December 2008 Newsletter

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

We hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving celebrations and we'd like to take the opportunity to extend our heartfelt Christmas greetings to everyone who reads the Florida Review & Travel Guide newsletter and wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year.

If you are looking for Christmas gift ideas, then why not read about our suggestions here.

It is interesting at this time to look back at what we were writing about last year and next month we'll have a full review of what you can look forward to in Florida in 2009.

Two of Florida's oldest attractions are in the news this month (see below). Weeki Wachee seems to have found some financial security, but Cypress Gardens continues to struggle and tries to re-invent itself once more.

Visa Waiver Programme

A reminder to everyone who is planning a trip to Florida in 2009 from overseas; on November 24th, the US Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) will be mandatory from January 12th, 2009. More details can be found here.

Pump Prices

A year ago we were looking at oil prices of $100 per barrel and prices of around $3.18 per gallon at the pumps; nearly one dollar a gallon higher than the previous year.

This year, during the summer months, prices went through the roof with $5 a gallon seen in some places in Florida but oil has now dropped right back to the $50 mark. This means pump prices are typically just around $2 a gallon in Orlando which puts it pretty much where it was two years ago.

However, with the current economic climate it is difficult to predict what will happen next.

Anheuser-Busch

The buyout of Anheuser-Busch by the Belgian brewers InBev has now been completed and the new company will be known in future as Anheuser-Busch InBev.

There is still no news as to whether they will sell off the Busch Entertainment Corporation who run SeaWorld, Aquatica, Discovery Cove and Busch Gardens in Florida.

Weeki Wachee

The future of Weeki Wachee looks secure after it became a State Park on November 1st. The unusual water park has been entertaining visitors since 1947 with it's mermaid show but in recent years has fallen on hard times trying to compete with Florida's more modern attractions and theme parks and disputes with the land owners, the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Hall of Presidents

Disney are taking the opportunity of the election of Barack Obama, the 44th US president to refurbish the Hall of Presidents at Disney's Magic Kingdom, one of the Kingdom's first shows.

The show will be closed for around eight months whilst they upgrade the lighting, sound and animatronics and of course include the newest president. This follows similar refurbishments to Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and It's A Small World.

Zagat Survey

The 2008 Zagat survey on airlines and airports named Tampa International Airport (TIA) the top national airport.

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Florida books published in December

Firstly a book that slipped by us last month; The Healthy Guide to Walt Disney World 2009: How to Eat Right and Stay Fit in Disney - The NEW Diet, Dining, Food, Fitness and Complete Weight Loss Book. Just the thing for those who might think of over-indulging this festive season.

Not many books this month but the latest issues of the renowned PassPorter Walt Disney World have finally arrived along with two new editions of the Insight guides and the latest revision to The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World:

• PassPorter Walt Disney World 2009 Deluxe: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake! by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx and Allison Cerel Marx (reviewed this month)
• PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2009: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake! by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx and Allison Cerel Marx
• Sarasota/Disto Bundle, Florida Street Guide
• Hunter Adventure Guide Florida Keys & Everglades by Bruce Morris
• Insight Guides Florida
• Insight Guides Orlando Step by Step
• The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2009 by Julie and Mike Neal

All these books and more can be found in our new Florida book directories for US and UK visitors.

The new owners of Cypress Gardens have decided to take the park back to it's roots in more ways than one. Rather than trying to compete head-to-head with the likes of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens will in future concentrate on it's original features; i.e. the beautiful botanical gardens and the famous ski shows and also the recently developed Splash Island water park which will be expanded.

The park has now closed for approximately four months and when it re-opens next March, the small zoo, Nature's Way, will have gone as will the thrill rides at Adventure Grove including the six roller coasters. At the end of the day, it was felt that the money required to maintain the zoo and the rides was not reflected in the takings on the gates.

So it is the end of the line for the wooden coaster, the Triple Hurricane which was named after the stormy 2004 season when Cypress Gardens was hit by three hurricanes. Also going will be the classic Starliner which the previous owners rescued and restored at considerable expense from Panama City Beach's Miracle Strip Amusement Park after it closed down.

The Starliner and Triple Hurricane roller coasters are now up for sale so let's hope someone is able to rescue them and find them new homes.

To read more about Cypress Gardens, click here.

NASA have successfully completed their final shuttle mission to the International Space Station in 2008 after having to postpone their last service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. This is now slated for early in 2009.

With the new incoming administration it is possible more money (an extra $2 billion) will be made available to NASA which could result in an acceleration in the commissioning of the new Ares rockets that will replace the Shuttle.

Even so it is likely there will be a four year gap between the last shuttle flight in 2010 and the first manned Ares/Orion flight in 2014. During the intervening period, NASA will be reliant on Russia to get personnel and material up to the International Space Station.

The alternative is to extend the life of the remaining shuttle craft but NASA's view is that this is simply too dangerous. A sobering thought is that the statistical chance of losing a crew member currently stands at 1 in 12 and if the shuttle were to continue flying after 2010 this would drop to 1 in 8.

To read more about NASA's launch schedule, click here.

The PassPorter Walt Disney World 2009 Deluxe book is a unique kind of travel guide that combines a planner where you can plan out your itinerary, an organiser to keep everything together when you visit Walt Disney World, a journal to record your activities and impressions and a keepsake to show your family on your return.

The PassPorter series have won numerous literary awards including the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best First Book by a New Publisher and is published in full colour throughout.

All the PassPorter guide books are backed up by a dedicated website where you can review and download corrections and updates.

As it says on the back cover "You have only one vacation - make it a trip of a lifetime with PassPorter WDW! Planning is the key to a relaxing, magical, affordable vacation at WDW and this unique guide is your passport to it all !"

The PassPorter Walt Disney World guide book is written by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx and their daughter Allison Cerel Marx. It is unusual in that it comes in several editions, the Deluxe edition which comes in a loose leaf binder, the Spiral edition which is spiral bound and you can also buy a Deluxe Refill Kit to fit into an existing binder.

The 2009 edition is the 10th anniversary edition and has been fully updated to include a special 32 page glossy supplement with full-colour photos, all the recent price changes for tickets and room rates, updates the the Disney Dining Plan and new magical memories from expert peer reviewers and fellow readers.

To read the complete review of PassPorter Walt Disney World 2009 Deluxe, click here.

Last month we promised you our top 10 list of Florida books and here they are.

1. The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World 2009 by Julie and Mike Neal, published December 15, 2008
2. Brit Guide to Orlando 2009 by Susan and Simon Veness, published October 31, 2008
3. Florida Eyewitness Travel Guide, published March 20, 2006
4. Fodor's Walt Disney World 2009: with Universal Orlando and SeaWorld, published October 7, 2008
5. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009 by Bob Sehlinger, published August 18, 2008
6. PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2009: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake! by Jennifer, Dave and Allison Cerel Marx, published December 1, 2008
7. Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2009, published September 30, 2008
8. Frommer's Florida 2009 by Lesley Abravanel, published September 9, 2008
9. Florida Off the Beaten Path: A Guide to Unique Places by Diana and Bill Gleasner, published November 4, 2008
10. Florida Atlas & Gazetteer, published October 1, 2006

You can read our reviews of most of these books here.

December 2008 and January 2009 desktop wallpaper calendars

The free Florida desktop wallpaper calendars are now available in widescreen format as well as standard format so if you have a widescreen monitor you can now download a new widescreen calendar.

Free desktop calendars for December 2008 (Manatee at Homosassa Springs) and January 2009 (Rhino Rally at Busch Gardens) 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 December or December now, click here.

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 brochures where you will find information on many activities including golfing vacations, eco-tours, scuba diving and Caribbean cruises.

Read more...

If you get the opportunity to visit Florida during the Christmas (Holiday) season, then you are in for a treat. Most of the theme parks kick off their Christmas festivities immediately after Thanksgiving in late November and most continue until the first week in January.

A lot of the celebrations are included in the normal theme park ticket price so you can enjoy the extra entertainment at no extra charge. The only exception is the night time Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom which is by separate ticket admission.

Even if you are not visiting the theme parks, there is still plenty to enjoy with Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, float parades, carollers, music concerts and lighted boat parades in many towns throughout Florida.

Though it is rare for much snow to fall in Florida, there is plenty of opportunity to see snow at a number of special events including Disney's town Celebration, Naples and Lake City. There is also the amazing ICE! at Gaylord Palms attraction in Orlando where nearly two million pounds of ice are carved into spectacular scenes.

Of course if you are able to stay until January, then you also have all the exciting New Year's Eve parties and celebrations to look forward to as well.

The theme parks will be quiet in the first couple of weeks of December but then they will get very busy around Christmas and New Year.

For full coverage of December events throughout the State of Florida, click here.

The Atlantic hurricane season has now closed with most predictions being fairly accurate with an above average number of names storms and major hurricanes.

In December, rainfall is expected to be below average across the State with average temperatures though expect some colder spells, especially at the beginning of the month.

In the north around Pensacola and Jacksonville there will be some very cold nights with temperatures dropping to below freezing over night with sunshine and clouds during the day.

On the West coast, daytime temperatures will be in the high 50s/mid 70s and the nights will be in the low 30s/mid 50s. On the East coast, daytime temperatures will be slightly higher in the mid 50s/high 70s but at night in the mid 20s/low 50s.

Across the Central region, it will mostly sunny and warmer with high 50s/low 80s during the day dropping to high 30s/high 50s over night.

Down in Miami, it will again by mostly sunny with daytime temperatures more even with low 70s to mid 80s during the day and mid 50s to mid 60s over night. In the Keys it will be warmer still with daytime temperatures in the high 60s/low 80s and low 60s/low 70s over night.

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 © 2008, 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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