Name a whale

From the Orlando Sentinel

SeaWorld Orlando is ready to name its baby whale, which was born Oct. 9, and it’s seeking public input via a poll on Facebook.


The nominees are:

+ Haruki, which is Japanese in origin and combine “sunlight,” “radiance/shine” and “life” to mean “shining brightly,” SeaWorld says.

+ Makaio, Hawaiian for “a gift of God.”

+ Nico, a variation on the Greek name Nikos, meaning “victory of the people.”

The calf’s mother is Katina, a longtime resident of SeaWorld. The winning name will be announced Jan. 4.

Click here to vote for a name for the baby whale at SeaWorld Orlando.

Check out our new page!!!

All new content at www.UsaTips4Brits.co.uk check out our new Theme Parks page which gives some basic info on each of the major parks. A nice summary for first timers to the area.

Enjoy & Happy New Year!!!

Remeber to visit http://www.usatips4brits.co.uk/ & http://www.britsorlando.co.uk/ for your completely FREE guide to visiting Orlando Florida. There is no catch, no signup, it really is free.

Legoland Florida Tickets Go On Sale!!!!

LEGOLAND® Florida Countdown to October 2011 Opening

Using an interactive multi-media video presentation, LEGOLAND® Florida unveiled detailed plans today mapping out the ten lands of the family theme park and announcing the sale of advance-purchase tickets and annual passes. Opening in October 2011, LEGOLAND Florida will be a 150-acre full-day theme park geared specifically to families with children ages 2 to 12. There will be more than 50 interactive rides, shows and attractions including amazing LEGO® models making it unlike any other theme park in Florida.


 

Charges for ESTA (VISA Waiver for UK Residents travelling to USA)

US sets Esta fee at $14

By Travel Weekly Reporters

Aug 06, 2010 10:32

The total fee for travellers visiting the US has been set at $14.

The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) has been a mandatory condition of travel to the US since January 2009 but the full charge comes in from September 8.

Online completion of Esta, and its approval, is mandatory head of travel for Britons and all other travellers who qualify under the Visa Waiver Programme.
Of the $14, $10 will be ring-fenced to promote tourism to the US through fam trips and marketing among other things, while $4 will pay for administration costs.

All payments must be made by credit or debit card when applying for or renewing an Esta at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

The Esta system currently accepts the following credit/debit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover. Applications will not be submitted for processing until all payment information is received.

Applications can be submitted at any time prior to travel. Once approved, authorisations are generally valid for multiple entries into the US for up to two years or until the applicant’s passport expires.

Under the new interim final rule, travellers with an approved Esta will not need to pay the Esta fees when updating an Esta application.

However, travellers with new passports and reapplying for an Esta will need to pay the Esta fee.

The US’s Tourism Promotion Corporation will decide how the revenue will be spent.

www.UsaTips4Brits.co.uk

Check out my new photography page at http://www.photoboxgallery.com/cityscenes

Here you will find high quality images of various cities in the USA and Europe including NYC, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, Prague, Amsterdam etc.

You can order prints, canvases, gifts etc etc.

Add a little somethign special to your lounge!

TSA Luggage Locks - Don't go to Orlando (or anywhere in USA) without them!

As I've just been reminded by a reader of http://www.usatips4brits.co.uk/, make sure you have TSA luggage locks before you travel to the USA.

You can read more about this on my website at http://www.usatips4brits.co.uk/tipping.htm but basically if you dont want your case destroyed or damaged you need these locks.

For now, follow this link to find the locks on Amazon. You can also get these is Asda, Wilkinson etc for abour £4 for two but they are nowhere near as good quality as these Amazon ones.

Brit Guide to Orlando 2010 (Brit Guides)

This is a must read if you don't want to be ripped off! www.usatips4brits.co.uk

This blog comes to you from www.usatips4brits.co.uk the FREE guide for Brits travelling to Orlando and Disney World etc.

Here’s a tip for you which I don’t think is highlighted well enough in any guide book that I’ve read:-

BUY YOUR THEME PARK TICKETS FROM A RELIABLE UK VENDOR BEFORE YOU TRAVEL!

You will see roadside shops and stands selling tickets, often disguised as “Tourist Information” sites, even people selling Disney World / Universal tickets at the entrance to a restaurant or even in your motel lobby. The people there will usually start to quiz you about tickets you already have and offer you others in exchange, i.e. 1 day Disney pass for a 7 day universal pass or something. LEAVE WELL ALONE, they have been known to be selling old tickets with no free days left on them or even stolen tickets which won’t work when you get to the park. The other thing you’ll see is a single day admission for Disney World etc for $25 (the ticket price at the gate is about $65), this will almost always be tied in to you going on a hard-sell timeshare trip, again LEAVE WELL ALONE unless you like high pressure sales tactics.

Last year during my 2 visits to Orlando the news channels were full of stories of ticket dealers being arrested or people paying a few hundred dollars for they’re family’s tickets only to find that those tickets actually don’t work.

If you have a voucher rather than actual tickets you then to queue up for your tickets once you get to Disney, Sea World, or Universal. These queues can be VERY long at peak times; not ideal when you have excited children (or adults!) with you. Do you really want to start off the day with a 20 minute queue????

Have a look online for some reputable Disney/Universal approved ticket vendors and make sure they are UK based, make sure you get tickets and not vouchers too!!! Lots of very legitimate companies issue e-tickets or vouchers rather than actual tickets so be careful.

I personally recommend THIS ONE - Orlando Ticket Deals. They offer some superb deals, are extremely reputable, they don't charge for credit cards and they send you actual tickets rather than the vouchers for tickets that so many other online retailers provide you with.

Orlando Ticket Deals also sell tickets for Dinner Shows, Kid Eat Free Cards, Day Trips, Fishing Trips, Off Road Driving Experiences etc. It's a superb site. Lick on their logo at the top or bottom of this page to go directly to their site.

Other guides give great advice on all the rides at the parks etc which I won’t repeat here, all I will say is that the part zoo/part crazy theme park “Busch Gardens” is not to me missed, a really great day out and quite varied. My personal favourite is EPCOT, the World Showcase section is really great, don’t miss it!.

A great read for anyone in the UK going to Orlando is Brit Guide to Orlando 2010 this book goes into much more detail about everything than I do and features a lot of details about all the parks and all the rides etc.

Why book Orlando Attraction and Disney Tickets with Orlando Ticket Deals?
Orlando Ticket Deals issue real tickets for the all the major theme parks including Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens NOT vouchers or E-tickets
There are NO credit card fees or hidden surcharges
Convenience: Book online (available 24 hours a day)
Huge selection of tickets for all Orlando area parks and attractions. Even restaurants and dinner shows!
Orlando Ticket Deals guarantee Special Delivery within 8 days of your booking, and at no extra cost to you!
CLICK HERE TO GET A QUOTE OR BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW

Thanks for reading, be sure to check out www.UsaTips4Brits.co.uk for your free online (and downloadable) guide to Orlando written especially for you Brits!