June 2009 Newsletter

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

No book review this month but normal service should be resumed next month!!. In the meantime, the Manta ride at SeaWorld is now officially open, see more details below.

Swine Flu Updates

A relatively small number of confirmed cases of swine flu have been identified in Florida. The rate of outbreak seems to be decreasing but it is above the normal level of seasonal influenza for the time of year.

Carnival Cruise Lines have announced that they will resume ports of call in Mexico late June following the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lift travel precautions to Mexico.

If you require more information, then you should visit the Florida Department of Health site where they have specific information on H1N1 swine flu.

New Amtrak Auto Train Station

Amtrak have started to build a new passenger terminal at Sanford for the Auto Train and it is due for completion in the fall of 2010.

The new terminal building will be about four times the size of the existing buildings and will feature a 600 seat waiting room, gift shop, cafe and restrooms.

In 2008 Amtrak carried nearly 1/4 million passengers and over 100,000 cars between Lorton, Virginia and Sanford near Orlando.

For more information on Amtrak services to Florida, click here.

New Artificial Reef

Following the successful sinking of the landing ship dock, USS Spiegel Grove off Key Largo in 2002 and the aircraft carrier, Oriskany off Pensacola, back in 2006, another former US Navy ship has been sunk to form an artificial reef off Florida's coastline.

This time, the 66 year old USAFS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg has been sunk in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary off Key West in 140 feet of water (more details next month).

Las Vegas Casino Lines

Last August, we reported on the new casino cruise service starting from Port Canaveral, namely the Liquid Vegas operated by Las Vegas Casino Lines.

Unfortunately the company quickly ran into financial difficulties and filed for Chapter 11 protection this March which allowed them to continue cruising.

However, they were forced to temporarily suspend services on May 13 following disputes with one of their creditors.

Follow Us on Twitter

For those of you who use Twitter, you can now follow the latest news from Florida as it happens with us on Twitter, right here. Over the coming months we intend to rationalise our use of Twitter and RSS feeds to provide a single source of news updates.

Latest Hotel Deals

We are now subscribing to BookingWiz to give you the latest Florida deals each month.

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Hotel - Florida Panhandle: Luxury Championship Golf Party for 16 Players! $110 pp/pn .... Travelscream
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Hotel - Luxury Waterfront Suite Hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach - $129 .... Travelscream
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Gasoline Prices

Average pump prices in Orlando have jumped around 30 cents in the last month to around $2.35 a gallon. Analysts are predicting that prices will rise to around $3 a gallon by Summer.

You can always find the latest pump prices at GasPriceWatch.com.

TravelZoo Weekly Newsletter

Have you heard of the TravelZoo weekly top 20 deals newsletter? By signing up to their free newsletter, you receive their top 20 holiday deals each and every week with cheap flights, cruises and ferries, rail tickets, car hire, hotels and villas, tours and packages and last minute deals.

Each week, TravelZoo sift through 1000s of internet offers to bring you the best deals, no matter where you live.

$299 -- Weeklong Stay at Orlando Resort Near Disney-- As seen on Travelzoo's Top 20

Florida Books published in June

A whole bunch of new street maps are published this month plus a number of Disney related books including the latest editions of the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Walt Disney World, Pauline Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando, Mousejunkies! and a new book by Susan Veness who co-authors the Brit's Guide to Orlando books:

• The Journey of the Highwaymen by Catherine M. Enns
• Category Five: The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane by Thomas Neil Knowles
• Walt Disney World Resort and Orlando (DK Eyewitness Travel Guide)
• Mousejunkies!: Tips, Tales, and Tricks for a Disney World Fix: All You Need to Know for a Perfect Vacation by Bill Burke
• Charlotte County FL Street Map
• Hernando FL Street Map
• St Petersburg FL Street Map
• Bradenton FL Street Map
• Brevard County FL Atlas
• Lake / Sumter Counties FL Atlas
• Panama City FL Atlas
• Miami University, 1809-2009: Bicentennial Perspectives
• Cruising Guide to Eastern Florida by Claiborne Young
• Florida Bed & Breakfast Cookbook: Recipes from the Warmth and Hospitality of Florida B&b's, Beach Resorts, and Country Inns
• The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom by Susan Veness
• Historic Photos of Sarasota County by Steven Rajtar
• Pauline Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando by Jason Cochran

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

Hurricane season officially starts on June 1 and runs until the end of November but the first tropical depression of the year has already been reported in the Atlantic. There have also been a couple of tornadoes in recent weeks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released their first predictions for 2009 and like earlier forecasters they are predicting an around average year with between nine and fourteen named storms, four to seven hurricanes and one to three major hurricanes.

Over the last few years on average there have been 11 named storms, including six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.

Apparently this year the waters in the tropical Atlantic area are not as warm as usual and the Pacific ocean El Niño might emerge by late summer which could result in fewer storms.

For more information on hurricanes and Florida's weather, click here.

For the less energetic sports fan amongst you, there are plenty of spectator sports in Florida with major league American football, baseball and ice hockey teams all with their homes in Florida.

Florida based NFL (National Football League) professional football teams and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) college teams include the:

• Florida Gators - Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville
• Florida State Seminoles - Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee
• Jacksonville Jaguars - Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville
• Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes - Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens
• Jones HS Tigers - Citrus Bowl, Orlando
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers and South Florida Bulls - Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
• UCF Knights - Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando

The Dolphin Stadium is also home to the Florida Marlins, Florida's only NL (National League) baseball team.

Every year during late February to early April, around half of the American national baseball teams descend on Florida for their annual Spring Training season as part of the Grapefruit League.

For more information on Florida spectator sports including ice hockey, horse racing and motor sport, click here.

Stitch's SuperSonic Celebration

A new stage show, Stitch's SuperSonic Celebration has opened in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. It is fronted by Tip Trendo and his Galactic Girls and dancing robots.

The show uses a similar technique to Epcot's Turtle Talk with Crush and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. Stitch appears on a large screen and interacts with the audience.

Disney Raise Water Park Prices

In a surprise move, Disney have raised the one day ticket prices on their two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon by $5.00.

An adult ticket has increased from $40.00 to $45.00 (plus tax) and a child ticket from $34.00 to $39.00.

The annual Hopper prices remain the same as do the Water Park Fun & More add-ons to the base tickets.

For more information on theme park ticket prices, click here.

New Disney Resort in Washington

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts has purchased a 15 acre plot of land in the National Harbor development near Washington, DC on the banks of the Potomac River.

The hotel is expected to have around 500 rooms and will probably be a mix of Vacation Club and regular hotel accommodation.

The National Harbor site houses the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center., shops, six hotels and more than a dozen restaurants.

Manta Ride Opens

The new roller coaster ride at SeaWorld is now officially open. When you load, you sit four abreast but before the cars leave the station, you are tipped forward 90 degrees so you are effectively in a prone position, a bit like being on all fours.

Because you are looking down, you have an unobstructed view and when you go down, you go head first. It might be a bit intense for some riders but it is certainly different.

June and July 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 June 2009 (Welcome to Hollywood at Disney's Hollywood Studios) and July 2009 (Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park) are ready to download now.

Note that some of the larger files can be up to 600k 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 June or July 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...

This month, most of the theme parks are starting to offer extended Summer hours and special Summer shows and fireworks.

June is quiet month when it comes to concerts and air shows but if you are a Star Wars fan, then you must not miss the Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios where you will get the chance to meet all your favourite characters.

June seems to be pirates and landing month in Florida with events celebrating the founding of Pensacola, Drake's Raid at St. Augustine, Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival at Fort Walton Beach, John Levique Pirate Days at Madeira Beach and the Greek Landing Day Celebration in St. Augustine.

At the Kennedy Space Center there are potentially three rocket launches and one shuttle launch scheduled for June.

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

Temperatures in June will continue to rise with average temperatures and rainfall for the time of year. Expect an increase in humidity.

In the north around Pensacola and Jacksonville, the month will be mostly sunny with the odd shower. Temperatures will be in the mid 80 to mid 90s during the day with night-time temperatures in the high 60s/high 70s. It will be slightly cooler in the east with more chance of thunderstorms.

Across the Central region, the weather outlook is similar with sunshine and clouds plus the odd thunderstorms. Temperatures will be in the mid 80s/low 90s during the day, dropping to high 60s/mid 70s over night.

Down in Miami and the Keys, the temperatures will be more steady than the Central region with high 80s during the day and mid to high 70s 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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