Tag: Orlando

Chasing Harry Potter: Following The Footsteps Of The Boy Who Lived

Sharon and I were both late to the Harry Potter phenomenon. It took a good friend of ours to get us hooked on the books (he had a trick of loaning the first book to people as something of a “gateway drug” to get them started). I can even remember the day I read the first book. In January 2006, I brought Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone with me on a plane ride to California (yes, people actually brought books with them back then). I finished it before the end of the trip and started the second book on the way home, Sharon started reading the books before me and we were both already four movies behind, but we took our work seriously and in no time we were caught up and have been fans ever since.

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This May Be The Funniest Map Of Walt Disney World That You’ll Ever See

WARNING: If you’re serious about your Walt Disney World fandom and can’t appreciate some dark humor when the Magic Kingdom is the topic, then by all means, PLEASE skip this post! But if you have an open mind, and can appreciate a little satire, irony and a gleam in an artist’s eye, even when it’s at the expense of The Most Magical Place On Earth and its surrounding areas, then, by all means, keep on reading!
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We Got To Throw Beads From A Mardi Gras Float at Universal Orlando! Here’s What It Was Like

One really cool about living in Central Florida is that you can sometimes take advantage of what Orlando-area theme parks have to offer. Case in point: Joe and I have been Universal Orlando annual passholders since around 2009 or so. Besides the fact that we can go to the parks pretty much whenever we want, we also occasionally have some access to some benefits and experiences that people who are “just visiting” might not get. One of those opportunities is potentially being able to throw beads from one of the floats at Universal Studios Florida’s (USF) Mardi Gras parade.
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What’s The Best & Cheapest Way To Go From Point A To Point B In Orlando? It’s Complicated

I see it ALL the time on Facebook groups:

  • “What’s the best and cheapest way to get from WDW to Universal?”
  • “We want to go from the Rosen Inn to Clearwater Beach – what’s the cheapest and best way to do that?”
  • “Best/cheapest way to get from the 192 in Kissimmee to the Vineland Outlet Mall? TIA! x” (the TIA is “Thanks In Advance.” The x at the end is a U.K. thing that I still don’t really understand LOLOL)
  • “We’re going shopping at Disney Springs but have reservations for the 5:15pm Spirit of Aloha Diner Show at the Polynesian Resort Hotel. What’s the best/fastest/cheapest way to get there?”
  • “We’re staying at the Avanti on I-Drive and want to go to Dave & Buster’s. What’s the cheapest and best way to get there?”

Of course, I totally understand what and why people are asking. But the thing is, the proper reply for each of those all depends on where you are and where you’re going. On top of that, cheapest is not always best. And “best,” to be honest, is subjective and will be different for every person – does “best” mean cheapest? Most luxurious? Fastest? Most private?

So let’s go over the different options…

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Our Meal At Sharks Underwater Grill, The Upscale Restaurant Inside SeaWorld Orlando

It’s easy to find quick service places at just about any theme park around the world, since they’re usually pretty plentiful. Finding sit-down, fine dining restaurants inside theme parks can sometimes be a little more difficult; there just aren’t very many to be had. In fact, at SeaWorld Orlando, there is exactly one – Sharks Underwater Grill. Although it’s been around for over 16 years, neither Joe nor I had ever eaten there. So when we went to the theme park for our annual visit to see their Christmas lights (for the uninformed, SeaWorld has, by far, the prettiest Christmas light of any park in Orlando) we intended to fix that. And fix that, we did…

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