Monthly Archives: January 2016

5 Things to Do as a Family at Universal Studios Orlando

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Located in the heart of sunny Florida, Universal Studios Orlando offers family-friendly fun with two theme parks, a water park and several on-site resort hotels. One of central Florida’s hottest vacation destinations, there’s truly something for every member of the family.

Make lifetime memories with these 5 Universal Studios exclusive activities.

1. Catch the Superstar Parade.

There’s something to delight every family member when the streets of Universal Studios fill with your favorite characters, amazing stunt performers and tumblers, stunning floats and a even a drum line with E.B. on lead drum. Parade characters include the whole Despicable Me crew, SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer and more. The parade lasts approximately 30 minutes.

2. Experience Shrek 4-D.

Fun for all ages, our heroes Shrek and Donkey are off to rescue Princess Fiona who’s been captured by the ghost of the diminutive Lord Farquaad. It’s a sensory explosion after you don your “OgreVision” glasses—you’ll see, hear and feel the special effects like you’re right in the middle of the adventure with Shrek and Donkey.

3. Take a Break at Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone.

Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone features several fun shops to explore including E.T.’s Toy Closet, The Barney Store and SpongeBob StorePants where you can find all your favorite Bikini Bottom friends. After having fun in the shops, grab a bite to eat at the KidZone Pizza Company, which is open daily for lunch and dinner.

4. Meet Favorite Characters in Person.

At Universal Studios the whole family can meet in person Shrek, Fiona and Donkey as well as SpongeBob SquarePants plus even everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur, Barney. Check your park map for the daily meet-and-greet times and locations. Other characters you may see include Scooby Doo, the Minions, Doc Brown, The Simpsons and the Transformers.

5. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley

Enter the magical world of Harry Potter from the streets of London in Universal Studios. Enjoy a butterbeer a the Leaky Cauldron or cool off at Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour before checking out the wands and Ollivanders. Make time to visit Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes before shopping for Quidditch supplies at Quality Quidditch Supplies. When you’re done, board the Hogwart’s Express at King’s Cross Station.

Located in the heart of sunny Florida, Universal Studios Orlando offers family-friendly fun with two theme parks, a water park and several on-site resort hotels. One of central Florida’s hottest vacation destinations, there’s truly something for every member of the family.
Make lifetime memories with these 5 Universal Studios exclusive activities.
1. Catch the Superstar Parade.
There’s something to delight every family member when the streets of Universal Studios fill with your favorite characters, amazing stunt performers and tumblers, stunning floats and a even a drum line with E.B. on lead drum. Parade characters include the whole Despicable Me crew, SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer and more. The parade lasts approximately 30 minutes.
2. Experience Shrek 4-D.
Fun for all ages, our heroes Shrek and Donkey are off to rescue Princess Fiona who’s been captured by the ghost of the diminutive Lord Farquaad. It’s a sensory explosion after you don your “OgreVision” glasses—you’ll see, hear and feel the special effects like you’re right in the middle of the adventure with Shrek and Donkey.
3. Take a Break at Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone.
Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone features several fun shops to explore including E.T.’s Toy Closet, The Barney Store and SpongeBob StorePants where you can find all your favorite Bikini Bottom friends. After having fun in the shops, grab a bite to eat at the KidZone Pizza Company, which is open daily for lunch and dinner.
4. Meet Favorite Characters in Person.
At Universal Studios the whole family can meet in person Shrek, Fiona and Donkey as well as SpongeBob SquarePants plus even everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur, Barney. Check your park map for the daily meet-and-greet times and locations. Other characters you may see include Scooby Doo, the Minions, Doc Brown, The Simpsons and the Transformers.
5. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley
Enter the magical world of Harry Potter from the streets of London in Universal Studios. Enjoy a butterbeer a the Leaky Cauldron or cool off at Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour before checking out the wands and Ollivanders. Make time to visit Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes before shopping for Quidditch supplies at Quality Quidditch Supplies. When you’re done, board the Hogwart’s Express at King’s Cross Station.

Getting The Most Out of One Day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure

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Every morning at our guest service office we see hundreds of faces. They all ask pretty much the same question, “What’s the best ticket to see the most”? Well that can be a loaded question in itself! Lately the trend has been leaning towards Universal Studios and not so much Disney. People want to see Harry Potter and not Cinderella. So that being said, we tend to sell our clients Universal Studios tickets instead of Walt Disney World tickets. If you are working with one day and want to see the most one can possibly see, the I always suggest the 1 day 2 park Universal Studios ticket which includes their sister theme park, Islands of Adventure. Most people do not have two days to spend at Universal, so the 1 day 2 park ticket works perfect for them.

Walt Disney World has 4 parks to Universal’s 2 parks and most people will go and spend 2 or 3 days at the Disney parks, 1 day at SeaWorld and that only leaves 1 day more to play! The Universal Studios parks are a great bet as they are situated right next door to each other and do not require a monorail or bus to get to. Quick trip to the next pak equals more time playing! They do however have the all new Hogwart’s Express train that connects the two parks together at the back of the parks. This is a great way to get to the other park when you are way in the back and do not want to walk all the way to the front! I thought this was a brilliant idea if you ask me. The only rub is that you will need a Universal Park to Park ticket in order to ride the train.

For some travelers, a one day Universal base ticket works for them. This ticket only allows them to go to one of the two parks and they must stay at that park all day. They can come and go within that day, but in the end one park is all they will see with those Universal tickets. When it is in the busy season, this ticket is probably the best bet as the lines can be pretty long so most of the time in the park will be spent waiting to ride rides. This makes park hopping not feasible. But if you only want to do the biggest rides and cherry pick what you want to do, then a park to park ticket can be a good choice. Most travelers are not going to stop and do every little kiddie ride, so traversing the parks in a half of day is doable, making a 1 day park to park ticket a possible choice.

So for the traveler who wants to go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure but only have one day to do them in, the 1 day Park to Park ticket is a great ticket to have. It will allow you to visit two great theme parks in one day and also allow you to ride on the new Hogwarts Express train while traveling to both parks. Compared to a 1 day Universal Studios ticket or Islands of Adventure tickets, one can spend about $40 more and have a whole other park to explore. With both parks now having a Harry Potter themed area to them, people want to see both but are worried about the walking to get to both and money. But for a few dollars more and a train to get you to both without all the walking, it make sense to just get the park to park ticket and have the best one day one could have! To get discount Universal Studios tickets or the 1 day park to park tickets mentioned in this article, make to visit us on the web at www.officialticketcenter.com or by calling us toll free at 1-877-406-4836 today.

Orlando’s Newest and Biggest Theme Park Additions Will Make You Scream For More

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As you may have heard, Orlando is in the midst of a big face-lift. The theme parks are all hands on deck with construction and there seems to be no end in sight. The biggest addition to Orlando’s arsenal has to be Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. For those of you who do not know what Avatar is, it is a James Cameron movie that set box office records a few years back and is one of the most cutting edge movies ever made. So it goes without saying that Disney had to have this at one of their parks one day. Well that day is now and if you are visiting the Animal Kingdom look behind the Rainforest Cafe and you will see the floating lands of Pandora in the distance. This multi-million dollar project is set to open in 2017 and should be Disney’s newest big hit.

The next big addition to the theme parks will be Universal Orlando’s ~ Islands of Adventure with their Skull Island~ Reign of Kong attraction. The Kong fans were very disappointed when the famous ride in Universal Studios closed down back in 2002 and Universal never heard the end of it! Well the big shots at Universal heard their voices and now have brought the big guy back bigger and better but with a new location next door at Universal Studios sister park, Islands of Adventure. If you have ever been to this park, Kong will be located between Jurassic Park and Rip Saw Falls. He will look a little different from his once chimp looking self and more like the Peter Jackson’s version of the expansive remake of the 1933 classic.

Following the big competitors lead, SeaWorld Orlando has some big news as well. This park is not all about sea life but is becoming more about world record roller coasters! The newest addition to their lineup is Mako. Mako is not your average roller coaster. They deem it a hyper-coaster due to the fact that it will take its passengers over 70 miles per hour and over a mile long! Named for one of the ocean’s fastest known sharks, it will be Orlando’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster and will also have portions of the rise that will leave its passengers weightless. The coaster will be the new centerpiece to a whole new realm. The area will be fully surrounded by shark themed restaurants, shops and entertainment. This marks the third largest addition to SeaWorld followed by their Manta coaster and Kraken.

Probably the biggest project that is currently going on but is almost completed is the old Downtown Disney area now called Disney Springs. Disney has got it right this time with world class dining, shopping and entertainment. I think they learned their lesson with Pleasure Island and would like to just let Universal have that crowd with their Citywalk. With Disney’s new idea, one can have the time of their lives on the lakefront sampling everything from Iron Chef Morimoto’s sushi to drinks and appetizers at Jock Lindsey’s Hanger Bar. Not enough for you? Well how about sitting on the lakefront and watching the amphibious cars take passengers on a tour of the lake all the while having libations and mouth watering delicacies at the all new Boat House. After dinner and you are ready for more, head over for a game of billiards and bowling at the all new Splitsville. This is not your ordinary bowling alley back home. But then again nothing is ordinary in Orlando!

If you plan on visiting these new attractions and are looking for deals on your Disney tickets or Universal Studios tickets, call us toll free at 1-877-406-4836 to speak with a vacation planner.

Are Orlando Theme Parks Pricing Themselves Out of Business?

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There seems to be a new king in town and it ain’t Disney! Sure you can say that all of Disney’s theme parks are full and their resorts are putting bodies in the beds, but ticket sales don’t lie! Recently we have seen a major shift in the tickets purchased and the days of the big Disney tickets are gone, at least for now. Universal Orlando Resort with their two theme parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure are leading the way in most requested for tickets. Not to long ago Disney was the most sought after theme park, but as of late the Universal Studios tickets have taken that lead. It’s one of those things that you can’t really hang one hat on but it would seem that it is many things that have knocked a once giant icon down a few notches.

The most recent would have to be the big ticketing structure that Disney has majorly rearranged. Taking away their once popular non-expiration tickets from their lineup has had major ramifications in my opinion. Those tickets secured future travellers to return to Disney and spend money in their parks and resorts. Now that person has no reason to return and now seeks out new adventures at other competing parks. And this is just the beginning of an ever changing ticket structure Disney has come up with. Just the simple fact that Disney is changing their tickets again is proof that something is wrong in Mouse town.

The newest ticketing idea is going to be a Seasonal tickets. This is because Disney will not admit that they have priced themselves out of business. They will never drop their ticket prices but will create a new ticket at a discount price. The Peak, Non-Peak and Seasonal tickets are their newest idea to bring travelers back to their parks without showing that they got greedy with their admission ticket prices. Imagine being able to come to Disney in the off season when kids are in school and receiving a discount on your attraction tickets or during any time that is not a prime time to travel. This is the newest idea of Disney’s. Give a discount but travel when it’s not convenient. The next is pay full price and come during peak times like summer, Christmas etc. Get the picture yet?

I think that their mentality is keep throwing things against the wall and hopefully something sticks. Disney is not the only theme park to venture down this path. SeaWorld Orlando has had great success with their new ticketing structure and I feel Disney has been watching. SeaWorld has also had some very negative issues thrown against them, but they have offered their guests great discounts to visit their parks. For one person to go to SeaWorld and get all day dining would cost $103. Now the same person to travel to Disney and that person buying a one day Magic Kingdom ticket and them feeding themselves throughout the day comes to around $181. See the difference? This is a big hit on a typical family thinking about coming to Orlando.

One of the biggest Disney park ticket killer has to be the Universal 2 park with a 3rd day free ticket. This has stole the big ticket purchases from Disney and is why their Base and Hopper multi day passes are almost non-existent anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love Disney and it pains me to see what was a once giant company, slowly be beaten down to the ground by their competitors. If only they would see that they have created a situation that puts most families out of enjoying their parks for the profit of their shareholders and see that the economy has not improved at the rate of their ticket prices. If only they could bring their ticket prices back down to a realistic price, then and only then would people come back in droves to enjoy what Walt himself wanted, a place for everyone to enjoy, and not just for the uber rich!

Chasing the Big Discounts on Your Orlando Theme Park Tickets

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With every major theme park in Orlando at or above the $100 level, travelers are taking to discount websites and travel forums for the best discount available. You might get lucky here and there at the Official park pages, but their discounts pretty much are for when you buy their products in a package. Yes, it would be nice to stay on property with a all inclusive deal, but at the end of the day, there really is no discount after everything is broken down to their bare ellement. This is why the savvy traveler will dissect everything down and start from there.The best way to get the deepest discounts is to first look at the lodging.

Many people will look at sites like Trivago or Priceline for accommodations, but many are finding that staying with a Vacation Rental Home works out best for pricing and amenities. Why pay big money for a small resort room when you can have a fully furnished home with private pool, hot tub and many with game rooms? A local company who has been around for almost 20 years may be able to help on your next visit. Magical Memories is a full service vacation rental home agency in Kissimmee, Florida and is just minutes from all of central Florida’s world famous theme parks.  With most of their homes within minutes from Disney, a smart traveler who wants the biggest bang for their buck might try this avenue on their next trip. This is especially affordable when traveling with family or friends who can share in the cost!

The next biggest cost would have to be the the park tickets to the attractions. This is probably the single most brain wracking thing a traveler has to think about for their vacation. With so many things to see and do while in Florida, one must take this chore very seriously. The biggest theme park in Orlando would have to be Walt Disney World. With four theme parks, two water parks and various other smaller attractions, Disney is the largest adventure one could take if that is the only thing on the itinerary. But we can’t stop there as there is the second largest destination, Universal Orlando Resort. With their two parks, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. One could also make this destination a one stop vacation if one doesn’t want to visit Disney. And lastly, we have SeaWorld Orlando. SeaWorld Orlando also owns Busch Gardens in Tampa as well as Discovery Cove in Orlando. So as you can see, if you want to see everything, you are going to need about a week to do these theme parks justice!

I can see the money just adding up with a week long vacation, so the next step is to find someone who can help out with the costs of these pesky little high priced theme park tickets. The first step is to find a reputable authorized ticket wholesaler. Now this is where it can get a little risky and especially if you do not know what you are doing. Normally you can search around online and visit a few chat forums and see who they recommend for discount theme park tickets. A few that have stood the test of time and are trust worthy site are www.intercot.com, www.dadsguidetowdw.com, www.getdowntodisness.com and www.wdwinfo.com. These are very informative sites that shed light on how to save time and money when booking your Disney vacation. The most important thing with these site is that they can give you a trust stamp of approval on everyone they work with and that goes a very long way! For discount Disney tickets and discount Universal Studios tickets, look at Kissimmee’s wholesaler, The Official Ticket Center. They are a authorized discount theme park ticket seller and are local.

Now that you know where to look for discounts, please take the time to plan accordingly and not buy more than you need for you vacation. Ask questions and most of all, pay attention to any hidden costs or if a company is not local. Most web sites are just that, a site and have no knowledge of local perks or are just a referral person! Call these people and see if you get a actual person. Ask if they sell the actual product. I have called a few places online to ask if they sell actual tickets for instance, only to be confronted by a recording and having to communicate by email or text. Watch out for companies like these or companies that only deal in vouchers. When you are able to speak with a company representative, you know they are legit and have skin in the game! It only takes one mistake to ruin a vacation, so trust in what other people have used and had good experiences with and shop local!