October 2009 Newsletter

Hi Subscriber, welcome to the October 2009 newsletter of the Florida Review & Travel Guide.

Cypress Gardens Closed Again

On September 23, the owners of Cypress Gardens announced that the famous park had closed its doors once again. Read more about this sad event, below.

New Openings In 2010

On a happier note, Universal Studios have confirmed that the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter 'mini' theme park will open in the Spring of 2010.

Meanwhile Busch Gardens have also confirmed that they will open their Sesame Street area in Spring 2010.

Finally, Disney have announced a whole host of new developments at the first D23 Expo in Anaheim.

Read on for more details of all these exciting new announcements below.

Disney Buy Marvel Entertainment

The Walt Disney Company announced that they had acquired Marvel Entertainment which gives them the rights to around 5,000 Marvel comic characters including Spider-Man, The X-Men, Hulk, Capt. America and Dr. Doom.

Universal Studios have an existing deal with Marvel Entertainment which has allowed them to develop Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal Islands of Adventure including their park rides The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Dr. Doom's Fearfall, Storm Force Accelatron and The Incredible Hulk Coaster.

Universal also use many Marvel characters throughout the park, in the same way that Disney do with their characters.

Because of this existing agreement it is unlikely that characters like Spider-Man will appear at Walt Disney World though Disney may decide to take advantage of their new purchase at some of their other theme parks around the world. The existing contract between Universal and Marvel gives Universal all rights to use the Marvel characters "east of the Mississippi" so whilst you will not likely see any Marvel characters at Walt Disney World it is possible they may appear at Disneyland California and at other Disney locations.

Nights Of Joy

Disney's Nights of Joy celebrations will be moving back to the Magic Kingdom in 2010 where they originally started back in 1983. They moved to Disney's Hollywood Studios for 2008 and 2009 but will revert back to the Magic Kingdom next year.

Latest Hotel Deals

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Gasoline Prices

After several months of increases, average pump prices in Orlando have fallen by about 16 cents in the last month to around $2.43 a gallon for regular.

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

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On September 23, Land South Adventures, LLC, the new owners of Cypress Gardens and Splash Island Waterpark announced that both parks were closed for business indefinitely.

They are hopeful that all or part of the property can be either sold or leased out. How much longer will it be before the rumours of Legoland coming to Winterhaven resurface?

Land South Adventures, LLC bought Cypress Gardens two years ago and set about a restructuring program which saw the removal of the Adventure Grove thrill rides and roller coasters and the Nature's Way zoo area in an attempt to recreate the Cypress Gardens of old.

The park re-opened in March of this year with the original botanical gardens, ski show entertainment and the new waterpark. They also reduced ticket prices in an attempt to increase visitor numbers.

Cypress Gardens originally opened in 1936 and in 2006 they celebrated their 70th anniversary but by then the writing was already on the wall when the current owners, Adventure Parks Group, filed for bankruptcy.

For more information on the history of Cypress Gardens, click here.

Disney chose the inaugural D23 Expo in Anaheim, California to make a number of exciting announcements about their theme parks. Below are some of the highlights relating to Florida.

Fantasyland

In the biggest overhaul in the Magic Kingdom's history, Fantasyland will be expanded with a new Little Mermaid ride, an improved Dumbo children's attraction and a new interactive area featuring the Disney princesses including Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

Most of the existing Mickey's Toontown Fair area will be demolished to make way for this new expansion and the meet-and-great encounters with Mickey and Minnie will move to nearer the main park entrance. The Barnstormers ride will remain but will probably be rethemed.

The new ride, currently known as "Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid" is being built at both Fantasyland and at Disney's California Adventure theme park in Anaheim.

It will be an enclosed ride using similar Omnimover ride vehicles to those in the Haunted Mansion and will move guests through underwater scenes with characters, songs and music from the 1989 Ariel film.

The princess area will allow guests to interact with some of Disney's most famous princesses including Cinderella, Aurora and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. There will also be a new themed restaurant, Be Our Guest Gaston's set in the Beast's castle.

The existing Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride will be doubled in size and incorporated into a big-top tent interactive queuing area. One of the biggest complaints about the existing very popular Dumbo ride is the long wait times coupled with no themed distractions.

There will also be a Pixie Hollow character greeting area for the new Disney fairies.

The first phase including the Mermaid ride and the princess area will open in 2012 and Pixie Hollow in 2013.

Star Tours

The Star Tours simulator ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios will get a new storyline with new 3-D effects and will debut in 2011.

It will feature new video and dialogue including sequences from the three newer Star Wars prequel films released between 1999 and 2005. Video samplers show scenes from the Starspeeder high-speed pod race through the desert canyons of Tatooine. Like the Ariel ride, the Star Tours ride at Anaheim will also be updated.

For more information on Walt Disney World, click here.

Each year, Disney re-publish their complete set of official Birnbaum Disney guide books and on September 29, the 2010 editions were published.

The 2010 edition of Birnbaum Walt Disney World, 2010 is edited by Jill Safro and if you like your advice straight from the horse's mouth, then the official Birnbaum's Walt Disney World guide book is the book for you.

There are also three Walt Disney World companion editions; one specifically for children, one for adults without children and a concise pocket guide.

Birnbaum's Walt Disney World is updated each year and the 2010 edition contains all the latest tips, tricks and information on everything in the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida including details on "Magical Beginnings", the specially tailored, money-saving vacation plan for families with pre-schoolers, new strategies to stretch your Disney vacation dollar and updates on the latest developments at Pleasure Island's venues, eateries, and shopping opportunities.

To read the complete review of Birnbaum Walt Disney World, 2010 and the other Birbaum guide books, click here.

Not to be outdone by Disney, both Universal Studios and Busch Gardens have announced major updates in the last few weeks.

Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens have announced that they will be bringing the Sesame Street Safari of Fun to Tampa which will attract both adults and children. It will be built on the site of the former Land of the Dragons.

The Sesame Street-themed play area will feature Elmo, Big Bird and many other popular Sesame Street characters.

There will be a new family roller coaster called "Air Grover" plus "Zoe-Patra & the Hippos of the Nile", a flume ride, "Rosita's Djembe Fly-Away" swing ride, "Elmo's Safari Go-Round" carousel, "Oscar's Swamp Stomp" and "Bert & Ernie's Water Hole" which feature bubblers, geysers, jets and dumping buckets.

To complete the new Sesame Street theme, there will be a photography studio meet and greet with the characters, musical performances, "Sesame Street presents Lights, Camera, Imagination!" 4-D film at the theatre in Timbuktu and an outdoor dining facility.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios have confirmed that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will open in the Spring of 2010. A few more details of the new 20 acre "theme park within a theme park" at Islands of Adventure have been revealed.

You will enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter through an archway into a recreation of Hogsmeade village with a reproduction of the Hogwarts Express at the station.

As you would expect, there are a number of shops selling Harry Potter merchandise. These include "Zonko's" joke shop where you can buy Extendable Ears, Boxing Telescopes and Sneakoscopes.

At "The Three Broomsticks" and adjoining "Hog's Head" pub you will be able to sample traditional British fare and drinks including Butterbeer and pumpkin juice.

The iconic new structure is of course Hogwarts Castle. Inside is a brand new attraction called "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" but Universal are not giving away any real details as to the type of ride at this time, only to say that "it will be a thrilling new state-of-the-art attraction that uses entirely new technology to bring the magic, characters and stories of Harry Potter to life in ways never before experienced".

For more information on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, click here.

October and November 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 October 2009 (Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney's Animal Kingdom) and November 2009 (SeaWorld Shamu Believe Show) 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 October or November 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...

October heralds the start of the Fall Festivals, everything from peanuts to rattlesnakes and cooters (snapping turtles).

No sooner have the theme parks started to quieten down, than the Halloween celebrations start and the parks start getting busier again, especially the special evening events. If you plan on going to Disney, Universal or Busch Gardens for an evening Halloween event then you are advised to purchase a ticket well in advance as these events sell out early.

The onset of the fall also brings about the annual refurbishment of the Disney waterparks and this month, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon closes for its annual maintenance whilst Disney's Blizzard Beach remains open.

At the Kennedy Space Center they are preparing for the first test launch of the new Aries rocket, though as usual, all launch dates are subject to change.

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

Temperatures in October look like being about normal but with above average rainfall. Across the State you can expect daytime temperatures in the low 70s/high 80s.

In the north around Pensacola and Jacksonville, the month will start in the mid 80s but drop to the low 70s around the middle of the month with plenty of sunshine and some rain. Night-time temperatures will be in the low 50s/high 60s.

Across the Central region, the weather outlook is similar but with higher temperatures. Temperatures will be in the mid 80s/low 90s during the day, dropping to low 60s/low 70s over night.

Down in Miami and the Keys, again there will also be thunderstorms and showers. Temperatures will be in the mid to high 80s during the day and high 60s/low 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.

Fodor are re-publishing two more Florida guides this month along with the annual edition of the Brit Guide to Orlando, Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World For Grown-Ups and a couple of pocket guides by Randi Minetor.

Florida October Book list

• The Best in Tent Camping: Florida: A Guide for Car Campers Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos by Johnny Molloy
• Everglades National Park Pocket Guide by Randi Minetor
• Florida Panther by Barbara A. Somervill
• Gulf Islands National Seashore Pocket Guide (National Park Pocket Guide) by Randi Minetor
• Moon Spotlight Sarasota, Naples & the Paradise Coast by Laura Reiley
• Orlando Berlitz PopOut Map (Berlitz PopOut Maps)
• Florida Events 2009 Deluxe Wall Calendar by Shearson Publishing
• Fodor's South Florida 2010
• Fodor's Walt Disney World 2010: with Universal Orlando and SeaWorld
• Camping Florida: Your Comprehensive Guide to Hundreds of Campgrounds Across the State by Rick Sapp
• Street Guide 2009 Pasco County, Florida by Rand McNally
• The Columbia Restaurant: Celebrating a Century of History, Culture, and Cuisine (Florida History and Culture) by Andrew T. Huse
• Secrets from Florida's Master Anglers by Ron Presley
• E. G. Barnhill: Florida Photographer, Adventurer, Entrepreneur by Gary Monroe
• Brit Guide to Orlando 2010 by Simon Veness and Susan Veness
• Gangsters of Miami: True Tales of Mobsters, Gamblers, Hit Men, Con Men and Gang Bangers from the Magic City by Ron Chepesiuk
• Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando 2010 by Laura Lea Miller
• Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World For Grown-Ups by Eve Zibart and David Hoekstra
• Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win by Buddy Martin

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

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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