowed and the entertainment includes special music, parades and fireworks. Children can trick-or-treat for candies and goodies from the Disney characters.

At Busch Gardens, they are celebrating with Howl-O-Scream for September 30, October 1, 6-8, 13-15, 20-23 and 27-31. This is a separately ticketed event and the park opens at 7:30pm and closes as 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and at 1am on Thursdays and Sundays.

Experience haunted houses, scare zones and roller coasters in the dark. Like Universal, some children may find some of the attractions too intense.

Cypress Gardens hosts Phobia for September 30, October 1-2, 6-9, 13-16, 20-23, and 27-31 (included with park admission) starting at 6:30pm each evening. Dare to walk through haunted houses including the Misery Mansion, 3-D Pirates of the Dead and the Adams Family Crypt or venture on the trail of terror that runs through the Black Forest.

For children there is trick-or-treating, face painting, storytelling and an only slightly scary Boo House and costumes are allowed only for ages 10 and under.

Book Review - Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2006

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2006, ISBN 0786855487 is published by Disney Editions (October 2005).

If you like you advice straight from the horse's mouth, then the official Birnbaum's Walt Disney World guide book is the book for you.

The 2006 edition of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World contains all the latest tips, tricks and information on everything in the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It is the only official guide and as such includes the very latest insider's information on new rides, changes to schedules and pricing from Disney themselves.

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2006 runs to some 272 pages and is split into a number of sections with a separate chapter dedicated to each of the four main theme parks plus reviews of all the different sports venues within Walt Disney World.

As well as all the attractions and shows, the guide also goes on to review the various Disney Resort hotels and restaurants. There is also advice on planning how to get the best out of your visit and how to budget those precious dollars.

The book is packed with useful tips, such as the best time of year to visit, best days of the week and even time of day to go on certain rides, average wait times and much more.

Birnbaum publish a series of books about Walt Disney World, namely Birnbaum's Walt Disney World, Birnbaum's Walt Disney World for Kids by Kids!, Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Without Kids, Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Dining Guide and Birnbaum's Disney Cruise Line.

Click here for more guide book reviews and details of where you can buy this book.

Best wishes until next month... Stephen Downs

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In This Issue

• Welcome
• Airboat rides
• Halloween in Florida
• Book review
• October events
• Weather forecast
• Disney FASTPASS

October Events

As well as all the theme park Halloween celebrations there are many other events this month.

For the tenth year, Epcot hosts the International Food & Wine Festival from September 30 - November 13.

There are many seminars you can attend as well as trying out wines from over 100 wineries and you can also sample cuisine from around the world for a small fee (per portion). Each year this event attracts over 1 million visitors (included in the standard Epcot admission price).

The annual Rattlesnake Festival is on in San Antonio over the weekend of October 15-16. As well as rattlesnake shows, you can also see gopher racing.

Key Wests answer to Mardi Gras, the Fantasy Fest takes place from October 21-30. You will be entertained by parades, masquerades, circuses, sideshows and street parties.

On Saturday October 29, the Latin-style Guavaween celebration is held in Ybor City, Tampa. It is a huge street party centred around the Mama Guava Stumble Parade with a costume party and concerts that goes on from 10am until 3pm. The revelry does not stop there and goes on well into the small hours.

In the town of McIntosh (between Gainesville and Ocala), they are holding the McIntosh 1890s Festival on October 22. The residents turn back the clock when they dress up in 1890s clothing. There are dozens of arts and crafts stalls set amongst the traditional Victorian and Florida 'cracker' style houses.

The Mount Dora Craft Festival is reckoned to be one of the top craft festivals in the country and this year it takes place on the weekend of October 22-23. Over 300 craft artisans will be displaying their wares throughout the pretty town of Mount Dora, north of Orlando.

The Central Florida Peanut Festival takes place at Linear Park in Williston on October 1.

As well as family entertainment, a range of peanuts and peanut products are showcased by the Peanut Industry of Florida.

Weather Forecast

As we move into the fall, rainfall will start to reduce, particularly in the north but expect temperatures to be a little above average.

There is still the likelihood of thunderstorms especially towards the beginning and end of the month.

Remember we are still very much in the height of the hurricane season.

Check out the rest of the Florida weather including monthly temperature and rainfall charts across the State and the latest hurricane news.

Disney FASTPASS

To try and reduce waiting times at some of the more popular attractions, Walt Disney World Resort have introduced the Disney FASTPASS system.

Basically you visit one of the attractions you wish to ride on and put your Magic Your Way Pass in a FASTPASS machine. Note that not all attractions operate the FASTPASS system.

It returns your pass plus a FASTPASS ticket with a one hour time stamped window on it. If you then return to that attraction during your one hour window, you can in theory get on the ride much quicker than standing in the regular line.

The downside of the system is that once you have got a FASTPASS ticket, you cannot get another FASTPASS for another ride until the first FASTPASS ticket expires.

This means that on busy days (when you most need the FASTPASS) you may well find that after riding your first couple of FASTPASS rides you will find that all the FASTPASS tickets have already been issued for the next ride you want to go on.

Click here for more information on the Walt Disney World Resort.