Recommend September 2010 - (Page 101)

macaroni and cheese, fish and chips, and chicken fingers, each served with grapes and applesauce. Dessert choices include apple pie, strawberry and peanut butter ice cream, and chocolate trifle. The shops in Hogsmeade offer a huge variety of Harry Potter memorabilia. At Dervish and Banges there’s Quidditch equipment, Hogwarts uniforms, and dragon-related merchandise and magical supplies; at Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, you can browse items confiscated by Mr. Filch and purchase Hogwarts and Quidditch clothing, movie prop replicas, magical creature toys and other assorted souvenirs; Zonko’s Joke Shop, owned by the terrible twins, has novelty items, jokes, toys and sweets; and Honeydukes, Hogsmeade’s legendary sweet shop, has a huge selection of chocolates, sweets and more. The real adventure in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, though, are the rides. Just looking at the Dragon Challenge—two ferocious roller-coaster dragons that twist, turn and loop at frighteningly high speed and seem to just miss one another at the last minute—is enough to set off a major apoplexy attack in your average vertigo sufferer. The Flight of the Hippogriff is a little tamer, spiraling around the pumpkin patch and soaring past Hagrid’s Hut. But it’s Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey that’s going to be the attraction your clients are going to talk about for a long time. It’s a high-tech marvel that’s as impressive as it is downright thrilling. Guests enter through the gates of Hogwarts, which are guarded by two winged boars, before heading into Hogwarts Castle’s elaborate passageways and corridors, where the enchanted wizard portraits hanging on the walls—including those of the four Hogwarts founders—chat away and in Dumbledore’s office, the Headmaster welcomes guests and invites them to hear a lecture about the history of the school. Then, it’s on to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom where Harry, Ron and Hermione entice the visitors to join them instead. Just past the Gryffindor common room, guests encounter the Sorting Hat, then enter the Room of Requirement to take their seats on enchanted benches and begin the Forbidden Journey. And that’s where the thrilling fun really takes off—literally. Thanks to one of the most innovative virtual reality programs you’ll ever experience, you start off through the Floo network and begin the adventure soaring over Hogwarts, narrowly escape a dragon attack, have a close encounter with the Whomping Willow, get pulled into a Quidditch match and more. The combination of pioneering, state-of-the-art technology, innovative filmmaking and surprises around every corner are absolutely amazing and when the park finally allows the use of the “Express Pass” in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, this is going to be the ride your clients are going to want to ride over and over again. accommodations There’s a variety of Universal Orlando Resort hotels to pick from, of course, but the best bet is to book one of the three hotels located just steps from the theme parks themselves—the Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel or Loews Royal Pacific. The biggest advantage of booking here is that all you have to do is show your room key and you skip all the theme park lines. It’s basically a VIP pass that’s going to save you about $87 per day if you book somewhere else and with the crowds that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is drawing, that’s a must-do if you want to keep your sanity, not to mention your health in the heat of a Florida summer. It works at Universal’s two theme parks through your entire stay. We stayed at the Royal Pacific, which is—needless to say—an island-themed hotel sitting amidst a series of canals where boats take guests just about anywhere you want to go, from CityWalk to Portofino Bay or the Hard Rock to sample their wares and, of course, to the theme parks themselves. Rooms here are spacious—about 335 sq. ft.—with all the amenities including bamboo accents, colorful linens and beautiful island decor. There are also Club level rooms, Jurassic Park-themed kids suites and especially important for family stays, the Loews Loves Kids program. There’s plenty of other family-fun amenities here, too, including a lagoon-style pool with a sandy beach that always seems to be filled with families; there’s ping pong and shuffleboard; dive-in movies at night by the pool and best of all, the Mariner’s Club where the kids’ suites are located. Here, in addition to Jurassic Park-themed kids suites, kids and parents both will enjoy special features such as the supervised children’s activities center, children’s pools and play areas, as well as poolside dining and dining with some of Universal Orlando’s favorite characters at select hotel restaurants and “kids only” dining areas with TVs, activities and games as well as “kids only” menus. The hotels’ Loews Loves Kids program features lending game libraries, special menus, welcome gifts for children, supervised recreational programs, and even babysitting if parents want to make a night of it at CityWalk or in town. Teens enjoy poolside games and the Mandara Spa’s Y-Spa program, featuring services such as the “heavenly massage,” the “fake bake” self-tanning treatment and “surfers scrub” body exfoliation. All three of the park’s onsite hotels are offering a 4-night vacation program from just $655 per adult and $135 per child 3-9 or the best rate—$1,553 for a family of four and keep in mind, that includes the “VIP” hotel key, line-jump pass with a value of nearly $87 pp per day. The program also includes early park admission to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter; breakfast at the Three Broomsticks (one pp); commemorative ticket (one pp); 3-day base ticket to both Universal Orlando theme parks (one theme park per day) and access to live entertainment at CityWalk. And whatever you do, remind clients to take advantage of the early park admission—especially for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter when the crowds are almost non-existent. There are plenty of ways for families on a budget to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, as well, with Universal Orlando Resort partner hotels offering the same 4-night family packages for as little as $285 pp. For example, you can book the Quality Inn International for an entire family of four (children aged 3-9) in a standard room with two double beds for $829. This vacation package includes the same as above, including the early admission and breakfast, plus the partner hotels—including the Quality Inn International—also offer free scheduled transportation between the hotel and Universal Orlando, as well as discounts on merchandise, food and non-alcoholic beverages at select theme park & CityWalk locations. n contact information Universal Orlando Resort: universalorlando.com september 2010 101 http://www.universalorlando.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend September 2010

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk
Tour Talk
Norwegian Epic
Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam
Ocean Club Resorts, Turks & Caicos
10 Great Family Resort Stays
Saint Lucia Travel Agent Specialist Program
Stay Awhile: Great Family Escapes
Touring Latin America: Calling All Explorers!
Montreal—"Oh, the Places You'll Go!"
Hawaii: Mahalo to Condo-Hotels
The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Unforgettable Safaris
The Wonders of China
Christmas Tours

Recommend September 2010