Fabulous Florida
Well from day one we set about fact finding all there is to know about Disney parks - we had a whistle stop tour of Blizzard Beach which is a themed water park. It was too early for guests so we wandered around to get a flavour of the place, then it was off to The Magic Kingdom for 4 hours, where we were encouraged to visit all the highlights of the park which was a stretch in the time allowed. After a short break back at our Disney Hotel on the Boardwalk we took a boat ride to Hollywood studios, again we went to all the top spots and rides then we had some serious VIP treatment with a buffet dinner overlooking the Fantasmic show. After the park closed we were allowed to stay and indulge ourselves with a few rides as well as meet some characters and see the magical spectacle of a million dancing lights.
Day two started early with half a day in Animal Kingdom which blew me away with the shows and rides on offer. Then late afternoon we walked from our hotel to Epcot and spent 5 hours discovering all that this unbelievable place has to offer – the highlight for me was the ride ‘Soarin’ which is a must for any visitor, a close second though was Test Track. The evening was topped off with a buffet in China and a firework display which we watched from Italy.
Day three saw us transfer to a Universal Hotel - The Portofino Bay which was stunning. We were split up into smaller groups and each given a guide who then fast tracked us all away around Universal Studios so no queues ( express pass and fast pass are complementary to guests of Disney or Universal hotels) they made sure we got to see everything possible. In the evening we were guests of Hard Rock Café and went to see a hilarious and entertaining show ‘The Blue man Group’
Likewise with day four we had our own guide who showed us all that Universal's Islands of Adventure had to offer – we even got a sneaky look at the biggest forthcoming attraction in years; The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, due for completion late 2009 to early 2010. The evening was free so a few of us went to Universal’s City Walk which had lots of choices for food and entertainment- all on our doorstep.
The next day we went to Discovery Cove which for me was the highlight of the whole trip as I got to snorkel in a real life coral environment with hundreds of different fish and countless stingrays and manta rays! This was then topped only by my Dolphin experience where I spent a good half hour interacting with a couple of dolphins which literally had some of my colleagues in tears. I highly recommend this experience to everyone. After lunch we were transported down to Tampa to visit the fabulous Busch Gardens. We interacted with animals and went on all the top rides. Once back at our hotel we opted for a quick pizza in one of the 7 restaurants it had to offer, then off to bed as the next day would be very long without any time to rest or get changed.
Our sixth day began with a trip to the newest park in Orlando – Aquatica which is SeaWorld’s water park with a proper sandy beach, wave pools and a host of fun slide rides. It was a great time to chill after the activities of previous days. After lunch we hopped over the road to SeaWorld which never ceases to amaze. We toured the park and in the evening watched the special Christmas Shamu show and finished off with dinner in the restaurant surrounded by sharks.
Our departure day was eventful too with a trip out to Lake Tohopekaliga for an airboat ride at Boggy Creek in the morning followed by 3 hours in a huge premium shopping outlet for some bargains before our flight back home – I now need a holiday to recover!!!