February 2009 Newsletter

Hi subscriber, welcome to the February 2009 newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide.

Easter is late this year which means Mardi Gras is not until February 24. A notable absence from the celebrations this year will be Disney's Pleasure Island but Universal Studios kick off their Mardi Gras celebrations on February 7 with a concert by KC and the Sunshine Band.

They have a number of headline acts over the coming weeks including Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Village People, Pat Benatar, Barenaked Ladies and MC Hammer. For further details of Universal Studios Mardi Gras celebrations and for the rest of Florida, click here.

Gasoline prices

The oil price per gallon has increased to around $47 so typical prices for regular gas (petrol) in Orlando are currently around $1.80 a gallon, up about 20 cents from last month. You can always find the latest pump prices at GasPriceWatch.com.

Space Mountain makeover

The iconic indoor Space Mountain roller coaster at Disney's Magic Kingdom will close on April 19, just after Easter, for a number of months whilst Disney give the attraction a major refurbishment. It is not expected to re-open until late in the year so will most likely be closed throughout the Summer months.

Disney have announced that they will be laying new tracks though the layout will remain unchanged. They also plan to revamp the queuing area.

The end of free beer

The first signs of a change following the takeover of Anheuser-Busch by InBev is a change in policy at the Hospitality Centers at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. From the end of January the free Budweiser beer tasting will end, after a tradition going back 50 years though guests will still be able to buy alcoholic beverages.

The Hospitality Center at Busch Gardens is closing for a short time at the end of January and will reopen with a new café-style menu. The Hospitality Center at SeaWorld will close on February 1 but no date has been set for its re-opening.

Theme park layoffs

Both Universal Studios and Disney have announced job cuts at their Florida theme parks in the face of the economic downturn. Universal have laid off around 70 people and Disney are hoping to buyout 313 employees at Walt Disney World. Most of the jobs are in senior management so it is not expected to affect the attractions, rides and restaurants.

There are no announcements regarding SeaWorld or Busch Gardens but all of Florida's tourist attractions will be looking long and hard at their costs. For further details of all of Florida's theme parks, click here.

Disney Military Offers

Disney have followed in the footsteps of Anheuser-Busch by offering complimentary admission tickets to members of the armed services.

The "Disney's Armed Forces Salute" offer allows active and retired U.S. military personnel to receive complimentary, five day "DisneyÕs Armed Forces Salute" Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More option tickets to Walt Disney World plus special rates on selected Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

They can also purchase a maximum of five additional five day "DisneyÕs Armed Forces Salute Companion" tickets (one theme park per day) for $99 per ticket plus tax, for family members (including spouse) or friends. These tickets can be upgraded to include either the Park Hopper or Water Park Fun & More options, for an additional $25 plus tax, per option.

All tickets and options are non-transferable and must be used by December 23, 2009.

A similar scheme is operating at Disneyland in California but only runs until June 12, 2009 and is for three days instead of five days. For further details of Disney's Florida's theme park tickets, click here.

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Florida books published in February

February sees the release of the first guide book dedicated solely to SeaWorld, Discovery Cove & Aquatica plus the latest edition of Drive Around Florida (reviewed below) and Hiking North Florida and the Panhandle. There are over 25 new books published this February including:

• Coming to Miami: A Social History by Melanie Shell-Weiss
• Drive Around Florida, 3rd edition by Mick Sinclair
• The Out Traveler: South Florida: Includes the Keys, Orlando, and the Tampa Bay Area by Paul Rubio
• Rand Mcnally 2009 Florida Fabric Map by Jolly Roger Bradfield
• Top 10 Miami and the Keys by DK Publishing
• An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century by Jack E. Davis
• Embry-Riddle at War: Aviation Training during World War II by Stephen G. Craft
• Everglades: Outside and Within by Marion Belanger
• Historic Photos of University of Florida by Steve Rajtar
• Mobil Florida Regional Guide 2009
• Freshwater Fish of Florida Field Guide by Dave Bosanko
• Jews of Greater Miami by Marcia Jo Zerivitz; Jewish Museum of Florida
• FM East Pasco County Street Guide and Directory
• Rand McNally St. Petersburg/Clearwater Street Map
• Rand McNally Tampa/Hillsborough Street Map
• Rand McNally Tampa/St. Petersburg/Hillsborough Street Map
• Spirits of the Air: Birds and American Indians in the South by Shepard, III Krech
• Tropical Trees of Florida and the Virgin Islands by T. Kent Kirk
• Vero Beach/Fort Pierce Street Map
• Hiking North Florida and the Panhandle: A Guide to 30 Great Walking and Hiking Adventures by M. Timothy O'Keefe
• Open Road's Best of The Florida Keys by Bruce Morris
• SeaWorld, Discovery Cove & Aquatica: Orlando's Salute to the Seas by Kelly Monaghan
• Churches and Charity in the Immigrant City: Religion, Immigration, and Civic Engagement in Miami
• Florida GeoCenter World Map
• Florida Marlins 101: My First Team-board-book by Brad Epstein
• Orlando Ghosts: Rouse Road and Other Central Florida Haunts by Amanda Branham
• The Acquisition of Florida by Liz Sonneborn

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

US vacationers

One of America's leading marketing and public relations companies, Ypartnership, have released a survey on predicted travel trends for US citizens in 2009. Whilst it looks as if most Americans are still planning a vacation in 2009, the following facts emerged:

• vacationers are looking for a good deal, not necessarily the cheapest but one that represents good value for money
• all inclusive vacations will become more popular as it is easier to plan and budget in advance
• two thirds of respondents said they would stay away for fewer nights as a means of keeping the costs of the vacation down
• there will be a growth in the use of comparison web sites as people use the internet more and more to hunt out better deals
• travel agents will still offer a good service as they are often able to track down better deals with their inside knowledge of the marketplace
• more use will be made of mobile devices like the iPhone and Blackberry to book and amend travel arrangements

All of this is resulting in Florida travel businesses looking at ways to tempt tourists either with special Florida resident specials for local vacations or as in the case of Disney, offering free nights and free theme park tickets to those who stay at the Walt Disney World Resort.

UK holidaymakers

Holidaymakers in the UK have one more problem to contend with, namely the weak pound against the US dollar and the Euro for that matter. A year ago a pound Sterling was worth close to $2 but today, that same pound is only worth around $1.40.

So a theme park ticket or a restaurant meal costing $70 would have cost around £35 a year ago but today, that same ticket/meal would cost you nearly £54. A sobering thought. It is therefore doubly important for UK visitors to compare UK and US prices if booking theme park tickets, car hire etc. in advance.

To try and counter the predicted drop in resort bookings and theme park attendance figures for 2009, in early January, Disney announced a special "Buy 4 Nights and Get 3 Nights Free" promotion at Walt Disney World Resorts in Orlando between selected dates in March to June 2009.

If you buy a non-discounted four night/four day Magic Your Way combined hotel and theme park ticket package with the Walt Disney Travel Company before March 29 on selected dates you will receive three extra nights of hotel accommodation and three more days added to your theme park tickets, free of charge.

If you were planning a week's break at the Walt Disney World Resort in early 2009, then this could be a real boost to the budget though conditions do apply. For a typical family of two adults and two children (one under 10) this represents a saving of between $416 to $484 at a Value Resort and between $2,363 and $2,611 at a Deluxe Villa Resort.

The deal is only valid between certain dates, namely March 1 to March 9, March 17 to April 4 and April 19 to June 27, 2009. If you are staying at the resort during the March dates then you will also receive a free $200 Disney Gift Card to spend on merchandise, dining or other Disney activities.

Whilst this deal will certainly boost attendance at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney have still been forced to look at staff cuts as mentioned earlier.

For more information on Walt Disney World, click here.

It is two years since the previous edition of Drive Around Florida by Mick Sinclair was published in April 2007 and this edition is updated with the latest information on attractions, lodgings, shopping and eating recommendations within each tour area.

Unlike most other Florida guide books, the Drive Around Florida book is built around a series of 25 drives throughout the State, ranging from a couple of miles of local sightseeing around a city centre like Miami to an all day 300 mile trek right across the Everglades or a drive along the land-bridge connecting the Florida Keys.

Combining guidebook and route map, this new book contains everything a self-drive traveller needs to know to tour Florida by car.

Each drive includes a full colour detailed map of the area, highlights of the journey, suggested accomodation and places to eat, a driving route map with stop off points and a detailed set of tour directions including total distance and estimated time. Many of the drives also include additional detours if you have more time available.

To read the complete review of Drive Around Florida, click here.

I guess it is a sign of the times but this last few months we have been repeatedly asked "how much will a holiday in Florida cost?".

And the answer is really impossible to say, it depends upon so many factors. A stay in a cheap motel in the middle of winter is going to be a few tens of dollars a night whereas a five star luxury hotel could run into the thousands.

We will be working on providing some more information on this topic over the coming months but in the meantime, consider the following when trying to work out your Florida vacation budget:

• which region of Florida are you planning on visiting and when? - different regions of Florida have different seasonal variations in accommodation prices
• how many people are there in your group and what ages are they? - this may influence the type of accommodation you stay in
• where are you travelling from and how will you get there? - airplane, car or train
• what sort of accommodation do you want? - motel, hotel, condo, villa etc.
• will you want a car when you get there? - might be cheaper to do without
• do you intend to visit any theme parks? - theme park tickets can add a lot to your budget particularly if there are quite a few of you in your party

To read all of our money saving tips from last month, click here.

February and March 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 February 2009 (Pearl Diver at SeaWorld) and March 2009 (Winnie the Pooh topiary at England Pavilion, Epcot) 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 February or March 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...

As mentioned earlier, Florida's Mardi Gras celebrations kick off this month with Universal Studios hosting some of the biggest parties. On February 14 it is Valentines Day and on February 22, it is Presidents Day, George Washington's birthday.

Disney's Hollywood Studios are preparing for the official opening of "The American Idol Experience" on Valentines Day, Saturday February 14.

February also heralds the start of Spring Training season for the baseball teams taking part in the Grapefruit League and one of America's biggest annual sporting events, the American football Superbowl comes to Florida. Superbowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals takes place on February 1 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

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

As expected, January saw some very cold weather but things should start to improve now with temperatures a little above seasonal norms with slightly below average rainfall.

In the north around Pensacola and Jacksonville, there could be some more cold snaps overnight with sunshine and clouds during the daytime. Temperatures will be in the high 50s/high 60s during the day with night-time temperatures in the mid 30s/low 50s. It will colder in the east.

Across the Central region, the weather outlook is a little warmer in the low 60s/low 70s during the day, dropping to high 30s/low 50s over night.

Down in Miami and the Keys, the temperatures are much more consistent with daytime temperatures a little warmer with high 60s/mid 70s during the day and low 50s/mid 60s overnight.

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 © 2009, 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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