TRIPinfo.com - Internet Travel Monitor Newsletter Article

KISSIMMEE, FL – As spring arrives, bringing thoughts of warm weather and fun, Kissimmee beckons those looking for an exciting getaway. This popular tourist spot has more for travelers than ever before, with new hotels, new theme park attractions and new dining options, inviting them to choose Kissimmee as their vacation destination.

SeaWorld Introduces Aquatica; New Rides and Attractions Open in Theme Parks
SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove will be joined by a new sister park when Aquatica opens in March. This water wonderland offers many rides and attractions for all thrill levels. Some of Aquatica's unique attractions also will provide opportunities to interact with animals, including clear water slides that launch riders underwater to encounter black and white Commerson's dolphins.

At Walt Disney World, Epcot's signature feature Spaceship Earth reopened in February following a nine-month facelift. Featuring new scenes, costumes and special effects along with a new narration and new musical score, the experience culminates in a totally re-themed interactive post-show.

Much is happening at the newly renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios, formerly Disney-MGM Studios. With the premier of Block Party Bash this spring, guests will play, party and dance in the most interactive parade in Disney history, featuring characters from the Disney-Pixar films, such as Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles and A Bug's Life. Summer 2008 will be highlighted by the new Toy Story Mania! ride/game experience. Wearing 3-D glasses, guests shrink to the size of a toy and are transported along a midway-themed route, encountering booths with animated targets for guests to aim and fire with their special spring-action shooters.

Disaster! A Major Motion Picture Ride…Starring You opened at Universal Orlando's Universal Studios in early 2008. An update of Earthquake, the attraction presents an experience that combines the best and most dramatic of its previous elements with a new story line, celebrity talent, digital technologies and interactive components. Also joining Universal Studios is the highly anticipated The Simpsons Ride. Scheduled for spring 2008, the attraction will carry guests along with the Simpsons family as they explore Krusty Land, a theme park developed by the show's Krusty the Clown.

Clarion Resort and Waterpark Makes a Splash; New and Renovated Hotels Debut
The Clarion Resort & Waterpark, formerly the Travelodge Kissimmee Heritage Park, is completing a $55 million renovation project to transform the property into one of the top properties on the east end of the U.S. 192 tourism corridor. All 281 rooms in the hotel, which now include Jacuzzi suites, are being renovated and refurbished. For large groups or families, several of the rooms connect to provide added comfort and privacy. The Clarion's new water park recently opened for guests, featuring three slides, a 300-foot lazy river, a kids' water play area, a water spa and pool. Other hotel amenities include a wedding pavilion, gazebos for rent with HD televisions and Internet access, 5,000 square feet of meeting rooms, a restaurant and a bar with lounge.

In February, the brand new Hampton Inn and Suites opened in its convenient location near the major roadways of U.S. 192, State Road 535 and the Osceola Parkway. The Hampton Inn is just three miles from the Walt Disney World Resort area and close to shopping and attractions. The hotel offers 125 guest rooms and suites equipped with microwaves and refrigerators as well as LCD high-definition televisions. Hotel amenities include fitness center, business center, outdoor pool, free high-speed wireless Internet and complimentary hot breakfast

The world's largest Travelodge has re-emerged after a $10 million renovation project as the Holiday Inn Main Gate East, Kissimmee's newest hotel on the U.S. 192 corridor. Among the new features at the 444-room property are a redesigned pool and spa area, including brick pavers and lush landscaping; a new business center which houses five workstations, laptop area, high-speed Internet access and print, fax and copy capabilities; and a colorful new lobby with Italian tile. Visitors to the Holiday Inn can expect some of the hotel's features for which they are well-known including the Best-4-Breakfast menu with signature items such as Cinnamon Supreme French Toast™ and Skillet Inspirations™. All rooms boast colorful and stylish triple-sheeted beds, granite countertops and high-speed Internet access. The hotel's lobby bar, Chianti's, has been redesigned to include rich, dark wood furnishings and both indoor and outdoor seating.

Kissimmee's newest luxury accommodation, the Mona Lisa Suite Hotel, opens in spring 2008. The $70 million all-suite hotel will offer guests 240 upscale one- and two-bedroom suites furnished with king-sized beds with Egyptian cotton linens, down comforters and pillows. All suites include Thymes Azur Collection toiletries, plush bathrobes, LCD flat screen televisions in every room, modern kitchen with stainless steel appliances, cordless telephones and wireless high-speed Internet access. Each suite also has a fully-furnished, self-contained balcony overlooking the swimming pool area, the town of Celebration or the lush Florida landscape.

A recently completed, multi-million dollar renovation project at Royale Parc Suites, formerly the Quality Suites Maingate East, captures the essence of classic New Orleans right in the heart of Kissimmee. The hotel's 224 guest suites and the grounds evoke the colors, courtyards and other signature characteristics of the historic city, but its location gives visitors access to all of the adventure and fun that the Orlando area has to offer. The over-sized suites are chic yet comfortable with new furniture, luxurious bedding, new baths, flat screen TVs in living room and master bedrooms and new kitchenette appointments. The theme also extends to the dining options, at the Cajun Quarters restaurant, which serves an extensive breakfast buffet, and the Sidewalk Café.

Medieval Times Tells New Tale; New Dining and Shopping Options Available
An exciting new production of Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament made its debut in December. The new story tells the tale of a prince ambushed by enemies and the high drama that results as his young bride and the King await word of his fate. This is the first show's first new production since 2003. In addition to a new script, the production also includes new lighting, choreography and battle scenes, new horse dressage elements and a new soundtrack composed in the US by the Czech Republic-based Czech Film Orchestra.

Medieval Times' Kissimmee location is the first of the chain's locations in the world and is the longest running dinner attraction in North America. Its distinctive castle along Kissimmee's U.S. Hwy. 192 also completed a $7 million renovation of its 1,000-seat facility in early 2007. Among the renovations to the castle are a new courtyard and 38-foot video display sign, expansion of the waiting area, a new state-of-the-art kitchen, and a new ticketing building with drawbridge and moat.

The Windmill Restaurant at Celebration Golf Club has introduced a new menu. The new choices focus on healthier, tastier entrees such as the Windmill Tavern Apple Salad, Fresh Florida Grouper Sandwich, Windmill Signature Salmon and a bigger breakfast selection. The Windmill Restaurant is open from sunrise until 5 p.m. daily. The Celebration Golf Club, has recently undergone a $2 million renovation project to improve its 10-year-old golf course.

Old Town's newest restaurant, Kool Katz Grill and Pub, opened in late 2007 at the popular Kissimmee attraction. The restaurant offers casual American food and freshly-prepared homestyle cooking in a décor reminiscent of Old Town's famous car cruises.

The Loop West's first store, JC Penney, opened its doors in October featuring the Kissimmee area's first Sephora beauty boutique. The 103,000-square-foot store is the first retailer to open at the 400,000-square-foot retail and dining complex. A second department store, Belk, will open in March and other stores and restaurants are slated to open throughout spring and summer 2008, including DSW Shoes and BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse.

Copyright 2008 Kissimmee Convention & Visitors Bureau. All rights reserved. From http://www.floridakiss.com.
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