Welcome to the August Newsletter
Hi Subscriber, welcome to the August 2011 newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis has landed back at the Kennedy Space Center bringing to an end a thirty year space shuttle program to put astronauts into space. Thousands of Floridian space workers now face an uncertain future as NASA continues to shed jobs with the winding down of the shuttle program.
On a brighter note, the Kennedy Space Center has released further details about the permanent exhibit celebrating the space shuttle and featuring Atlantis.
In other news, some ticket booths on US 192 continue to sell part-used multi-day theme park tickets and more arrests are made.
Shrek The Halls
Following the announcements that Gaylord Resorts were entering into a partnership with DreamWorks Animation to bring some of the well known characters from the animated movies to the four Gaylord Resorts including the Gaylord Palms Resort near Disney World in Kissimmee, it comes as no surprise that this year’s Ice! exhibit will be themed on DreamWorks.
The event is to be called “Shrek the Halls” and is based on the television holiday special. It will feature Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Gingy, Puss in Boots and other characters from DreamWorks Animation.
Ice! Runs from November 16 to January 2, 2012 and features a number of festive scenes. Bring your parka!!
Disney EPSN Weekend Cancelled
In a surprise announcement on the Disney Parks blog, Disney have decided to stop hosting the popular springtime annual ESPN The Weekend event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The event was first run in 2004 and the event this March will now be the last.
Instead Disney plan to promote new ESPN related events such as the ESPN RISE Girls Showcase and the ESPN RISE Games and to spread the events out around the year.
As part of the relationship between Disney and ESPN, the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex is now known as the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
More Ticket Arrests
Despite a number of arrests, the illegal selling of part-used multi-day theme park tickets continues in the Orlando area.
Over 3,600 tickets with a face value of $1 million have been seized in the latest crack down on ticket booths operating along US 192. Around 16 people were arrested.
As mentioned in our April newsletter, most theme park tickets these days are non-transferable and with the introduction of digital finger printing, you are more and more likely to be stopped if you attempt to enter one of Florida’s theme parks with someone else’s ticket.
Read more about buying Florida theme park tickets.
Victory Casino Cruises
Another casino cruise operator has started sailings from Port Canaveral. Victory Casino Cruises purchased the former SunCruz ship, the Surfside Princess and following refurbishment, have renamed it Victory 1.
The 1,200 passenger Victory 1, commenced sailings on Friday, July 29 from Terminal 2 and the cruises last around five hours. There are two planned sailings each day and prices start at $10 per person.
In recent years a number of casino cruise operators have struggled to make a go of it in Florida with Sterling Casino Lines, SunCruz Casino and Las Vegas Cruise Lines all going into liquidation.
Victory 1 will be the first casino cruise from Port Canaveral since Las Vegas Cruise Lines and SunCruz both folded in 2009.
Read more about Florida’s casino cruises.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Work is continuing on Disney’s newest “Value” resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort with the recent “topping out” ceremony. Like the other Value resorts, it is themed on Disney movies, in this case on the Lion King, Little Mermaid and the Pixar classic, Finding Nemo.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is scheduled to open in just over a years time in September 2012. Bookings are already being taken and rooms start at $94 a night with family suites from $248 a night.
Harry Potter Weekend
Universal has announced a special Harry Potter 3 day Wizarding World celebration weekend from November 11 to 13 at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
All eight Harry Potter movies will be screened at the AMC Universal Cineplex 20 in Universal Citywalk.
A limited number of special vacation packages are being offered for sale. Exclusive benefits will include a gala evening at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attended by some of the cast members, Q&A sessions and autograph signing.
Disney Refillable Mugs
As well as fighting an ongoing battle with ticket scammers selling part-used multi-day tickets, Disney is also trying to deal with refillable mug “fraudsters”!!
One of the perks of staying at a Disney resort is being able to buy a refillable mug. You can then get an unlimited number of refills at the soda fountains in the resort food courts for the duration of your stay.
Disney say that, owing to abuse by some guests who have been using old mugs, tipping the drinks into other peoples mugs or even using other containers, Disney are trialling a new type of refillable soda fountain at Disney’s All Star Sports Resort.
The new soda machines are fitted with special levers and the cups themselves have programmable RFID chips in them. This means you can only refill the new mugs once every five minutes at your own resort and after a certain period of time, the chip will effectively disable the mug so it can no longer be used to operate the soda dispensers once your vacation ends.
Similar technology is also being trialled in the disposable drinks cups bought with a meal, at the same resort. Ice and water dispensers will continue to allow unlimited access.
Latest Ticket Deals
Gatorland has extended their Florida Residents special until September 27. Residents can buy a one day ticket for $14.99 instead of the normal price of $22.99.
Residents of the USA or Puerto Rico can buy a special after 3pm ticket to SeaWorld for only $49.99 during the Summer Nights promotion. Tickets are valid until September 6, 2011.
Latest Hotel Deals
Amongst the travel deals in August, we have found up to 20% discount at the Walt Disney World Resort Dolphin and Swan hotels, 4 star hotels in Tampa from $59 per night and 3 star hotels in Jacksonville from $36 per night. Other deals include:
There are many more good deals this month as tour operators continue to offer discounts, so if you are planning a vacation to Florida during 2011, then let the Florida Review & Travel Guide help you on your way.
This is just a small sample. To see the rest of the great deals and more, check out our late Florida deals page.
Lightning McQueen and Cars
Lightning McQueen, star of Pixar’s “Cars” and “Cars 2” will join the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios later this summer.
A new permanent meet and greet encounter is available at the Winner’s Circle (formerly Luigi’s Garage) where you can see and pose for photos with Lightning McQueen and Mater before or after the show.
Note that the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show will be closed between October 3 and October 6, 2011 for minor refurbishment.
Gasoline Prices
After a temporary drop last month, global oil prices have risen again. The average pump prices in Florida has risen by 21 cents in the last month, from $3.51 a gallon to $3.72 a gallon for regular.
Connecticut joins Alaska and Hawaii with prices over $4 a gallon.
You can always find the latest pump prices at GasPriceWatch.com.
Disney on Ice Touring Shows in Florida
Disney in conjunction with Feld Entertainment produce a number of different family musical ice shows that are performed around the United States (and overseas). The shows called Disney on Ice, are ideally suited to young children.
In the fall of 2011, both Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream and Disney on Ice: 100 Years of Magic are being performed in Florida at a number of major venues. Prices typically range from $15 up to $50 for front row seats, though they may vary by venue/show. Sometimes there are two shows on a single day, a matinee and an evening performance.
Disney On Ice: Dare To Dream kicks off on September 2 at the Jenkins Arena in Lakeland and Disney On Ice: 100 Years of Magic starts on September 9 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa.
During the Florida leg of their US tour, the shows travel to Orlando, Sunrise and Miami with the last show on September 25.
In all the Disney on Ice shows, talented figure skaters play the various Disney characters with songs, music and story elements from the original animated feature films.
Shows run for around two hours plus a 15 minute intermission. Note that sometimes shows are presented in Spanish instead of English so do check before purchasing your tickets.
Read more about the Disney on Ice Touring Shows in Florida.
Kennedy Space Center News
As workers at the Kennedy Space Center work to decommission the three remaining space shuttles, Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis, further details have emerged regarding the new space shuttle exhibit at the Space Center.
The new 65,000 square foot exhibition hall is to be built close to the existing Shuttle Launch Experience simulator ride. Work will commence in 2012 with a completion date of 2013.
The centre piece of the new exhibit will be a display featuring the space shuttle Atlantis in orbit with the cargo doors open and the robotic arm deployed. Other notable achievements to be highlighted will be the International Space Station and the Hubble telescope. The Hubble telescope would never have achieved the results that it has without the intervention of the space shuttles and their crews.
New Rocket Launch Players
Even though the last shuttle launch has now concluded, visitors to the Space Coast will still get the opportunity to witness rocket launches as NASA continues with the Atlas and Delta rocket programs and new companies like SpaceX and Orbital Sciences start to offer US sourced resupply missions to the International Space Station.
SpaceX is launching their Falcon rocket and Dragon space capsules from the Cape and their next mission is scheduled for late November of this year. SpaceX are hoping to combine the next two missions into one which will allow the Dragon capsule to actually dock with the International Space Station. This could lead to operational resupply missions starting in mid 2012.
Orbital Sciences are planning a first flight of their Taurus rocket and Cygnus cargo freighter in February 2012 but they have chosen Wallops Island in Virginia as their launch base.
How many years it will be before another rocket launches an astronaut from Florida, remains to be seen. SpaceX designed their Dragon capsule from the start to be able to carry up to seven astronauts. They are currently developing a sophisticated launch escape system for the capsule. However, for the time being, any astronaut wishing to visit the space station will have to hitch a ride on a Russian Soyuz rocket.
Read more about watching a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center.
Fodor’s Walt Disney World with Kids 2012
Kim Wright Wiley is a veteran writer about Walt Disney World and this is the 22nd edition of Fodor’s Walt Disney World with Kids, the first edition being published way back in 1989.
In that time, she has visited the parks over 50 times as both a journalist and as a parent so she knows her way around.
As well as Walt Disney World, there are also details on Universal Orlando and SeaWorld plus Disney Cruise Lines so it covers all the major parks if you are planning a trip to the Orlando area.
The book is packed with tips to help you save both money and time plus opinions and reviews from over 500 other families who have visited Disney giving you a wealth of information including the times and places to meet characters, the best locations for the parades, best rides and best places to eat.
The “don’t miss lists” and favourite attractions by children’s age groups (young kids, pre-teens and teens) help you plan your visit according to the age and make up of your party.
There are charts in each chapter, giving useful statistics on each attraction and ride such as its rating in terms of age group suitability, fun and scare factors, length of ride and any minimum height requirements.
Read the full review of Fodor’s Walt Disney World with Kids 2012.
Hyperion Wharf Stalled
Work on Disney’s new Hyperion Wharf has stalled just months after work started. Hyperion Wharf was billed as a new dockside shopping, dining and entertainment area, replacing Pleasure Island which shut in 2008.
Having started work last December, Disney is now “re-evaluating” their master plan for the project and will not say one way or the other what will happen next. Expect more news in the coming months.
Hyperion Wharf was originally scheduled to open in phases starting this year and being completed in 2013. This schedule now looks unlikely to be met.
Meanwhile, Disney has confirmed that there will be some new enhancements to the neighbouring Downtown Disney retail complex. A new bowling alley, billiards, dining and music venue called Splitsville will open in the building formerly occupied by the Virgin Megastore.
The current occupiers of the Virgin store, Ridemakerz will move to a new smaller venue on site. Also Harley-Davidson has moved to a bigger location and their old spot will be taken by Apricot Lane Boutique.
On September 17, the Irish Raglan Road pub will be celebrating “Half Way to Paddy Day”, a take on the annual St. Patricks Day celebrations on March 17.
Free Monthly Desktop Wallpaper
August and September 2011 desktop wallpaper calendars
The free Florida desktop wallpaper calendars are now available in new widescreen and netbook format as well as standard format so if you have a widescreen monitor or a netbook you can now download a new widescreen calendar. From July we have introduced some additional sizes for widescreens. 
Free desktop calendars for August 2011 (Mini Golf, Kissimmee) and September 2011 (Old Saddle Store, Kissimmee) are ready to download now.
Note that some of the larger files can be up to 1mb in size so if you are on a modem dialup line it will take a few minutes to download.
Click to view and then download the Florida free desktop wallpaper for August or September now.
Also don't forget if you are looking for inspiration on what to do on your Florida vacation, why not take advantage of our collection of free Florida brochures where you will find information on many activities including golfing vacations, eco-tours, scuba diving and Caribbean cruises.
August Events
August sees the annual Wassau Possum Festival, Key West Lobsterfest, Grape Stomp & Music Fest and the Alligator Egg Hatching Fest.
Noticeable artists on tour in Florida this month include Lil Wayne, Kings Of Leon, Engelbert Humperdinck, Brian Wilson, Kesha, Bryan Adams, Rascal Flatts, Maroon 5 and the touring show Cirque du Soleil Alegria.
Looking further ahead, Disney on Ice, Marc Anthony, Adele, Roger Daltrey, Elvis Costello, Blondie and Josh Groban are also performing in Florida.
Click here for full coverage of the latest events throughout the State of Florida or for a comprehensive list of upcoming Florida concerts.
Weather Forecast
The hurricane season has got off to a busy start, but to date, they have all been just tropical storms and none have come close to threatening Florida.
As in July, temperatures this month will be above seasonal averages across the whole state and rainfall above average particularly in Central and Southern Florida. Expect daytime temperatures in the mid 90s throughout the state for some of the month.
In the North around Pensacola and Jacksonville, the month will start with a number of thunderstorms and sunny periods followed by a period of rain showers and cloud. Daytime temperatures will again be in the low to mid 90s dropping to the high 80s. Overnight temperatures will be in the low/mid 70s.
Across the Central region, the weather outlook is very similar but slightly warmer with temperatures reaching the high 90s particularly on the Gulf coast.
Down in Miami and the Keys, the weather will be similar again. Temperatures will be in the low 90s during the day and high 70s overnight.
Click here 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.
August Books
Again, a quiet month for Florida books but next month will see the 2012 editions of the official Birnbaum Guides and the Unofficial Guides hitting the bookshelves.
August Book List
- The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art by Virginia Brilliant
- French Colonial Archaeology in the Southeast and Caribbean by Kenneth G. Kelly, Meredith D. Hardy
- Gator Greats: Profiles of Champions by Chris Doering & Scott Lynch
- Souvenirs of the Old South: Northern Tourism and Southern Mythology by Rebecca Cawood McIntyre
- Fodor’s Walt Disney World with Kids 2012: with Universal Orlando, SeaWorld & Aquatica by Kim Wright Wiley (see review above)
- Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida by Richard P. Wunderlin, Bruce F. Hansen
We plan to bring you a newsletter on the first day of each month with details of upcoming events and news from across Florida.
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