What can we do on a rainy day in Orlando?Even in the Sunshine State it does rain sometimes! Especially when one of those tropical storms occasionally passes through during the summer months.

Well fortunately there is still plenty to do…..visit one of the superb shopping malls, catch the latest movie, or even spend some lazy time in your fabulous rental villa…..but what most people don’t think to do, is to visit one of Orlando’s fantastic Water Parks…

Well why not? It might be rainy, but it will still be warm and you are going to get wet anyway. As an added bonus the Water Parks will be very quiet on a rainy day - so almost no queues (or lines as they are called in the US)! On a hot summer day the queues for the rides can easily be 45 minutes long, on a rainy day they will be almost non-existent, so you can really make the most of your day.

So which Water Park to chose - here are four to consider….

The first and still the favourite for many people is Wet’n Wild, which originally opened in Orlando over 30 years ago. It is located close to Universal Studios who now own this sensational park. The scariest ride is Bomb Bay, where you climb up six stories to a small capsule. Once inside the operator flicks a lever and the floor falls away to a 78 degree free fall! There are several other extreme thrill rides and rides for the little ones, but one of the most fun rides is Disco H2O, which is a multi-person tube ride through a world of groovy disco lights and music.

The newest Water Park in Orlando is Aquatica, which opened in 2008. This one is owned by SeaWorld and not surprisingly is located right next to SeaWorld. It has a bit of a reputation for long queues, but not on a rainy day! All the parks have a ‘lazy river’ ride where you can float your way around the park on a tube. But Aquatica also has Roa’s Rapids, which is 3-4 times faster than an average river ride and has tides, whirlpools, geysers and waterfalls. It also has two huge side by side wave pools (a world first) which offer various combinations of ‘duelling’ waves and rolling surf, in Big Surf Shores and Cutback Cove. The park also boasts a thrilling ride (Dolphin Plunge) that takes you twisting and turning and shoots you in a transparent pipe through a dolphin pool - you are going too fast to really see the dolphins, but it is fun anyway!

Last but not least are the Disney’s water parks.

Blizzard Beach, which opened in 1996 and is themed around a ski resort. The flagship attraction is Summit Plummet which, with a freefall of 120 feet and speeds of up to 60 miles an hour, was the tallest and fastest freefall ride in the world until the opening of Insano in Brazil (135 feet). Not one for the faint hearted, but a great panoramic view of Orlando from the top! If you want to challenge the family to a race - try Toboggan Racers - where up to eight of you can race down a water slide over exhilarating dips. Dad usually wins in my experience!

Typhoon Lagoon another fantastic day out. You must try out Crush ‘n’ Gusher a truly thrilling watercoaster at this tropical paradise. Play in the worlds largest artificially created wave pool (2.75 million gallons) and enjoy the thrills and spills of the many rides. Or for a quieter life, take a relaxing float down Castaway Creek.

So which is the best Water Park in Orlando? Well they are all great fun, so try them for yourselves to decide. But go on a rainy day and don’t take your umbrella!

Following on from our previous popular article “Florida villa - cost cutting before you go” we have to put together some further suggestions to make those £’s and $ go further whilst on holiday (vacation) depending what side of the Atlantic you are from.

1. At the car rental company pre pay for a Sunpass or Epass for the toll roads. If your planning to do some travelling around Florida maybe to see Kennedy Space Centre, not only will this save you money but also time in the queues. Not to mention struggling to find your change when you are fighting with your seatbelt!

2. Buy a pre-paid phone card - these can be bought easily (Walmart) for all your calls and are much cheaper than mobiles. Remember many UK mobiles will not work in the US unless they are tri- band.

3. Take advantage of the many discount coupons. Whether it is for food or attractions, discount coupons will save you money. Look online, in local newspapers or the masses of tourist booklets you will find everywhere, just check the terms and conditions carefully.

4. Eat early - many restaurants offer “happy hours” with drinks of beers and wines being offered 2 for the price of 1. Not forgetting the free refill’s of sodas.

5. Try to avoid dining in the theme parks as they tend to be expensive, consider the meal plans but only if you are staying all day.

6. Florida is hot! and you will need plenty of fluid; instead of buying drinks all the time when you arrive in Florida get some small water bottles. Freeze the water bottles in your villa fridge overnight. As you walk around the parks the next day the ice melts in that lovely sun and provides you with an ice cold drink, that’s not only free but healthier than all those soda’s. Freeze enough water and leave it in the car in a cool-box, you will really appreciate it when you get back to your car. Buy some big bottles of water from the supermarket, freeze again overnight and off you go again.

7. Don’t rent a Satellite Navigation system from the car hire companies, with prices dropping so much its cheaper to buy one from somewhere like Walmart or Best Buy. Better still some villa owners are providing them on a free loan basis with the rental of their villa, given that rental companies can charge up-to $12 a day that will save you $168 in a fortnight.

8. For those of you with little ones bring your own pushchair or stroller, this could save $7 to $10 a day at some of the attractions. Depending on your stay it might be even worth buying a basic pushchair rather than renting one every time you hit the parks.

9. Spend a day away from the paying attractions, use your villa swimming pool or take a trip to the beach instead. With 1,100 miles of beaches whether you’re interested in sunbathing, birds, shelling, surfing, treasure hunting, people watching, snorkelling, history or romance, Florida has a beach to suit you and are free!

10. Having saved all that money indulge yourself a little; consider the valet parking option at theme parks! This may cost literally a few dollars extra however the time and energy saved in walking a long way from the entrance can work out cheaper. You won’t need a drink or to visit the restaurants as soon as you get in the park. This is particularly beneficial at Universal Studio’s and there is nothing nicer that the car being brought to you when you have those aching feet!

So why did we decide to buy a villa in Orlando?… We had been thinking for some time about buying a vacation home and had considered Spain and the Florida Gulf Coast, as well as Orlando.  We decided on Orlando because of the value for money of the properties, the buoyant rental market (they say Orlando is the most visited city in the World!), the year-round sunshine and because there is so much do there!

We contacted a number of organisations that market to UK-based buyers through the internet. After speaking to a few organisations, we found one that seemed very ‘customer-friendly’ - they sent us regular photographs and all of the emails that we sent them were replied to within a matter of hours. We were sent some details on a number of new developments and resales and arranged a trip to look at possible properties, combined with a two-week

vacation in Orlando over Christmas. We were shown round various developments and resales and we settled on a new development at Watersong (which is where we were also staying at the time, in a lovely 5-bed villa). Watersong is a gated community in the Davenport area, which is about 15 minutes’ drive from Disney World.  The property we bought is a five-bedroom, 4½-bathroom pool home, backing onto a conservation area.  It also benefits from a fabulous clubhouse, including a large swimming pool, gym and internet café - all of which are free of charge for us and our guests.

We bought an executive furniture package which was provided by the same interior designer who furnished the villa we were staying in.  She did a fantastic job and everyone who stays there absolutely loves it!

One amusing anecdote of our purchase was when we completed on our new home….we were presented with a nicely packaged gift, tied with ribbons, on behalf of the builders. However, rather than the Champagne etc. that we imagined it would contain, instead it was a set of items including a pack of toilet rolls, some kitchen towels, soap, screwdrivers and a hammer. Well, as least it was practical!

We completed on the villa in late June 2008 and stayed there for a vacation in August.  We adore the house and are back again this Christmas.  In between we have had six rentals (which helps cover the cost) and are really pleased that all our guests have provided great feedback and seemed to have loved the villa as much as we do!

If you are thinking of buying a villa in Orlando, we’d definitely recommend doing what we did - stay in a similar villa first and get a really good feel of what it will be like to own your own dream vacation home! If you want to support the cost of running your home advertsise on villa rental sites such as Wannavilla.com 

I thought it would be useful in the credit crunch times we live in to note a few ways of reducing the cost of next year’s family vacation to Florida.

Yes if you are coming from the UK the exchange rate of the £ and dollar is not as good as it was last year. Recession is around the corner, but with a little planning and research you can still have a fabulous holiday, for less than you might first think.

Here are a few of our tips;

1 The internet is a great tool for finding flight bargains. If you are flying from the UK remember that English and Scottish school holiday season vary, so peak season in one country might be mid season in another. Personally we have saved £100’s per ticket by simply crossing the boarder!

2 If you are going to use a credit card to pay for your holiday use a card which is commission free such as the Nationwide Gold card, otherwise you will come back to a credit card statement with a few £’s added to each transaction.

3 Sign up to airline company newsletters such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Flyglobespan, often these give you advance warning of special flight sales or sign up for our own newsletter.

4 Don’t stay in an expensive hotel, stay in a privately owned villa, not only do you get the space and luxury accommodation, it can often works out cheaper than hotels even for smaller families.

5 Book a villa directly with an owner and not through a travel agent, why pay them commission when you can book direct and talk to the owners. There are many great vacation rental sites out there to choose from.

6 Only book theme park tickets for parks which you are certain you will have time to visit. Often families particularly on their first visit do not allow sufficient time for each park and therefore do not get to visit all the intended parks or simply scratch the service of the parks offerings by the end of their stay.

7 Consider annual passes, particularly for the water parks around Orlando. These often work out cheaper if they are not included in your regular ticket bundle. A year ticket might work out cheaper than buying tickets on 3 occasion, lets face it, visiting a water park 3 times in 14 days is quite possible.

8 Search the internet for your car hire and buy all the insurance you want before you go, rather than deciding at the car rental company desk, when you are tired after the flight, you will be in holiday mood, this allows for better budgeting and decision making.

9 If you intend to book your vacation rental property at short notice don’t forget to checkout the late deals at Wannavilla.

10 Again don’t forget to check the internet for travel insurance, its so easy to use price comparisons tools rather than taking the first product you come across, 10 minutes research can save a lot of cash!

11 Think about the currency exchange rate and take into account any fees which might wipe out the advantage of the headline currency rate, compare by asking what is the total amount of net cash you get back?

12 Now go off and enjoy a great vacation with more spending money in your pocket.

If you are planning a Florida package holiday next year, instead of booking the full package holiday through a travel agent why not book independently, cut out the travel agent middleman and save some money, whilst having a bit of fun planning your holiday!

The internet makes it so easy to find competitively priced flights, try searching on - fly drive holiday florida, you maybe surprised at the options available. Ever thought of staying in a privately owned villa but been put off by the travel agent surcharges for not filling the villa? Well privately booked villas can be more affordable than you first think, make up your own package holiday.

With vacation rental sites such as Wannavilla you can find a vast array of privately owned villas to choose from, including the more modest villas to truly outstanding luxury villas with every possible extra you could think of as standard.

So why stay in a villa while you’re vacationing in Florida and not a hotel? Simply because a villa has everything you need and much more without the price tag and restrictions of hotel lifestyle. Staying in a hotel is fine, if you want to eat out every single night, share your room with all the members of your party with no thought of privacy or individual time for relaxation.

A villa is a luxury house with plenty of space and privacy for everyone, many having their own private swimming pools. What better way can their be to relax and soak up the Florida sun whilst sunbathing by your own private pool, with the kids burning off their excess energy in the pool?

Instead of a bedroom which you share in a hotel, villas afford you a more relaxed vacation, you don’t all have to go to bed or get up at the same time and why should you are on vacation! You have space to read a book, play a game, watch TV, sunbathe, play in the pool or simply relax.

These days there are many different villa styles available up to 7 bed accommodating 16 people. From the luxurious, with spas, extended decks and grand furnishings, to the simpler - two bedrooms, kitchen and bath. Whatever your preferred accommodation, a villa can accommodate! Villas with heated swimming pools, disabled access, computer, CD/DVD players, internet connections, non-smoking homes, pool/game rooms (some with game systems), baby facilities cots (cribs), highchairs, air conditioning/fans, alarms and linen/crockery/cutlery, are all available.

Wherever you’re staying in Florida, a vacation rental home is the answer to your accommodation needs. Whether it is just having the comforts of home on hand while you’re on vacation, or a means to have family and friends stay in the one location, a villa rental is the only way to have your cake and eat it too.

Thought we would mention some of the more unusual sights in Florida away from the regular attractions.

Publix Cake Water Tower – If your celebrating a birthday whilst in Florida - drive past the headquarters for the Publix grocery store chain in Lakeland, you will find a water tower in the shape of a giant birthday cake complete with candles that light up at night.

Upside Down House -Located on International Drive this is Central Florida’s only upside down attraction. It really is a head turner, particularly to those not expecting it to be there., inside it is an amusement park for the mind, featuring over 100 interactive exhibits for the entire family to experience. Spook Hill -Whilst visiting Lake Wales in Florida, close to the Bok tower is Spook Hill, one of the many gravity hills or magnetic hills which exist. Here is a place where the layout of the surrounding land produces the optical illusion that a very slight downhill slope appears to be an uphill slope. Thus, a car left out of gear will appear to be rolling uphill.

Worlds Smallest Police Station -If visiting the North of Florida, located just south of Tallahassee, is the smallest Police Station in the World. Historically when the town did not have a main police station, the police parked their vehicles outside the booth.

Live Mermaids - If you have never seen live mermaids before – pay a visit to Buccaneer Bay water park at Weeki Wachee Springs on the Gulf Coast of Florida. After taking a dip in the water park within the natural spring water, enter the underwater theatre where mermaids regularly perform their show.

Can you add to them?