Aquatica Revisited: An Honest Review

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of visiting several different water parks, both indoors and out. I have visited the largest outdoor water park, Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells, which is an amazing water park. The largest indoor water park, The Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio; it may have size but that's about it. A few mom and pop water parks that had two slides at the most and are no longer in business, and some major park chain water parks. I have also visited all of  the water parks Disney World has had, River Country  included. It pretty safe to say, I like water parks and enjoy going to them and on my last trip to Orlando, I revisited Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. I also recently visited the AquaVenture at Atlantis in Nassau.  The visits to those water parks made me really appreciate Aquatica.

Aquatica.... you have arrived

Aquatica is a water park that is part of the SeaWorld Orlando park complex that includes SeaWorld and Discovery Cove. Aquatica opened in 2008 billed as a whimsical, one-of-a-kind waterpark unlike any you've ever experienced, immersing you  in the playfulness of the sea. This park heavily relies on the uniqueness of water park attractions with animal interactions.

The star attraction of this park is  Dolphin plunge, a water slide that send you through the home of  black-and-white Commerson's Dolphins. When I heard about this attraction, I was sold and dead set on getting to this water park. I went into this park with high expectations and was really looking forward to the animal interactions like those of the Dolphin Plunge would have to offer.

Hello little guy, is there someone in that slide?

Look you have a friend also!

As always when heading to a water park, I plan on getting there at gate opening, crowds are generally smaller, lockers and chairs are easier to find, plus you can usually get a decent amount of slide time in before the afternoon showers interrupt the day and gates are closed because the parks are at capacity. My expectation grew as we entered the park with all the lush foliage and theming that is present around the Dolphin Plunge slide and the Commerson's Dolphins.  The kids excitement grew as well; we just had to get on that slide. So we got a locker that just happened to come with a "free" souvenir towel then headed straight for the Dolphins Plunge.

 Our  excitement turned to frustration because as soon as we got to the top of the slide, my daughter, who wears a shirt over her swimsuit to help from getting badly sun burnt, was told she couldn't ride with the shirt on and had to exit the slide and put it in the locker. This after walking past several park employees that monitored the line for the slide and no signage indicating shirts were not allowed. So, instead of walking all the way back to the locker, I had my daughter take the shirt off and I went and waited for her to ride, then gave her her shirt back after her journey through Dolphin Plunge(this was the only slide the unposted rule was enforced on). At the end of her ride, her reaction to the slide was rather lackluster.  So it was my turn to ride and I will have to say, I too was disappointed. The problems with this slide is the tube that goes  through the tank with the dolphins was cloudy and hard to see out of, plus you actually go through that portion of the slide so fast, it is hard to see the dolphins. The dolphins would have to be literally right next to the tube to actually see them.  Needless to say, out of the 4 of us that rode it, none of  us saw the dolphins while on the slide, and none of us liked the slide. The dolphins are best viewed from the underwater viewing area near the entrance of the park. Now the themeing and foliage that are around Dolphin Plunge is very detailed and also has some nice bridge overlooks for those long waits to use the slide.It is a decent experience with a lackluster slide, if you are more interested in just seeing the dolphins, skip the slide and head over to the underwater viewing area. Sporadically throughout the day there were trainers in the underwater viewing area to educate about the Commerson's Dolphins. Now to be fair over down at Atlantis's AquaVenture they had the infamous Leap of Faith Water slide through a tank of sharks. It has the same lackluster type slide that speeds your through the tank so you can't see the Sharks. The other tube slide that went through the tank was slower and more unique experience!

The best view for the Commerson's dolphins
is the underwater observation area off the slide

After spending our time at the Dolphin Plunge we headed over to the newest addition to the park at that time, Omaka Rocka. Since our visit Ihu's Breakways Falls has opened and I eagerly want to experience those new slides!
Omaka Rocka is a tube slide with sections that are half-pipes.  My family loves the half pipe/funnel slides and this one had several sections that fed into smaller versions of  half pipe slides, so it was bound to be a hit. It ended up being pretty boring. The reason this was boring, the half pipe sections of the slides became mini-splash down pools and did not allow the experience that larger half pipe slides offer.(google a youtube video of Michigan Adventure's Funnel of Fear for a good idea of what large half pipe slides are like)  So the first two slides of the day were not home runs.  So we decided to hit Roa's Rapids.

Roa's Rapids is a fast moving river with water falls, rapids and lush foliage all around. Roa's Rapids far exceeded our expectations and was by far the star of the park for my family and myself. We spent hours floating this river. My wife and I had to drag the kids out of it.We loved that it was a free of  inner tubes and you could opt in to wearing a FREE personal flotation devices. While there were no animal interactions on this river, unlike the lazy river Loggerhead Lane, giggles and cheers filled this area of the park. A special note about Loggerhead Lane, while it is the a lazy river, one can easily miss the fish tank on this river because of the split in the river and placement of the tank. Also be forewarned, to access some of the water slides(just a couple), you have to walk through Loggerhead Lane to get to them. This can be very confusing if you don't follow the signs.

The rest of the water park  had standard water park slides, kid's slide& splash complex, and a well themed, but tame wave pool with a sandy beach.  The animal interactions were just ok.  We loved Roa's Rapids, and it was interesting to see Commerson's Dolphins in a water park(just not the water slide affixed to them). Aquatica is a nice small water park and is well worth a visit. If you can, definitely look for a deal where you can get a day at SeaWorld or Discovery Cove that includes admission to Aquatica(currently those deals are available but could change at anytime). Aquatica has it picturesque areas but still has room to improve.Roa's Rapids made up for the shortcomings of Dolphin's Plunge. This is still a young park and a new concept for SeaWorld, I hold hope out that this park can be expanded and improved upon. Aquatica is probably one of the better Water Park in Central Florida. It's hard to live in the shadows of Wet n Wild, Typhoon Lagoon, and Blizzard Beach, but  Aquatica has stepped out from the shadows and become a force in Central Florida.We will come back to the park over the years because over all, it is a really is a nice park.

Aquatica is neatly placed behind Seaworld, as you can see it behind
Journey to Atlantis here.

Cruising: For the First time or the 100th time what you should do first!

Carnival Sensation in Nassau

Did you know that Cruise Vacations have some of  the highest Satisfaction rateings out of all vacations taken?  They are so satisfying, a vast majority of first time cruisers become repeat cruisers! The cruise industry is big with over 73 million Americans that have taken a cruise. A "2011 Cruise Market Profile Study,"  found that a significant majority of consumers – 94 percent - rate cruising as a "extremely satisfying," making a cruise vacation a satisfaction leader among vacation choices.

That is great but how does one go about finding a cruise, finding the right cruise line, and everything else about cruising?

Tip#1 Figure out where you want to go and how long you want to cruise. There are cruises all over the world to exotic and not so exotic ports. If your a first time cruiser and if you are unsure if you will like cruising, think about doing a shorter cruise. Many cruise lines offer 3 or 4 night/day cruises, that are great introductory cruises. They can also be easier on the pocketbook, which leads to tip #2.

Tip #2 Set your budget. If you are like me, your not made of money and have to save for some time to go on any vacation. The budget has to be realistic though. Cruises can have wide range in price depending on the cruise line, number of people, number of days/ nights, and time of year. The old saying of you get what you pay for is extremely true when it comes to cruising.

I can help you with a cruise!

Tip#3 "Hire" a Travel Agent. Now when I say hire a travel agent, it doesn't mean you go and pay a travel agent to work for you. Most Agents don't require a fee to work for you and as a travel agent we are working for you not the cruise line! The cruise lines pays Travel Agents in commission. Now not all Travel Agents are created equal. Make sure you "hire" a travel agent that specializes in cruises and make sure they specialize in more than one cruise line. I specialize in Disney, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Carnival presently but have access to many many more to give my clients the most options when it comes to helping them find the right cruise. Grab a brochures from that agent on the cruise lines.  A good travel agent will be there for you to help you find the right stateroom, time of year to cruise, and right cruise line for you. They will also be there to be your advocate so you don't have to sit on hold for hours making reservations and will be there to help you with pre-cruise documents, travel, and answer your questions about cruising. A good Travel agent will not nickel and dime you to pad their commission either! So go ahead interview an agent before you hire them!

Disney Cruise Lines loyalty club and its free!

So you are a return cruiser, why should you hire a travel agent? There are many reasons to do so! Some have already been stated, but just remember if you book on your own, you are on your own. That means you may get some help from the cruise lines, if you spend hours on the phone. You may have or may not have gotten a great deal. Dealing with customer services reps, understanding cruise documents, and understanding ship and cruising polices can be time consuming; having an agent takes that burden off you. As I stated before a good travel agent will not charge you extra than what you can book on your own, so why not have someone that will be in your corner to help you out and take the stress off you?

Tip #4 Stay away from Discount Cruise Sites.  The price may be attractive, but the stateroom and customer service more than likely will suck, plus there will probably be hidden fees that will come back to bite you. Many times those discounted rates  that are luring you in have many restrictions that you more than likely will not qualify for or they are last minute deals where a cruise line is trying to get the boat up in capacity to make the cruise profitable for them. There are even some travel agents that use these sites on there own personal websites as a way to not do any work but reap commissions. Stay away from these agents as well.

Tip #5 Get a Passport/make sure your Passport has not expired. Yes getting a passport is an additional cost, but lets face it, you never know when it will come in handy. On some cruises, if you start your cruise in the United States and end your Cruise in the United States, you technically don't need a passport.(This could change at anytime) That is great but things can happen. If you get off  the boat in port and miss your boat, yes it does happen, you are in for lengthy ordeal in that foreign country. If you get sick or injured while in foreign port, it does happen, again your in for a lengthy ordeal.

Tip #6 Use your Travel Agent. That right use your travel agent. Have them book your cruise. Ask them questions. Listen to their advice. Use them to find out what you need to do before you arrive to the cruise terminal. Talk to them about Shore Excursions and the Ports you are visiting. They should be there to help you every step of the way!

Be sure to share this with anyone that might be looking into a cruise! Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations is here to help you with all your cruising questions. You can find me on the web at www.firehousefamilyvacations.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/firehousefamilyvacations

Top 11 Reasons to use my Services and Some Frequently Asked Questions.

Top 11 Reasons You should use my Services

11)   I do not add cost to your vacations. My planning services are FREE! That's right FREE!

Firehousefamilyvacations.com

10)    I make it easy to get a hold of me! You can always reach me via Email, phone, text message, or Facebook message. Sometimes I even Skype or Google Hang out with people.  I try my hardest to get back with people within 24 hours! My promise to you is, if I say that I will get you something by a certain time, I will get it to you on time, or sooner!

9)   I’m constantly monitoring for discounts that would apply to your Vacation. I put in a great deal of time researching promotions to see if you are really getting a discount or if it is just some marketing ploy to try to get you to book. That's right sometimes that big flashy promo is really no deal or savings. If you already have booked with me and a promotion with savings comes out that you qualify for, I will apply it to your Vacation. Once I get it applied to your Vacation, I will send you an email telling you how much money you’ve saved.(Please remember sometimes if you book a vacation, there can be restrictions that make changes unavailable or the new promotions may have restrictions you may not qualify for the promotion or discount. I will do my best to let you know if that would be the case when you book your vacation.)

8)   I’ll provide you with detailed assistance that you deserve and again that assistance is FREE! That includes everything from booking, monitoring for discounts, determining the best time year for you to travel, parks hours and refurbishments, to helping you determine which theme parks to visit on which days. I can also provide touring plans to maximize your time enjoying attractions, rides and shows, helping minimize your time standing in line.

7)  I have experience traveling with kids, large groups, adults only trips, and alone at various different times of the year. I also have been to theme parks with peak crowd levels that cause closures due to capacity and in the "off season" lighter crowds. Let me put that experience to work for you!


6)    Advanced Dining Reservations(ADRs) at Disney can be confusing and time consuming. We can discuss what you are looking for in meals and make a plan. Then you can sleep in and I will get up early when you hit your 180 day mark and Advanced Dining Reservations become available to make those reservations for you. Once they are complete, I will send you an email with the list of dining experiences that have been booked for you. If at any time you wish to make changes up, until your arrival, I can assist in making any changes that you  prefer along the way based on availability.

5)    If you are considering a Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, or Busch Gardens vacation; there’s so much to do between the resort hotels and the theme parks than anyone could possibly experience all in one vacation. I have a vast first hand experience with all the theme parks in Central Florida and other theme parks across the country and will help you weigh your options and prioritize your choices so that your vacation fits your needs and wants.

4)    I love Disney, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and all of Central Florida.I will always provide a  honest, and direct opinion of particular resorts, attractions, restaurants, and add on experiences. If I think something is a waste of your money or time, I will let you know.

3)    There are always "urban legends" about what Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, or the cruise lines offer. I will give you the facts and research any questions you may have to get you the right answer. Not only do I have an expansive knowledge of the the theme parks and resorts, I also have vast network of resources to assist me that many other agencies don't have!

2)   There are many Vacation options that can be confusing or even missed, with that, I understand that vacation budgets can be tight. I also understand that sometimes you might be in the beginning stages of making a vacation budget.  I can work with you to see what you want out of a vacation so that budget can be established and/or try to stay with in your established budget. If it is a spontaneous trip, large group/family reunion, or a trip that is years in the making, I will work with you to help you find what is right for you!

1)   Unlike many agencies, I don't look at you as a client or commission check. I view you and treat you as a friend or family. I enjoy hearing about your vacation, experiences, and want you to enjoy your vacation!

The Current Hogwarts Express...Stay tuned something wickedly new is coming.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I see many other agencies posting or bragging about the number of Clients they are booking and when they are going on Facebook or their personal websites, Why don't you?
A: I respect the privacy of the people I book vacations for. I believe it is up to the person traveling to post if they are going on vacation and whom they have booked through. I also do this for the safety of those that are on Vacations. Unfortunately there are opportunists out there that do scour Facebook to find vacant homes to break into and posting that someone is on vacation could give them that information. I will only post what my clients give me permission to post and then I will not identify them by full name.



Q: Other agencies have a testimonial page, why don't you.
A: I am in the process of constructing a testimonial page to add to my website and will not post fake testimonials to try to entice people to book with me or use my services. Until I do get this page added to my website, I would be more than willing to contact my previous clients to see if they would give me a recommendation to you.

Q: Other agencies post deals and promotions before you do, why is that?
A: Posting a promotion before it is officially announced can is just asking for trouble. The people that are posting may not have the information correct and/or be completely wrong about the promotion that is coming out. Many Agencies lose their partnerships for jumping the gun on posting before an official announcement.


Q: Why did you get into the business and why do you specialize in what you do?
A: A couple of years back, I booked through a large national company that will stay unnamed  and was given extremely poor service. I walked in and told them what I wanted. They gladly took my money and gave me wrong information. They had no experience with the dining plan and the agent was confused when I asked if they could help with dining reservations. They got on the phone to see if they could do that and their answer was that they think they could, but it would cost extra. The agent was also telling my girls about attractions they could experience at Disney that were actually part of Universal. This left a bad taste in my mouth. So after several discussions with my wife, we  decided it was time to open up shop and to give it some personal character based on my profession of being a firefighter. I specialize in Central Florida and the Theme Parks because they have something for everyone. I love traveling there and some day hope to live there. I knew I could help people plan their vacations and have been successful at doing so.


Q: Why don't you post more cruise deals on your Facebook page or web page?
A: There are so many promotions that run with cruise lines and many times the promotions have very small windows for booking or a lot of restrictions to them.

Q: I emailed you but never heard back from you?
A: Sometimes my Emails end up in spam folders based on your email providers settings. Please make sure you add Matt@Firehousefamilyvacations.com to your safe list so it doesn't end up there. Make sure you check your spam folder at least 24 hours after you contact me to make sure the email has not end up there. If you prefer to be contacted by means other than email, please let me know.

Matt's Firehouse Family Vacations  Epcot 2013

Halloween Horror Nights 22 at Universal Studios Orlando

Halloween is upon us and that means there is no better time to share with you our adventure and tips from Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights. Universal Orlando Halloween Horror nights  is by far the best Halloween Party and Haunt in this country. Yes not only can you get scared, startled, shocked, and get a good laugh; it is definitely a party/nightclub atmosphere. This year at  Halloween Horror Nights(HHN), Universal went a couple of different directions and moved away from some of the "safe" tried and proven elements they have had for the last 21 years. One of the biggest changes  was that there was no Iconic Figure or theme for this year's event. Last Year's Icon was Lady Luck.I believe this was a good call by Universal  because it didn't over shadow some of the bigger Icons that came with the Haunted Houses this year.  So let's get down to it and tell you about the good, mediocre, and the fantastic of this event. Make sure you read all way to the end to find out some tips that will help you if you should decide to go to HHN in the future.

The Stage Shows:

It's time for Bill &Ted's Election Adventure

A  staple of HHN has been The Bill and Ted's Stage show. Each year the theme changes giving  Bill and Ted chances takes jabs at Pop Culture for the past year. This year was no exception and this year controversy arose over the show and caused a change in the show half way through its HHN run. The show, which was in the old west stunt show/Fear Factor Live show arena, started out with a bunch of YouTube clips of people getting themselves Darwin Awards for doing stupid things.  It keep the crowd groaning in sympathetic pains and laughing at the misfortunes of the not so bright.  Showtime started out with a nice, seductive dance montage celebrating the end of the world and the Mayan Calendar. ( I had to explain it to the guy next to me that the dancer were Mayans, he was still too drunk to get it.) After some nice blindingly but fun pyrotechnics, we are then introduced to the stars of the show Bill and Ted. This year's show had Bill and Ted competing against each other and trying to earn peoples votes to become Class  President.  Que the jabs at Pop Culture. This year's show took jabs at everything from Katnis (from the Hunger Games) who kept "Volunteering" throughout the show, to Honey Boo Boo child(the actress did great job spoofing her), Mad Men, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Killer, The Avengers( the high school years), and in my opinion the best jab all  being aimed at the Snow White characters that emerged from this year movies and TV Shows. All of the Snow Whites that we have known and come to love recently were fair game.They jabbed at Kristin Stewart from the Huntsmen noting that all her facial expression and acting were the same for every character she has ever played.  Of course they also took a jab at Disney's Snow White with the Classic line" My name is Snow White, I live with seven men and my safe word is EPCOT."

As I did mention there was controversy with this year's Bill and Ted's show and it came in the form of an Epic Rap Battle between  The President and Mitt & Ann Romney. I really didn't pay much attention to this part of the show because it was the weakest, most uninteresting part of the show.  The controversy goes that some people saw the skit too Pro-Obama and degrading towards Mitt Romney and the Mormon religion. To me it was just poorly paced and not funny.  

The show's final dance number was great and so were the pyrotechnics.  If find yourself at HHN, do not miss this show. Be forewarned this show is not for children and don't count on taking Pictures or Video of the show, they are very strict about allowing photography of any type during the show.

This year's new addition to the stage show line up was 20Penny Circus. Not much info was given out about this show before HHN or even on the park maps that were given out. I truly didn't know what to expect. We caught a glimpse of the show while waiting in line for The Walking Dead House on the big screen. From what we saw, we decided it wasn't worth going to see. It  was basically an extreme side show attraction with comedy that most of the audience wasn't laughing at . We saw someone eating glass, putting a nail up their nose and couple of other not interesting magic tricks taken to the extreme.  

mmm Peanut Butter

The Haunted Houses:

The amount of detail that Universal put into these haunts or haunted houses was amazing.  Most of the houses were either built in former Soundstages or in storage areas.  Some of the house were movie production quality and one just seemed like it was a last minute addition. (It may have been a last minute addition because of the construction happening that will TRANSFORM part of the studios.)  I will list the houses in the order from Mediocre to the Best.(in my opinion)

7) Welcome to Silent Hill

I have never played the game and have never seen the Silent Hill movies , so this house left me confused.  To me it seemed like someone was on a bad acid drip and tried to re-create their trippy nightmare. This house did nothing for me. No Scares and since I didn't play the games or see the movies, their attention to details were lost on me. I have no clue what the pink rabbit or pyramid headed stilt walker were suppose to be.  Never got startled or scared in this house, very few screams from anyone were coming from this house.  I give this one  4 out of 10.

6) Universal's House of Horrors
This house was based on classic horror movies and monsters with characters like the Wolfman, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Frankenstein to name a few. There was really interesting lighting in this house to make you feel like you were in a Black and White movie.  That is about all that worked for this house. There weren't many scares here. The make-up on some of the Characters was top notch and some of the props were outstanding. There was an awkward section where you had to duck low to get under something(this was the only haunted house to do this) and made no sense.  There was no gore factor in this house at all and had the shortest line.  I would rate this house a 5 out of 10, but still better than any other haunted house I have been in outside of Universal.

5) Dead End

This house had  lot of detail but really no story to go with it. This was a full blown house built in a soundstage.  I am not sure how long this took to build but I think house had everything but working plumbing when it came to the time and detail they put in this. The only drawback to this house was since there was a continuous line of people going through, it didn't allow the actors in the house an opportunity to reset and actually scare people.( Yes, there were people that got freaked out, just not me because I saw it coming.) There really wasn't any gore factor in this house and it seemed like a classic haunted house done very well. I would give this house a 6 out of 10

4) Alice Cooper's Welcome to my Nightmare

This was an interesting house as it was themed to the music and imagery of Alice Cooper's music. It was like walking through a 3D demented music video and it was great how the music changed from room to room. The gore factor was kicked up a notch in here and was a house you could go through more than a few times and have different experiences each time. This house had areas that allowed the actors time to re-hide or blend into the scenery to get the scare factor up and surprise people.  Having seen Alice Cooper themed haunted house before at Six Flags FrieghtFests, this house by far  made Six Flags houses look like child's play.  I give this house a 7 out of 10 for gore, scares, and detail.

3) AMC's The Walking Dead, Dead Inside

This is the Haunted House I was most looking forward to.  If you are a fan of the show this is a haunt you would want to go through over and over again to pick out the details from the Iconic Scenes they chose from Seasons 1&2.  You start out in the hospital and see the boarded door letting you know that there are dead inside. You then begin to snake your way though the hospital encountering Walkers.  Then you transition(poorly) from the hospital to the Department store in Atlanta.  From there you come to the RV and appear to be on the farm and enter the Barn.  There are a lot of walkers in the barn, even the well-walker from Season 2.  After surviving the Walkers in the Barn you exit into Walkers in the Highway Scene from season 2 and see a message for Sophia.(Sadly I don't think Sophia will ever get the message).  The only drawback to this maze was the transitions from scene to scene, which is understandable . This had a decent gore factor to it and the Walkers were great. I Give this maze a 8.5 out of 10. Well done Universal!

2) Penn& Teller's Newkd Las Vegas

This house was a mixture of Illusions, laughter, and gore. It was nearly perfect and in 3D. This house should be rated R at the bare minimum.  Las Vegas has been Nuked and Penn&Teller do a wonderful job of spoofing what Vegas would look like after it has been mutated by radiation. As you enter near the Iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign you encounter a vomiting animatronic and it only gets more interesting from there.  There is everything from a mutated buffet, three breasted lady, and a great Christmas light type room that words can't describe, especially with people in the room that reach for you that blend in because they are covered with lights.  There are some things that didn't work well in this house and that is because of the constant line of people being pushed through. One such thing was the mutated buffet because you had the opportunity on the back side to press buttons to add special surprise to people at the buffet, but the inability to stop didn't allow it work. One thing that I missed was that on Select nights Penn& Teller were actually part of the House and took the time to meet fans. Nice touch! I give this house a solid 9 out of 10.

1) Gothic

Gothic was by far my favorite house. It had surprise elements, no gore, and stunning scenes.  In this house, Gargoyles came to life and even at times flying down at or over people.  The scenes had a lot of great detail and you were actually made to feel as if you were climbing to the roof a gothic style church.  If you are afraid of heights the final scene would be sure to get you because it was of looking down on a city from high above. It was extremely convincing and detailed, while you were mesmerized by the final scene, occasionally a surprise would catch you off guard and make you scream. I give this house a 9.5 out of 10.

The atmosphere:

Universal this year went away from the safe Scare Zone where Creatures of the night would conjugate and scare the living daylights out of people that dare walk through.  Instead this year they made it clear that ENTIRE studios was going to be the Scare Zone. Some of the fans of HHN didn't like this, I on the other hand loved it and enjoyed the freedom that the creatures had. I witnessed them chase people into the Locker areas, scare people while they were eating dinner, follow people into gift shops, and show up in unexpected places.  For me this really worked well!  To add to the ambience there of course was plenty of Fog, special lighting, Flame throwers(yes Flame throwers),and mood music.  There was also plenty of opportunity for those who wished to get drunk to partake in their beverage of choice, and boy did some people seize that chance.  To add to the experience this year as well, Universal took advantage of using the Cinema Spectacular show in the lagoon to pay tribute to Classic Horror Movies and Monsters. This was really a cool idea and nice added piece of entertainment.
  

The pictures that I and many others have taken really don't do this event justice. Adam TheWoo on other  was able to capture this video that does a pretty good job of capturing the entire experience. Check it out.

This is an event that I am going to try to make a tradition to come to and have learned a lot from my experience here. I have many tips but will limit them here to 10 very important ones.

1) Plan now for HHN 23 in 2013, save your pennies to get here!

2) This event is not kid friendly. I saw many parents( and drunk parents) that had brought their young children (maybe around 5 years of age) and the kids were traumatized.  Also there is a big Night Club Atmosphere here.  In the end, it is up to you if you think your kids can handle this and if they can't if you can afford the years of therapy they will need after this.

3) If you want to drink, stay on site, don't overindulge, and bring plenty of money cause the drinks are expensive. Again know when to stay when, Stay on Site so you don't drive drunk or at least bring a Designated Driver. BE RESPONSIBLE

4) Buy the Express Pass and buy it in advance! This year really had no "slow" nights and line were quickly over 90 Minutes long. While in past years the express pass got you front of the line access, this year it was only guaranteed to cut your wait in half. If you want to see all the Haunted Houses in one night, you will need the express pass.

5) Be patient, you are going to have to wait in line.

6) Show up to the stage shows at least A half hour before show time, even if you have an express pass.  If you can, sit the back row, these are the only seats that have a "back rest".

7) Take your time on the streets of Universal Studios and look for all the detail that has been put into the event.

8) Contact a Travel agent like myself to plan your trip, the ticket options and packages can be confusing. A Travel Agent like myself will help you find the best deal for you and make your trip nearly stress free.

9) Bring your wallet, HHN can be expensive but is worth every penny.

10) I can't emphasize these two enough, This is not an event for children and if you drink be responsible!

Enjoy some of our other pictures and thanks for reading .Click on the pictures for larger Images!  Tell us about your adventures at HHN!

Adam The Woo doing his thing!

Holding area before we were unleashed into the night!

WALKERS!

These Walkers look hungry!

Poor Sophia

This was only part of the line, it was 120 minutes at this point

Monster on the water!

Cinema Spectacluar Halloween Horror Nights edition

This fellow was happy to pose for a picture

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Port Orleans Riverside

The Colonel's Cotton Mill building

Over the years that I have traveled to Disney World, I have stayed in several resorts ranging from the value resorts to the Deluxe Magic Kingdom Resorts as well as Fort Wilderness. While Fort Wilderness for many years became the default location for our family to stay, in the mid 1990's a new resort became our go to resort and home while at Disney World. We established our home resort under its old name and still cherish it under its current name. The hotel I am referring to is that of Disney's Port Orleans Riverside. From our first visit there, when it was relatively brand new operating under the name Dixie Landings, to our last trip, where I got to introduce my wife and step-daughter to not only Disney World, but to our home with in Disney World, Port Orleans- Riverside in the Alligator Bayou.

Nice towel art greeting on check in

                  One thing that when planning a trip to Disney World I have ingrained in my head is that, you are not there for the room, you are there for the parks. A big reason for this is because, in all honesty, all of Disney Resort Rooms are of far better quality than any chain hotel out there and it is not just because of the intricate themeing given to each resort on the exterior and interior. The original plan for our last trip was to be at Disney for as many days as possible, as inexpensively as possible.  This planning involved pricing a package that was going include a stay at one of the All-Star resorts. Since my wife hadn't been to Disney ever, that she could remember, I had been talking to her about the different level of resorts and the difference between the resort amenities. While doing this, we were drawn to Port Orleans Riverside and while discussing what we wanted out of this vacation, our first anniversary,  the perfect package became available to make stay at Disney Port Orleans Riverside.  So the package was booked.  Now with the forums and such today, after booking the resort, I was cruising the net to see how much had changed at the resort since the last visit my daughter and I had there. I really began to wonder what had happen to this resort, a resort with a fishing pond, nice main pool know as ol' man Island, the scenic  food court, comfy rooms with trundle beds, southern charmed and relaxed atmosphere, and scenic boat ride to Downtown Disney; because the forums were and are full of people trash talking the resort and the employees that work there. Things ranging from their trips had been ruined because a maid didn't make them towel art to beds that were not even fit for 3rd world countries and once someone would say something positive, a triad of trolls would trounce that person. Doubt weighed heavily in my mind that the resort would live up to the expectations my wife was getting from me and my daughter about our home at Disney. The doubt was so much about the shape of this beloved place was in,  that it lead to both my wife and I thinking it may be best to just switch resorts because of all the negatives out there about this place. 

Sassagoula River Port, my daughter has a flip flop in there.

 Hope prevailed though and we gathered that sense of home from the second we pulled into the check in gate with the rental car and proceeded to the main check in building.  The negative thoughts the forums have given, began to melt away as we walked up to the online check in counter. Looking around, the place was just as I had remembered it. The nice scenic "port" out the window, where on our first trip my daughter sent a brand spanking new flip flop to water grave when she was 3 and still remembers and laughs about, was teaming with activity and looked even more lush as the foliage has really taken off.  Walking the trails to our room, had an even better calming effect and the negative vibes we had gotten began to melt away even more.  Then upon opening the door to our room, being greeted with a Mickey towel art on the bed, we felt home. This was enhanced by the peaceful view from our balcony.  We knew we had come to the right place.  My wife even wrote this about why she loved this resort. "What I liked about Port Orleans Riverside... I liked how it felt very secluded, even though we weren't, everything was just a short walk away. I liked how easily we could get lost on the trails, and how if we had, had time we could have spent hours in the pools, or gone fishing. I liked how the bus stop for all the parks was just a short walk away, and at most we waited half an hour for a bus. I also liked how when it was time to go back, there were multiple stops so we could choose to go to the main building or our stop. The food choices were also great, we had quite a few choices to choose from, no matter the time of day. This place is tranquil as if it were from a different more relaxing world."

Magnolia Bend Mansions with Royal Rooms

Alligator bayou cottage buildings

 Here are some of the facts for this resort.  There are two sections one being the Alligator Bayou cottage themed buildings and other being the Magnolia Bend mansions themed buildings. The Magnolia Bend section now house the Royal Rooms and are a must for those that love the royal treatment.

All sections are connected to the main building by scenic shaded walkways and well manicured lawns depending on which sections you are coming from. The bayou has water gardens outside most buildings are very relaxing to watch. The Colonel's Cotton Mill building houses the Resort's Main Lobby  where you'll find a variety shopping, dining and entertainment including an Arcade. At the  center of the resort  there is  the 3.5-acre Ol' Man Island is encircled by a bend of the Sassagoula River. It features an extensive pool complex, a wooded playground and an old-fashioned fishing hole where you can grab a cane pole and go fishing for a while. Here you can also catch a boat to downtown Disney on the Sassagoula River that takes you past Port Orleans French Quarter, golf courses, the tree top villas, and other great Floridian scenery, can be very romantic at night. It really is a relaxing ride and a must do.

Sassagoula River boat ride to Downtown Disney

 The rooms in the alligator bayou will allow you to sleep up to 5 guest, there are two full size beds and a pull out trundle bed.  For those that like to exercise there is a nice recreation trail for jogging or you can even rent bikes for a ride. For a nice couples night out or family bonding experience you can have a nice dinner at Boatwright's Dining Hall a shipyard-themed casual restaurant with  Southern-style cuisine as well as American dishes permeated with the south. Once dinner is done you can hop a horse drawn carriage for a peaceful ride down the scenic Sassagoula River.

Views from the Sassagoula River.

Approaching Downtown Disney from the Sassagoula River.

 

Fulton's Crab House from the boat.

This place is truly our home when we stay at Walt Disney World, I would defiantly recommend any family try it to experience this wonderful resort.