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Experience Kissimmee: 5 Reasons You Must Check Out Gatorland!

February 24, 2014 by The Mom Jen 16 Comments

Someone just asked me if I had been to the snow recently. Instead of screaming, “heck no, I live in California for a reason!” I politely said, I don’t like being cold. Then the question of taking the kids skiing came up. I’ve skied as a child, but since having children, I’m terrified of falling and getting hurt or anyone else in my family. Or worse. Then my friend piped up, “but Jen, I saw you hugging a live alligator just a few weeks ago on Facebook!” Oh yeah, that…

I’ve been to Florida twice, and twice to the Kissimmee area where there is so much to do along the lines of family travel. Our recent media tour took us to Gatorland, a classic venue in Central Florida for over 60 years and quite unique when it comes to theme parks. After an amazing day, I can see how this park has come to compete with the area’s world-famous attractions and hold it’s own. Here are my top five reasons thrill-seekers and nature lovers alike should check out Gatorland on your next vacation!

1. Gators, of course! Over 1800 alligators and even extremely rare leucistic “white” alligators grace the 110-acre property, that’s a lot of gators! I had only seen one in a natural habitat (other than a zoo) on my first visit to Florida and well this location pretty much trumps that location by leaps and bounds! They are so fascinating! Their prehistoric look, their grenade-like (armor) textured skin, and their mouths-full of sharp teeth makes them both awe-inspiring and downright scary. Yes, that’s me sitting pretty close to this leucistic alligator, I think that gator is hungry, they told me he was just smiling {phew]!

2. So many other fabulous animals! Turtles, and birds, and pathers, OH MY! See that adorable Aldabra tortoise right there? He was cute and that shell, and that skin. Unfortunately, I could totally relate to that neck skin.The birds were a colorful feast for the eyes and Holly down below, well she likes hair, she spent some time preening me!This powerful cat was sweet as a kitten and I was happy there was a glass and fence separating the two of us, but boy was he handsome, Hi Neicko! Animal lovers will enjoy this park immensely, with a petting zoo, pythons, and even adorable raccoons kids of all ages will shouting “cool!” and “aww!” at the same time!

3. Staff. As a group, we toured the park with Tim Williams a 30-year veteran alligator expert who’s been seen on television shows such as Good Morning America, Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures, The Early Show, Fear Factor, National Geographic as well as news and travel shows nationwide. He also has assisted with documentaries for BBC, Nippon TV, Travel Channel and the Discovery Channel. Needless to say, he knows his stuff and he showed pride in his love for the park. The guys in tan, well they are some of the stars of Gatorland’s daily shows and they are a kick in the pants!

4. Shows/Experiences. Three unique shows are performed daily (just about hourly) that are entertaining and some even use audience participation! So picture Up Close Encounters…they pass out a mystery box to the audience and they sat it right next to me. Then they come back and get it and demand I come to the stage so they can open it and let me hold it. My anxiety kicks in and I’m shaking! My group encourages me to go down and I put my hands out….then this happens:Cheatin’ death all for the sake of the blog! Just kidding it was safe but strange and even the little kid next to me was fearless and probably laughing at my pale face! Again, the staff keeps you entertained each minute and the shows are fun as well as informative. Then I did this…after watching Gator Wrestlin’ why don’t I just jump on the back of an alligator and hold him by his jaw, no problem! The experience after the show is $10 a person and a photo is extra, but it was pretty cool and I was brave to touch his teeth only because his mouth was taped shut! Gator Jumparoo was exciting to watch as well, the true natural instinct of a hungry alligator is expressed in this show and they can often jump 4-5 out of the water!

There are so many neat things for kids to see and experience at Gatorland including Trainer for a Day that gives a child 12 and over a really cool VIP behind the scenes advance you don’t want to miss! Also, adventurists can try the Screamin’ Gator Zip Line that has you soaring 1200 ft above gators and the Breeding Marsh, and you get the two hour adventure plus your Gatorland all-day admission ticket for only $69.

5. Breeding Marsh and Bird Rookery. On this warm morning, the stroll was quiet and the views stunning, one of my favorite parts of the tour!

The famous Gatorland Bird Rookery was created in 1991 as an alligator breeding marsh. This unique habitat has grown into one of the largest and most accessible wading bird rookeries in Florida. Today, this area provides protected nesting, foraging, and roosting area to over 20 different species of birds, many of which are listed as Endangered or Species of Special Concern. Gatorland’s boardwalks provide birders and photographers with close access to these incredible birds, allowing people to safely observe them and capture stunning photographs.

With the Snowy Egrets and Roseate Spoonbills flying about I could have propped a chair on the boardwalk and soaked up the sun all day, a very serene and peaceful area!

Ready to visit? Stop by http://www.gatorland.com/ and link to social media channels and plan your next trip to Central Florida’s must-see attraction!

Our visit was a part of a media tour. Tickets were provided, all opinions my own.

Where to Stay in the Vacation Capital of the World – Orlando, Florida

February 28, 2013 by The Mom Jen 5 Comments

Orlando is one of the best vacation destinations to visit with the whole family, because there are so many things to do and see. There are also an infinite number of lodging options to choose from, which can make deciding where to stay a bit overwhelming. The type of accommodations you choose may depend on the length of your trip, your budget, and whether you’re traveling alone or with a group. For example, if you’re traveling solo or as a couple, a hotel or inn might work just fine for you. However, for traveling families, renting a timeshare resort through an owner is a very affordable and comfortable option for a variety of reasons.

Spacious Accommodations: When traveling with the whole family, more space is always better. Have you ever stayed somewhere that had too much space? Probably not. Timeshare resorts typically offer much more space than your average hotel room, and often include multiple rooms with plenty of sleeping options to meet the needs of larger groups.

Convenient In-Room Amenities: Many timeshare rentals also include separate living rooms and/or eat-in kitchens, which allow for in-room cooking and dining. Eating in once or twice during your vacation could save you a couple bucks. However, if you’re not interested in cooking or doing dishes, it’s at least nice to have the option to keep some snacks and juice in the fridge for a mid-day munch.

Great On-site Amenities: Many timeshare resorts feature swimming pools, playgrounds, recreation rooms, health clubs, on-site restaurants, spa services and personal concierge services, so there’s plenty to keep everyone occupied without even having to leave the resort. This is great for if you have a late start to the day, the weather isn’t perfect, or if someone isn’t feeling well. And, when traveling with a family, one of these things is bound to happen at least once during your vacation, so you might as well be prepared for it!

Great Prices: Timeshare owners can’t always use their weeks, and in order to recoup some of the costs, they will rent out their timeshare units at very affordable prices. Sometimes these prices are extremely discounted because owners are just looking to cover their annual maintenance fees. If you can find them, there are some pretty amazing deals out there.

Top Orlando Timeshare Resorts

If you’re headed to the Vacation Capital of the World, you might try staying at one of these top Orlando timeshare resorts:

Hilton Grand Vacations Club at SeaWorld International Center

Hilton Grand Vacations Club at SeaWorld-1

The Hilton Grand Vacations Club at SeaWorld International Center is a condo-style timeshare resort offering studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom timeshare accommodations. As far as proximity to where all the fun is, it doesn’t get any better than this. It is right across the street from SeaWorld! The kitchens are gorgeous, and the resort offers more than you’ll ever have time to explore. There are three heated swimming pools, two children’s pools and five whirlpool spas, and that’s just for swimming. The resort also offers supervised children’s recreation programs, which can be great for days when you don’t have anything planned. You shouldn’t have too many of those days, though, with so many attractions nearby, like Disney World, Busch Gardens, Gatorland, and many more.

Sheraton Vistana Resort – Cascades Villas

Sheraton Vistana Resor-Cascades Villas-2

Sheraton Vistana Resor-Cascades Villas-1

The Sheraton Vistana Resort – Cascades is located just a few minutes from all of Orlando’s attractions. The accommodations include a living area with sofa bed, dining area, breakfast bar, and a fully equipped kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, dishwasher, coffee maker, toaster, blender and dinnerware. There’s also a washer and dryer for doing a quick load here and there if you want. The resort complex also has a ton of amenities geared towards families, including child care, a children’s pool, three game rooms, Pizza Hut and Haagen Dazs, four children’s playgrounds, two full service restaurants, a snack bar, an 18-hole miniature golf course and a video rental library. It’s virtually impossible to be bored here. Plus, the resort offers free shuttle services to Disney’s theme parks, so you don’t have to worry about driving and finding parking, etc.

Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Lakes

Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Lakes is surrounded by all of the fun theme parks, every type of water sport you can imagine, great dining, shopping and golfing, so again, there’s something for everyone to do. The resort offers 2- and 3-bedroom villas, deluxe villas and multi-level townhomes, so you can choose the type of accommodations that best fit your family’s needs and budget. The kitchens are fully equipped with everything you need to cook and eat in (or not), and there are 42” flat panel televisions and DVD players for endless family entertainment. There are 2 pools, a waterslide, and fire pits and barbecue areas for outdoor eating and relaxing. Plus, as a guest of this resort, you can access the amenities of the adjacent JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes and the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, so you pretty much hit the jackpot with this one.

With so many on-site amenities and nearby attractions, you really can’t go wrong at any of these Orlando resorts. It just depends on what type of accommodations you’re looking for, how big your family is and what you like to do for fun. Each of the resorts above is high quality and family-friendly, so you are likely to be happy with whichever one you choose.

Have you had experience with renting a timeshare please feel free to comment!

Thanks to Sarah from sellmytimesharenow.com for this guest post.

Kissimmee, Florida: Bi-Plane Rides with Waldo Wright

January 24, 2012 by The Mom Jen 5 Comments

Last month when I was in Kissimmee I had so many great opportunities to check off my life list. One of those was flying in a bi-plane. I called my husband up immediately after viewing my itinerary, “what is a bi-plane?” “are they safe?” My husband joked and told me I must be going on an episode of The Bachelorette, I had bi-planes, hot air balloon rides, and ziplining on my to-do list, how was this even possible?Waldo Wright’s Flying Service at the Fantasy of Flight Museum is just minutes from Disney and Legoland and should be on your to-do list next time you’re in central Florida! I admit, I was nervous. I envisioned loop-di-loops and screaming panic, but I was insured we stayed at a safe level and no tricks were involved.

What started in 1995 with the dream of restoring two New Standard biplanes to recapture the “Golden Age of Aviation” has grown into America’s largest vintage biplane ride company.

The New Standard plane was originally built to take 4 passengers instead of 1 or 2, and this model working was restored in 2001 and has flown over 50,000 people from all over the world.

Decked out in our best Amelia Earhart goggles and hat (bring your own scarf).Climbing in, I was a bit hesitant to have the open air on me at a high altitude, I worried about my ears and pressure I may feel. I felt vulnerable in just a seatbelt, but again was reassured that we’d hold at a steady angle. Taking off was exhilarating, the warm wind in your hair, the amazing view. Yes, my stomach was up in my throat, but I had faith and trust in our pilot, who is behind us.That’s me, front right. I left my camera on the ground as it’s my connection to the world and can’t afford to drop it. The views were spectacular and the orange groves that we flew over were beautiful. I was taken back to my high school and college years and driving my VW convertible, except flying through the air. What a rush! The clouds loomed, but we stayed dry and the landing was like gliding onto pillows, I expected a harder landing and was pleasantly surprised.

You really must experience Florida in this capacity, better than any ride at the theme parks!

Waldo Wright’s Flying Service offers a variety of vintage biplane experiences, for kids as young as 3 weeks and as old as 96! Passengers can travel back to the 1930s to enjoy an authentic barnstorming ride in a New Standard D-25, or the 1940s for a more hands-on WWII adventure at the controls of a Boeing Stearman N2S-3. And, coming soon, the 1929 Travel Air E-4000 on floats…that’s right, an open cockpit biplane doing rides on the water! Prices start at $69.95 for a 15-minute ride of our life!

Thank you to Waldo Wright’s Flying Service and the Kissimmee CVB for our ride tickets, all opinions are mine.

Kissimmee, FL: Boggy Creek Airboats

January 9, 2012 by The Mom Jen 5 Comments

The first thing my parents asked me when I told them I was going to central Florida last month was, “are you going to see any ‘gators?” That with “bring us home a ‘gator!” began to be somewhat of a joke turned reality when I learned we were going to be gliding over the Florida Everglades in an Airboat!We visited Boggy Creek Airboats‘ East location on our recent trip to Kissimmee and were bound and determined to find alligators during our ride. I guessed we’d see 6 and after loading in the boat, but talking to Jeff our guide and captain, we weren’t sure if we’d see more than 1 or 2. The best time to see alligators is early in the morning (before 10:00 AM) during hot weather and later in the day in the cold. We set out around 9am, and the weather was already warm but it was December, so who knows.Climbing aboard we each got our own set of ear protection. Once we got out of the harbor, the fan kicked on and it’s best if you keep your ears covered!‘Gator hunting as we believe we were doing was amazingly serene. With the ear protection you only get a low hum, the warm Florida air blows across your face, and the speed of the boat across the reeds lulls you into a comfortable place! The scenery is so beautiful to take in and then suddenly we spot our first and second and third…alligators! We start adding them up and we even come across a set of babies nestling and soon before we know it, we’re at over 16 alligators spotted!The tour is amazing, the captain was so knowledgeable and took so much care in protecting us from the gators and vice versa. We even came across a cow standing in the swamp, which is something we said, “only in Florida” can you see an alligator and a cow within feet of eachother! The giant snail shells were a sight to see as well, some giant snails can grow as large as an apple!

At the end of our tour we were treated to holding Max! Luckily his mouth was taped so he couldn’t eat me alive, because I think I could see it in his eyes, I could have been lunch. Ha! Just kidding. (I hope)

Overall a fantastic, fun, education experience! If you’re visiting Kissimmee and want to become one with the wetlands, check out Boggy Creek Airboats!

Learn more at Boggy Creek Airboats on Twitter and on Facebook!

Thanks to Boggy Creek Airboats and the Kissimmee CVB for hosting our tour. All opinions are mine.

Celebration, Florida: Shopping, Dining, and SNOW!

December 29, 2011 by The Mom Jen 7 Comments

If you’re the Kissimmee area, you need to hurry on over to visit Celebration, Florida where you can find it snowing nightly through Saturday, December 31! Every hour, on the hour from 6pm-9pm you can experience a snowfall that puts smiles on everyone’s faces, gives you a wonderful feeling of winter, and all without the freezing temperatures!And, my favorite, snow amongst the palm trees…

Celebration, Florida offers so many quaint shops, restaurants, and activities this holiday season with an “ice rink” available now through January 2nd. The rink was actually a plastic-composite-like material rather than real ice. Skates and guides are offered for rent, I opted against in only because I know I’d hurt myself!aWe enjoyed a group dinner at Columbia Restaurant where we sipped wine an sangria that was melded tableside with a variety of fruits and both red and white wine.

The menu had a lovely variety of Spanish/Cuban cuisine. My Pollo “Riojano” was okay and was very similar to chicken parmesean. I preferred my friends meal that had a wonderfully flavored beef, chicken, and pork, though the name of it escapes me. The salad and bread were so yummy , and I simply LOVED the key lime pie dessert, so creamy, tart, and delicious.Having only spent a few hours in the area, it’s definitely a place I’d come back to when I visit central Florida again.

Thanks to the Kissimmee CVB for hosting dinner. All opinions are my own.