If you and your family enjoy adventures in the water then the place for you to go while visiting Orlando is Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Centre. Located behind Disney’s Contemporary Resort this water park offers you an opportunity to parasail, ride on a powerful personal watercraft, water-ski, wakeboard, tube ride and more.

The center features new Mastercraft speed boats, a state of the art parasail vessel, personal watercrafts, the latest ski and wakeboard equipment and a staff of instructors that have been groomed and personally chosen by Sammy Duvall.

Duvall was a world-champion during his 17 year long career as a professional water skier. His enthusiasm for the sport has not diminished since his “retirement” from professional waterskiing and is expressed in the Watersports Center where his staff take the time to help participants learn as much as they can and have a good time too.

One of the biggest attractions of the centre is parasailing. This is the only the only parasailing facility in Central Florida and its location will give you a bird’s eye view of the Walt Disney World Resort and the rest of Orlando. Imagine being lifted on a parasail several hundred feet high as a tow boat speeds through the water below

Their parasailing vessel is brand new and exceeds Coast Guard safety regulations. They claim that the ride is so smooth that you won’t even get wet. You get a choice of a 450 feet high ride or a 600 feet high ride. You can travel alone or in tandem with a friend or family member. To take part in the parasail adventure you have to weigh at least 130 pounds and be over 6 years old. However, if someone does not have the required weight, he or she, can accompany another adult or child.

Another popular activity at the Watersports Centre is the personal watercraft rides. The crafts are capable of holding up to three people with a combined weight of 400 pounds and they offer two tours of the resort area. There is a morning guided tour along Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon or you can opt for a free ride in which you can cut loose and speed through their private watercraft area.

For the Watercrafts, all drivers must be over 16 years and have to bring a photo I.D. when they check in. A credit card is required to be used for a damage deposit. Minors must have an adult present to sign waivers.

The third major attraction of this park is the general water sports that are offered. You can learn how to water ski for the first time or get pulled around on a tube. You can learn how to wakeboard or you can perfect your skills. The Centre uses state of the art equipment and has experienced instructors on hand to help you get the most out of this experience. Whether you are a water sports beginner or a slalom skier interested in high-level instruction you will probably find whatever you wish here.

The park closed in 2003, due to financial difficulties. The park was purchased by a new owner and redesigned in 2004. It reopened in November of that year. Many new attractions were added, but the original charm was retained. The Southern Belles can still be found strolling the paths around the gardens.

There are thirty rides and five roller coasters in the park. This includes the Triple Hurricane wooden roller coaster. This is a short ride that is not too scary. It is the calmest coaster in the park and is perfect for your childs first experience on a real roller coaster. The Fiesta Express is another roller coaster that is good for kids.

The other three coasters are faster, longer and more exciting. The Swamp Thing is a suspended coaster. The Galaxy Spin is a spinning wild mouse type roller coaster. The Okeechobee Rampage is a roller skater coaster. Another coaster is under construction at the park. The Starliner is a classic wooden roller coaster. This coaster was originally located in Panama City, Florida at the Miracle Strip Amusement Park, which closed. It is currently being constructed and is planned to open in 2007.

Cypress Gardens is famous for its gardens. The park is home to amazing gardens and horticultural displays. A holiday display can be seen from Thanksgiving through January 6 of each year. A Poinsettia Festival is held at the park during the Christmas season. There are also a variety of great water skiing shows held daily in the park.

There are a variety of specialty shops for shopping in the park. Many of these contain beautiful hand made crafts made by local craftsmen. Spend some time browsing in the shops and enjoying the crafts. This is a great place to pick up a stunning and unique souvenir of your trip or gift for family or friends.

Splash Island Water Park is part of Cypress Gardens. You get admission to both parks with one ticket. This water park has a wave pool, lazy river ride and slides. The park has a Polynesian theme. There are water rides for younger children, older kids and adults. This is a great place to cool off in the hot Florida summer.

Admission to the park includes access to the gardens, rides, shows, concerts and admission to the water park. The concerts vary throughout the year. Call to find out who is playing when you plan to visit. There are specials allowing you to enjoy two days for the price of one. Ask about this when you purchase your tickets.

White sand, dolphins swimming in blue water and a cabana boy serving you frozen Margaritas. Those are just a few of the things that make a beach vacation stand out from other vacations. The tropical sun seems to melt away all your worries except one… should you turn over to even out your tan or wait five more minutes?

If, however, a laid back, nothing to do vacation isn’t for you, there is plenty to do on the beach as well. Vacations on the beach can be leisurely or busy. Maybe you want to go for a swim or learn how to snorkel and check out the reefs. Maybe you want to stay on the beach or are you the more adventurous type and are looking to learn to water ski or surf. The nice thing about vacations is it is all up to you. What ever you want to do, do it!

What should you expect from a vacation package?

That depends on what you want to do and where you want to go. Are you going to the Caribbean? Europe? Are you going to vacation in the Untied States? Mexico? Once you have decided on where you will be vacationing, you have to decide what you want to do when you get there. Because you can get different packages for the same beach, make a list of amenities. One end of the beach may have those cabana boys serving drinks while the other end is open for camping and the middle may be a family atmosphere. So while it would appear that all beaches are the same, they are not. You will want to do your homework before you settle on one.

If a vacation you don’t have to ‘think’ about once you get there sounds like your idea of relaxation, you are in luck. There are so may vacation packages that you will literally have your pick of doing nothing, everything or something in between. The most popular packages for beach vacations will include round trip airfare or cruise to and from the beach. They will have a certain number of days – do you want to stay for three days or the whole week… or longer? Other packages will include tours, meals, attraction tickets and other things as well.

Some ultimate beach vacations
By doing research, you can find some excellent beach vacation packages. For example, with packages that can be customized to include family amusement parks and miniature golf, Myrtle Beach vacation packages are among the best packages available.

Delta, and some other airlines also offer beach vacations. While you may not think about going through an airline for your beach vacation package, they really allow you to customize your vacation right down to the last detail. And since they will most likely have airports with flights into and out of your designation, you might as well make a package deal with them and save on your airfare.

Summary:

Because beach vacation packages can be customized to suit your needs, from relaxing in the sun to guided tours, you will have no problem putting together a package that will fit your wants and likes.