What's it all about

This area is specifically for anyone going to Florida to chat amongst themselves, about any subject.

John & Sarah Rooke
www.floridadreamvilla.co.uk
www.orlandovillas.com
www.vacation-rental-villas.com
www.park-tickets.com
www.orlando-guide.info

Has anyone heard of the Millenium Mall being opened? If yes where is it?

aurora

Check out website ;

http://www.mallatmillenia.com

Tracey

Its at the Conroy Road exit off 1-4 one mile from Universal and opens on 18th October. We go out on 17th so I will report back!!

Julie Carty

We miss it and you too Julie by a day!

Drat! Drat! and Double Drat!!!!

Orlandobabe

Absolutely fantastic, I've just looked at the website and there is going to be The Cheesecake Factory opening. This is our favourite restaurant in Chicago, I do hope that it is as good in Orlando. I shall be so disappointed if it turns out to be a concession in the food mall.

Dreaming of scumptious food now....

Sarah

John & Sarah Rooke
www.floridadreamvilla.co.uk
www.orlandovillas.com
www.vacation-rental-villas.com
www.park-tickets.com
www.orlando-guide.info

Sarah

I looked at their website and noticed that! I didn't mention it as I didn't want to get you too excited when you still have a little time to wait before you go again!

Did anyone see the travel programme on TV last night in Las Vegas with all those cheesecakes of gigantic proportions?

Blott

Just taken a look at the website. A very impressive list of stores. This will have to be on my must-do list for next Easter.

The Cheesecake Factory is one of our favourites in Boston!! - The really good part is that it's in the same mall as The Apple(MAC) Store. We're due over again in early October and looking forward to another delightful cheesecake.
Ian

Just think of all the calories in one slice, over 1,000.

Jamie-> and Lesley

Thanks for the info. looks great can't wait to get there is December for Xmas shopping. How do you put all the fancy bits and pictures by your name?

aurora

I saw the travel programme on Las Vegas - would love to go. Maybe next Xmas. This year we are off the New York again. It is a surprise
Birthday prezzie for a friend.

I saw the Cheesecakes in Vegas and the calories in each slice !!!

AirMiles are on special at the moment 75% off selected destinations.
Never seem to be where I want to go! Does anyone else have any luck with BA flights and airmiles?

We have just booked Florida for March and June. Had to juggle dates
a little for March. They are booked already.

Our son travels to Florida on Thursday with a 'few friends'. I do hope
Kissimmee is ready for him !!!

I believe it is quite quiet this week - understandably so. Our home has been vacant.


Alain

Alain

My wife's sister arrived at out villa on Saturday after spending 4 days in Las Vegas and said the place was juyst fantastic. They had a great time and would definitely go back again!

John & Sarah Rooke
www.floridadreamvilla.co.uk
www.orlandovillas.com
www.vacation-rental-villas.com
www.park-tickets.com
www.orlando-guide.info

We've been and it is fantastic - 20 Disneys all rolled into one small area!

Unfortunately, our hotel caught fire (Hilton), which put a bit of a dampener on the trip but, not to be deterred, we still went on the Star Trek ride! :)

However, not the place to go if you're a latent gambler as the casinos are open 24 hours a day and you can get carried away with the sound of all those slot machines and money jingling into your plastic 'bucket'!

Blott

We have been too and loved it ( though we managed to stay in the red light district and Terry got so hooked on the slots, he was at it before brekkie!!) Must go again. They now have this roller coaster on top of that tall tower, also one of those things that shoots up like Dr Dooms Tower of Fear up there as well. Imagine that but you are starting up in the sky to begin with. Has to be done!!

Julie Carty

Ah, that's the Stratosphere Hotel Julie! You already start off 100 stories high and then you rocket even further skywards and the roller coaster is at the same height! You can take a virtual tour at http://www.stratospherehotel.com/tow...ere_tower.html if you're brave enough!

Blott

Wow, got to be done.You are already 1200 feet in the air and then the thing shoots you up another 160 feet in 2.5 seconds!! Good view from up there........

Julie Carty

We visited a friend who lives at Las Vegas and showed us around his city. The whole place is just out of this world and a great place to visit. I don't think I could live there I would burn out.

We dined at a restaurant at the end of Freemont Street and watched the light show over dinner. Highly recommended, a wonderful show just glad I do not have their light bill.

Jeff

Jeff & Dallas Myers
3 Bed Crescent Lakes
www.harmonyvillaorlando.com

We got married in Vegas last December (went on Thursay, came back Sunday (hired the gown and tux and brought the ring on Friday, flew to the grand Canyon by helicopter and got married at the bottom on saturday:)) - told the folks we were going to London to catch a show for the weekend - our folks have just about forgiven us now !!!

Crazy city - we were told that if you keep your wedding clothes on in the casinos, you get free drinks all night (not sure if that's true).



Richie D

The drinks are free in the casinos, wedding outfit or not, just keep tipping the waitress one or two dollars and they'll keep coming back providing your playing the machines. We got married there 5 years ago, isn't it the most wonderful/strangest experience??

Sandra

Colleague at work just got back from Vegas - absolutely exhausted - jetlag you might think, but no, only averaged 3hrs sleep a night! Her body clock is OK as it never got chance to adjust to US time!

She won $500 on a slot machine so they took the aeroplane trip to the Grand Canyon - she didn't go at the last minute as she was terrified, and rightly so apparently as her hubby came back and just kept vomitting! Said he had never been so scared in his life. As the guide escorted her back to a waiting room for her to wait for her hubby, he admitted he would never go on the aeroplane but would do the helicopter ride (so far he hasn't) and told her she was right not to go!

She is now begging me to go with her next year and I am so tempted but I just don't get enough annual leave to fit everything in!

We went to Las Vegas 3 years ago - gave up our seats on the flight from San Francisco ot Vegas and got enough to fly FREE from Boston to Las Vegas the following year - so 2 visits for the price of 1. Absolutely fabulous, brilliant, we had a fantastic time - just a total buzz right from getting off the plane to checking in to leave - and we DON'T GAMBLE!!!
Ian

Our honeymoon starts in Vegas in November and I am really looking forward to it. One of the things Doug wants to do is the trip by air to the Grand Canyon. I don't like heights but he had almost persuaded me - now I'm not so sure!!

Vegas is the starting point for a coach tour which ends in San Fransisco 9 days later. We have extended our trip and are looking for one night's accommodation in Vegas at the beginning and 5 nights at the end in San Fransisco/Napa Valley area. Has anyone any suggestions for accommodation? Many of the Vegas hotels seem to require a minimum of a two night stay.

Denise

Denise, please don't be put off by my friend's experience, I am sure others loved it. They did the aeroplane ride but the helicopter is supposed to be far more secure than the plane, so please anyone out there that had a good experience at the Grand Canyon? to reassure Denise.

For his birthday we treated my husband to a helicopter trip over Grand Canyon when we were there 2 years ago. He loved it. We insisted he didn't take the video camera so he had to commit the view to his memory!!

Sandra

We did the Vegas/Grand Canyon thing a few years ago, and would have to advise against the small aeroplane tour. 5 of the 8 on our flight were sick, which was a shame because we missed out on the "road-kill" barbeque provided by the native Americans. Haven't tried the helicopter, but would give it a go as the Canyon is well worth seeing.

Danny & Hazel

Mmmm - maybe I can be persuaded to do the helicopter trip. I am sure the views are wonderful if only I can pluck up the courage. Has anyone else survived the experience and recommends the helicopter? If I'm brave enough to do it I will report back on the forum!
Denise

Denise

Not personally but we know some people who have! They came back and said it was brilliant and not one person was sick! They just came back with their mouths open in wonder. I don't like flying but I find helicopers are much better.

The Grand Canyon is absolutely awesome... We saw it in March when there was snow which obliterated some of the wonderful colours but, even so, when you see if for the first time, it just takes your breath away!

I don't think it's something you'll ever forget and for something as special as your honeymoon, well, you've just gotta!

Blott

I went to the Grand Canyon two years ago and afraid to say i didnt go on the helicopter ride. I now wish I had done it as all the pictures I've seen from the air are incredible!

I'll be putting it on my list of things to do!!!!

Went on a helicopter ride over the Las Vegas strip which was awesome, and also an hour and a half helicopter tour in San Fransisco, again incredible. I'd reccomend it to anyone!!

Tink

The Grand Canynon & Niagra Falls the two most awesome
natural features I have ever seen.
Victoria Falls is another I`d like to see.
Going to Las Vegas in July again:D
Another visit to the Canynon but still too scared to try a helecopter ride[msnscared]. Wish I could bring myself to go.
Anybody know how much it costs?
Ian

When we were there it was $110 including lunch but the price seems to have gone up! See http://www.papillon.com/ or lots of options on http://www.grandcanyontourcompany.com/

We did the trip in the summer (2003) it worked out about £150 each for the day trip which was coach pick up from hotel in Vegas, drive past Hoover Dam, helicopter from top to bottom of Grand Canyon, then a short boat trip down Colorado river and back for helicopter to top then onto rim of Canyon with lunch with the Hualapai (pronounced Hoowallapie) Indians (they also sell native jewellry made by themselves although some of it did look remarkably mass produced, but we got some nice carved animals from the turquoise and minerals which are found there. Then coah trip back . I'd never been in a helicopter but soon relaxed and enjoyed it immensely. Overall time was about 12 hours for the trip.

We took the plunge (not literally!) and flew in a small plane from Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Although Sarah and my father-in-law do not like flying much they both said they would not have missed the Grand Canyon for anything, it trully is an awesome sight! Vegas was certainly a different experience and one which we all loved. The Bellagio water fountains are fantastic, not to be missed. We also had a win on the machines which really made for a fantastic end to our holiday. We would all certainly consider going back at some time in the future, could do with another win to pay for our villa!!![msnwink]

Really useful thread.

I'm considering a trip to Vegas and would have thought the plane trip was more stable than the copter!

I'd love to do it-but what a scaredy cat I am!

I did a helicopter trip years ago on a Trekamerica trip. I don't know where it was from or how much it cost, but it was very good. Buuuuuttt.....we had travelled all day so my travel sickness pill had nearly worn off. I didn't think I would need another but how I wish I had!! I was trying to cine film it, so the combination of no travel sickness pill and looking through a viewfinder meant I was desparate to get back!!

OB, I think you'll find that, due to the space involved, the helicopter is less sick making than the plane as it can go up vertically rather than have to bank...[msnwink]