Florida, 2011

July 8 – July 16, 2011

I swore after that last summer vacation we had at Florida that we would never do that again believing that November and December was the best time to be there. A Friend of ours even worried that we may end up being caught in daily rain showers and thunderstorms that are all too common during that time. The weather forecast didn’t help much. So it was against this background that we started our first (and probably only) long vacation for 2011.

The decision to go to Florida was mainly influenced by the fact that there were four families going on this trip. Our initial plan was to go to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Most of us have not been there, and we do get very good feedbacks from people who have stayed there. On the other hand, there did not seem to be too much to do there, especially for kids (there were four). I suppose that the Orlando area with its amusement parks and Daytona near by seemed like a good compromise. Besides, renting a vacation home in Myrtle looked like a very expensive proposition. A little hesitant, I agreed to the compromise, all along, in the back of my mind I still thought, “Myrtle Beach”. This completely changed when another friend mention that the top-rated beach in the US two years in a row was in Florida, Siesta Key, near Sarasota. Now we had had to go and take a look. A little prodding from my Daughters helped make that decision a little easier.

So it was off to Florida, and to Universal, and Siesta Keys, and maybe Daytona and a dive in a shark cage. One thing we were sure to avoid was a trip back to Disney world. Been there a little too often and a little too soon.

The all important weather

The weather did cooperate a lot. I expected oppressive humidity, instead it was tolerable. The heat was also tolerable. How about the rain? For the most part, no more than afternoon thundershowers that lasted mostly a few minutes. In fact, it was so nice that we found the Maryland weather we came back to more oppressively humid and hot. The only significant rain event to bother us was a 45 min down pour in the afternoon of July 12. We spent that time at the Betty Bo-Peep / I love Lucy Store.

Travel Arrangement

Did you ever see the comedy film Planes, Trains and Automobiles? Well I didn’t. But the movie certainly came to mind as we tried to decide which mode of transportation to take. Since there were 16 of us, we needed to be certain that we could manage to arrange for all of us to leave approximately at the same time, and arrive at our destination around the same time. This is how we broke down the discussion:

• Take the plane. Short trip, maximize our stay in Florida. We would have to rent at least 3 vehicles once we get there. Issues cropped up as to who would make the reservation, coordinate the flight details with everybody and who would pay first. Then there is the cost.
  
• Take the train. I always wanted to take the train, to see the country-side. I had been told though that we would be passing mostly empty fields. We also encountered the same issues as taking the plane, plus, surprisingly, this option turned out to be the most expensive option available.
  
• Drive to Florida. The cheapest option. We could coordinate stops and to save a bit, we could car pool. We accomplished by renting a van from Enterprise and the two smaller families van-pooled. Did we save anything by renting? Up front probably not a lot. You do save on the wear-and-tear on your own vehicle, on the insurance since you can use the one provided by your credit card company. And of course we split the rental cost between two.

Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa

We arrived at the Westgate on July 9, 2011. We have been staying here every time we visited Florida but I don’t believe that I have ever really said much about the place. Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa is one of the many vacation resorts owned and operated by Westgate Resorts. There is plenty enough to do Westgate Lakes without having to leave the resort itself… for a week’s time that is. There are swimming pools, bike trails, basketball courts, tennis courts, boating and more! As you may have suspected, they basically operate a timeshare resort and to use the place you would purchase one of their many vacation packages, lease from one of the many owners, or outright buy a timeshare. This last option would make sense if you go on vacation trips every year, in my humble opinion. Making a reservation for your stay can be done either through the internet or by making a call. I have found that calling and speaking to someone is still the better of the two, especially if you have to try and organize room locations for a group as large as ours. We wanted all the rooms to be next to each other. This kind of an arrangement was something they could try to accommodate, but could not guarantee at the time of the reservation. As far as amenities go, each unit is fully stocked with the equipment you would expect in an average kitchen. You can request “refills” on such basics a toilet paper, paper towel and clean towels. You could probably also ask for more dishwasher detergent , soap or shampoo but remember, you get what you pay for, so I suggest bringing your own soap, shampoo or other intimate toiletries. Another suggestion for those with sensitive skin, bring a gallon on bottled water to rinse your face with. My wife had in the past always suffered a skin rash on her face. Using bottled water to rinse her face of the tap water helped this time.

Universal Studios, Harry Potter

The only thing that we found annoying this time around was the amount of organized group tourist roaming the place. Most appeared to have come from Brazil and because of the number of kids, their sudden appearance would turn an otherwise short and tolerable line at a ride into a long, and tolerable line. They may very well all be here for the same reasons my kids are all excited to be here, the new Harry Potter theme park at the Universal Islands of Adventure! Here is how my kids describe the place:

At the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are only three rides. At first it seemed like let down, but those three rides are definitely enough to get you excited and asking for more. We even went to ride on them again. The rides are the Dragon Challenge, Flight of the Hippogriff, and the Forbidden Journey. The most popular and probably heart-racing ride would be the Forbidden Journey. It is held in the Hogwarts building, and takes you through shifts and turns, and sections of virtual simulators, as Harry, Hermoine and Ron try to lead you back to the academy without getting attacked by dragons and dementors. What’s nice is that you really feel like you are being pulled into the event. You get up close and personal to dragons that breathe fire on you, and spit on by giant spiders. My only problem was the virtual simulator sections. You could get kind of dizzy with that part. Next was the Dragon Challenge. It consists of two coaster tracks, and you can choose which one you want to go on. All it basically is is a roller coaster consisting of your usual loops, drops, and turns. But it is still exciting. Last, is the Flight of the Hippogriff. This ride was not as intoxicating as the other two, but that is because it is more of a children’s ride. It is still a normal roller coaster with the drops and turns, but without the dramatic falls and loops. This is also a great gateway to prepare you for the other two rides.

The only problem is that there are so many people crowded there, because Harry Potter is such a popular franchise. The place is over-stuffed with people, and it makes it very difficult to walk. If you wish to evade the long lines and crowded walk areas, go to Universal early in the morning, and make sure that Harry Potter world is the first place you go to. Although there are long lines and insane amounts of tourists, the place has a nice view, because you can see all the nice knick knacks and characters from the story. In the ride’s lines, you can see the Sorting Hat, the Hippogriff, Dumbledore, and all the other characters. And if you are outside waiting for someone to finish a ride, you can roam the shops to buy some Butter Beer, character wands, a chocolate frog, and many more. All in all, Harry Potter World was really breathtaking with the lay out and designs. They really went all out to make your wizarding experience the best.

Universal Studios, Jurassic Park

Want to know one thing nice about all this frenzy about Harry Potter? A lot shorter lines at the other rides, like Jurassic Park! The lines to Jurassic Park are still long but the empty space is quite noticeable. Compared to the last time I was there. It made me come up with an idea. Rather than go through the long lines if Harry Potter like my kids did, I could just come back in 5 years and go through a much shorter line! I do not recall if I had mentioned it earlier, but the first time I came face to face with this ride, I chickened out. Something about the 80 foot drop intimidated me. This time however, I was determined that if I was going to spend the next two days at Universal, then by golly I am going to try and enjoy myself. So I had to conquer my fear, which I did. I found that the ride was not as bad as I had feared, and that I actually enjoyed. In fact, when we visit Universal again, perhaps five years from now, I may go ahead and take this ride again.  

Universal Studios, The other places to visit.

We had no intentions of visiting places we already did when we first visited Universal Studios. But with the passage of time, you tend to forget which one was which. So we ended up visiting Jaws, Jurassic Discovery Center, and Disasters! New places my kids went to and enjoyed? Jimmy Neutron, The Simpsons, The Hulk (Well, one child did), The Mummy Returns, Toon Lagoon. Rides that I found we as a family enjoyed (And haven’t yet visited) are Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges, River of Adventure, The Cat in the Hat, Men in Black and a FREE magic show. The magic show was an interesting one to see. A small crowd would gather inside around a small table about three feet away. The magician would do some pretty cool tricks. At the end, you could go to the store and buy the kits so you could perform those same tricks anywhere. I’m sure the young magicians in your household would enjoy those.

 
Siesta Key, Sarasota

A friend had mentioned that the top-rated beach destination in the U.S. was Siesta Key in Florida, something we had to find out for ourselves. We chose to go to Siesta beach at Sarasota, Florida, located along Beach Road. It was a good two hour’s drive from where we were staying in Orlando. We wanted to make it a point to stay for at least four hours so we left dark and early. We went to the public beach expecting to find some cottages. That turned out to be not the case. There were a couple of parks benches, food stand and stores… but not much else. We got on the beach and we expected soft, grainy sand that gave way under our feet. Instead, the sand looked very white, powdery and walking on it was more like walking on regular soil.

Now here is more about the sand. Did I mention that it was white and powdery? A good description would be powdered sugar when dry, and like a liquid suspension when wet. There also weren’t too much sea shells to make walking bare foot painful at times. The beach was very wide with plenty of room to pitch a beach umbrella (I very much recommend this). When in the water, the beach didn’t slope down in such a sharp angle that you would suddenly find yourself in chest-deep water 15 feet from the beach. Very nice indeed! At this point you still did not sink too fast into the sand.

Unlike Daytona (which we never got around to visit), there are restrictions in Siesta Key. You are not allowed to bring any pets, glass containers, smoking, littering or playing games that might rough up the sand or disturb vegetation. You are certainly not allowed to drive on the beach! Some people may find these restrictions annoying but, these are one of the reasons the beach is as clean and pristine as it is.

Memorial Day Weekend

Had plans to get out of town for the weekend, now canceled. I could say that gas prices (at $3.79/gal) changed those plans but it was more of forgotten prior engagements for Sunday morning. Decided to spend part of my "readjusted" weekend time productively by visiting the MVA offices yesterday but they turned out to be closed. Part of the "Service Reduction Plan". Oh well, a four day weekend is a four day weekend, wherever you spend it.... I heard the movie "Thor" was good.

Looking Forward to this Year's First Real Vacation

Winter 2011 was not nearly as bad in Maryland when compared to the year before, 6 inches to nearly 4 feet of snow. But it terms of rainfall and severe weather incidents, 2011 is shaping up to be the worst I have experienced in years. Despite some warm days, the cold doesn't seem to want to end. I do find myself looking forward to what could possibly be a very humid and warm July vacation in Florida.

Florida was not our first choice. Myrtle Beach in North Carolina was the preferred venue. But the difficulty of finding a reasonably priced place to stay (At least for families) made the switch necessary. The continuing increase in the price of gas may end up costing us just as much as if we went to Myrtle Beach instead.

So what is in store for us in Orlando this year. Another Disney trip you say? I don't think so. We love Disney and I am sure that some of our companions will be visiting Mickey but most of us will head on to Seaworld, Daytona Beach and maybe visit a few friends, and a couple of impromptu activities. Anything we can fit into that one short week in July.

Charlestown, West Virginia

CharlesTown, July 17

Part of our new and revamped vacation plans for 2010 calls for making short, drivable vacation trips. Charles Town, at only 45 minutes away, would certainly fit the bill. It is the site of the Hollywood Casino, and of course, horse races.

We arrived at the Hollywood Casino around 8pm. Being a weekend, we expected a lot of people to be there. For now, this is one of the closest places that Marylander's can go to gamble. While this was my first time to visit, (not really being a gambler) we did have companions who used to be regulars and they noticed huge improvements in the facilities. For one thing, there is now a hotel near by, a parking garage, card games and roulettes. My wife and I spent about an hour going around trying the different slots, playing mostly the $0.05 slots while occasionally becoming adventurous and trying the $0.25. After that we had dinner at the food court. The price wasn't too bad, and they had plenty of coffee and red bull to go around. But as was to be expected, we all left empty handed around 10pm.

We already know that a casino isn't a kid (younger than 18yrs) friendly place to go. Luckily, there was an alternative for them while the adults spent time losing their hard earned cash...Harper's Ferry.

Harper's Ferry:

Harpers Ferry is best known for John Brown's raid on the Armory in 1859, and its role in the American Civil War. Kids who visit like to claim that his ghost still lingers around. Rumor says that a while back, people spotted a man walking around the town, this man looked exactly like John Brown, and wore colonial clothing. The spectators saw "John Brown" talk to some of the people, and ever since then, people have liked to believe that his ghost still takes refuge there. Hearing these stories, we were really excited to think that we might have the chance to actually see a real ghost. When we got there, my friend, her dad, my cousin, and I all saw the old buildings that the town had. Most of them were made between the 1830's and the 1840's. We walked and saw the old stores, old signs, and old bridges above the lake behind the town. When we got to an old train station, we decided to take some pictures. We pretended to wait for a late train, took pictures to make ourselves look like ghosts and murderers, and lay down on the tracks and prayed to make it look like we were about to get run over by an oncoming train. We chased after small frogs and some geese with our camera. But as quickly as we got there, we soon had to go. Our parents were going to finish at the casino soon, and it was getting dark fast. Although we never got to see the ghost of John Brown, we had fun at Harper's Ferry.

Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion, June26, 2010

Our vacation this summer looks almost nothing what we had planned a year ago. We were going to go to stay a week at Williamsburg, Virginia which would make Virginia Beach, Busch Garden and other Parks within easy driving distance. Changes in the kids schedules among others makes it necessary for us to look for destinations within an hour (or two) driving distance from home.  Looks like we are going to be spending a few hours at Kings Dominion instead. 

Kings Dominion is not one of those places that elicit excitement out of me. Not because I wouldn't want to take on rides like the Dominator, Intimidator and the likes, but I worry about dizzying headaches, backaches, lost eye glasses and whether I could actually survive such rides. I am sure I would have felt the same if we went to Bush Garden instead. Maybe I should consider seeing my Doctor for a physical exam the next time. My kids are a different matter. So after a very early breakfast (no more food or drinks after), we were off.

First on the menu was the Dominator. It looked intimidating enough to me until I saw the Intimidator. Lines weren't too long the ride itself was pretty short.

Second on the menu was Volcano, The Blast Coaster! Instead of riding down from a dizzying height like the Dominator, you basically get shot out the summit of an artificial volcano. The lines were terribly long, almost two hours, and the heat / humidity was almost unbearable.  Because of the long lines my kids decided never to ride that one again...well, maybe until the next visit.


Third on the menu, the Avalanche, ore like a bobsled but good for those who can't take the twist and turns of a regular coaster. This would definitely have been perfect for me.

Last, the wave pool. I guess they found that one refreshing but by the end of it all they were tired. It is time for us to have dinner, then head on back home.

In case anybody was wondering what the adults have been doing all this time? We waited, cooled down and spent our time at Starbucks.