Lets talk "Free Express Unlimited Express Pass" at Universal Orlando

Right now If you book a Hotel stay.... Not Package …. Just a Hotel stay at one of these On-Site Resorts: Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel you will get  Universal Unlimited Express Pass for free. Notice I mentioned only Hotel Stay and not Package. I will will explain that a little more here in just a bit. 

Unlimited Express pass What is it: 

• Universal Express Unlimited ride access to skip the regular lines at participating rides and attractions at Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure. That's a value of $129** per person, per day. Valid theme park admission required. Not valid at Universal's Volcano Bay.
  
  *Requires theme park admission. Valid only at participating rides and attractions in Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure. Not valid at Universal's Volcano Bay. Excludes separately ticketed events. Park-to-Park admission required to board the Hogwarts™ Express. Benefit valid only for guests of Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, for the number of guests staying in the room for the length of hotel stay. Available during normal theme park operating hours only. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice.
  
  **Based on average price of a 2-Park Universal Express Unlimited™ pass ranging between $84.99 and $189.99.

So that is the legal explanation based on official verbiage directly from Universal Orlando's Website. 

My Verbiage is this. This unlimited Express pass has tremendous Value depending on the time of year you go to Universal. It is worth its Weight in Gold During peak travel times like spring break and Holiday Rush, but at times during the school year, its basically is a piece of paper that has some value depending on the ride or attraction. 

The express will cut down your wait time drastically during peak travel periods allowing you more access to more rides than if you were to be just in the regular standby line. It is not a Cut to the front of the line pass, its pass to get you a reduced wait time in an express line. Say the line was 2 hours long. Express Pass will cut that wait down maybe to 30 minutes. That is a pretty significant reduction of time and well worth it. Downside of the express pass is that in most attractions, you miss the storyline build up for the ride, especially in rides like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Escape from Gringotts, and Transformers to name a few. If you have been on the attractions a few times and wish to skip the experience to build up the ride with the pre-shows, no harm no foul, more rides for you.

Now during Non-peak Travel times, normally when school is in session, the express pass loses value as you can see the price range above in the description. Rule of thumb is this: The less express pass cost, the probability of needing It is much lower. Many Days (especially during the weekdays)in September- early December, January-Late February, and Later April to Mid-May many of the rides will be walk on or have minimal waits. So there may be need for Express pass for Rides like Escape from Gringotts or The Hulk Coaster.  See it still has some value.

So how do you get this express pass and is there a "hack"?

It's pretty easy to get the express pass when you book a hotel stay or Universal Orlando Package and stay at one of the Beautiful resorts of Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel® and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. On your check in day, you will get your picture taken for each member of your party and issued the express pass that expires on the day at Park closing when you check out. So as long as you have a Valid Theme park ticket, you now have unlimited access for you entire length of stay. Pretty awesome! 

Now for the hack that can be pretty frustrating to some.... Let me preface this that there are  rumors out there that Universal is trying to shut down this hack, so it may not work for you if the do this. 

People during peak travel period (Spring Break and holiday rush)will book 1 night stays at Loews Royal Pacific Resort and Hard Rock Hotel® in lowest room categories knowing that they will get 2 days of express passes for free, but they will not actually stay at the resort. They end up saving a TON of money on having to buy express passes. Not only do they get the Unlimited Express passes, the now also get the early park entry. 

How much a deal is it? Let's say you have a Family of 5, Buying 2 days of Express passes at the Highest price range$189.99+tax that is going to be roughly $1899.99+ Tax. You have to buy theme park tickets also.  A Standard 2 queen bed room, the least expensive room, Non Discounted at Loew's Royal Pacific for  Adults on December 26th, 2021 runs roughly $784 for the night plus comes with for 2 days express pass and early entry into the parks for "free".  That family of 5 just roughly saved $1115.90.  Not a bad hack if you are trying to save money during the peak travel period times. 

That family may not even stay in the hotel that night because they are staying at rental house, timeshare or maybe a lower end "cheaper" hotel in the area. 

Could Universal close down this hack? 

Yes because in the verbiage of their express pass benefit they have this clause. Additional restrictions may apply and benefits are subject to change without notice. 

How could they close it down? 

Add a length of stay clause during peak travel times in order to get the express pass. 

Could Universal Be losing money on the hack, yes and no. With the express pass they are selling "air" to reduce your wait. While this may have value to you, I am going to let you in on a little secret..... The express pass benefits Universal more than it does you.... The more time you spend waiting in line, less time you are are buying food and souvenirs. 

Ready to Book that Universal Orlando Vacation? 

I am here to help you every step of the way. 

You can reach me via Facebook at Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations ,email me at matt@firehousefamilyvacations.com, or call me At 269-491-0161

Adam TheWoo

Want a unique look at DisneyWorld or Universal Orlando? Have you ever wondered what happened to old attractions like River Country or maybe the Nickelodeon Studios? Were you able to capture your 24 hour marathon at the Magic Kingdom on February 29th,2012? Maybe you wish you could find locations that some classic movies were filmed? One such man is doing that this very moment and you can share in his  adventures. Adam TheWoo is the adventurer that does things most of us only dream of and Youtube is his current venue!

Wonder what Adam TheWoo is filming today...another amazing video

First let me warn you his videos are awesome, but what Adam does is not necessarily authorized and you probably should not try them on your own. It is also important to note that from his own bio on his webpage  he makes it very clear "I will NEVER break into a place, steal anything, spray paint walls or destroy anything. I am completely opposed to all these things!"

Adam has amassed over 11,000 Youtube followers and that number is climbing everyday! The adventures he embarks on gives some really cool perspectives on some great locations and abandoned places.

Adam TheWoo on Location at Universal Studios
taking time chat and pose for a picture with Me

I was fortunate enough to happen upon Adam's Youtube channel about a year and half ago and even more fortunate to run into him in September when he was preparing to make a new video at Universal Studios. Occasionally in his videos you can see him wearing one of our Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations t-shirts.:) It was great to meet him in person and see how he films his adventures. The day I was able to meet him, he was able to capture an experience with his camera that many people's pictures(including mine) can't do justice. You can check out that experience by clicking here, then check out some of these great videos. 

EPCOT 30th adventure

River Country

24 Hours at the Magic Kingdom

Nickelodeon Studios

Jurassic Park Triceratops Attraction

These are just a sampling of the videos that  Adam does and there are more to come. Adam is currently on road filming more amazing videos and could use your support. Follow him on twitter, and like him on Facebook to see where he is going next.

My Top 5 Central Florida Non-Roller Coaster Rides

My Top 5 Central Florida Non-Roller Coaster Rides

Disney and Universal really know how to immerse guest in ride experiences. They really excel in the dark ride genre.Their immersion for their rides comes in story lines, preshows(the detail put into the lines and waiting areas), and also in the technology that make their rides thrilling and appealing to all ages. These are the rides I feel are at the top of the game in all of central Florida and possibly across the United States.

5) Star Tours 2- The first trip was great, humorous and memorable. Now with multiple story lines and 3D, this ride has gone to a whole new level. Disney and George Lucas have done wonders with this re-imagined ride. The story lines are randomly chosen so it make re-riding this ride a must. The preshows areas are amazing and humorous with homages paid the original Star Tours. This is must for any Star Wars fan! Who am I kidding, you don't need to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy this journey.

MIB the ride at Universal Studios Orlando

4) Men In Black- This is a great interactive shooter ride. Universal Studios take the humor from the movies, adds a nice story line for theme park visitors, and sends riders shooting and spinning through town under siege. Everyone emerges as a hero with fun and surprise awaiting you around every corner.   Men in Black will beckon you to re-ride and best your last score or see what you missed and make your opponent's car spin. There as scenes and characters from the movie in the preshow line, including the worms. While some may argue that Toy Story Mania is better, Men in Black has more depth and discovery than Toy Story Mania. Suit up and see if you have what it takes to Save the city.



3) Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It's a classic dark ride combined with drop ride. It may not have the towering heights that some drop towers have, but it sure to give you plenty of air time and different drop sequences, something those other towers can't do. Themeing of this ride is by far one of Disney's best in all of the parks. There are great visual effects and I just love when the star field opens and the dropping and lifting begins. Be sure to try the penny trick.(Drop me a line and I will let you in it.)

What's up with that guy in the center...oh wait that's me.

Have fun storming the castle!

2) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey- It's Harry Potter goodness and an over all great experience. To take it all in you need to ride it several times. I recommend sitting on the far right hand side, that is if you like dragon breath. The one flaw I see in this ride is that  you do have the same story over and over and over again. This is something Disney has been able to out do Universal with when Star Tours 2 opened. That doesn't make this a horrible ride, it is by far one of the most interesting and fun rides out there. Make sure you look closely at the mist from the Dementor, you will see your own face. Oh if your afraid of spiders, you might want to skip this ride. The line is very entertaining as well. Since the line moves at different rates, you may not get to see all of the stories or spells that are cast. For example, once in the room where you meet Harry and gang, it started snowing and other times we got to see some interesting happenings from the paintings that are hung through out the line.

1)The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man- This ride just got a digital upgrade(which I won't be able to experience until the fall) and is getting rave reviews! This ride was getting rave reviews even before the digital upgrades. Harry Potter may be the new kid in town, but this ride in my opinion offers a more multi-sensory trip. This ride can leave you disoriented,feeling toasty from real flames, and allow you to battle side by side with Spider-Man against some of Marvels most fearsome Villains like Doc Oct and Venom. Universal has a winner on their hand here!




The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man has a big brother and technology upgrade out there that just opened up out in California. Transformers:The Ride. Ride reviews have been phenomenal about this new version of the Spiderman ride as Transformers. Maybe someday it will show up at Universal Orlando?


What are you favorite Dark Rides? Who do you think has the better rides?

Dueling Dragons or Dragon Challenge

This is how the entrance to the Dueling Dragons at Universal Islands of Adventure use to look. 

I challenge you to a duel

Along came a Wizard and here is what his wand did.

Not only did we lose our heads, we don't duel now.

Which do you prefer?

Universal Orlando Partner Hotel: Holiday Inn &Suites Maingate

Holiday Inn & Suites Main Gate

Value, location, and quality are some of  the things I look for when  looking at a room for a vacation. Disney does a great job of offering their  guest a wide range of rooms to meet their guest needs. Disney resorts,even the value resorts, are by far some of the best quality rooms across the country. Adding in the location and the perks Disney resorts offer, you really can't go wrong staying on site. Universal Orlando on the other hand, has 3 elegantly themed hotels, great location, great perks, but the price can really stretch your budget. This is where Universal Partner Hotels  bridge the gap  offering a wider variety of room options and pricing. The Universal Partner hotels give Guest  a great value,quality room, along with some perks, and some offer really good locations next to Universal Orlando.

We wanted to make the most of our August 2011 trip to Florida. We wanted to make it a mega Central Florida trip allowing us enough time to do everything thing we wanted to do along with visiting places we hadn't been before. To do that, we opted to split the trip into two parts, Disney and then Everything else. In the decision to do this, we looked into staying at the Universal On-site hotels and decided that if we wanted to do as much as we could around the Central Florida area, we would have to opted for a Universal Partner Hotel. After much consideration, the choice was made to stay the Holiday Inn & Suites Main Gate Kirkman Road for our everything else part of the trip. Our Disney Portion would be spent at Disney's Port Orleans- Riverside, our family favorite.

Part of the Front Room of our Suite.  Nice sofa that folds out into a bed.

When it comes to the Holiday Inn & Suites Maingate, you really can't beat the location and the ease of access by car or by walking to the Universal Orlando Resort for an off-site hotel. Just remember parking is not free at Universal and the walk from this hotel  is a small trek. In order to get to either the Island of Adventure or Universal Studios you are going to have a journey through City walk,you can find out more about that here. 

The value of this hotel is marvelous. The beds are comfy. Check in and check out were a breeze and the hotel staff was friendly.We were even pleasantly surprised to get a free upgrade from a regular room to a Suite. The hotel has easy access to I-4, I Drive, and literally is right across the street from the Universal Orlando Parking Garages.The ease of getting to all the attractions in the Orlando attractions areas from this hotel is great. There is a TGIF Fridays attached to the hotel, a small gift shop, and a small pool. It is an older hotel, but was under renovation during our stay. We stayed in the portion of the hotel that had not been renovated, and while the hallways showed some age, the room was in very decent shape minus a few scoff marks on the wall.

A Glimpse at the Bedroom of our suite.

The room we had offered 2 queen size beds in one room, a couch that folded out into a bed in another room, 2 flat screen TVs, a full sized refrigerator, and a small kitchenette area with a sink and coffee maker. The view from our room was a sweeping view of parking lot that in a previous visit, 10 years earlier, used to contain a bungee swing.Now no signs of that exist.(Honestly, we were not here for the view)
 If you looking for an amazingly themed pool, spectacular views, or overly themed rooms; this hotel is not for you.You can pay for that across the street and  that is something I would do if I am going to have a short stay(one or two nights) and are just going to do special events that Universal Orlando has to offer(examples:Halloween Horror Nights, Summer Concert Series, Mardi Gras music series, etc.)or just feel the need to splurge. This hotel is a great value for families, extend or short stays, and the value increases substantially when you book a Universal Orlando package.Make sure you contact a a Universal Parks & Resort Specialist, like myself, to see what kind of package you can get for your stay here or at any Universal Partner Hotel or Universal On-Site hotel.

Based on what we wanted to do, the package we booked included the Orlando Flexticket Plus and Early Entry to the Island of Adventure for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The Orlando Flexticket Plus ticket option gives you unlimited admission and park hopping abilities for Universal Studios, Island of Adventure, Seaworld, Aquatica, Wet N Wild,Citywalk, and Busch Gardens Tampa for 14 days from the first use. An added bonus is that once you pay for parking for the day, if you save your reciept you don't have to pay for parking for the rest of the day, just show your flexticket and parking reciept to get readdmission to wherever you are headed after that first park of the day.(This was the terms of the ticket in August of 2011, parks included and parking terms can be changed at anytime.)


I would just offer 3 warnings about this hotel.
 #1Be aware there is a hard sell time share here. You will be informed that you have a welcome package with coupons and a map of area attractions awaiting for you in the front lobby. When you pick it up, the person tries to get you to commit to going to a time share presentation for a resort that is "close" to the Disney properties. Once again this happened in August of 2011, this may or may not still be there, this had not been there in previous visits.
#2 If your planing on using the shuttle to Universal, don't, it really is not convient and the times for pick up and drop off , from lack of a better word, SUCK. If you have a package that allows you early entry to the parks, you are either going to have to walk, drive, our get a cab.This not unique to this hotel, it a problem for all off site hotels since the transportation is not provided by Universal and is from an outside company.
#3 Be prepared to look for a parking spot. You are in competetion for spots with a rental truck company,  TGIF Fridays, and other hotel guest. It was frustrating at nights to come back and have to wait for a TGIF guest to leave so we could have a spot since the rental trucks took up a chunk of the parking lot.There was talks at the time we were there, that the rental Truck company was going to be told at the end of their contract, they would need find someplace else for their trucks because that portion of the lot is prime expansion property for the hotel.

Room Tip: Ask for a room that is not facing kirkman Road

First stay June 2000. Last stay August 2011

You can get there from here but how? Part 1

By now if you live on the East Coast or in the Midwest you probably have heard about the debacle that is going on right now with Direct Air, a discount airline that flys into Orlando/Sanford airport. If you haven't,  here is the quick summary. Direct Air stopped all operation without notice stranding passengers and making them scurry to find a way home or to their vacation destination. This is a horrible situation for any traveler,  experienced or not. This situation has lead me to recall my experiences when it comes to traveling to Orlando or anywhere in that matter.

When it comes to going to Orlando, I prefer to fly. I like to get there are quick as possible and as cheap as possible. I could drive, but after about 5 hours, I am done with being  in the car for the day. I get cranky and antsy. The other problem I have with driving is that I am sucker for roadside attractions.It could get rather expensive very quickly if I want to stop at every alpine slide in the mountains, drive thru safari, Firework shop, etc. that we come across. Trust me I will find a way to stop and won't walk out empty handed. So flying for me and my family it is.

I just need to see the Skunk-Ape and maybe get a can koozie also!

Where we live, we are fortunate to have wide variety of airports to fly from. Three major airports  about 2.5 hours away(Detroit, Chicago Midway, and O'Hare) and four regional airports( South Bend, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Lansing) This provides for a variety of airlines and airfares, both discounters and major airlines. With this come a variety of routes that are either non-stop(the coveted of all flights) or many different hops in different types of planes. The non-stops tend to be the most expensive. This where the discounters come in. The big catch with discounters that fly into Central Florida is that they usually don't fly into Orlando International, but into Lakeland or Orlando/Sanford. Both of these Airports are about 45 minutes or hour commute to the Orlando and attractions area. This is really not a bad option for someone that had planned to rent a car or wasn't planning on using Disney's Magic express. Although with Discounters, you may end up in a situation like Direct Air stuck its customers with or you may have gotten a great flight at a great price. Just remember these discounters are really no frills, some of the planes seats don't even recline, and you may have to book almost a year in advance. In the past I have flown on the Discounter Spirit Airlines, after an awkward delay we had a pleasant flight to and from Orlando.(While being delayed at the gate before boarding the plane, an announcement was made that there was a mechanical problem with the plane and they were locating another aircraft. We watched the plane back away from the gate, stop, then return to the gate followed by an announcement that we could now board and that this was new plane.)

Discounters aren't the only airlines to have problems. I have had some great flights on major airlines and some nerve racking ones as well. The worst airline experience and flight resulted  from a flight cancellation that stuck the family at Chicago Midway for 7 hours in the baggage claim area. It would have been fine if we weren't subjected to the song Sweet Home Chicago over and over and over and over again. The night before the flight, severe weather ground stopped all flights and the airline claimed they called everyone that was affected. Needless to say, we didn't get the phone call. So we put the family truckster in the long term parking, took the shuttle to the terminal, and headed to check our baggage for our 6am flight.  That's when we get the are you stupid look from the clerk at the baggage counter and informed our flight has been canceled. The next available flight was going to be 3pm that afternoon and wasn't going to be non-stop. After trying to get on various different airlines with no avail, we finally boarded and were finally on our way, arriving at DisneyWorld sometime after midnight much later than our anticipated 9am arrival. That is not the only adventurous or delayed  flight we have had, just the most frustrating. The most adventurous and white knuckled flight we have had into Orlando occurred when our flight pattern took us directly over the swamp fires burning around Orlando International.  Fires of that nature tend to make up their own weather and turbulence. On final approach we had a drastic sudden drop in altitude, I mean worse than the Tower of terror drop, sending everyone into a panic and had people screaming, that is all but one little girl, my angel of a daughter, who was giggling and asking if we could do that again.

Please don't sing Sweet Home Chicago anymore!!!!!

Even with these mishaps and delays, I will take the 2 hour non stop flight into Orlando International or outlaying airports over the 24 hour non stop drive we would have. I had several of those trips and those were adventures in themselves. Stay tuned for part 2.

It's gone?

As most of us do on any vacation, we take a lot of pictures and videos. Some with lasting memories, some just don't turn out, some get photo bombed, and some catch images of things never seen again. Over the years, you like myself, have probably caught attractions and rides that no longer exist on some form of media. Fortunately, many places have begun to announce the retirements of rides and attractions well before it happens, even auctioning off the last rides for a charity. This spurs people to make special trips to photograph rides and attractions that are known to be headed towards retirement; leaving some evidence that they existed. Then again, a ride could go down for a refurb and just never reopen. Notable attraction retirements that are getting much fanfare lately are those as Jaws from Universal Studios, Snow White's Scary Journey at Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and a story line change for the Animal Kingdom's Kilimanjaro Safari. Jaws was documented in many different ways by numerous different enthusiasts. This is sure to happen with Snow White and Little Red from the Safari over at Disney World as well.

Occasionally I will share some of the captured images of things that have disappeared or changed over the years of a lost attraction or ride for your viewing enjoyment from my personal photo collection. Starting with this rare Gem below.

This guy is still at Disney World where is he now and where was he before?

So your going to Disney World or Universal Orlando, Now what?

So you have decided that for your vacation you are going to Disney World,  Universal Orlando, or another theme park and wonder what you should do to get ready. Should you study travel guides and books? Pull out park maps and plan your routes to the rides and attractions? Figure out what restaurants you want to eat at and when? Yes, those are good ideas and travel agents can work with you on all of the above to help with the fine details of your trip, but I have a few tips that can make your trip more enjoyable.

Tip #1) Get out and walk.

Yea! We are almost to the gates!! Only a half mile to go!
This may be your favorite ride at the end of the day

My number one suggestion to anyone going to any Central Florida theme park is to get out and walk before you leave for your trip. Why walk? Well to be honest, there are no short cuts to the front gates of the parks and once you’re in the gates, you’re going to be walking more than you might first imagine.  Let’s look at a few treks that you will have ahead of you just to get the front gate at some of the theme parks. 

To get to either  Universal Studios or to Universal Islands of Adventure, unless you’re staying at one of the on-site hotels, your journey to the front gates starts at either the valet drop off or parking ramps.  To get from the parking ramps to either park you have to walk over Major Blvd and then head into the central hub of the parking ramps, this leads to the electric walk ways that take you to CityWalk. 

                                        

Still some distance  to go! This is just the entrance to CityWalk

Almost there right? Nope! Now you have to walk through CityWalk and either take a right or left hand  turn, depending which park your going to.CityWalk is an enjoyable walk past the flashy shops and well themed restaurants, like Margaritaville, Bubba Gumps, and the Brand Spanking  Hollywood Drive-In Golf.  Now you head over the water channel that has the water taxis from the on-site hotels,then finally you have made it to the front gates!!! It’s approximately a half mile walk to the front gates; it is just slightly shorter from the valet parking area, where you can catch a cab or where the complementary transportation from local off-site hotels drop you off at.  Now that you made it, you have an entire day of walking around the parks and waiting in lines with the big anticipation of making that same trek back to your mode of transportation. Staying at the on-site hotels helps you avoid these walks along with offering other perks. 

We made it!!!!

 "Ah, this doesn’t apply to me because I am going to Disney World." WRONG!!!!!  While Disney offers complementary transportation to the front gate of each theme park, the idea of  to the front gate can be misleading.  Your distance to the front gate is going to vary on your resort and the park you are headed to.  A couple of notable distances are from the monorail station at EPCOT to the front gates,  from the bus stops to the front gates at the Magic Kingdom, and the bus stops to the front gates at the Animal Kingdom. Just getting to the bus stop at the resort your staying at can be bit a distance as well. By no means are they like the distance you have at Universal Orlando, but once again, you have an entire day of walking ahead of you.  EPCOT for example, especially around the world showcase, can be exhausting in the warm Floridian sun.The distances can be deceiving, especially with some of the force perspectives that Imagineers have tailored into the architecture.

 So to get back to my suggestion of getting out and walking before your trip, grab the family or whomever you’re going with and start walking at home.  Start out with small distances and then gradually build up to longer distances.  This a great time to break in a new pair of shoes, especially if you’re taking them with you. It really is not a good idea to break in a pair of shoes at the parks.

 Tip#2 I am not walking I have a electric scooter or wheel chair or need one.

watch your toes because I am not.

"I am not walking I am bringing my electric scooter or renting one."  Great, but are the people you’re going with used to walking with you with that electric scooter? Never hurts for you to take a ride with those that you are walking with so they know how fast that little bugger is gonna go. This will also give you and them a chance to make sure they know where to walk so you don’t run them over. Trust me it happens. Need a electric scooter while down at the parks? You can rent them at the parks, but they are in limited supply, so you might want to look at some of the companies that rent them by the week. All of the transportation at  Disney World has some type of accommodation for scooters, so you can take the scooters you rent from an outside company back to your resort to help you get around.  It’s always best to plan ahead instead of the day you arrive; most outside companies will have the electric scooter delivered to your room so you don’t need to head out and pick them up. It can easily ruin your day if you get to the a park expecting to rent an electric scooter to find out that they have all be rented for the day, plus having your own rental from an outside company makes it more convenient to park hop. Need a suggestion on whom to rent from? Let me know I will be more than happy to make a suggestion.

Tip#3  Don't pay the high prices for water or sun block on site at the resorts.

Sun Block and water are very, very, very, very, very, good things to have when you are in the Central Florida sun. With that said, if you pack sun block in your carry on or suitcase,  it maybe coming out of your bag and not traveling with you depending the TSA agent that inspects your baggage if your flying. You may simply run out or worse yet, it bursts open ruining things in your luggage. If you plan ahead you won't have to pay the high prices at the resorts or theme parks for sun bock or other products. There are personal shoppers that will deliver it to your room for a small charge. While your at it, buy a case of water, body wash,  maybe some cereal or granola bars to get you going in the morning. Personal shoppers will either drop the items off at the front desk for you or have them delivered to your room. By the end of the spring of 2012, all Disney owned Resort rooms will have a small fridge for use. Put that fridge to good use with some snacks and beverages that a personal shopper can pick up for you and save you money on.You can always bring the water into the parks with you, so if your on a dining plan, you don't have to waste a snack credit on a drink.  Need a suggestion on a Personal Shopper with reasonable rates just ask me. 

What would you suggest someone do to prepare for their trip?

Welcome to Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations Blog

Central Florida has been the premiere tourist destination for family vacations since the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971. While families have been traveling here for years, the area is constantly changing and has or will be introducing something for past  and new vacationers in the next few years. With several projects in the works and new attractions and expansions opening, keeping up with the constant changes of classics and new locations can be confusing and sometimes overwhelming. This can make vacation planning  time consuming and a stressful task. That is where I come in with Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations, I keep up with all that is happening in the Orlando area as well as other destinations across the United States.

I have always had a passion for Disney World and that passion was strengthened when I began bringing my daughter to the theme parks. Over the years that I have traveled to Disney World, I have had great experiences and learned how to make the most of each of my family trips to the resorts. Gradually with each visit, my family and I have expanded our Disney Vacations from the Disney resort to  across Central Florida to include many of the other theme parks and attractions including Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, The Kennedy Space Center, water parks, dining experiences, and many attractions along International Drive. This blog will give me an opportunity to showcase not only my experiences and tips for Disney World, Universal Orlando, Central Florida theme parks and attractions, and other destinations; but to serve as a place for you to share your tips and experiences from your travel as well.

Be sure to Like my Facebook page here and follow me twitter as Firehousefamilyvac

If you have any comments, suggestions, or post you would like to see please feel free to let me know.