 |
Spirit Airlines Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Orlando (MCO)
Orbitz is pleased to offer airline tickets on Spirit Airlines, which operates 2 regularly scheduled daily non-stop flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Orlando (MCO), departing between 6:30am and 10:10am. Usually an Airbus A319 is flown for this route. The average travel time from Atlanta, GA to Orlando, FL is 1 hour and 25 minutes.
During your Orlando vacation, don't miss these great establishments and attractions:
Central Florida Zoo
This community zoo has come a long way since it was born in 1923 when a circus came to town, leaving a monkey and a goat behind. The monkey rode the goat in the earliest show. Today, the animal collection includes beautiful clouded leopards, cheetahs, and black-footed cats, all of which are endangered. You'll also meet a ham of a hippo named Geraldine as well as black howler monkeys, siamangs, American crocodiles, a banded Egyptian cobra, a Gila monster, hyacinth macaws, barred owls, bald eagles, and dozens of other species. The zoo has half-price admission for everyone Thursdays from 9 to 10am and all day Tuesdays for seniors 60 and over. Allow 2 to 3 hours. Tip: One-year memberships that include additional perks and free admission to this and 100 other participating zoos and aquariums across the country are available. A family membership is $50, which, depending on your family's size, may be more economical than purchasing individual tickets.
Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum
If you're a fan of vintage flying machines and their restoration, this working museum displays and restores aircraft from the World War II through Vietnam eras. Owner Tom Reilly offers guided tours through a museum full of hands-on exhibits. The outdoor showroom includes changing exhibits of birds that have been or are being restored, such as a 1909 Martin M-1, a 1944 B-17 Flying Fortress, a 1944 P-38 Lightning, and a 1965 MIG 21. Plan on spending 2 hours. It's interesting and a must for aviation buffs, but the show here is almost entirely visual. Note: The museum sustained hurricane damage in the summer of 2004 and is currently in the midst of rebuilding. At press time, they weren't running actual tours yet, but the museum is open and is currently accepting donations in lieu of an admission fee for those who would like to take a look around.
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium
Do you crave weird science? If you're a fan of the bizarre, here's where you'll find lots of oddities. Among the hundreds of exhibits: a two-headed kitten, a five-legged cow, a three-quarter-scale model of a 1907 Rolls-Royce made of 1 million matchsticks, a mosaic of the Mona Lisa created from toast, torture devices from the Spanish Inquisition, a Tibetan flute made of human bones, and Ubangi women with wooden plates in their lips. There are exhibits on Houdini and films of people swallowing coat hangers. Visitors are greeted by a hologram of Robert Ripley. Allow 2 hours.
Make your reservations for discount hotel rooms in the
Orlando area, including:
Veranda Bed & Breakfast
Located in Thornton Park, this inn near scenic Lake Eola is another option if you want to stay near Downtown. Its four buildings date back to the early 1900s. All units (studios to suites) include private baths and entrances; some have garden tubs, balconies, kitchenettes, and four-poster beds. A few of the nicer options include the Washington Suite, which sports a four-poster bed and a Jacuzzi, and the romantic Carriage Suite, which has a four-poster bed and antique claw-foot tub. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom Keylime Cottage ($209) sleeps four and has a full kitchen.
Royal Pacific Resort
The third of Universal Orlando's three resorts has an open-air courtyard with an exquisite orchid garden, palm trees, waterfalls, and lagoons, including one in which a float plane with a 90-foot wingspan is docked (the scene reminds more than a few people of Gilligan's Island). The Royal Pacific doesn't quite succeed at creating a Polynesian paradise (you can hear the screams of riders on the Hulk Coaster from the pool area), but it's definitely the best Universal resort in the theme department.The rooms, though smaller than those at other Universal resorts, are attractively decorated with lovely wood accents and carvings; they are far better than those at comparable Disney resorts. And the lagoon pool area -- the largest in Orlando -- is lovely. The big plus: Guests get no-line access to almost every ride at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, and seating privileges for shows and restaurants. The big minuses: The self-parking lot ($6) is a very long hike from the hotel, and I've heard several complaints in specific reference to this hotel about run-ins with barking dogs (Loews hotels are pet-friendly).Facilities: 5 restaurants; 3 lounges; outdoor heated pool; kids' pool; cabanas; putting green; shuffleboard; volleyball; Jacuzzi; sauna; recreational activities; play area; supervised children's center; arcade; concierge; free water-taxi transportation to Universal parks; free shuttle to SeaWorld; transportation for a fee to WDW parks; 24-hr. room service; babysitting; valet.
Comfort Suites Maingate at Formosa Gardens
Just across the street from the La Quinta Inn Lakeside and up the road from WDW, this clean, comfortable, place to stay has kept itself modern and in good shape. The "suites" have a small dividing wall slightly separating the living area from the sleeping quarters, but the illusion of privacy is there. Accommodations are a bit bigger than most and can squeeze in up to six. A bit of tropical landscaping gives it an inviting atmosphere and shelters guests from busy U.S. 192. At least 10 restaurants and a small shopping plaza are within walking distance, and there's a miniature golf course right across the street.
|
|
|
