The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Set to Open

Excitement is building for Orlando’s newest attraction- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The world was already bursting with excitement and curiosity about how Universal Studios Orlando was going to pull it off. How could they possibly meet all of the expectations of the millions of fans across the planet? But now that the park is nearing completion, some of the curiosity may be satisfied because the buildings taking shape leave less to the imagination. But the excitement is only accumulating because it looks so awesome!

Hogwarts castle is possibly the most thrilling. It is going to be the home of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Not much detail can be found on the specifics of the rides that will be part of this new world at Universal, but the "Forbidden Journey" is being touted as using "ground-breaking technology" to bring the magic of the Harry Potter books and movies to life. I can’t wait to see what that looks like in person! Well, if you get to go to Universal Orlando anytime soon, you will see that Hogwarts is nearing completion. You won’t be able to enter this new area of the park until this Spring, but that’s only a couple months away!

There are several other intriguing rides and activities to be seen and done in the new Harry Potter area of Universal. For example, Dragon Challenge is a high speed roller coaster that is sure to be a hit as well as a coaster ride for families or younger children called Flight of the Hippogriff. But the castle is what has most people chomping at the bit to plan their Spring vacations early. This will be a very good thing for the Orlando tourism industry. What a brilliant idea by Universal!

Sea World Vacation Package Deals

If you are coming in for a short weekend trip to Orlando you might want to check out our great deals on Sea World vacation packages. Sea World Orlando packages are very popular especially with Floridians who want to get away for a quick weekend trip, because it is a really inexpensive getaway. Two adults can stay at the Radission Worldgate Resort, which offers free shuttle service to Sea World, and get two tickets plus two nights lodging for $253.00. In addition, Orlandovacation.com, for a limited time, is upgrading all single day tickets to two day tickets, and to make a reservation all you have to put down is a small $50 deposit and nothing else is due until 15 days prior to your arrival.

Hey guys if you are looking for a great Valentine's Weekend Getaway and you don't want to spend an arm and a leg, a vacation to Sea World is a great option.

If you have not been to Sea World in a while it is one of the most fun theme parks in all the world. They are continuing to add more thrill rides and the shows are unbelievable; in fact, it is worth visiting just to see the new Shamu show, Believe. If you have small children then Sea World is even more fun. They have a whole section of the park dedicated to families with children under the age of five (5) which is complete with roller coasters, a huge rope course, remote control cars, carousels, and one of the best splash parks around.

Universal Studios Orlando and Disney Go At It

The magical world of Harry Potter is going to have some competition from the creator of childhood magic. That being Disney of course. Disney has no plans of laying down while Universal Studios Orlando tries to increase its market share with their "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" expansion.

Walt Disney has a major expansion project lined of their own. Disney is out to almost double the size of the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland. This would be the largest undertaking at the Magic Kingdom since it opened. The announcements of these expansions by the them park giants come amidst a slow down in theme park attendance in Orlando. These expansions are being performed in hopes of increasing park attendance.

Disney World states that the Fantasyland expansion will be completed by about 2013 and will include some major changes and renovations to Fantasyland as well as some new rides for guests.

Universal Studios is way ahead of Disney on their expansion project. The "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" should be open in Spring 2010. So, Universal will have first crack at jump starting the Orlando tourism market.

Question about Universal Tickets

Question: I'd like to buy the Universal Studio and JFK space center ticket. But is there any expiration date on the ticket? I plan to go in April 2007.

Answer: If we order your tickets before 2007 you will get the 2006 prices. The beauty to our process is that we will not charge you for the tickets until 15 days prior to your arrival. The tickets do not expire until the first day you use them.
Then if you bought a 2 Day Universal pass for example the second day would expire 14 days after the first day you used it.

Holidays Coming Up

Hey all,

Lisa here, just checking in with a reminder that the holiday season is about to launch at your favorite theme parks. Be sure to keep an eye on the site for articles and tips to help make the most of your holidays at Universal Orlando.

In the meantime, just a couple of quick notes... HorrorFest was this past weekend at the Cineplex, and by all accounts was a rousing success. Eight movies considered too scary for general release were shown, and were they ever scary!!

I'll be dining at Emeril's for Thanksgiving, apparently they have a special Thanksgiving menu, so I'll let you all know how that goes.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! And don't forget to make your Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Yule plans soon, as things are really booking up around here.

Till next time,
Lisa

Lisa Fritscher has joined our team!

Lisa is an aspiring actress and Universal expert. Over the next few months she is going to be writing articles to help our visitors plan their vacation.

Thanks Lisa...I know we will enjoy working with you!

Universal Orlando announces the arrival of Blue Man Group

Universal Orlando announced Thursday evening that they have struck a deal with the high-energy Blue Man Group.

Blue Man features three entertainers in blue face paint who combine unusual musical instruments, paints, ordinary objects such as gumball machines, acrobatics, theatrics, comedy, special effects and driving music to create a splashy, rhythmic, colorful stage spectacle.

"It's certainly something that I've had my eye on and aspired to bring to Universal for some time, a show that could not only delight daytime visitors to the parks but could also be an evening entertainment experience for those who come to CityWalk," Williams said. "It's a real complement. It doesn't compete with anything we have. It's unique. It's different."

Unlike the TV show, Blue Man comes with a known, successful track record in other cities, particularly with tourists and conventioneers. The show is considered a rival of Cirque du Soleil shows in New York and Las Vegas. Blue Man co-founder Chris Wink, though, insisted the rival shows don't compete so much as create a synergy, which he said raises standards for other entertainment.

That was particularly true after Blue Man and Cirque went head-to-head in Las Vegas, he said.Williams insisted he was not looking for a competitive answer to Cirque's La Nouba show at Downtown Disney, but to find something that could rival it and create the kind of synergy Wink suggested."I want that to happen. We have a deliberate desire to do just that," Williams said. "I think it heightens our competitiveness with Las Vegas."CityWalk is a district of nightclubs, restaurants and shops. Hard Rock Live hosts occasional concerts, and most of the nightclubs feature live entertainment. But none of them offers the out-of-town entertainment draw that La Nouba has provided at Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World's rival to Universal's CityWalk.

Blue Man Group expects to stage as many as 15 shows a week during peak tourism times in midsummer and the Christmas season. Ticket prices were announced at $45 for matinee performances and $55 for evening shows. Universal said discount deals would be offered with theme park ticket packages.

The shows would be held in the former Nickelodeon soundstage in the corner of Universal Studios, which is being renovated to meet Blue Man needs and seat 1,000. A new entrance will be created to bring in patrons directly from CityWalk, adjacent to the Hard Rock Cafe, so they can attend Blue Man without buying theme park tickets.

Blue Man Group will be hiring locally for some of the roles and production and management jobs, co-founder Matt Goldman said. Production employment will range from 25 to more than 50, he said. The musicians, management and crew will include full, part-time and seasonal employees."We bring in 'seed' people, people with years and years experience with Blue Man," he said. "And then we fill in with local folks."

Universal and Blue Man Group have been talking off and on for three or four years, after expressing mutual interest. Universal wanted the show, and Blue Man was interested in Orlando, Wink said."There's only so many places in the world that have this many people flowing through a spot.

If you want to have a sit-down show with 1,000 people or more, you need to have a place where people are flowing through. You have your New York. You have your Las Vegas. And certainly Orlando is one of them," Wink said.