Recommend September 2012 - (Page 47)

Opposite page: SeaWorld Orlando debuted TurtleTrek this year. Below: Accommodations at the Hilton Orlando. parks on three consecutive days left us a bit dazed, and Goldsbury suggests that “if enough days are planned for the vacation then planning a day off for relaxation and pool time is perfect. It’s exhausting walking the parks all day and most guests like to stay up later in the evenings to see the nighttime shows and ﬁreworks. So rather than planning for a day off in the middle of the vacation, lay out a plan for your clients to spend the morning and early afternoon in the parks, head back to their resort for pool and rest time, have a nice dinner, and then head back to one of the parks to end the day.” We heeded this advice and did take a day off poolside after the theme parks at one of Hilton Orlando’s sumptuous cabanas, which come equipped with ﬂat-screen TVs, mini-fridge, comfy chaise longues, and food service from the pool bar, the Tropics Bar & Grill. universal Yes, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter might have put “Universal on the map,” as Goldsbury says, but the word amazing comes immediately to mind when we think of the newly revamped Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man attraction at Islands of Adventure and the very new Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at Universal Studios. “We’ve added more new entertainment experiences across our entire destination this year than during any other year in our history,” says Tom Schroder, v.p. of corporate communications for Universal Orlando Resort. “This has created a tremendous amount of excitement among our guests, who are telling us they really enjoy everything we’ve done. And since much of this has happened within Universal Studios, it’s been a great moment for that theme park. We’re hearing families really like the ability to experience all of these new things together— whether it’s our new Superstar Parade, our nighttime Cinematic Spectacular or our new Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction. “We worked very closely with the creators behind the popular ‘Despicable Me’ ﬁlm to create our new attraction. We worked very hard to capture the characters and the humor that helped make the ﬁlm so popular. We think we did so—and that means there really is something for everyone as part of the attraction experience.” Sufﬁce it to say, our small family clan rode both attractions more than once. It’s important for you to know that onsite Universal Resort guests—with Loews Portoﬁno Bay Hotel being one of three onsite hotels—get unlimited Universal Express access where they skip the regular lines at both parks, and get one hour early park entrance to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which translates into no wait lines. The onsite hotel choices at Universal Resort include the aforementioned 750-room Loews Portoﬁno Bay Hotel, which re-creates the charm and romance of the famed seaside village of Portoﬁno, Italy, right down to the cobblestone streets and outdoor cafes—recommend a hearty buffet breakfast at Trattoria del Porto and tell clients to grab a quick pizza after the parks at Sal’s Market Deli. Top accommodation picks here for families are the 650-sq.-ft. Kids’ Suites with separate bedroom and entertainment areas for the adults and children and you’ll want to point out to parents that there’s a single exterior entrance via the adult portion of the suite. Adult rooms feature a king-size bed and small table/desk area with two chairs and plush chair, and the children’s portion of the room is decorated in fun themes featuring two twin beds or bunk beds and a table with two chairs. The other two onsite property choices are the hip and cool 650-room Hard Rock Hotel and the 1,000-room Loews Royal Paciﬁc Resort, with its lush South Paciﬁc theme. “Our three onsite hotels,” says Schroder, “complement the [theme park] experience by offering distinctly different, themed environments for the family to use as their home base.” All three hotels offer a bevy of amenities, including lagoon-style and beach pools, kids’ camps, myriad dining venues and the Mandara Spa, but more importantly, they offer easy access to the two Universal theme parks and CityWalk, with an array of restaurants and a long list of fun things to see and do, including one that we highly recommend, the revamped Blue Man Group show, with new performances, new music, and an all-new stage. Starting rates for a 7-night stay during value season are: Loews Royal Paciﬁc Resort, $161 per night; Hard Rock Hotel, $179 per night; Loews Portoﬁno Bay Hotel, $200 per night. And coming in 2014 is a fourth hotel that will also be operated by Loews Hotels & Resorts, the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, with 900 family suites capable of sleeping six and with a kitchen area, and 900 standard guestrooms, offering both moderate- and value-priced accommodations. The hotel will provide early park admission, proximity to both parks and resort-wide charging privileges, but—and this is an important but—will not offer complimentary Universal Unlimited Access. That said, Goldsbury can’t stress enough the beneﬁts of staying at an onsite Universal resort, because “it allows the relaxation of either walking or taking a boat to the parks”—we might add even a fun rickshaw ride—and, she continues, “easily heading back to the resort mid-afternoon for rest.” Goldsbury, who is an expert on Orlando family vacations, most notably as the author of “The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney World Resort,” says that for her clients she creates an “all-inclusive package with Universal Vacations by reserving a hotel stay at one of the Universal onsite resorts, adding park tickets, airport transfers, VIP tours, Meal Deal tickets with all-day at the parks for one price at counterservice locations, and pre-paid table service meals at both parks.” At Universal’s travel agent-dedicated website, universaltravel agents.com, you can book a complete vacation under the “featured offers” link, and get resort information, as well as have access to selling tools, beneﬁts and training. september 2012 47 http://www.universaltravelagents.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend September 2012

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Omni Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Adventures by Disney
Disney Fantasy
Atlantis, The Bahamas
Beaches Turks & Caicos
Great Kid-Friendly Resorts
Mexico with Kids in Mind
Belize + Costa Rica = Family-Friendly
Ancestry Travel: Family Roots & Routes
Orlando
Hotel-Free Stays for Ski + Beach Escapes
Kidding Around in Asia
It's All in the Family Israel

Recommend September 2012