Walt Disney World includes 4 themeparks (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot), 2 water parks (Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach), the Downtown Disney & Boardwalk entertainment areas, 18 on-site resorts, and more. But my absolute favorite of all their properties is easily their Studios themepark. It features what I believe is the greatest ride from any park in any city anywhere – the Tower of Terror!

The Tower of Terror - best ride ever!

Frankly, this is one scary, thrilling, sense-overloading ride. And I love it. The first time I rode, I was surprised to discover that each car comes out of its elevator shaft for a short tour of several ghostly areas before heading back into an elevator for the giant multi-story drop. And shoot back up. And drop. And… you get the idea. It’s crazy and exhilarating and just a lot of fun.

From the creepy bellhop at the front of the queue that likes to greet guests with, “Welcome to your doom,” through the Twilight Zone backstory by none other than Rod Serling himself, and the final lose-your-stomach pay-off, this runaway elevator experience more than lives up to its reputation.

To keep the thrills going, I’d suggest heading right across the road to the Aerosmith Rock ‘n Roller Coaster.

A fast ride with fast music -- and lots of thrills.

This dark, indoor coaster shoots riders up, down, and upside down to a loud soundtrack from one of my all-time favorite bands. But the best part is definitely the take-your-breath-away quick slam start. Be sure to hold onto your hat for this entire ride!

Overall, this park feels more compact, easier to navigate, and not as overwhelming as some of the other parks, with plenty to do for any age.  And it’s all themed around the movies!

Kissing Donald Duck.

Some of my favorites include the brand new Toy Story Mania ride (which I wrote about recently for Orlando Attractions Magazine), the Muppet Vision 3-D show, the Indiana Jones stunt show, the extreme stunt show, the Beauty and the Beast show, the various street performers who entertain around the park, the easy access to an abundance of beloved Disney characters, and the brilliantly produced (if a little scary) Fantasmic fireworks show – complete with lasers, animated movie scenes projected onto water screens, and even a fight between Sorcerer Mickey and a giant fire-breathing dragon.

If there’s time, other fun attractions include the Star Tours ride, the Little Mermaid show, the Great Movie Ride, the behind the scenes Backlot Tour, and the afternoon Block Party Bash parade.

One of the best parts of the Hollywood Studios, though, is that there are lots of shady areas where you can sit and gather strength with a Mickey ice cream bar before soldiering on. One more ride on the Tower of Terror, anyone?

Samantha Brown presentation in Orlando.

Travel Channel hostess Samantha Brown came to Orlando - her 6th trip of 2008! – for two presentations at last week’s TRADE show event, the Travel Retailing and Destination Expo.

The large crowd of “Sam Fans” began gathering two hours before her first talk, with several exchanging stories of meeting Ms. Brown during one of her many, many Travel Channel trips. Amazingly, almost every one said that she was friendly and gracious and made them feel like they’d made a friend.

During her first presentation, which I attended, she regaled everyone with her adventures (and a few mishaps) while filming the shows “Samantha Brown’s Great Hotels“, “Disney Holiday Magic”, “Passport to Europe“, and the new “Passport to Great Weekends,” which showcased the downtown Orlando and Winter Park areas in an episode that aired this past July.

Her talk was followed by a long Q&A session with the audience and an even longer hour-long autograph and photo session with every single person standing in line. I had an interview scheduled with her for after the session and can attest that the very last person in line got the same gracious attention as the first, with no one hurried along. I was impressed with the time she took to make each fan feel special – AND that her hand didn’t give out during all those autographs! By the way, the last one she signed was to me.

Due to the hectic schedule, my interview became a very quick “writing while walking and talking” episode as I joined her and her Travel Channel colleagues as they walked to their car. Even then, the lovely Ms. Brown answered each of my questions and charmed me into feeling like I too had made a personal friend.

Sam and me.

Interview:

Here are some of the highlights from her presentation, audience Q&A session, and our own walk & talk: 

Why do you think your shows have been so popular? “From the very beginning, I wanted to be seen less as an expert or a host and more as just a person. I wanted to pull viewers through the TV and have them have the experience with me. And I think that’s really happened. Also, there’s that ‘girl next door’ thing where people see me and think, ‘If she can go and do this, then so can I.’”

What’s one of the most important things you’ve learned on your journeys? “I’ve learned that yes, we all want to be mesmerized by the grand scope of an area, but we also crave that personal connection. That’s what gives the true travel experience.”

How much traveling do you do? “I travel about 230 days of the year. Fortunately, my husband travels with me whenever he can.”

Do you ever travel on your own, without the cameras around? “Not really. I’m a little backwards. With traveling so much of the year, I like to spend my vacations back home in Brooklyn, New York. And there’s so much to do there.”

How many languages do you speak? “I learn key phrases for almost every country we travel to, which I would recommend that all travelers should try to do. Oh, and I can order a cappuccino in every language there is!”

Is there anything that you’ve found during your trips that you don’t like? “I really dislike being underwater. And believe it or not, I’m scared to be on horseback!”

Focusing down a bit, what is your favorite part of Orlando? “I fell in love with Johnson’s Soul Food Diner (located downtown) during the filming of our Weekender series. Orlando’s definitely got soul! As part of that series, we like to go in and not just show an entire city or focus just on places that are off the beaten path. Instead, we concentrate on some parts you might not know about or have missed. And there are lots of great areas people might not know about around Orlando.”

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve found about Orlando? “It surprises me that so many adults come here – 50% without kids! So people are just having fun and feeling like kids themselves.”

You’ve done several Disney specials. What is your favorite Disney spot? “The Animal Kingdom park and Lodge are so special with the animals and the culture and the cast members that are actually from Africa. I haven’t had a chance to go to Africa yet, but I feel like I have after being there. And I think that would be great for kids to experience. Disney has really done an amazing job with that overall.”

When it comes to the attractions, do you like roller coasters or the calmer rides? “Oh, definitely the roller coasters! And I really like Disney’s Tower of Terror. I’ve stayed in so many hotels over the years that the idea of one running amuck is kind of funny to me.”

What is your favorite resort in Orlando? “I’m staying at the Portofino Bay Hotel (at Universal) this trip, which is one of the first places we featured in our ‘Great Hotels’ series. I love everything about it and it’s great to be back there.”

What about your favorite Orlando restaurant? “You mean other than Johnson’s?” she laughs. “After a day of shooting, I usually like to relax in my hotel room and am just as happy eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Of course, I have also really enjoyed sitting and relaxing at the bar at Emeril’s.”

So after today’s event, will you go back to your hotel and rest up? Or will you go out and hit some of the attractions? “I haven’t had a chance to catch the new Simpson’s ride yet. What time does Universal Studios close? I think that might be the plan for tonight! What was I saying about Orlando making you feel like a kid again…”

NOTE: Here’s a link to a list and video of Samantha Brown’s Top 10 Disney favorites.

My new best friend - Dunder, the otter

I’m just now catching my breath from spending the last few days at the Trade Show – the Travel Retailing and Destination Expo held here in Orlando. It was huge, informative, and a lot of fun. Over the next few days I’ll post about my interview there with Travel Channel maven Samantha Brown (who is just as nice as she seems on TV – no really!), as well as the many Florida travel destinations showcasing their attractions, upcoming new construction around the area from the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Saturday night’s gala black-tie World Travel Awards Ceremony – held as a special pre-show event for The Trade Show.

But today’s post is all about the animals showcased at SeaWorld‘s trade show booth. First of all, I have to admit that I am a HUGE animal lover with my absolute favorite being otters. So imagine my surprise when I heard a man behind me ask, “Do you like otters?” as I was wandering around the various exhibits. When I turned around, I became what can only be described as crazy excited to see a smiling SeaWorld worker holding a beautiful Asian river otter named Boris. The next 10 minutes are still kind of a blur as I watched Boris and his brother Dunder play together & chase ice cubes on top of a table in front of a growing crowd of equally mesmerized onlookers.

Boris doing what otters do best - being cute!

Over the next two days, I kept coming back by SeaWorld’s exhibit area where they continually showcased different animals, gave informative talks, and patiently answered any and all questions. I personally got to meet a very sweet two-toed sloth named Starr (who never stopped staring at the ceiling), a lizard that I discovered was actually an Argentine black and white tegu that doesn’t have a name yet – though I heard one trainer affectionately call her Evita, a loud and vibrant Kookabura named Merlyn, and a very large Albino Burmese python named Cleopatra. One handler jokingly said that for five dollars he’d let me hold her. And of course I replied that for five dollars, I’d pay him to NOT make me hold her!

Starr and SeaWorld handler.

SeaWorld handler & Tegu.

Merlyn the Kookabura, SeaWorld handler, and me.

Clepotra with 3 handlers.

Paulie & me. Notice finger on wrist about to get munched!

And then there was a beautiful sulphur-crested Cockatoo named Paulie that I was allowed to hold. Paulie was talkative, friendly, and very flirty — until just after the second photo was taken. I noticed him looking hard at one of my fingers, but before I could move, he reached over and gave me a small bite! I know it looked like “finger food” to him, so I didn’t hold it against him. Besides, who can stay mad at a primping bird that seems to be smiling as he repeatedly says, “Talk to Paulie. Pretty Paulie.”

Overall, the exhibit reminded me just how wonderful the SeaWorld parks are and how close guests can get to their many animals. If you want true interactive experiences with live majestic animals, SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove are true gems. And though I haven’t been to their new Aquatica waterpark attraction yet, it’s on my upcoming agenda!

Just some of the upcoming topics I’ll cover include:

-Which Area Hotels are Green Certified?

-Orlando on the Cheap  (Yes – it can be done!)

-A City Under Construction (And why that mean good things are in store)

-Day Trips: St. Augustine, America’s Oldest City

Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to know about “The City Beautiful” — which I think is a perfect name for my adopted city. I’ve lived here for five years now and discovered that roller coasters will be in my blood forever, I never get tired of the Disney & Universal & SeaWorld theme parks (though I DO get tired of crowds – so I always go with a specific plan), and I really do believe it’s possible to do something different every single day for a year. That’s right – at least 365 different things to do in the Orlando area! I can’t promise to post every day, but let’s count every activity post and see just how close we get to that number. Frankly, I’m betting we go WAY over!

Deborah Brauser, the Orlando Travel Writer