Orlando, Fla. – We just got back from previewing the state of the art roller coaster now under construction at Universal Studios Orlando. We also took some photos of the new roller coaster at Universal Studios Orlando.
The new Universal Studios rollercoaster is called - The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster.
The Roller Coaster is unique for several reasons. First, it actually goes through the theme park above the heads of tourists. Second, it has a record breaking loop. Third, the coaster has a staggering climb and drop of 17 stories with speeds up to 65 miles an hour.. Fourth, the ride is totally customizable to the rider – riders will be able to program their own music on the coaster and edit a video of their ride once they disembark to take home.
The ride will be an intense sensory experience with color changing LED/s and high energy visual displays.
Clearly, as the new roller coaster in Universal Studios Orlando, The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Roller Coaster will be the rollercoaster ride for 2009-2010 in Orlando.
See our new rollercoaster Universal Studios Orlando video preview below as well as a map of Universal Studios Orlando.
To provide our website visitors with the highest quality user experience, we are now adding Disney World vacation rental video clips in high definition. We’ll gradually add these to the site as our evaluators are able to film the individual resort communities. The video podcasts are meant to capture a snippet of what to expect from each community.
We now have over 80 Disney World vacation home communities profiled on our website. In addition to the videos, we have maps, news and tips for your Orlando vacation.
Our evaluators provide you with an independent rating along with basic information for each resort. Each Disney World vacation rental community is reviewed on our main page for your convenience.
We hope you find these consumer profiles to be valuable in selecting your Disney World vacation home accommodations. The on-site community reviews are conducted by independent evaluators who focus on quality and a variety of factors.
As an example, see our video review of Emerald Island vacation home community in Orlando - Kissimmee below.
Hillcrest vacation homes are newer midsize homes located in Davenport, Florida southwest of Orlando and west of Kissimmee, Florida.
Hillcrest Davenport Florida is located approximately 10 miles from the entrance of the Magic Kingdom ® at the Walt Disney World Resort ®. Hillcrest Orlando is set back in the Lake Davenport Estates area just off Highway 27 in Davenport.
The Hillcrest villas are roughly a 10 minute drive to the major shops and restaurants located north on Highway 192. A car is essential if renting a Hillcrest vacation rental.
Hillcrest vacation home reviews can be found in more detail below with our Hillcrest vacation home map, and Hillcrest video tour.
Hillcrest- Florida
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All review charts on this site are based on independent opinion only
Lake Davenport Estates vacation home community consists of several community clusters in Davenport, Florida located just off Highway 27. This particular review focuses on the The Palms vacation home rentals within the Lake Davenport Estates.
Lake Daveport Estates The Palms
Lake Davenport Estates vacation homes are a mature community. The villas in Lake Davenport Estates tend to be a mixture of one and two story homes.
The Lake Davenport Estates vacation rentals are located approximately 10 miles from the entrance to Magic Kingdom ® in the Walt Disney World Resort ®. The Lake Davenport vacation rentals are located southwest of Orlando and west of Kissimmee, Florida.
For more detailed Lake Davenport Estates reviews, check our lake Davenport Estates map below as well as our Lake Davenport Estates video.
Vista Park vacation homes are in a gated community. The Vista Park villas community does have a guard type entrance that also serves as a check-in desk.
The rental homes in Vista Park Resort tend to be larger two story properties with tile roofs and market appeal.
The Vista Park rentals community is relatively small and located approximstely 10 miles by car from the entrance to Magic Kingdom ® at the Walt Disney World Resort ®.
Vista Park Resort Davenport is located southwest of Orlando and west of Kissimmee.
Vista Park vacation rentals are homes typically for the larger family or for those persons looking for a more spacious vacation home rental.
For more Vista Park resort review information, be sure to check out our Vista Park Video below as well as our Vista Park map (interactive).
Overseas travel to the United States and Florida is an important component of the Orlando vacation home rental market. The United States States Department of Commerce, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) recently released two companion documents concerning retrospective inbound travel to the United States along with projections for travel out to 2013. A complete link for tourism travel stats to Florida and Orlando is linked here:
According to the OTTI, Florida had a 20.7% market share for all international tourists to the United States. This represents about 5.2 million total travelers. Florida ranks #3 just behind New York and California. Moreover, Florida narrowed the total international visitor gap with California and now only lags California by 50,000 international visitors annually. Of all US cities, Orlando ranks #5 just behind New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami (in that order) for international travel. Of note is the fact that Miami and Orlando combined represent about 95% of all international traffic to Florida with a total volume of approximately 5 million annual global vacationers.
The OTTI also made some forecasts for international visitor volume to the US for 2009 and beyond:
OTTI forecasts international travel volume to decline 6% and 11% for 2009
Europe is projected to decline 9% in 2009, but to resume increases out to 2013
Asia is forecasted to drop 5% in 2009, but rise 21% out to 2013
South America is projected to decline 4% in 2009, and improve by the largest percentage amount out to 2013
As we have blogged about in the past, Brazil is projected to rise significantly longer term and is forecasted to move into the 7th spot for international tourism to the United States.
As we have indicated before, Orlando area vacation rentals represent a significant value for overseas vacation travelers to the United States and to Florida. Most homes have such luxurious amenities as pools, self catering kitchens, community facililities and other great options and most are located near Disney. This website is dedicated to blogging about reliable consumer information that helps sort out all the various communities, resorts and subdivisions for various factors including quality, location, and amenities.
Clear Creek vacation homes are located approximately 12 miles from the Epcot entrance in the Walt Disney World Resort ® as well as just a short drive to the major restaurants located on Highway 27 and a little further out from the western portion of Highway 192.
The Clear Creek villas are located in Clermont, Florida (southwest of Orlando and west of Kissimmee) and is one of the more mature communities in the area.
Get more details regarding the location of the Clear Creek vacation rentals from our interactivemap as well as our video review below.
Clear Creek Vacation Homes
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All review charts on this site are based on independent opinion only
The Villas at Island Club Resort is located approximately 7 miles from the Magic Kingdom ® entrance at the Walt Disney World Resort ® as well as just a short drive from Highway 192 and all the restaurants and shops it offers.
The Villas at Island Club Resort is a condominium community located in Kissimmee, Florida and is adjacent to the Lindfields vacation home community.
Condos such as those at the Villas at Island Club offer convenience and community amenities including a community pool, tennis courts, volleyball and a playground area.
Get more details regarding the location of The Villas at Island Club from our interactive map as well as our video review below.
Villas at Island Club
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*Each individual home will vary
Location
Close to major parks
Close to shops and restaurants
Proximity to Orlando Airport
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Value
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Good
Premium
All review charts on this site are based on independent opinion only
Summer is here and if you have planning flexibility, you can ascertain some nice discounts for golf in Orlando, Florida. For our purposes, we’ll list some of the best golf courses near the Highway 192 vacation home corridor. The good news for vacation rental guests is that there are plenty of courses to choose from within a short 15-20 minute drive from most vacation home communities. Summer greens fees by category in Orlando are:
Premium Group (Summer golf rates in Orlando, Fl for this group tend to run from $40 to $65 depending upon the time of day)
Falcon’s Fire Golf Club 3200 Seralago Boulevard; Kissimmee, Florida 34746 Phone: 407-239-5445
Orange County National Golf Club 16301 Phil Ritson Way; Winter Garden, Florida 34787 Phone: 407-656-2626
Orange Lake Resort and Country Club 8505 W. Orlo Bronson Memorial Highway Kissimmee, Florida 34747 Phone: 407-905-1050
Value Group (Disney area golf rates for this group tend to run from $25 to $40 depending upon the time of day)
Highlands Reserve Golf Club Club 500 Highlands Reserve Boulevard; Davenport, Florida 33897 Phone: 863-420-1724; We profiled this course in a previous post.
Disclaimer: Please call course golf shops for specific rates and tee times for your Orlando golf vacation. This information was gathered from diligently reviewing websites and visiting with golfers in the area. Summer greens fees in Orlando quoted for all courses can change at any time. Always inquire about condition of course greens due to occasional drought and damaging heat conditions.
We have reviewed every major short term rental/vacation home community in Kissimmee Florida.
To further help our readers, we have selected what in our opinion are the top eight Kissimmee vacation rental home communities.
We define “vacation homes” as detached dwelling structures with multiple bedrooms and are similar, if not synonymous, to single family residential homes. A complete explanation of the various vacation rental options are linked here.
Here we go. The top eight vacation home picks for short term rentals in Kissimmee, Florida based on vacation rental evaluator reviews are (in alphabetical order):
