Dueling Theme Parks

You gotta love competition when it comes to theme parks, especially when we are talking about the big two; Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World.  Both companies are being pushed by each other to be better than the other.  As soon as one announces a new addition, whether it be a single attraction or an entirely new area of their park(s), the other one usually follows suit with their own announcement.

For example...Universal announced a few years ago that they were adding what has now become the savior of their Orlando park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Not long after that, Disney comes out with their own announcement regarding the expansion/renovation of the new Fantasyland area in the Magic Kingdom.  

The "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" attraction has taken the thrill ride experience to a completely new and immersive level.  As I have explained it to people, "it is Soarin on steroids." And not to be outdone, the newest and yet-to-be-opened "Seven Dwarfs Mine Train" in the new Fantasyland is already boasting to have the "first-of-its-kind ride system."

These newest additions to Fantasyland including that new state-of-the-art attraction are slated to be opened sometime in 2014.  Well again not to be outdone and upstaged, Universal counters with the opening of the new Transformers: The Ride 3D and then double-counters with their announcement a few days ago of their newest expansion project; the addition of Diagon Alley which will be an automatic success with anyone who has followed the Harry Potter movies and books.  Universal also promises to deliver some new state-of-the-art ride experiences taking the thrill ride to another new level and is expected to be opened around the same time as Disney's newest ride next year.

For us as fans and park visitors...this is AWESOME!  I say...bring it on Universal and Disney.  My hope is that Disney soon announces a new expansion to the Animal Kingdom or to Hollywood Studios because as soon as they do, they will also be promising yet another new and exciting "state-of-the-art" immersive ride experience.  And, as soon as they do, you know what will be coming.  That's right...a counterpunch from our friends at Universal which makes the future look pretty bright for the fans of both Universal and Disney in my opinion.

So with all of this said...which new 2014 addition are you most excited about?  Disney's new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train?  Or Universal's new Diagon Alley area?

Travel Quiz Contest

Interested in winning a $25 Target Gift Card?  Here is a way you can do just that.  Enter the correct answer in the comment section and everyone who answers correctly will be entered into a drawing. The person chosen at random from that drawing will win a $25 Target Gift Card.

You can enter here or visit my Facebook Page (Operation Destination) and comment under the post with the same question which is this:

True or False?  A US citizen can enter the Caribbean island of St Thomas by air without a passport.

Contest closes at 6pm central time today. Good luck!

The Waiting Game

Not sure what it is.  Is it a cultural thing? Is it a generational thing?  Or is it simply a human thing?  I am referring to this idea that waiting will somehow give you a better advantage when it comes to the cost of booking a trip.

I am curious because it seems to cross over into other areas of life.  Back in the day when I was a Realtor, I had clients who would decide to wait on making an offer on the home they wanted or decide to wait to list their home to see if the market would improve.  In most of those cases, the waiting cost them money.  I am talking about 5+ years ago.  A couple would think that waiting might cause the owner to reduce their price before they made an offer, but then get upset when that same house sold right out from under them.

I am not intending to make this a post about real estate, but I want you to see that maybe it is more than just an industry-specific notion that waiting will somehow work out to your benefit.  Because here I am now working as a professional travel consultant and I see the same exact mentality.  "Let's wait and see if airfare will go down" or "let's wait and see if that cruise offers some steep last minute discounts."  That might have been the case several years ago, but the landscape has changed.

Today...we are experiencing a huge uptick in travel across the board.  In fact, this article, "Consumer Travel Attitudes Hit a High Note," shows that more people are traveling now due to several positive factors.  That means demand is up.  Airplane seats are being filled.  Hotel rooms are being booked.  Cruise lines are selling staterooms further in advance of the actual cruise date.  I already have clients booking vacations into December of this year and hotel rooms have already become scarce at the more popular destinations.

I say all of that to say...if you wait, you might not only pay a higher cost for your trip, but you may also lose out on the place that you wanted to stay.  I have had situations where someone wanted to ponder a little longer and that pondering cost them a few hundred dollars because the cheaper airfare had already sold out.

This is going to take a mentality shift for a lot of you, but here is my advice.  Decide where you want to go.  Determine the dates as quick as you can.  Sit down with yourself, your spouse or your significant other and determine a budget that you can afford for the trip.  Then contact a professional travel planner and give him or her that info and let them do their job.  And when they come back with options, don't think that you have lots of time to ponder and check prices etc.  That price you were quoted may not be there tomorrow.  So listen to your trusted professional.  He or she knows whether the place you are going and the time that you want to go will be something that you can wait on or not.  If it is Hawaii in December...I wouldn't cue the Jeopardy music and think you have plenty of time to decide.

So I am not sure I have an answer to my original question; is this idea of waiting unique to us Americans or is it a world wide trait?  Have you waited to book only to find out that you missed your chance at getting the lowest price?  Maybe you disagree with me.  You comments are always welcome.

The Cruise Industry...Is It Safe?

An editorial-style response from me regarding the cruise industry.  The Carnival Triumph accident was just that...an accident.  I felt the need to give you my opinion related to that accident and also due to the amount of questions I have received related to that unfortunate event.

A Walt Disney World Christmas

Have you ever wondered, "what makes Walt Disney World so special during the Holidays?" If you consider yourself a Disney fan then you have to make this a must-do at some point in the future. For those of you who have visited Walt Disney World between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you know exactly what I am talking about.

I hope this video helps you see that the Disney magic is even that much more "magical" during the Holidays.  

A Walt Disney World Christmas 2012 from Oeshpdog2 on Vimeo.

Universal Orlando...I'm Sold!

Well...back in September of this year, my wife and I visited the Universal theme parks for the very first time. I came away from that visit with the opinion that Universal is a great thing to do at least once, but it just did not leave an impression with me that would make it a "must-do" when planning future trips to the Orlando area.

I wrote my most recent post related to that visit and listed a few of my top things to do when visiting the 2 parks that make up Universal Orlando. I stated at the end of that post that my opinion may change since I was being given a chance to come back down to Orlando and visit their parks again as well as the 3 resorts that reside on Universal property. It's official...my opinion has changed. I am now a fan. I now have seen what Universal Orlando has to offer, in & outside the theme parks.

I was given the opportunity to stay in one of the 3 Universal hotels; The Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. The hotel is impressive! Naturally I was comparing Universal's onsite properties to that of Walt Disney World's the whole time I was there which was for a total of 3 nights. The Portofino would be in the same class as one of Disney's Deluxe properties such as the Yacht and Beach Club, the Contemporary, the Polynesian etc. When comparing room sizes and decor, the Portofino comes out on top. The room was quite spacious and the bathroom was gigantic. The only negative about the room layout or size would be the tiny stand-up shower in the bathroom. The bathrooms are designed similar to those you see down in some of Cancun's all-inclusive resorts; double vanities, large bathtub and a separate shower. But the shower could use some expansion and heaven knows there is room for it in the bathroom's existing space.

The hotel offers an abundance of dining/lounge/bar options. They offer a gelato venue, a seafood restaurant, a pizza and more of a grab-and-go option and some higher end venues such as Bice and Mama Della's Ristorante which offers excellent Italian food and a fantastic atmosphere and is now on my "must-do" list. Shopping was plentiful and centrally located near the food choices. I liked the layout of the resort. The grounds and architecture made you really feel like you had been whisked away on an vacation to a quaint seaside village in Italy. They even have opera singers come out to the outdoor piazza area each evening and serenade the crowd with some beautiful Italian music.

The staff...A+. The front desk remembered my name after a couple of visits to inquire about some different things. That sort of attention to detail is important to me when I am considering higher-end properties for my clients. Everyone I came in contact with greeted me with a smile and was courteous. I do hope I get a chance in the future to enjoy another stay at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.

During this trip, I also had the chance to tour the other two Universal Orlando hotels; the Loews Royal Pacific Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel. All 3 of Universal's hotels offer a unique experience and ambience. The Royal Pacific hotel is a little lower in price point which makes it great for families. It also appeals to the convention crowd so it can be a little "busier" than the Portofino Bay Hotel. The Hard Rock Hotel...well...it's the Hard Rock. When "Hard Rock" is in the name, that should give you a clue as to the clientele that it appeals to. It should also give you a clue that it is not the place for some quiet R&R. It is perfect for the young or the younger at heart who want a fun and exciting vacation with a hip crowd. Who knows, you may even run into one of your favorite rock stars while you are there like we did when we saw Vince Neil saunter through the lobby.

Each Universal Hotel offers a wide variety or eateries from the casual to the more upscale.  I am attaching a link to my pictures so you can see more of the theming and public spaces of each hotel.  Click HERE!

Now...let's get to the benefits of staying onsite at Universal.   First, each guest gets "Universal Express Unlimited" ride access in both Universal Orlando theme parks as a part of their stay.  That is a huge benefit if you happen to be visiting Orlando during peak times of the year.  Each guest also gets early admission into Islands of Adventure and into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  

You also get room charging privileges when inside the parks or anywhere else on Universal property.  No need to carry a lot of cash or credit cards around with you during your stay.  Each hotel is on the free water taxi route so park your car and enjoy the free transportation from your hotel to the Universal City Walk and theme park area.  You also get priority seating at any of the Universal Orlando restaurants where reservations may be needed.  And here is one that sometimes gets overlooked...you also have the ability to have purchases sent back directly to your room.  If you are like me, you hate to have to carry around your souvenirs after you purchase them.  If you are an onsite guest, simply have your package delivered back to your room at no extra charge. 

Those are some of the great benefits of choosing to stay in 1 of the 3 Universal Orlando hotels.

Now let me get to some things that I think need to be addressed by Universal and their hotel partners.  These would not sway me from wanting to go back and stay, but they are differences that some big Disney fans are going to notice if they choose to do a split stay.  And they are differences that may cause some to decide to stay elsewhere.  First...there is no free wifi in your room.  When you pay as much as you do per night to stay in one of their hotels, it is becoming a common expectation to have free wifi.  Now I will say that they do offer free wifi in their lobby areas and it does work fine.  But for some of us who need to do a little work occasionally during our trips, free wifi in your room is becoming a must.  Parking is also not free.  That was a bit of a shocker at first to me.  Again, you are paying somewhat of a premium for staying onsite and you expect some of these things to be added benefits, but they are not.  And last but not least, no mini-fridge.  There is a mini-bar stocked to the hilt with snacks and drinks.  And if you want to pay a small fortune for a bottle of water or a bag of chips, that may be a good amenity for you.  But vacationing families these days want some sort of mini-fridge area so they can keep some milk on hand for their kids and not have to pay a small fortune for those items since they are already spending so much for their vacations as a whole.  

Now you should know that some of these things are out of Universal's hands.  Unlike Disney, which owns their own onsite properties, Universal is a partnership with Loews and also Hard Rock.  That simply means that the hotels are looking for areas of profit just like the airlines do.  They know some will pay for wifi and some will use the mini-bars and those are areas of profit for the hotel chains.  Universal Orlando knows that these differences are not in line with their large competitor down the street, but their hands are a bit tied right now so it is what it is.

And again...those areas of difference would not deter me from wanting to stay onsite at Universal in the future.  So with all of that said...I hope you see that I am a fan now.  I have not even got into some things I learned about their 2 theme parks.  But this post is long enough and probably even too long, but hopefully you can see that I can fully recommend a stay at any one of the Universal Orlando onsite hotels.  You will have a great time and become a fan if you are not one already.

Universal Orlando...The Must Do's

Finally...my long overdue post related to my visit to Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios.  I confess that it was my very first visit.  We have always found it hard to pull ourselves away from Walt Disney World anytime that we have previously visited the Orlando area.  But this visit was really a pre-cruise visit so we decided to spend the day at Universal Orlando and see what we might have been missing.

For those of you who are Disney's fans, you have to go into Universal Orlando with a different mindset.  It is not going to immerse you in an overall "magical theme."  The sounds and colors of Islands of Adventure are generally loud.  That is really the best way I can describe it.  When you enter the Marvel Comic area, you are greeted with oversized pictures of Wolverine and Spiderman etc and the music is more of an adrenaline-pumping theme which is probably geared towards getting you pumped to ride The Incredible Hulk roller coaster.  Which is the first one of my "must-do's."  The loops and twists combined with the awesome launch right out of the gate makes this a must-do for any coaster enthusiast.

Another must-do is the Dragon Challenge inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of Islands of Adventure.  Even if you are not a huge fan of Harry Potter, this coaster again is a must.  You are suspended below the track which adds to the thrills of the loops and corkscrews that you will encounter throughout the ride.

And speaking of Harry Potter, if you are a fan, you will almost tear up when you enter Hogsmeade. This is the one area of Islands of Adventure where you are truly immersed in a theme and you will truly feel that you have taken a magical journey into the world of Harry Potter.  Just walking around in Hogsmeade is one of my must-do's.  Go into the shops, enjoy a meal at The Three Broomsticks and grab you a Butterbeer.  If you do, I promise that you will have an enjoyable day, even if the lines getting into any of the attractions are horrendously long.

But my next must-do is probably numero-uno on my list of things to do.  If there is only one ride that you could ride in all of Islands of Adventure, I would choose to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  For those of you who have been to Epcot, but have yet to visit Universal Orlando, the best way I can describe this ride is by saying that it is Soarin on steroids.  You exercise all of your senses on this ride and it has actually become maybe my most favorite attraction, even more than some of my favorites at Walt Disney World.

My last two must-do's come from the other park that makes up Universal Orlando...Universal Studios.  The first one is the Revenge of the Mummy.  I like it because it is not just a roller coaster and it is not just a simulator.  It combines several different directions and speeds and offers some visual effects as well.  It was just fun.  And my last must-do is the new attraction Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.  It is a great attraction for the whole family.  I do wish that they had made more of the queue line indoors.  The line was fairly long and you spend a fair amount of time out in the heat even though it is covered, very similar to lines for Peter Pan's Flight and other attractions in Fantasyland inside the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.

I know I brushed over the last 2 must-do's and I know some of you are wondering why The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman did not make my list.  First...I brushed over the last 2 because all of Universal Studios is a "take it or leave it" for me.   The layout and ambience was not something that made me want to just hang around in the park for very long.  So if I had to choose what I would do if we went back, I would spend a day or two inside of Island's of Adventure and spend the majority of that time inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  I know some of you diehard Universal fans will disagree with me, but Universal Orlando, to me, is just something to add on to your Walt Disney World trip, if you can afford the time and extra expense.

Second...I did not include The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman because it broke down while we were on it.  And I overheard others saying that it breaks down a lot.  The lines can get long and it would not be a ride I would want to spend 40+ minutes in line for and then have it break down.

So with all of that said...let me tell you that my opinions may change very soon.  I am actually scheduled to visit Universal Orlando again within 5 days of writing this article.  I have been invited to tour the 3 resorts on Universal property as well as get a special tour of the parks and restaurants.  Will the additional info and experiences change my current views?  Stay tuned and see...

Meanwhile...check out a short video I put together showing some of the sites and sounds of Universal Orlando. Also let me know what you opinion is.  What are your favorite Universal Orlando attractions or what are your must-do's?

Universal Orlando 2012 from Oeshpdog2 on Vimeo.