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Part 13 – Two For The Show
 OK, we're back out of sequence again here, but only because we've been swamped by work (and two large, imminent deadlines
which would brook no ignoring), hence we need to get a quick entry up to get things moving again after a 3-week hiatus....
So here it is, the 'cheat' version; or, How We Managed to Do The Opening of Two Major New Attractions In Two
Days.
First up, we had Disney's big media event for their Toy Story Mania ride (or should it be Toy Story Midway
Mania - no-one really seems to know on the Disney side of things!), and we did an immediate report for SkyTravel online, which
you can see on THIS link:
 The following day (yes, the very next day), it was the turn of Universal Studios for The Simpsons Ride, and another serious
piece of debut hoopla to get everyone interested. And you can see the story of that one HERE.
Now we WILL be able to do a fuller report (in the fullness of time, and deadlines!), but,
for now, that will have to suffice as a thumbnail sketch of May's Big Events. We will be back to our normal Blog schedule
soon (-ish!)....
Part 12 – Another day on the road
Back
behind the wheel first thing this morning (well, not quite first thing – it usually takes at least an hour to get up
to date with email and other correspondence first before we can even think of going out!), destination Cypress Gardens.
It is almost a year since we last headed out to this delightful attraction at Winter Haven, south-east of Orlando. They
have been through a lot more angst and worry since we were last there, having gone up for auction after the owners filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the wake of their 2004 re-opening on the park. Now under new ownership (the winning bid was $17million)
and new management, things are, hopefully, now looking up.
Under the management of theme park experts Baker Leisure Group, Cypress Gardens has more poise and purpose about it once more. You can see the difference as you approach the turnstiles,
with a more bustling and lively look; the park (Florida’s oldest, dating back to 1936) feels ready for business again
– and there is a LOT here to see.
We meet with Nancy Daley from their special events department. Nancy
has been involved with the park for many years and started out in the water-ski show before moving on to the management side
(she was also the show director, too). And she is impressed by the vibrant new direction Cypress Gardens is taking.
Attendance
has been increasing ever since it re-opened (after an 18-month closure, when it seemed the park was gone for good), but re-construction
debts and poor management continued to be a burden, hence the auction late last year.
Now,
the word is that Baker Leisure have really got their teeth into the job here and are in the process of laying out a long-term
growth plan that will ensure Cypress Gardens continues to have a future in the shadow of Disney and Co.
Its
main drawback continues to be that it is a bit of a drive to get here. It takes us about 45 minutes from the Disney area,
but, when you consider it can take up to 30 minutes to drive to Disney from some of the more outlying holiday villa communities,
that isn’t really too bad (in fact, with the way some of the villa developments are sprawling south on Highway 27, they
could end up closer to Cypress Gardens than Disney!).
 It’s pretty easy to find, too. Just straight down I-4 to Exit 55, then south on Highway 27 for 20 miles; turn right
on SR540, and the park is 4 miles along on the left. It’s a pleasant drive, too, past Haines City and through a more
old-fashioned part of Florida (albeit still studded with the occasional Wal-Mart!).
Nancy takes us around
and points out the areas that will have most of management’s focus this year – the ice-skating show is currently
closed while the theater undergoes long-overdue renovations, and they will then work out what kind of show to put back into
the venue; the big open-air concert schedule is being re-evaluated, and the current listing shows things like their Latin Festival (featuring Tito Nieves), Lynyrd Skynyrd (yes, the ‘Freebird’ band!) and Randy Owen (lead singer of 1980s
band Alabama); there will be more accent on festivals and weekend events (like the Latin Festival and the recently-concluded
Spring Flower Festival); new park tours are being introduced, including a charming backstage visit with the animal department
(where you get to meet a friendly ring-tailed lemur and a blind wallaby!); more accent on their Southern Belle programme,
with a Junior Belle opportunity for young girls (and much cheaper than Disney’s Princess makeover boutique, too!); the
return of wedding ceremonies in the park’s gardens; and enhanced food options, with new menus in many outlets (the food
offerings have not been a strong point in the past).
   The park still looks fabulous, though, and there is SO much to do here since they added the extensive rides section, which
now offers no less than 40 rides and kiddie rides (including six pretty decent medium-sized coasters). You can easily keep
the whole family occupied here for a full day, especially when the Splash Island water park is fully open in the summer months (an amazing ‘extra’ as part of regular admission).
Other
little bonuses include the free daily guided tours of the botanical gardens, the array of live entertainment (live music in
the Jubilee Junction area and three different stage shows around the park, plus their signature water-ski show), the newly-smartened
animal enclosures and the big Sunshine Sky Adventure (a huge platform that lifts 160ft into the air and rotates for a magnificent
aerial view of the area).
It isn’t Disney (or any of the other big theme parks) but it has an attraction and charm all of its own. And it
is arguably Florida’s greatest attraction bargain – an annual pass here costs only $79.95, just $5.95 more than
a single-day admission to any of Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens! There is also a '2nd Day Free'
offer if you return within 6 days.
Give it a day of your holiday next time you’re here –
we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Part
11 – Back to the grind
After three full days of tours, visits and meetings, it is time to get back
behind the computer for a more extended spell of work on the new text for the 2009 edition.
 We usually take this in order, starting (naturally enough) with the Foreword and working through Chapters 1, 2 and 3, etc,
in order. However, as we’re touring the parks, attractions and hotels, we’re also making direct updates in our
master copy of the book, changing things like prices, phone numbers, etc.
Then we sit down and wade through the HUGE pile
of press kits and notes we accumulate, plus several hundred emails, and start going through our text on-screen page by page.
It is a slow and laborious process, but there are still bits we enjoy (like writing the Foreword each year), and it needs
to be pains-taking as, despite our best efforts, we still find things we missed the previous year (like a reference to 2006
when it should have been 2007).
Up-dating the facts and figures is a long-drawn-out process as we need to check various
different sources (that never seem to be the same each year!), but we also have to thank a lot of people for providing up-date
info that helps to make the job easier.
In particular,
the Kissimmee CVB is excellent at providing good up-dates, while the Orlando Sanford Airport people are also very on the ball. Other updates which come in and need little work from us include the Kennedy Space
Center, Sky Venture, the Holy Land Experience, Silver Springs, Orlando Balloons, Gatorland and several of the major shopping
centres.
It’s hard to say exactly how long goes into the re-write process each year, but, between us, it
is probably around 720 man (and woman!)-hours (which explains why we often look as if we haven’t slept for a week!).
Despite all
that, it is still a labour of love as we thoroughly enjoy our work and we count ourselves as fairly privileged to be surrounded
by all this fun and enjoyment on a regular basis (Susan always says she can feel the energy levels rising whenever we return
to Orlando after a period away).
Anyway, we take a break from the computers for a while to discuss the more mundane matter
of our 2007 tax returns with our accountant (always a scary time, as our official company, Veness Travel Media Inc is still
finding its feet, and we rely heavily on the accountant’s advice to stay solvent. Happily, Sonu explains everything
in terms we can understand and makes sure the forms we don’t understand get filled in properly!).
Just as a quick aside, our weekly workload includes the occasional American sports story (mainly on David Beckham and
the Los Angeles Galaxy at the moment) for The Sun; a weekly ‘View From America’ sports column for SkySports.com;
various magazine work (which can include Orlando Attractions Magazine, RCI Holiday mag, Overseas Property TV magazine, World
of Cruising magazine, brochure writing for Travel City Direct and Essentially America magazine); the occasional travel feature
for the Daily Express and The Sun; and a new commission for the Travel section of Sky.com. Plus, of course, our various postings
on the discussion boards like www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk and www.disboards.com.
It sounds like a lot (actually, it IS a lot!), but it does all come fairly naturally
and we like to think we’re probably among the most prolific travel writers in the world (we need to be, as it doesn’t
pay that well!!), doing something we really enjoy and in an area that truly inspires us.
The
Brit Guide to Orlando and Walt Disney World is now in its 13th edition and we have sold more than 250,000
copies to date, so we're fairly sure we know what we're doing by now.
(OK, that’s enough self-promotion for this issue – Editor.)
 To finish off the day, we jump in the car and head down to the Disney-inspired town of Celebration (which is always a pleasant
retreat) and look up our friends Mark and Penny Thornhill at Sherlocks restaurant.
Also from the UK, they bought an ailing business about 8 years ago and have turned it
into a thriving little boutique tea shop and eatery that is quickly becoming a local franchise, with their second outlet opening
at the Cagan Crossings area (on Highway 27) a few months back, and a third due to open next to Orlando Premium Outlets this
summer. Mark and Penny are always a joy to spend time with and they are SO hard-working they really deserve all the success
that comes their way with such a thoughtful and well-presented business.
At the end of a busy week, we’re able to relax
with a (very) good glass of wine and just have a bit of a natter. Cheers, all………..!
Part
10 – A Medieval Life
Leaving one dinner
show behind, it was time to catch up with another, and we had a meeting scheduled with Jessica Zuniga, the marketing manager
for Medieval Times further along the 192 in Kissimmee.
 We had been told Medieval Times had introduced a whole new story for this show that features knights on horseback, jousting,
swordfights and much more besides, and we were keen to refresh our memory of the Castle’s rebuilt entrance.
Jessica met
us at the main entrance and took us off for a tour of the companion Medieval Life exhibit, their clever 12th century
recreation of a village of the period. Of the nine Medieval Times locations in North America, Orlando is the only one to have
the Village element, and it is well worth taking the time to explore. In the company of Medieval Life’s resident expert,
Stefanis, we looked through all eight of the specially-built structures which provide glimpses into such essential elements
of everyday life c. 1150 as basket-making, weaving, pottery and metalwork, including replica pieces that Stefanis turns out
himself, plus genuine artifacts that are hundreds of years old. There is also the ‘dungeon’ exhibit, which
is definitely NOT for the squeamish (there are times when you are really glad you live in the 21st century!),
but the whole ‘village’ provides such a detailed and vivid look into this period of history, it is easy to understand
why Stefanis takes such pride in his work. Back in the
castle, we just had time for a drink with bar manager Mike (another expat Brit!) before it was time to take our seats in the
main arena. Medieval Times is arranged in a big double-sided auditorium, with the audience arranged in rows on either side
to cheer on the ‘Knight’ for their section. It is a touch corny (not to mention raucous at times, when there are a couple
of high schools in attendance!), but it makes for great fun, and the main action is certainly extremely high-powered and credible.
The main storyline has certainly taken a turn for the sharper (a king betrayed; a prince imprisoned; a royal tournament; a
traitor unmasked; and a happy ending!), but the basic action hasn’t changed too much. There are
exhibitions of clever horsemanship, dressage and falconry, but the main action centres around the knights’ duel to be
the king’s champion, with plenty of hefty derring-do, chivalry and hand-to-hand combat (which is extremely well choreographed
and very muscular – the actors in the show have to train every day and it is highly physical work). The truly
superb original score is provided by the Czech Film Orchestra and provides a stirring background to all the battle mayhem.
You can Czech it out (Czech/check; geddit?!) on the website on this link: http://www.medievaltimes.com/music.aspx. It is all
served up with a hearty meal (by ‘hearty’ we mean there is tons of it! We always leave here feeling like we’ve
eaten enough for the whole Village!) by hard-working servers who thoroughly deserve their $5/head tip at the end of the evening. We even got
to try their new vegetarian meal offering, which came as quite a surprise and was extremely tasty – a large Portobello
mushroom stuffed with a rice-and-bean mixture, a vegetable kebab (courgette, onion and bell peppers) and pita chips with hoummus,
in addition to the regular tomato bisque soup, garlic bread, dessert pastry and beverages (NB: vegetarian meals must be requested
when you book). Therefore it was with distinctly tight waistlines that we headed home at the end of the evening. Just time to check email, keep up with correspondence and check our diary for the next day: a meeting with our accountant
(gulp!), a trip down to Celebration to catch up with our friends Mark and Penny Thornhill at Sherlock’s restaurant, and then the 6-hour drive up to Atlanta for a flight back to Detroit (don’t ask, it’s
too complicated!). More soon……..!
Part
9 – Back to the dinner shows Having gone off track to bring you the up-to-the-minute story of the Animal
Kingdom’s 10th anniversary, we’ll back-track now to our original schedule, and the story of our day
checking out the Cricketers Arms (and others)…..  We left the Florida Dolphin Tours offices and headed south again back to Kissimmee for a meeting with the head of PR for the
Arabian Nights dinner-show, Billy Seay, who we met for the first time last year (it’s amazing how often some of the attractions
change their PR personnel, while others stay the same for years).
The one thing that always strikes us about driving around
the Greater Orlando area is how many ways there are to get anywhere. In this instance, we could have just headed down I-4
to Highway 192 and gone east for half a mile; or have taken Universal Boulevard to I-Drive and continued south all the way
on I-Drive (via the ‘kink’ at the junction of Epcot Drive and 535); or we could have picked up John Young Parkway
south to Osceola Parkway and then gone west to Kissimmee, or…well, you get the idea. In this instance,
we wanted to take a look at the growing Village of Imagine on Universal Boulevard (behind the newer part of the Convention Center) so we took a minor detour to view the latest
stage of building (this seems to have been under construction forever), and this high-profile development still seems to be
some way off. (The Westin-badged convention hotel was due to open in early April, but a local story up-date suggests the other two hotels and the mass of shopping and restaurants associated with them are lagging way behind
and much of the area is still a building site) We carried on down I-Drive, marvelling at the continued building going on
at the Fountains Resort and Floridays (the former a huge timeshare development and the latter one of our favourite condo-hotels, below right), before finally
reaching the 192 and turning into Arabian Nights Boulevard. We had to
find the ‘back door’ to the big dinner show to navigate our way up to the marketing offices and meet with Billy.
This time last year we were talking about the new pre-show entertainment and their upgraded menu, and this year they are continuing
to add to the pre-show while also introducing new acts to the main show itself. But the main news is that this is Arabian Nights’
20th Anniversary (from Feb 29 2008), hence there are some added festivities this year (and into next). This is
how they phrase it: “When owner and CEO Mark Miller decided to share his passion for horses with the travelers and residents
of central Florida, he opened a one of a kind attraction to display equestrian entertainment. Miller wanted Arabian Nights
to be a home for equestrians and horses, whose place in worldwide entertainment dwindles each year. He has done that, and
more. Some changes that are
in store are sure to excite visitors during the 20th anniversary celebration. A new Latin act, featuring an exciting
style of riding called Garrocha, will be coming this summer. In this style, the rider and horse dance around a 13-foot pole
that is braced between the rider’s shoulder and the ground. The horse pivots around this pole in a series of difficult
maneuvers. The act will feature the exciting music of Rodrigo y Gabriela. There will also be a new opening, with a ‘Princess
Processional’, and a new finale to the show.  Arabian Nights brings a cast of 40 performers and 60 talented horses of 14 different breeds to center stage each night for
thousands of visitors to the Orlando area to experience. Guests enjoy a scrumptious 3-course meal while viewing the 22 dazzling
horse acts featured in the Arabian Nights show, all choreographed to music with special effects and stunning costumes in a
performance that is “The World’s Greatest Show… On Horses!”
Their magic-act
pre-show is now refined to one of three performers: illusionist Michael Barron is the main act (i.e. you will see him on most nights), with a young, hip style, that includes some of the following
effects – The Dove Act, The Fire Cage, The Cube Zag (a new take on cutting a girl in half!) and The Crystal Casket;
Glen Foster replaces Michael on his nights off with a mixture of magic and comedy; and physical comedian Kirk Marsh is another occasional performer, with an eccentric mix of dance, juggling and magic. The main arena
will also benefit from new lighting and special effects, plus some extra Latina musical pizzaz. They also now feature a full
vegetarian and vegan offering with dinner. And, although it is not on the menu, they will serve tea instead of coffee, if
asked! Meeting concluded, we headed out further along Highway 192…..
Part
8 - A Wild Experience  OK, this is completely out of sequence in the grand scheme of things, but we felt it was worth messing up our carefully-arranged
system to bring you the story of a truly wonderful and memorable day at Disney's Animal Kingdom as soon as possible (i.e.
it just happened!); the kind of day that makes all the hard work and long hours worthwhile and really brings home the essential
excitement and inspiration of being in a Disney park.
Basically,
today was the 10th anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom, and we were there is a supporting, or sponsor's role, to the WDWCelebration.com group, an excellent fan-based organisation
to bring people together for just such a special occasion as this. With some 400 registered attendees, it promised to be an
exceptional day (set off by superb weather), and we weren't disappointed. The WDWCelebrations group (below, left) were well organised and well drilled, getting everyone registered and with all their necessary badges
and lanyards (plus free bags and other loot!) ready for the 8.30am opening (30 minutes ahead of the regular schedule to accommodate
the special Re-Dedication Ceremony). We then all trooped through en masse and quickly found a huge gathering of people in
Discovery Island, facing the Tree of Life. With the TV cameras
in attendance, there was then a well-scripted 15-minute Ceremony featuring Erin Wallace (Senior Vice-President of Operations
for WDW), Dr Jane Goodall (the renowned primate conservationist), and Joe Rohde, the executive designer of the park and senior VP of Walt Disney Imagineering.
With stilt-walkers, flag-wavers, an appearance from Mickey at the base of the Tree and some vibrant music in best 'Circle
of Life' style, we were welcomed in to this beautiful park 10 years on from its official debut, and with a chance to enjoy
a whole range of festivities, including group rides of Expedition Everest and Dinosaur, a specially-arranged meal at the Flame
Tree Barbecue and the chance to see the Finding Nemo musical show. We also got to meet up and have a highly worthwhile chat with Deb Wills from the AllEars website, which is highly recommended for any number of reasons, not least for its advice for guests with disabilities and its excellent
Disney restaurant guides. A lovely lady and another example of how the Disney parks have brought out a whole range of people
who really invest themselves whole-heartedly in the ethos Walt projected.  It all made for plenty to see and do for a full, absorbing day in the park under any circumstances. However, those circumstances
were also heightened by the chance to enjoy a special 45-minute talk from the park's principal Imagineering guiding light,
none other than Joe Rohde himself. Now, for anyone who hasn't had the chance to see or hear Joe in the flesh, he is one
of Disney's most captivating characters, with the look of some intrepid explorer coupled with the soul of a great artist,
plus some eye-catching ear-rings!
There is no-one quite like
Joe in the Disney Imagineering pantheon, and having the chance to hear him talk is one of the greatest treats any Disney-goer
can possibly enjoy (OK, we had retired legend Marty Sklar at Celebration 25 last year, but Joe is genuinely the modern and
highly charismatic face of WDI), and this presentation into the history and creation of the Animal Kingdom was worth the entrance
money alone. Coupled with a series of slides from his own
archives, including some utterly unforgettable images of early drawings of various park concepts which also showcase the actual
artistic talents of Rohde and his team, we learned the full 10-year creative process that brought the Animal Kingdom to life,
and many of the original design intentions behind it. Along the way, we saw such discarded concepts as The Ark icon, the 'hippy'
version of the park, and a vast gorge-like entrance facade that would have required "all the concrete in Florida!"  Joe was keen to underline the importance of imbuing the park with an intrinsic natural value, of keeping it truly 'themed'
all the way through, and providing a story that is fundamental to our understanding of nature and the delicate balance of
man's relationship with it.
It was deep and heady stuff,
culminating in Joe thanking the many Cast Members present for their whole-hearted support and commitment to their work in
the park, without which all the best efforts of the Imagineers would fall short of the overall aims. Extremely nice to hear,
and we're sure those present would have felt suitably uplifted and inspired by those sentiments. The truly best part, though? We got to meet Joe afterwards (albeit only briefly at his hour-long
signing session), and we re-emerged with a couple of highly valuable signed items (which will stay well within the confines
of Veness Towers!), and a renewed sense of the vision and inspiration which drives the great Disney empire. For all the corporate
elements which are part and parcel of the theme park division, the likes of Joe and his Imagineers bring things to life in
a way few can imagine, but many can enjoy. And of which the
founding father would surely be highly approving.
Part
7 - Cricketers and Dolphins
After such
a busy day, we needed to spend some time catching up on email, notes and Planner business,
so it was almost 1pm before
we ventured forth on our next update mission. First
stop was at the new-look Cricketers Arms at Festival Bay, which finally managed to 'move house' last summer from the now under-demolition Mercado to this
eight-year-old shopping-cum-entertainment centre at the top of International Drive.  Now, Festival Bay has a lot to recommend it (of which more in a future blog), but we were perturbed
to notice the Dixie Crossroads restaurant, which was right up front next to the Cricketers, has closed and now leaves a very
blank space in the main entrance plaza. This can't be good for business overall and we are just baffled as to why this
mall seems to find it so hard to keep tenants.
However,
the good news for the Cricketers when we get to sit down with owner Phil Coppen (who has now been running this extremely Brit-friendly
enterprise for almost 20 years) is that business there continues to be good, despite the move to the furthest end of I-Drive
and the long battle to complete all the necessary planning permissions, which we know had given Phil conniptions at times. There is a good crowd sat outside enjoying lunch on a very
pleasant spring day, while inside there are a number of families enjoying some typical pub grub (cottage pie, bangers and
mash and gammon and chips are all Cricketers staples, along with fish and chips and a goold old Ploughmans) as well as the
selection of 11 draft beers! We settle for a French Dip sandwich and a good chat with Phil, who is always fun to talk to as
his experience of Orlando even pre-dates ours (he first came over in 1981). After a good natter and some other local
up-dates, we head on to our next appointment, which is to touch base with our friends at Florida Dolphin Tours, another British-run business who have found a really busy niche for themselves in
the excursions business. We have had a partnership deal with FDT for the last 2 years (offering Brit Guide readers 12.5% off
all their tours) and we need to find out how things are going and what's new in their particular world. Owner Andy James brings us up to speed with the full array of their offerings,
highlighting two of their latest tours, which are a revamped 2-day trip to Miami and the Everglades, with an optional day
visit to the Bahamas (on a local cruise ship), and a new excursion combining a beach trip with a night-time visit to Boggy
Creek Airboats, which sounds a great combo in our book.  But then it's time to head off for our next update....!
Part 6 - Dinner with Al
To finish up the day, we had a date with Al; Capone that is, as in the Capone's dinner show down on Highway 192 in Kissimmee. It is several years since we were last year (actually, it was Susan's
first visit) and the last visit was so poor we actually took it out of the book altogether . So we were both intrigued to see if the new show was the upgrade which we felt it urgently needed and anxious to see if
the overall standard had improved. The main auditorium is still largely the same, a big theatre type hall with dinner tables
set in front of the stage, and an upstairs bar for pre-dinner drinks. Their entrance lobby/gift shop is pretty small, and
you marvel at how they manage to stay in business year in, year out with such apparently limited resources.
The
food is buffet-style (although this is likely to be changing in the near future - of which, more in a future episode) and
is not the highlight of the evening. It is basic, sound Italian fare, but the fact it is a buffet leads to fairly long lines
when the place is full and the usual problem of keeping food decently warm on the buffet serveries. Our food varied from lukewarm
to passably hot (when a new tray of food was added), but there is masses of it and you can probably manage at least two visits
in the time allowed (if you don't mind queueing up each time). Hopefully, the changes in store will take care of this
drawback.
But the show itself has been transformed entirely and is the big reason to call in at Capone's. Out
has gone the horribly cheesy (and mis-matched) 1920s song-and dance act and, instead, there is a fairly non-stop comedy routine
that works really well, from the waiters to the stage performers and features some excellent running gags (watch out for the
waiter called 'Tiny' - he's hard to miss as he must be at least 6ft 6in!!).
Some of the old characters
have been retained but, instead of the old premise of drinking in a Speakeasy in imminent danger of a raid from the Feds,
now you just sit back, relax and enjoy the fun of a well-scripted and well-performed comedy act, with a couple of song-and-dance
numbers thrown in.  The latter won't win any awards but the overall zest and pizazz of the comic capers certainly should. There are more
than a few laugh-out-loud moments, and, while they occasionally stray towards borderline risque territory, it all remains
thoroughly family-friendly.
The star of the show is undoubtedy the ditzy Bunny-June - her voice alone is worth
coming along to hear! - but she is ably supported by Fingers Salvatorio and the slightly-less-than-evil Bugs Moran. All the
cast work hard - not least the waiters who interact with the stage performers - and you are expertly drawn into the proceedings
from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave.
 Now, if they can just tidy up the fringes of the theatre to make sure you don't see their cleaning equipment en route
to the loos (!) and replace that buffet, they will be well on the way to a much higher place in the Orlando dinner-show pantheon.
Part
5 - A Shopping Sensation!
Our next stop for the day was Orlando Premium Outlets, the hugely popular shopping centre that lies between I-4 and International Drive, accessed by winding Vineland Avenue. This has been a HUGE hit with the British market almost since the day it opened
in 2000 and we always joke that they should just turn it into a big hotel and the Brits could just stay here for a fortnight!
It really is an astonishing success story (to the extent that Prime Outlets at the north end of I-Drive have copied
the Premium formula pretty closely with their new development), hence it's important for us to catch up with developments
here, which usually means meeting with the centre's charming assistant manager Leigh Jones.
We at the Brit
Guide series have been fortunate to develop a good relationship with the Chelsea Group (who are now owned by the even more
massive Simon Group - no relation, sadly! - who also own the Florida Mall), hence we can always count on a warm welcome
here. And Leigh has a lot to tell us.
 Not only have OPO bought the site of the former Dixie Stampede dinner show (which stunned much of the
market earlier this year when Dolly Parton's grand venture practically upped sticks and left almost overnight), they are
now well under way with a major expansion at the back of the centre.
More importantly, they also now have their
new multi-storey car park (left) up and running to take up the slack of increased demand and the loss of one of their
car park areas during the construction period. This is vital as, even at quieter times of the week, it can be tough to park
here. And, at the weekends, it can be a nightmare. Now, however, the new multi-storey structure, with space for 1600 cars, makes
things much easier.
Of course, the Outlets still have to go through some growing pains while the expansion is under
way. A footbridge takes people across from the new car park but they then have to negotiate a temporary entrance through the
building site that brings them into the shops via an access corridor. Functional at best.
But, Leigh tells, us,
once it is all finished later this year (slated for November 13) the new part of the centre will add a further 39 shops to
the existing line-up, plus a new coach arrivals area, a splash fountain area for the kids to play in and even (probably) a
welcome centre featuring TVs and a bar (especially with UK visitors in mind!).
The actual line-up of new shops
has not been confirmed yet, but it is sure to be an extra range of stylish, big-name bargains, further accentuating Premium
Outlets' appeal to the transatlantic shopper!
Then once that is all finished, the company will switch its focus to all that extra land
they prised out of Dolly's fingers (in exchange for large wads of cash) back in January. The whole of the Dixie Stampede
building will be demolished and the new land will be developed into a new range of more upmarket brands (Leigh mentioned such
names as Prada, Cartier, etc, but nothing will be confirmed for quite a while), with something like 60 more stores and another
parking deck.
This new expansion will open in early 2010, so it is something for us to keep an eye on
in future. In the meantime, there will be more new names to look out for hereabouts, adding to the existing 110 stores which
prove such a draw - and which make this one of the most successful shopping centres (per square foot) in America.
Other developments which Leigh told us about were their new Personal Shopper packages (which provide your own assistant
to tour you around the centre and find all those perfect bargains which are just right for you); their new free shuttle
bus tour for surrounding hotels, with 2 pick-ups daily and 2 return trips (operated by Maingate Transportation - call 407 390 0000 to make a reservation, which is highly recommended as it is likely to be a popular
service); and the Deals Around Town feature on the VIP Shopper Club (which is free to enroll in and well worthwhile).
 We finished up with a slow tour around to check on the few other changes which Leigh mentioned. The
Little Me and Mikasa stores have both closed (part of a corporate change, apparently - no-one in their right mind would close
a store here otherwise!), with Coach taking over the large Mikasa space and Donna Karan expanding into the former Coach shop
space. Italian clothing store Etro will be the new tenant in the former Little Me store.
Simon also can't leave Premium
Outlets without a trip to Fuzziwigs Candy Factory - for the best pick 'n mix in town! And, burdened down with about five pounds of all kinds of chewy sweets,
it was time to move on to our next appointment.
Part
4: Meetings, etc!
After a full day of exploring Orlando on foot on our own, it was time
to get back in meeting mode, so the next day we headed east on Highway 192 in Kissimmee to catch up with our friends from
the Osceola County CVB, who help to keep us in touch with all the various developments in their part of the world.
Sylvia
Oliande is our main contact there, assisted by newest recruit Chris Long, but we also got to say ‘Hello’ to one
of our longest-standing contacts in the area, Bureau PR chief Larry White. Now, Larry has been helping Simon out since the
Brit Guide first got under way back in 1995 and he is still one of the nicest people in the business. It’s always a
pleasure to catch up with him and his staff, who are all always unfailingly on the ball.
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| The Scream Machine - Fun Spot's SkyCoaster |
Sylvia and Chris had a big file of updates for us and
we discussed such interesting new developments as the all-suite Mona Lisa Hotel in Celebration (right on the 192); the opening of the Kissimmee Air Museum on Hoagland Boulevard (replacing the former Warbird Air Museum here, which closed after the
hurricanes of 2004) by the Warbird Adventures company, who fly 2-seater Harvard fighter trainers (easily the best ride in town, although
they are no longer operating their M*A*S*H helicopter); O’Doherty’s Irish Pub in downtown St Cloud (apparently well worth investigating – which we will probably do
sometime soon!); the change of Marion’s restaurant at Old Town, replaced by Kool Katz Grill & Pub (which is more in keeping with Old Town’s classic
car theme); the ongoing expansion of Fun Spot USA (home of the unfeasibly tall and terrifying SkyCoaster!) next to Old Town, where they seem
to add new rides and attractions almost every week; and the continuing enhancement of downtown Kissimmee, with its new website for Main Street and some other scenic touches (still something of a work in progress, we feel, but worth a
look round all the same). Tarantino’s Italian Restaurant hereabouts also comes highly recommended. This historic district (dating back to the 19th
century) is a mixture of shops and businesses and tends to be very quiet at weekends, but is quite fun during the week with
more people around.
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| Downtown treasure - Tarantino's restaurant in Kissimmee |
(We
actually visited the Fun Spot USA attraction a couple of months back and were amazed by the amount of development there from
just the 300ft-tall SkyCoaster and the G-Force drag-racing ride. With the addition of four go-kart tracks – two multi-tiered,
two flat-track – NASCAR simulators, indoor blacklight mini-golf and a handful of other fairground-type rides (including
some fairly intense thrill-rides), it is definitely an attraction worth keeping an eye out for along this part of Highway
192.)
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| The smart new Hampton Inn & Suites |
Other little snippets of info included the
opening of a new Steve & Barry’s store at the Osceola Square Mall, along with a Burlington Coat
Factory outlet and a new Sports Bar (this Mall is seriously in need of a major overhaul, and hopefully this is just the start);
the full opening of The Loop West shops on Osceola Parkway; and the smart new Hampton Inn & Suites on the junction of Highway 535 and Osceola Parkway; and the fact the transformation of the old Travelodge to an extremely
pleasant and comfortable new Holiday Inn Maingate East is now complete. We also
discussed recent changes at the Medieval Times and Capone’s dinner shows (which are also on the agenda for this week),
the addition of a new tour with Kissimmee’s Scenic Lake Tours and the new Orlando Balloon Rides company (which merged last year from two long-established Kissimmee companies, Orange Blossom Balloons and Blue
Water Balloons). More contacts to chase up then!
Meanwhile, from one meeting to another. It is time to head off to
the Orlando Premium Outlets to catch up with new development there………
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| Artist's impression of the Mona Lisa Hotel |
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| Kidsuite at the smart new Holiday Inn |
Part
3: Lonely Downtown Returning
to the car, we re-negotiated the rather uneven brick streets that characterise much of Thornton Park and drove back into the
main Orlando downtown area via Robinson Street and Orange Avenue again. And
here it is obvious that one of the real drawbacks to visiting this area is the parking or, rather, the lack of it. Just going
up and down Orange Ave (the main thoroughfare) the only real sign we noticed was for Valet Parking in Church Street. There
were signs for office parking in some of the tower blocks, but none seemed terribly appealing on a quiet evening with few
people around. We eventually settled on a spot
on the kerb of E Church Street but didn’t feel particularly safe doing so. However, it seemed the best option at the
time for a quick tour, so we headed off. Rounding
the corner of Orange Ave brought us first to the corner of The Plaza, the smart new office/condo block. Right on the corner
of Orange and Pine is a new restaurant, unfamiliar to us, so we approached the girl at the podium outside with a cheery ‘Hello!
What’s this?’ Her reply was a rather desultory ‘Urban Flats.’ We waited for some kind of follow-up
or explanation. We waited in vain.
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| Urban Flats - quite nice, really |
In the end, with the lack of
anything more enlightening, we settled on taking away a copy of their menu and strolled on. Fortunately, the Urban Flats website was a bit more forthcoming: “Urban Flats is a casual dining destination featuring an
eclectic fusion of ancient world-style flatbread in a modern urban setting, using the freshest ingredients inspired by the
region and season along with tastefully selected wines from around the world. Our focus is on the Flatbread, which dates back
centuries ago, being the first creation of bread. Grains were put into a pot over the fire and cooked into porridge. Ultimately
this grain mixture was spread on a rock next to the fire and thus the first flatcakes were made. We’ll be leading the
way to a new casual dining experience serving as Central Florida’s leader of creative restaurant concepts, with 24 wines
by the glass all dispensed by a unique temperature-controlled cruvinet system.” Sounds interesting, hey? Shame the girl outside didn’t seem to think
so. Anyway, we wandered on, discovering the rather tucked away Bento Café (a sushi lounge, offering live music several times a week) and the Corona Cigar Bar (an upmarket cigar store and bar, featuring a vast array of cigars and
fine coffee, wines and brandies to go with them).
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| The Corona Cigar Co - a sign of the times Downtown |
The Plaza looks as if it has
other units waiting to come in, so this may be worth keeping an eye on in future. We were pleased to see The Social still looked busy (downtown’s premier live music venue, usually with a wide and attractive list of bands –
definitely one of our favourites), even on a very quiet evening (there was hardly anyone about on the streets), but
even the usually lively corner of Wall Street (with the likes of the Wall Street Cantina, One Eyed Jack’s, Slingapour’s and Loaded Hog bars) seemed
desperately half-hearted. Turning back towards Church Street
we were immediately struck by the awful impact of the massive construction project that makes it look like the whole place
is closed. Happily, long-term residents such as Antigua, Chillers, Big Belly (a wonderful little second-floor brew-pub) and Latitudes (the roof-top loung-bar) are all still there, but the rather
blank façade of Kres Chophouse (MUCH better inside than out) and the downright seedy exterior of the Dragon Room (more strip-club than ‘cocktail boutique’) make it less than inviting even to venture into the street.
We imagine it may appeal to the
young singles scene, but tourist territory it certainly ain’t! However, being the intrepid, adventuring souls that we are, we pushed on past the visual battering
the construction obstacles and finally found our way past the old Church Street Exchange (which used to be a happening mini-venue
in its own right and is now just the home for a couple of takeaway-type diners) to the heart of Church Street, and the former
Church Street Station.
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| Inside the magnificent - and revived - Cheyenne Saloon |
Now, from 1974 to its effective
closing in 2001, this was the heart of Orlando entertainment, a multi-club venue offering live music, bars, shops, restaurants
and discos, all in a fabulous setting of the beautifully-restored old railroad station hotel. At its height, it drew almost
2 million visitors a year; by 1999, it was less than 500,000 and, afflicted by a sequence of bad management, all the main
clubs closed their doors. Ever since then, various owners
and landlords have tried to revive the Station, and it is now in a curious state of Tween-ness; neither restored nor out for
the count. An Improv comedy club has come
and gone, as has the truly awful Club Paris nightclub and the ill-conceived Pearl Steakhouse. In their place are a handful
of bars and restaurants, the Bliss Ultra Lounge (an upmarket lounge-nightclub), two more restaurants under heavy construction and, lo and behold!, the return of
the Cheyenne Saloon. This latter was one of the Station’s
original marquee venues, an old Opry-style country & western saloon with fabulous décor and furnishings and a really
lively, friendly ambience (those who remember the 1994 World Cup here fondly remember it as the HQ of Irish and Dutch fans
who practically drank the place dry every night!). Now
open 4pm-2am Tue-Sat as a live music venue, bar and restaurant, it has a $5 general admission charge (free during Happy Hour
– 5-7pm. Tue-Thur), while special feature concerts cost $15-$20. House band the Cheyenne Stampede play whenever there
are no special acts on stage.
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| More magnificent, moody indoor settings with the bar at Ceviche |
Other ‘specials’
are Two Bit Tuesdays (25¢ Wings, 50¢ Drafts, 75¢ Mini-BBQ Sandwiches, $1 long-neck beers); Nickel Beer Night
Wednesdays (5¢ Beer!); and
$1 Long Neck Night Thursdays ($1 Bud & Bud Light Long Necks). There is also free
validated parking at the Church Street Garage. Hopefully, the Cheyenne Saloon can survive the current construction carnage
and re-emerge as a great place to visit for a beer and live music. Elsewhere, Church Street Station is a curious mix of restaurants.
The Dessert Lady is an excellent-looking option for decadent desserts and fine wines (exceedingly pleasant bar area, too), and Brick
& Fire Pizza Company is another tenant seemingly holding on by its finger-tips. Across the road is the highly-rated (among
locals) Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant (in the former Lili Marlene’s Restaurant, for old Church Street Station fans!), which was the one bustling,
busy venue. An upscale steakhouse, Rustic Steak, is due to open later this spring,
and an upscale burger diner next to the Dessert Lady. But we think a lot hinges on whether the Cheyenne Saloon can pull a
lot of people back into the downtown area.
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