April 2007 Newsletter

Hi subscriber, welcome to the April newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide.

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Despite NASA's best efforts, it looks like the damage to the external fuel tank of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, caused by a heavy hail storm, whilst it was sat on the launch pad is going to take longer to repair and a launch is now not likely until mid May.

Looking a lot further ahead, the first manned flight of the new Orion spacecraft has been pushed back from 2014 to 2015 because of budget constraints.    Read more...

Universal's Back to the Future ride

As expected, Universal have officially confirmed that the signature attraction Back to the Future: The Ride is to close, in fact it closed on March 30.

Back to the Future: The Ride was one of the first major attractions at Universal Studios, opening in 1991, one year after the theme park first opened. At this time there is no indication of what will take its place, rumours have suggested various themes including The Simpsons, The Fast and the Furious and Harry Potter.

Skull Kingdom

Just down the road from Universal Studios, the fate of the nine year old Skull Kingdom on International Drive, which closed last November, has been decided. Skull Kingdom, a haunted castle attraction, is to be demolished and replaced by 333-unit apartment complex and parking garage.

Disney Resort plans

Disney and Four Seasons have announced the construction of a large 900 acre luxury resort with single and multiple family vacation homes and fractional-ownership vacation homes plus a championship golf course on the northeast edge of the Walt Disney World Resort. The new resort hotel is expected to open in 2010.

The existing Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge golf courses will re-developed with Osprey Ridge being upgraded to an 18-hole championship golf course.

A second development to the west of the Walt Disney World Resort will eventually provide around 4,500 new timeshare and hotel units, retail, dining and entertainment venues.

Latest Books

Florida books published in April

Books about Florida published in April include:

• Avant-guide Disney World And Orlando : Insiders' Guide to Progressive Culture
• The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World With Kids
• Beyond Disney : The Unofficial Guide to Seaworld & the Best of Central Florida
• Everglades Birds : An Introduction to Familiar Species
• Florida Keys Paddling Atlas
• North Florida & the Florida Panhandle: An Explorer's Guide: Includes St. Augustine, Panama City, Pensacola, and Jacksonville (Explorer's Guide North Florida & the Florida Panhandle)
• Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber

All these books can be found in our new Florida book directory.    Read more...

With its year round sunshine, Florida is a very popular destination for timeshares and vacation clubs.

A typical one week cost of a new timeshare from a company like the Disney Vacation Club or the Marriot Vacation Club International will cost around $10,000 to $15,000 depending on the resort, type of unit and season. Florida timeshare resales can usually be picked up for a lot less as it is very much a buyer's market at present.

It is reckoned there are around 400 timeshare resorts in Florida, about one quarter of all the timeshares in the USA.

Traditionally you bought one fixed week; i.e. the same week every year, but over time companies have looked to find ways to make timeshare ownership more attractive and today many of the vacation timeshare companies operate a points system where you can trade your point allowance against other properties. This gives you the flexibility to visit the same resort at different times of year, take on a larger unit or visit a different resort entirely.

Companies like Resort Condominiums International (RCI) and Interval International (II) act as exchange organisations allowing you to bank and trade your timeshare against other properties.

There are many pros and cons of timeshare ownership and it depends very much on your vacation lifestyle and finances as to whether a timeshare makes a sensible proposition.    Read more...

Aquatica, SeaWorld's Water Park

Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks have released some more details about the new water park being built next to SeaWorld in Orlando.

It is now officially going to be called Aquatica, SeaWorld's Water Park and it will open in a year's time, in March 2008.

There is still no news about ticket prices and whether there is going to be a daily limit on numbers in the same way as Discovery Cove.

As soon as we have any more details we will post it here.

Discovery Cove

Discovery Cove have announced a special deal for Florida residents which gives you $80 off the normal entrance price on selected dates.    Read more...

Wet n' Wild

Around the same time as the latest announcements regarding Aquatica, Universal Studios announced a new ride at their water park, Wet n' Wild.

The new ride is called Brain Wash and it is scheduled to open this Spring. It is a six-story high extreme tube ride with a 53 foot vertical drop into a swirling 65 foot funnel and it will take two and four person tubes.

The 1st edition of Take the Kids, Florida & Walt Disney World is written by Melanie Dakin and was published by Cadogan Guides on September 1, 2005.

The "Take the Kids" guide books are written especially for parents, grandparents and carers to give them ideas on how to make the most of a vacation with kids.

It is full of ideas of places to take the kids; everything from museums, zoos and parks to historic buildings, sports venues, shops and beaches.

Of course no Florida guide book would be complete without a mention of the theme parks and this guide book is no exception with around 40 pages devoted to the Walt Disney World Resort.

Melanie Dakin is a seasoned travel writer and has taken her family all around Florida using all forms of transport including Greyhound buses, trains, planes and automobiles though she does not drive herself.   Read more...

Fairy Tale Wedding Collection

For anyone planning a wedding in Florida, there is great news from the Walt Disney Company.

They have recently announced a Fairy Tale Wedding collection of 34 bridal gowns by couture bridal designer Kirstie Kelly, that take their inspiration from famous Disney princesses like Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Jasmine.

Initially, the wedding dresses will be sold by Solutions Bridal in Winter Park, near Orlando and will cost between $1,100 to $2,900, starting in June. Over time, other bridal boutiques will start to stock the Disney collection.

Later this year, in the Fall, there are plans to introduce bridesmaid dresses, flower-girl dresses and jewellery.

Couture Wedding Collection

As well as the dresses, Disney have also teamed up with lifestyle expert David Tutera to offer the Disney's Couture Wedding Collection available exclusively at Disney's Wedding Pavilion and receptions held at Disney's Contemporary Resort.

Couple will be able to choose a selection of fabrics, floral arrangements, furniture, props, flatware, stemware and table settings in four different themes - Enchanted Garden (soft yellows and greens), Cocktail Soiree (chocolate browns and ice blues), Classic Elegance (gold and pink) or Simply Chic (white with green accents).

Florida is a popular destination for weddings and 1,500 couples take advantage of Disney's wedding facilities each year at their Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando and selling bridal outfits is a natural progression.    Read more...

April and May 2007 desktop wallpaper calendars

Free desktop calendars for April 2007 (Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney-MGM Studios) and May 2007 (Sunset over the lake) are ready to download now.

Note that some of the larger files can be 200-300k in size so if you are on a modem dialup line it will take a few minutes to download.

To view and then download the Florida free desktop wallpaper for April or May now, click here.

New baby Shamu

On March 12, the killer whale Taima (Icelandic for "crash of thunder"), gave birth to her third calf. The baby weighs 350 pounds and is 6 foot long but its sex is not yet known; it is the fifteenth killer whale born at SeaWorld Orlando.

Taima herself is 18 feet long, weighs 6,500 pounds and was also born at SeaWorld Orlando during a thunderstorm in 1989, hence the name.

There are now nine killer whales at SeaWorld Orlando, the largest weighing 12,000 pounds.

New Elmo and the Bookaneers show

From April 2 to Labor Day weekend (September 3), there is a new singing, dancing and swashbuckling pirate show show called Elmo and the Bookaneers featuring the Sesame Street characters Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Rosita, Cookie Monster, Telly Monster and Abby Cadabby.

New Shamu's Happy Harbor rides

Three further rides are planned for Shamu's Happy Harbor, the children's playground area and will open Memorial weekend (May 28):

• Ocean Commotion - swinging tugboat ride seating 24
• Flying Fiddler - giant red fiddler crab that lifts children and adults 20 feet in the air
• Sea Carousel - carousel with 65 sea creatures including exotic fish, sharks and dolphins

Also planned to open Memorial Day weekend is "Shamu Rocks" which combines the killer whale show with music remixed by artists including Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Coldplay and Savage Garden.    Read more...

Easter Sunday falls on April 8 so for the first two weeks of April, you can expect long queues at all the main theme parks. A lot of school kids will also be on holiday at this time.

Most attractions will be open and though there are no US national holidays over the Easter weekend, expect some shops and restaurants to be closed on Sunday.

One of April's highlights has to be the annual International Flower and Garden Festival which starts this month and features a number of big name music performers as well as all the floral exhibits.

There are also plenty of county fairs, airshows, concerts and other events taking place this month. For full coverage of April events throughout the State of Florida, click here.

Overall April is expected to be drier than normal but with a few isolated thunderstorms early in the month and towards the end of the month. For the rest of the month, you can expect sunny periods with about average temperatures.

The north of Florida will start the month with one or two thunderstorms and the temperatures will then drop with a couple of overnight lows around freezing on the Gulf Coast. Expect maximum highs in the mid 70s to low 80s.

Across the central region around Tampa and Orlando the month will start in the low 80s and then the same cooler air will give overnight lows in the high 40s. Temperatures will then climb back up to maximum highs in the high 70s/low 80s.

As usual you can expect steadier warmer weather in the south with lows in the mid 60s and highs around high 70s/low 80s.

To check out the rest of the weather for all of Florida including a live weather map, monthly temperature and rainfall charts across the State and the latest hurricane news, click here.

We plan to bring you a newsletter on the first day of each month with details of upcoming events and news from across Florida.

Copyright © 2007, Stephen Downs, Florida Review & Travel Guide. All rights reserved. Please do NOT reprint or host on your website without explicit permission from http://www.floridareview.co.uk.

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