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VISA WAIVER CHANGES Commencing 12th January, 2009, all Visa Waiver Program travelers to the USA will be required to obtain an electronic travel authorization prior to flying. Travelers will need to log on to Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) web site (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov) and complete an on-line application. This will prompt the person to answer a series of biographical and eligibility questions very similar to those that appeared on the old paper I-94W form. 

Applications are encouraged as early as possible and at the very least, no later than 72 hours before travel. A response is usually received within just a few seconds. Assuming approval is granted, this is valid for two years or until the expiration of the passport concerned, whichever comes first. It is valid for multiple entries into the USA. Stays of 90 days or less still do not require a visa.  Travelers who fail to secure prior approval for trips after 12th January, 2009, may be denied boarding, experience delays at immigration upon arrival in the USA, or may even be denied admission to the USA. 


FITNESS CENTRES Want to keep fit whilst you are on vacation? There is a new company called anytime fitness in Cagans Crossing, which is an 8 minute drive north on Highway 27. They specialise in 24 hour facilities and have a lot of equipment. They also do a package for vacationers. For further details please contact Heather Johnson at: 

Anytime Fitness, 532 Cagen Park Avenue Clermont, FL 34714   
Phone: 352-394-3339    Fax 352-394-3839 
Email: clermontFL@anytimefitness.com    Website: http://www.anytimefitness.com

TEN TOP TIPS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE THE FIRST IN LINE ON BUSY THEME PARK DAYS.... 

1. Make sure you purchase the tickets in advance, so you can go straight to the turnstiles and avoid long queues to exchange vouchers or buy tickets at the gate, (which almost always works out more expensive). 

2. Get there early – at least 30mins before official opening time, as the parks may open earlier than the published times on busy days.

3. Do your homework and have a plan on what you really want to see and do before you arrive. If you have time you can always go on the other rides later.

4. As soon as the gates open head straight for the furthest point of the park, and don’t get side-tracked by the areas you pass through to get there, (as most people do).

5. Go straight on the most popular rides, and purchase fast-passes if available for the next most popular ride. Use the fast-pass system if the park offers this service, (where you book a slot to come back to the ride and walk straight on at your allotted time). The fast-passes are usually fully booked by late morning, and you can hold a fast-pass for one ride at a time.

6. Avoid eating between the hours of 12pm-2pm, as the restaurants are very crowded and the rides are not so busy, so use this time to do the rides. Have a big breakfast before you leave and you can have a late lunch when the restaurants are not so crowded and everyone else is back on the rides.

7. Try to leave the shows until the afternoon, as you will really need a break from the afternoon heat.

8. Try to buy any souvenirs etc. during the day as the shops are the most crowded at the end of the day when everyone is leaving. Most theme parks shops will keep the items you buy for you to pick up at the gate when you leave.

9. Stay until the park closes if possible as the crowds do thin out just after tea-time when the children start flagging and need to get to bed. If you have young children, try to leave the park for a couple of hours in the afternoon for them to have a nap and come back later when they have livened up again, (don’t forget to get a stamp or pass at the gate to allow you back in).

10. Finally, drink lots of water, (not fizzy drinks as they dehydrate the body), and enjoy it! Remember you don’t have to do it all in one day – it’s much less stressful for all of you, if you take your time, let the children play if they want to, and go with the flow. You can always come back again next year and do the rides you missed! Have fun! 

GREAT WHEEL Although there is no finite completion or opening date yet, at some time during late 2009 or early 2010 there will be a new landmark attraction on the area’s skyline. The Great Wheel Corp from Singapore has revealed plans to build a 400-ft high “London Eye” style wheel at the bottom end of International Drive. This will provide stunning views across the surrounding flat countryside from its air-conditioned capsules, in the same way that Sea World’s Sky Tower does. It is estimated that some 3 million people will ride the wheel in its first full year, so it will be yet another key attraction to add to the many that the area already has. More information can be found at www.greatorlandowheel.com 

ATTRACTIONS UPDATE

AQUATICA - Since the much-awaited opening of Aquatica, Sea World’s new water park, we have been receiving a bit of a mixed bag in terms of reviews from guests. Many guests have experienced disappointment in that they have turned up not long after the gates opened, joined a long line and then been turned away as the park’s capacity had been reached. This suggests that guest capacity is quite modest and that, certainly during peak season, people will need to arrive well before the gates open to be assured of entry. Once inside, most people have praised the park for its general design, cleanliness, overall style and not unreasonable wait times for the rides. Equally however, most have expressed a feeling of being slightly underwhelmed by the overall experience and considered the “star” rides to be a little disappointing. Maybe the expectation levels here are now too high when a new attraction opens. Maybe Aquatica is a little missing in certain areas. Maybe there is a lot of individual subjectivity in the views that have been expressed. Whatever it may be, it seems clear that Aquatica is not going to overnight going assume the mantle of being THE water park to visit, more it is just another alternative to the well-established Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach and Wet ‘n’ Wild.

BUSCH GARDENS – A large (4-acre) area to the rear of the park has been redeveloped over the past 2 years and now goes under the name of Jungala. Jungala is probably best described as an adventure playground – with a difference. Here your playmates are the animals and your playground is their playground. On a more sedate level you can observe orangutans in their natural habitat from tree-top observation platforms, mingle with gibbons and flying foxes up in the Kula Canopy, learn all about the tiger’s fight for survival in Tiger Lodge and also get close-up with the tigers themselves on Tiger Trail, including watching them play in the water from an underwater viewing gallery. For the more adventurous and the thrill-seeker, Jungle Flyers is a zip-wire line with three different flight patterns above the tree tops and Wild Surge shoots you up four storey’s high out of the top of a waterfall and then straight back down into the crater below. If the kids have got too much energy left over, there is also Tree Top Trails, a three-storey high climbing area that takes you up and through the tree-tops on rope bridges, climbing nets, crawl-tubes, slides and a multi-level maze – oh and there is also the ubiquitous chance to get wet with bursts of water that shoot up from the ground.

DISNEY HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS – After what many would consider a period of relative non-activity, other than the recent name change, there are a few new things here. Toy Story Mania is another of the imaginative and high-tech genre of 4-D shows that most of the parks now have. It features all the principle characters from the hit movies in an interactive adventure that is sure to go down well with all ages. Opening right at the end of June is Journey into Narnia – Prince Caspian. More special effects and Disney Imagineering than a thrill ride, here you go on a guided walking tour through Aslan’s Stone Table Chamber, meet Prince Caspian and get an insight into the marvels of special effects movie-making. On the entertainment front, High School Musical 2 – School’s Out is a live-action stage show based on the smash hit Disney TV series – ask the kids, and especially the girls, if you are still none the wiser!

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS – The eagerly awaited Simpsons Ride is now open at Universal Studios and the massive media campaign to promote it seems to be working well. The ride is right up there at the top of the park’s most popular rides and, come peak season, I think it is fair to say that the lines and wait times will be extensive. This attraction replaces the old Back to the Future simulator ride and in essence it too is a simulator. However, things move on apace and particularly so in the area of visual technology. The screen onto which the movie is projected is an 80ft diameter dome at four times the resolution found in home theater TV systems and more than twice that used in digital cinema projections. The results are truly stunning. The physical aspects of the ride itself are not vastly different to most other recent simulators – good, but not to the point that they break much in the way of new ground. However, the visual delights are so extensive that you could ride here over and over and still be seeing a raft of new things on the screen. This ride will certainly go some way towards rejuvenating a Universal Studios that some were saying was falling a little behind the other parks. However, best make use of the Express plus ticket to avoid the long waits that are bound to be par for the course with any hit new attraction.  

AN ALTERNATIVE DAY OUT In a recent report from an acclaimed figure (dubbed “Doctor Beach”) noted for his annual grading of America’s beaches, Florida featured three of the 2008 list of top ten. For somewhere completely different, and certainly a break from the whirlwind of activity that underpins the theme park environs, why not try a day out to Caladesi Island, just north of Clearwater. Caladesi Island is a State Park which has the most divine pure white sands and warm, turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico lapping its shores. There are no roads, hence no vehicles, and the only way to reach its natural beauty is via boat. If you do not have your own salted away somewhere, the hourly ferry makes the 15-minute crossing for $10 (adult) and $6 (children 4 to 12) return. Visitors are only allowed to remain on the island for a maximum of 4 hours. Aside from the gorgeous sandy beaches and warm, calm waters, there is a nature trail across the centre of the island where you may see the ospreys nesting in the tree tops or fishing for food, the protected gopher tortoises and all manner of other sea birds.
The slightly more adventurous can rent a kayak and get really close to nature, paddling in the crystal clear waters through the mangroves, creeks and inlets. The fishing is also good if you are that way inclined. There are showers and bathroom facilities and also a basic snack bar, commensurate with the fact that your stay is restricted to just a few hours – so don’t expect much in the way of haute cuisine! If you want a chill-out, get-away-from-it-all day on America’s best beach, in one of Florida’s most beautiful, natural and unspoilt places then bring a towel, bottled water, a camera and some sunscreen.
 
   
DAYTONA BEACH Daytona is famous for its Car Racing Circuit, driving on the beach, Sky-Riding the Pier, surfing, video arcades, revelling in hot days and a hotter nightlife, but how about this Daytona: cooler temperatures, secluded beach spots, historic secrets and water sports, both eco and derring-do?  If you haven't met this Daytona persona, Autumn (fall) is the perfect time to become acquainted. From late September onwards the thermometer and barometer inch down just enough to make spending an entire day on the beach breezy and comfortable. School's back in session, meaning the crowd census also inches downward. So, you don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to stake your beach claim and get wet on Daytona Beach's famed water sports scene. The beach isn't just for surfing anymore. Daytona Beach Parasailing for instance, discounts its rides by $10 each during the fall program. See Daytona from the peace and perspective of 2,000 feet up in the air, if you're really daring.

Wetter still? Take advantage of Bongo Billy's Banana Boat Rides and bounce over the waves with a group of friends. Or captain your own craft and race through the surf with Daytona Beach Jet Boats. But to discover some of the secrets of Daytona Beach, get into eco-mode with Daytona Beach Aqua Safari. Land and sea tours reveal the mysteries of this marine environment – from tiny seahorses to mammoth sea turtles – with hands-on experiences led by a marine biologist. There are more Daytona secrets to be discovered right on the beach, which is steeped in the history of auto and motorcycle racing. In fact, right on Daytona's famous beach Boardwalk, embedded plaques lay out a timeline for the history of racing, which revved up right there on the hard-packed sands.

Racing's North Turn Beach Bar & Grille commemorates the historic site with beachfront dining, racing photographs and memorabilia and dishes such as the Russ Truelove prime rib sandwich. You never know when you might find a NASCAR star sitting down to lunch at this popular spot. Another bite of culinary-related history occupies the circa-1925 Daytona Beach Pier. Views don't get any better than at this pier restaurant, where a rum punch sipped out of a hand-carved coconut pirate and a basket of wings is the way to celebrate sunset. Also on the beach, the coquina rock Daytona Beach Bandstand dates back to 1937. Away from the Boardwalk and Pier, Daytona harbours more secrets for those with a sense of adventure seeking a sense of place. To escape the crowds and the "discovered" Daytona Beach, head south.

Tucked among the resorts of Daytona Beach Shores, Sunglow Pier is the antithesis of the main Daytona Beach Pier. No sky rides here, but more of a hometown feel with hand-painted signs advertising local businesses, warped floorboards and Crabby Joe's Deck & Grill and Calypso Bar. Come to this happy place decorated with Caribbean-style accents and airbrushed ocean scenes for fish and grits at breakfast time or crab cakes for lunch and dinner.

For deeper seclusion with a taste of nature in your beach time, Lighthouse Point Beach's boardwalk leads through varying habitat to the Marine Science Center, a state-of-the-art environmental education facility where you can visit injured sea turtles rehabbing. Farther south in New Smyrna Beach, on the other side of Ponce Inlet, Canaveral National Seashore is a federally protected beach that only the intrepid find.
 
POOL DOOR SECURITY Most of the break-ins that occur in vacation homes are through the sliding pool doors. Although these are a weak point they can readily be made much more secure through the installation of metal security bars. For our guests security on the simple premise that prevention is better than cure, we will be installing security bars on all pool doors (or alternative security devices) as soon as possible.

VERTICAL BLINDS In recent months we have experienced a high level of repairs to the vertical blinds. Whilst these blinds are notoriously temperamental and also more susceptible to damage as they age (they become brittle), a lot of the damage that is caused is a result of misuse. Whilst damage caused is usually accidental, it is in many cases completely avoidable. Although these vertical blinds are not the best design in the world, the fact remains that if operated carefully and correctly, they work fine and should provide a long operational life with only minimal servicing. The main cause of damage remains failure to rotate the blinds through 90 degrees before opening them, or alternatively trying to rotate them when they are not fully drawn closed across the door/window. Forcing the blinds results either in the small nylon gears at the top being stripped, damage to the vertical slats, or even a complete failure of the main shaft. The former two issues result in relatively minor charges, the latter often means an entire new track, which is a wholly different matter. In the coming weeks we will be installing an additional notice in our home, positioned adjacent to the main pool doors which will provide clear instructions on the operation of the blinds and the potential consequences of any damage that may be caused. This will be supplemented by an addendum to the welcome letter we provide for our guests, which already has an attachment highlighting some of the key home-related issues. Our Management Company will ensure that all blinds are in perfect order prior to the arrival of our guests. If we receive a report from our Management Company of damage following vacation of the home, we will charge you for repair or replacement.
  
 

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