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Live Out Your Fantasies
and Ride the Movies in Orlando
By Carol Muse Evans
While Walt Disney World still holds the main claim on
Orlando tourists, Universal Studios is gaining ground, where you can “ride
the movies” on some of the best thrill rides in the country.
Walt Disney World has cast its spell on the vacationing
public from all over the world, and it continues to be a favorite family
destination because of the variety and value of the parks featuring “family
entertainment” at its finest. There’s something for just about everyone,
from the very young to the old “but young at heart.” Where else can you see
stories like Peter Pan and The Lion King come to life, ride an
African Safari, go back in time to when the dinosaurs lived, shoot into
space in a rocket roller coaster, explore a haunted mansion, visit far away
countries and even go forward in time, all in one place?
Universal Orlando, declared by Fodor’s as the
“best theme part in the world,” has brought its own brand of magic to
Orlando visitors by allowing them to put themselves in the movies, “ride the
movies” and experience some of the most exciting thrill rides around. They
haven’t forgotten the little ones, either, with Fievel’s Playland, Wood
Woodpecker’s Kidzone, A Day in the Park with Barney and Curious George’s
Playland, as well as a Dr. Seuss-themed area and rides.
Walt Disney World, once only home to the Magic Kingdom
theme park, now is home to EPCOT, MGM Studios and the newest park, Disney’s
Animal Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom, the most famous part of Disney World and
sister to Disneyland in California, is home to the traditional Disney
characters and stories, with several lands to visit, including Tomorrowland,
Fantasyland, Frontierland and Adventureland. It is also home to Disney’s
centerpiece, Cinderella’s Castle.
Epcot, opened in 1982, was actually Disney’s first
planned park in Orlando, conceived from ideas Walt Disney formed during the
1955 World’s Fair. EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), was
originally planned to be a working city of the future. However, it has been
built as a showcase of ideas and is flanked by the World Showcase, a
presentation of other countries, cultures and foods from around the world.
In 1989, a third theme park opened, Disney MGM Studios,
a tribute to the world of Hollywood magic and splendor. This
Hollywood-flavored theme park salutes movies old and new and features some
great excitement rides, such as the Hollywood Tower of Terror and the Rock
and Roller coaster, Disney’s first time to turn its riders upside down.
A fourth park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, opened in 1998.
It offers a safari-outback theme with tributes to Africa and Asia in both
exhibits and themed rides and shows. The park’s centerpiece is the Tree of
Life, a man-made, 145-foot tall tree with 325 animals carved into its trunk.
For those seeking more than rides and shows, there are
three water parks at Disney: River Country, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard
Beach, each with thrilling slides, cool pools, waves and ever tube rides and
playgrounds.
If you want to stay “in the middle of the magic” during
their whole visit to Orlando, numerous on-site hotels offer Disney guests
special perks such as length of stay park passes, early admission days,
character visits and more. Hotels from the value-priced All-Star Resorts,
starting at around $79, to the mid-priced resorts such as the Caribbean
Beach, starting at around $105, to the more upscale resorts, located along
the monorail system, such as the Contemporary Resort and the Grand
Floridian, starting at around $200, offer a way for just about anyone to
stay inside the parks. There are also condominium-style vacation villas and
even vacation ownership, right on the Disney grounds. And there’s even a
campground, too.
In 1996, Walt Disney World celebrated its 25th
anniversary with a yearlong celebration, and in 2002, the parks are
celebrating “100 years of Magic” in honor of Walt Disney’s 100th
birthday.
Universal Studios attracts people who want to go behind
the scenes and straight into the movies. Thrills and chills are part of the
rides featuring some of the favorite movies of all times. There’s “Men in
Black Alien Attack,” where you ride through an interactive video game and
shoot the aliens with special guns; “Twister,” the live spectacle of a
five-story tornado, complete with flying cow; Jaws, “just when you thought
you could go back in the water;” “Kongfrontation,” featuring everyone’s
favorite giant, man-eating gorilla standing nearly four stories high; and
the E.T. Adventure, where you ride a bicycle through the night sky above
scenes from the movie in tribute to the beloved Stephen Spielberg movie. And
there’s so much more, including tributes to Alfred Hitchcock, Lucille Ball
and Hanna-Barbera.
Universal Studio’s second theme park, Islands of
Adventure, is aptly named. In fact, Academy Award-wining producer/director
Steven Spielberg was creative consultant for the park, home of some of the
most technologically advanced rides ever. While Seuss Landing features some
adorable but tame rides in tribute to the great children’s author, “Dr.
Seuss,” Islands of Adventure is home to some major thrill rides, including
Dueling Dragons, a roller coaster where two coaster paths are intertwined
and each coaster moves at speeds around 60 mph toward the other, escaping
crashing by mere inches; the Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster; Spiderman, an
interactive 3-D movie/thrill ride featuring a “roving motion base simulator”
to put guests “right inside the comic book;” Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw falls,
the first water flume ride with a 75 feet drop; and more. There’s also
Jurassic Park, featuring a Discovery Center with interactive dinosaur
activities, Camp Jurassic, a play area, and of course, the Jurassic Park
River Adventure, an amazing thrill ride with the longest and steepest water
drop ever built.
Universal has also followed suit in the on-site hotel
business, now offering three Loew’s luxury resorts: the Portofino Bay Hotel,
the Hard Rock Hotel and opening soon, the Royal Pacific Resort. Not only
does staying in these hotels mean transportation to the parks, but guests
also enjoy the new Universal Express program, where all resort guests can
bypass regular lines and essentially “go to the front of the line” in the
theme parks. Rooms in these hotels generally start at around $200, but
check for specials and packages for possible discounts.
- Carol Muse Evans is an Alabama writer specializing
in family travel.
IF YOU GO:
Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau
800-646-2087
www.orlandoinfo.com
Walt Disney World (parks, restaurants and
accommodations)
407-W-Disney
www.waltdisneyworld.com
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