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Brought to you by...
John and Donna Gross "The Full Mickey - At a Discount!" The Wall Street Journal
Florida Attraction Guide Beth, our travel agent, writes about a Vegas-style resort in Hollywood, Florida: "I had an unexpected opportunity to travel to the Hard Rock Resort & Casino in Hollywood, Florida for two nights this week. The resort is a stone's throw from the Ft. Lauderdale airport and Port Everglades (cruise ship terminal). It's also sandwiched between I-95 and the Florida Turnpike, so very easy to reach. In fact, it's just about a 3-hour drive down the turnpike from Disney! Despite the Hard Rock name, this resort is NOT part of the Loews hotel chain like the Hard Rock at Universal Studios. It is, however, located on a Seminole Indian reservation which is why they can operate a casino. The resort is about as close as you're going to get to a Vegas-style resort in Florida. The large casino attracts many celebrities (especially local pro athletes), and a good deal of space is dedicated to poker tables. Nickel and dime slots are abundant, but quarter and dollar slots still have a solid presence as well. I'm sure the casino is busy during peak season, but this week we found it to be very quiet, even in the evenings. Beware, though... smoking IS permitted. There are 17 dining establishments, including a Hard Rock Cafe and a Johnny Rockets, plenty of shops, a comedy club, and a nice theater which plays host to some decent headliner acts. The upcoming Tim McGraw concert is sold out, but there are still tickets available for Journey. :-) The pool area is amazing, and really beautiful. Lots of waterfalls, two zero-entry areas, a water slide and two or three hot tubs, a sandy "beach," and even a number of cabanas with TVs! The pool bar is located in the center of the lagoon-style pool. Two thumbs up! The rooms are... interesting. Our standard room overlooking the pool was of a decent size, and the beds (complete with down comforters and pillows) are VERY comfy. There's a great TV and sound system, and you get a free CD of rock music hits when you check in so you can try it out. The complimentary shampoo and conditioner have a very strange scent (and not a pleasant one in my opinion), but the have decent coffee in the room and a free safe so that made up for it, I guess. We requested and quickly received a small frig at no additional charge - but don't even THINK about opening the minibar. They warn you at check-in, but we just had to take a peek, and wouldn't you know, one of the candy bars moved. It didn't move much, but it was enough to get my room charged $4.50 for it! The front desk took the charge off without question, though. The decor is on the minimalist/industrial side, but not horrible. My only real gripe was the noise. Our neighbors seemed to really enjoy the sound system - even after midnight - but a quick call to the front desk solved that problem. (You don't mess with these security guys when they come knocking on your door!) Even after the music was turned down, though, we still heard lots of slamming doors, voices in the hallway, thumps and bumps from above, etc. If you're a light sleeper, bring ear plugs! Nearby is the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame, which is conveniently located next to a HUGE Bass Pro Shop. I'm not a huge fishing fan myself, but the fishing simulators and the IMAX-like movie at the museum are pretty neat, as is the boardwalk area outside. You can get admission discounts for the museum inside the Bass Pro Shop, or use your AAA card. Next to the resort is a living history museum of the Seminole Tribe. I wasn't at the resort long enough to get over there, but it looked neat. The Billie Swamp Safari (featuring airboat rides) is nearby. We took an hour-long journey north on the turnpike to check out Lion Country Safari, and I have to say that I was impressed. It took us about two hours two drive through the wildlife park while listening to the CD narration. The animals are free to roam, and they do. We had to stop several times to allow zebras, giraffes, etc. to cross the road. There are no fences between you and the animals, and even on a day as hot as this one we had no trouble spotting everything mentioned on the recording. Included in admission is entrance to a second area that requires you to park and walk. There you can purchase nectar to feed lorries that sit on your hand, see a HUGE tortoise, wander through a petting zoo, cool off in a little water park area, and more. The highlight, though, is feeding the giraffes. There were two there on our day, and both were very eager to stick out their long tongues to grab small pieces of (purchased) treats. At around $20 for adults and $15 for children the Lion Country Safari isn't cheap, but you can download a coupon from their website for $2 off per person, which is the same discount AAA cardholders get. (See MONEY SAVING TIP below for link.) Southwest Florida has no shortage of tourist attractions. In short, I was impressed. The two children with us, ages 13 and 7, had a great time, and I took turns with my adult travel companion doing short bouts in the casino in the evenings while the other one watched the kids. The "rack" rate at this time of year is $149 per night + tax, and you get a lot for that compared to other nice resorts in the area - but you'll pay dearly for the food and beverage at most places, and most places did NOT have children's menus. (Hint: Try the soup and sandwich combo for $4.95 or the prime rib dinner for $15.95 at the Blue Plate. Yum!) Gamble early in the day if you don't like to be around smokers, and don't forget that you shouldn't go into a casino thinking you're going to win money. If you're looking for a few days of anti-Disney to balance your trip out, or a place to hang for a day before you do your next cruise, this is a fun option." |
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The Chambers family writes: "We visited the Kennedy Space Center this last trip and it is well worth the visit. It was so fascinating! Get there as early as possible as we couldn't see everything in one day. Don't miss the IMAX about the Space Station. Be prepared to pay a bundle for their not so great food." Thanks for the updates!
Shawn writes: "I was just wondering if you had any experience with the [Pirates Dinner Adventure] show? My 4 yr old loves pirates. If you don't have any first or second hand knowledge, could you ask your readers? Thanks." Paula writes: "This is in response to Shawn's request. Our family experienced the Pirates Dinner Theatre last June. I would highly recommend. My son was 5 and also loves pirates, that is why we chose, it was also something we as a family could do. My daughter is 9 and enjoyed as well. We purchased our discount tickets from Omar very easily. It was very interactive and the kids. as well as adults can participate and go onto stage to be part of the acts. you also participate as the audience.At the last minute, we had grandparents join us without even a problem. They even accommodated a special diet order at the last minute. Few pieces of advice. Get there early and if you purchased tickets in advance walk right to the front of the line. We stood in a long line before we realized these were people waiting to purchase their tickets. You also can enjoy the appetizers and pre-show. Time and money is spent better by waiting for the pre-show to the left (little children really need to be in front), instead of waiting in line to pay for a painted tattoo. You sit side by side, so be sure to plan to sit next to little ones to help them during dinner. Food was OK but we expected this due to the show attraction. Bring your pirate hats and garb if you have, it helps defeat the nagging of buying in the gift shop. Stay for the small party afterwards, if your not too tired, the kids should enjoy. The cast will greet the kids and my son couldn't believe one pirate let him hold his sword!!!" Lori writes: "My family and I have been to the Pirate Dinner Show and absolutely loved it. Prior to entering the actual show, you enter into a very large room made to look like a Caribbean village. There is a bar for drinks along with some seating (if you don't get there early you most likely won't find a place to sit and will have to stand until the show starts) and a small buffet with mostly finger foods to snack on while waiting for the show. Some of the pirates come out and have group activities the kids can join in on, then they put on a really cute and entertaining skit. Finally it is time for the show. You enter into a huge room with seating surrounding a "lagoon" and there is actually a full size pirate ship right in the middle of it! While you are watching the show, a very good dinner is served. It's so dark that you really can't see what you are eating, but it tastes good none the less. The show follows a plot with a lot of stunts, sword fights and acrobats. Towards the end of the show, your waitress will come and collect your kids (only if they want to go) and will take them to the side (view obstructed from most of the crowd). What you don't see is them being outfitted to become one of the pirates. As the grand finale, some of the kids rush out in pirate garb holding wooden guns and "shoot" at the captain to save the girl. The other kids go on the pirate ship itself. My son still has the certificate. This is a wonderful time for the kids and a great memory for the adults watching their children join in. I highly recommend this to anyone, but especially those with young boys." Amy writes: "family will go to this EVERY Single time.!!!!!! I really can't tell you the food is Spectacular, because all i remember is the look on my 3 young boys faces! I do remember that the food was good, and there seemed to be plenty of it as the 3 boys did not even touch their plates. If asked they could not even tell you what was on it, because what was on the stage was FAR MORE SPECTACULAR! We were there 2 years ago on Spring break and when we mentioned returning to Disney this summer, first thing our 8 year old said was, "Can we go back to the Pirate show?" Our 4 year old, then 2, watched intently-we had never seen him sit still that long. There are however loud cannons at the end of the show, which scared our then 7 month old, but over-all, an excellent show!" Judy writes: "I HIGHLY recommend the Pirates show for families with young children! There is a portion of the show in which the little ones actually become part of the show as well. Be sure to arrive early to see the pre-show in the lobby. Snacks are provided as well." Robert writes: "The Pirates dinner show was excellent. The show was great and the food was good. An evening well spent." Many thanks to everyone who sent us comments on this dinner show. If there are readers who have seen the other dinner shows or would like to comment on other attractions in Florida like The Holy Land Experience, Splendid China, Skull Kingdom, etc., we'd love to hear from you. Please email your comments to johngross@affordabledisney.com . We'll post your comments in the newsletter!
James writes: "just wanted to thank you again for a wonderful trip experience. My family returned from a wonderful 2 1/2 week road trip and thanks to you the kids loved the orlando part the most. We went from boston to SC; then to AL; on to orlando; ocala, back to SC and on home to MA. We got two adjoining rooms in orlando at the courtyard marriot and spent a total of $222 for five days. My kids invited their cousins over and they spent four of the five days at the Hotel. They had the run of the place - using the pool and gameroom and in room Movies. they insisted on NOT going to disney so that they [could] play hosts to their cousins. We ended spending one day at watermania with my two kids and six of their cousins. Hey - I know we didn't end up at Disney but we got full value from your guide and my kids enjoyed themselves - so.... Thanks again" James, you have discovered a secret the locals have always known: you don't have to visit WDW to have fun in Orlando! Thank you for the feedback. We are happy to have been a part of your wonderful vacation!
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