Vacationing Five Fathoms Below Sea Level
The intartubes are all abuzz about this, that, and the other thing this morning, but in checking it all out I came across one of the most unique “resorts” in all of Florida: Jules’ Undersea Lodge
From the Fact Sheet:
Jules’ Undersea Lodge Fact Sheet Location: Jules’ Undersea Lodge is located at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoon in Key Largo Undersea Park, Key Largo, Florida. It is an hour and a half drive from the Miami International Airport to Key Largo Undersea Park. Turn on Transylvania Avenue at mile marker 103.2 Oceanside on the Overseas Highway. Background:
Jules’ Undersea Lodge was originally built as La Chalupa mobile undersea laboratory, the largest and most technically advanced in the world. The Lodge has been completely remodeled to provide guests with approximately 600 square feet of luxury living space for up to six people. Lay-out: The interior has two living chambers, each 20 feet long and 8 feet in diameter. One chamber is divided into two 8 x 10 foot bedrooms; the other is an 8 X 20 foot common room with dining and entertainment facilities. Between the two chambers is a 10 X 20 foot “wetroom” entrance area with a moon pool entrance (similar to a small swimming pool), a shower and bathroom facilities. Uses: Resort for recreation and adventure, weddings and honeymoons, retreats, meetings, seminars, corporate programs; site for film and video productions, and a merchandising showcase. The Lodge also continues to serve as a research lab for special projects.
It looks surprisingly affordable (well, relatively speaking, anyway) at $475/person per night. One of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences, but within the reach of most of us with a little scrimping and saving.
Vacation Tip: Use discount card to save money in Orlando like the locals
Well, we’re going to Dismal Disney World in mid-December for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. We do this trip almost every year – we get there in the afternoon, check in at the hotel, then hit the park at sunset. Rides, parades, hot chocolate, cocoa, then Dad gets a sore back carrying children who have passed out to the parking lot. Most years, I can still walk the next morning, so we like to schedule some other cool activity – another park, shopping at Disney Village, something off Disney property.
Whaaaaa??? There’s more to Orlando than Disney?
Um, yeah!
Having lived in Orlando and worked for both Sea World and Disney World, I learned a few tricks. Yes, having an employee pass is great, except the last place you want to be on your day off is back at the park. With the benefit if time and distance, though, I’ve regained my enthusiasm for the attractions. Locals know all the ins-and-outs of saving money at the parks and attractions. One of those methods is using discount cards. For instance, the Go Orlando Card includes 50 Orlando Attractions, Tours, & Shows for 1 Low Price. You can go to as many Florida attractions as you like, once per day on your card. Depending on how many days your card is valid (1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 days), you may use it on any day, up to the total number of days you have purchased, within a 14-day period.
Even better, though, is that you can get a discount on your discount card: Go Orlando Card – Save 20% Now!
Are these kind of tips a good thing? Let me know in comments, I have more where this came from.
Blogger poker championship
Filed under: Florida Vacation, Gambling, Great Blogs, Orlando, Theme Parks
So, I played in the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker yesterday. If you’re interested in poker, you can check out my posts about it over at my poker blog. If not, just know that I played against 1,337 of my closest friends, lasted 6.5 hrs and about 500 hands (it takes about 24 hrs to play 500 hands in real life), and finished 16th because I was stupid. I won an xBox Elite for my trouble, which I’ll be selling so I can take my kids to Disney World for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. I’ve done better in bigger tournaments, but this was a tough tournament with big stakes and it’s taken a toll on me mentally and physically that I wasn’t prepared for. Holding that level of concentration for so long has fried my brain.
While I’m disappointed about the way I finished, I have to admit that I’m pleased to have played so well and finished so high. I have high expectations when I play because I know the game I’m capable of playing, and while it hurt not to take it down after lasting so long, I know it was a hell of an accomplishment regardless. I don’t play much poker anymore, so when I play I tend to concentrate better than I used to when I played every day. But, given the toll this took on me, I think it will be a while before I play again.
I had a couple railbirds late in the tournament. Mr. Fab said he’d let people know to stop by and give me a little support, so if you were one of his flock, I thank you for the support. Each time my energy waned, someone popped in and gave me a shout-out and it gave me boost – and thanks to you, Fab.
Fun Things in Florida: The Pirate Dinner Show in Orlando
Filed under: Florida Vacation, Interesting, Orlando, Theme Parks
If you live in Orlando or will be traveling to Orlando, the Pirate Dinner Show is one of several dinner shows available for night-time entertainment once you’re finished with the parks. I’ve been to a couple of the dinner shows, and they’re always great fun. The food is plentiful, and the sets and performances are always first-class.The Pirate Dinner Show in Orlando is convenient for visitors to the theme parks, located right on International Drive. If you’d like to enjoy an evening with the swashbucklers, visit mapleleaftickets.com, the sponsor of this post, to purchase your tickets.
Only in FLA: Weird Florida Attractions
Oh, Lord, my wife keeps sending me all this bloggery goodness to post.
From Jacksonville.com: Top 5 ‘Weird Florida’ Attractions
Their list:
1. Gibsonton, FL (been through there many times)
2. Spook Hill: Lake Wales, FL
3. Garden of Eden: Bristol, FL
4. The Wizard of Central Florida: Sanford, FL (been to Sanford many times, never to the Wizard)
5. Christmas, FL (been through there many times)
Anyone else have some Weird Florida attractions?
So, you’re ready for a vacation in Florida…
Where do you start?
Of course, you want to pick a destination, or even multiple destinations. The whole world knows about the Disney attractions, Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens… I could go on and on. Florida is the place to be. Orlando has all the big theme parks, so you, the missus, and the 2.5 tax deductions will have plenty to see and do there.
Next, you’re going to want to find a hotel. So, you toodle on over to HotelReservations.com, the sponsor of this post, and start checking into resorts. You sort by best value, but you’ve never been to Orlando and you have no idea where these places are in relation to the theme parks. Orlando is a big freaking city, the definition of urban sprawl in my opinion, and it would be really easy to wind up in a hotel that advertises “just a few miles from Disney” but neglects to say it’s a few miles up Interstate 4 and will take you an hour to get there in the morning and back in the evening because of the traffic.
Not to worry; this website has a feature that allows you view hotels near landmarks. You select “Disney’s Magic Kingdom”, and up comes a slew of resorts right on Disney property. And, you can make your reservation right from this website. There’s a whole bunch of resorts at a whole bunch of price points, but you’re on a budget so you slide down the page to Disney’s All-Star Movies resort – $99!
Or, maybe a hotel or resort atmosphere isn’t for you and your brood. Not big enough, you need a little elbow room, room to stretch. No problem, just go back and select “Vacation Rentals” and a whole new list of condos and Bed & Breakfasts are there for you to book.
But, are these good deals compared to other sites? HotelReservations.com offers a Special Internet Price Guarantee, so you can put them to the test. If you decide to check other places, you can book the room to make sure you get it, check a few other places, then go back to this website and they will match the lowest rate or cancel the reservation without a cancellation fee. So, there really is no risk.
Check ‘em out.
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