Islands of Adventure Florida

Islands Of Anventure

Yep - Free Islands of Adventure tickets, so we just had to go. Or atleast that’s what I was told. Well free didn’t turn out to be so free - after the tolls, parking, eating and extra tickets - I spent more than I should have at this wonderful “Islands of Adventure” Florida theme park.

Ok, my son had a blast at Islands of Adventure and I got badly sun burned but hey, this is what happy memories [ and skin cancer] is all about. Let me give you a hint - it’s great to have the two park pass - yes it maybe a bit more expensive - but in the end, it pays off. In my case - around 3 o’clock after I was good and toasty [ burned from walking around Islands of Adventure that offers very little in the shade department ] my wife said “let’s go over to the other park [ Universal ] and play in the children’s water area [ best idea she’s had all day ].

God I was so happy to sit under a water fall and have that nice cool water cool me off. They even had fans blowing - you know where I sat - right under those fans. My son ofcourse ran himself ragged running from water area to water area - even made me go into an indoor area where you had air cannons that shot balls at people. Ofcourse I had to get the balls and the whacks to give my son ammo.

The heat really got to my little boy because on our way home - he was out like a light. But all in all it’s a nice park - I prefer Universal Studios over Islands of adventure - but hey- my son will remember it as a happy family memory.

Transformers 2: revenge of the fallen

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

If your an old time fan of Transformers [ the old cartoon TV show ] and you loved the first movie "Transformers" - you better drag yourself down to the local movie theater and watch this thing on a big screen.

This was a Father and Son outing. With my son, I normally go to the theater during the matinee hours. In my town, it’s usually just me and five other people in the audience - today the house was packed and man let me tell you this movie was filled with action, explosions, drama and good laughs. Let me tell you I was not embarrassed to laugh out loud.

I loved the fact that my son was automatically in a trance thru the whole movie.
“Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen “ is a good movie don’t let anyone fool you. It has it all - parents can enjoy it, the kids can enjoy it and if your not a Sci Fi kind of person - transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will make you laugh and will leave you wanting to see more.

This was one of the few times it was just me and my son going out to a movie - I was concerned it would be to scary or too loud [ the kid hates loud movies ] But he loves soldiers, tanks and fight scenes. Man he was drooling over the combat scenes with all the explosions and action.

Yes, if you’re an old fan of the original Transformers TV cartoon series - you know things are not the same. But then again, they have made so many re-vamps to that series that nothing can truly hold up to the original. But all in all this was a good movie. And again - Best seen in a theater with a large screen and loud surround sound…. Look out Optimus Prime ....

Transformers 2

STUCK ! on Bush Gardens ride

STUCK in Bush Gardens Ride

That’s right - stuck in a Bush Gardens ride. Serves them right. Yes even though it makes for a great post - I’m upset that I was stuck at work while my son & wife went off to play at Bush Gardens. I would like to thank “Miss Eli” for the free tickets and for my Brother-in-law for taking them. But man, I missed all the fun. I hear my son had a grand old time and he even got to ride in front with the conductor on a ride [ of course that’s the ride that got stuck ].
Luckily we have video ladies and gents….



Below here are some pic’s of the short Family vacation.
Although the tickets were free I still had to shell out some cash for the family to eat, buy trinkets and have fun. Man, some one in my family should say thank you.
^%*$#@!!!! I had to work all day.

Universal Studios Fl, Disney, Sea World - CHEAP Vacation is NOW!

Universal Studios Fl, Disney, Sea World - CHEAP Vacation is NOW!

My wife is asking me why am I doing all this research - this Dream vacation - that I’m planning. With all the economic woes, who can afford to go on vacation? Well, This may be my last chance - soon I'll have to be spending more on the kids - high school, graduation and she wants my son to play football. This may be the only chance I have for a dream vacation!

Believe it or not - this summer, this year, may be the best time ever to afford that dream vacation. Large companies are rolling out discount sales everyday just to keep people coming back - and the travel industry is no different.

Check out some of the specials below:

Walt Disney
Walt Disney offers different deals - currently they have free meals for kids and discount meals for adults. They give away online maps and other saving but they frequently change so you have to continue to visit the website.

Universal Studios
They are giving away free tickets and offer free admission and food for kids 3-9 years old.

Sea World Fl.
Sea world is offering plenty of deals but the best one is that every one buys one tickets and can go back FREE all year long. You can convert that to a three or four day vacation - and save with only one admission price cost.

Ofcourse if all you have is $1,000 in your savings - don’t go on vacation. You should first make sure you have at least three to six months of savings that equal your expenses for 3 to 6 months. Also, have some emergency money put aside - enough to cover a roof leak, car repairs or a new frig - just in case. Then - what’s left over - use to go on that dream vacation and relieve some of that stress for you and your family.

Why now when the economy is so bad - because, you probably will never see these kinds of deals again. Once the economy [ if ] gets better - all, and I mean all of these deals will disappear. It will go back to high prices and no specials. I remember one year I visited Disney [ one day trip] and thought of getting a room for the night. Every hotel I checked wanted $100 or more for one night. I called yesterday to see - average price for spur of the moment booking - avg. price $49 to $59 a night.

Sea World Resort Family Discount Vacation!

Sea World Resort Family Discount Vacation!

Still trying to create that special Dream discount vacation. My wife came up with the idea of going to "Sea World" Resort ??
She likes the idea of paying one price for admission and then you can return for free [ free admission ] to Sea world as many times as you like. So I decided to give it a look - after all - my goal is for the family to have fun and save money on a discount vacation price. If Sea world can give me that - maybe we'll go... still would prefer Walt Disney world thou.

Sea World Resort Pay one day - go all year
"Sea World Fun Card"
The idea is - Pay for a day, and come back all year to enjoy "Sea World". So you see all the sights and splashes of Sea World Orlando with a 2009 Sea World Fun Card.
Deal last through December 31, 2009 for only $74.95 for adults and $64.95 for children ages 3-9.

How much fun can you have at Sea World ??
Really, my question is - "how much fun can you have at Sea World?" Plus - I want to have a three or four day vacation - the price sounds great - pay once and go as much as you want - pay one day the three other days [ admission ] is FREE ...?

But still - The last time I went to sea world I spent my time walking under the hot Florida sun [ I no like ] and only saw animal shows and animal tanks - fun for 2 hours but not for a four day vacation..... So I had to check out what was new and if it was even worth considering as a vacation spot.

Sea World Resort What does it offer:
Well - so far it sounds interesting and there are alot more activities there than I remember - plus I like one of the features on the "Sea World Resort" website - it's an interactive online map:

Sea World interactive map

There are several Extra special activities you can do and share at "Sea world Resort" - the one that catches most of my interest is the sea world "Sleep over" program.
I think it's a cool idea and something a family [ like mine would enjoy ] I'm sure there's an extra cost some where since I didn't see a price for it on the Sea World website.

Sea World Resort Sleepovers ?
After an entertaining evening at Sea World, you'll snuggle into your sleeping bag to spend the night next to some awesome animals.

Sleepovers begin at 6 p.m. and end at 9 a.m. the next day. You'll participate in fun-filled activities, visit animals and enjoy a pizza dinner. Then you'll sleep next to either manatees, dolphins, beluga whales, polar bears, penguins or coral reefs. After a continental breakfast, wrap up your adventure with an animal interaction.

All Sleepover programs include—

• Exciting and fun activities
• Sleepover at an animal habitat
• Pizza dinner
• Continental breakfast

More Special attractions at Sea World Resorts

ADVENTURE CAMPS [ only at Sea World Orlando ]

RESIDENT CAMPS [ only at Sea World Orlando ]

DAY CAMPS [ only at Sea World Orlando ]

SLEEPOVERS [ only at Sea World Orlando ]

ADVENTURE CAMPS [ All Parks ]

Sea World Happy Harbor Rides
The one thing I like is they have an area at Sea World called "Happy Harbor Rides" - basically it's a play area [ great for my five year old ]. It has something called the "Pirates Net" - it's filled with slides and climbing nets and activities of the sort. It makes up for the fact that I hate roller coasters and except for my eleven year old - none of the rest of the family want to ride the Manta or the Kraken or any other roller coaster.

All in all it sounds like a nice place to have an interesting vacation and you can't beat the one day price for as many days you want. The problem is the extra activities - there are no prices on the website and you have to call to register and reserve. That could be a problem with vacation if you can't get the right days. It may be something you really have to plan way ahead of time.

So all in all - Sea World Resort - may be a contender for the dream vacation. But I'm not giving up on Disney World, not by a long shot!