Adventures

Wet and Wild in Orlando.

What a blast!! This is a great water park with many water rides and a huge wave pool. We purchased tickets on-line at www.wetandwildorlando.com and received a good discount at $27.50. There is also a $12 charge for parking. Apparently a year long pass is around $100 for Florida residents.

The rides were all amazing and fun. The water rides/slides involved large inner tubes that held from 1-4 people. Some of the slides had names like “The Storm”, “The Black Hole”, and “Brain Wash". Some were in enclosed slides, but most were open. There were a lot of stairs to climb, so you must be able to navigate steps. There was a “lazy river” where you could just float around in a circle, which was relaxing. Also, many people enjoyed the wave pool that had large waves in a huge pool.

We would recommend this adventure on a warm summer day. Weekdays will more than likely have less crowds. Bob gave us some wonderful tips. Herecommended that we arrive when they opened at 10 AM and picked a table to put your coolers and other items for the day. There is someone who checks your bags as you arrive. You can bring in coolers with drinks (non-alcoholic and snacks), towels, beach bags, cameras, etc. We would recommend bringing towels and a change of dry clothes. They have lockers to rent of various sizes with the medium size at $12.57 and $3 is returned with the key return. Having a locker was essential because you will get wet and you need a place to put your things that are not water proof. Most people did not wear shoes because they got in the way on the rides. If you have water shoes that attach to your feet, this would work on many rides rather than flip flops that may fall off.

In the park they have food, gift shops, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks (a bar), many restrooms, showers and changing areas. The restrooms were constantly being cleaned. There were life guards at each ride and they helped you when needed.

It was a wonderful day filled with fun in the sun. If you have never tried a water park or been to Wet and Wild, you should try it!

What an adventure!

Judie Pristaw, Bill Ringwood, Linda and John Mason, John O’Reilly, Debbie Austin, Linda Doyle, Gary Carson, and Charlyne and Johnny Marion went on the Craigcat Tour in Mt Dora during October 2013.

We were greeted by a young man who had us sign the typical release forms and took this group picture. It was a beautiful sunny day with calm waters and nice breezes.

We didn’t know what to expect but were ready for anything. And what a ride we had!

The Craigcat was designed by Erik Craig, who was our tour guide! We found out that the Craigcat has been manufactured for over many years and has been used by the military. Most of the boats are handmade; therefore they produce about three Craigcats per week in the Orlando factory. These are magnificent machines that are stable in the water and fun to drive. They can really move in the water, which is great fun!

On our tour, Mr. Craig took us around the shore in Mt Dora and

Tavares. Each person had their own walkie-talkie so we could listen to the guide. He was very knowledgeable about the history and the area. He then took us in a line down Dora Canal. This is a beautiful canal which is tree lined and full of wildlife and Florida flora.

The Craigcat Tours is definitely a great adventure for young and old alike. They are able to accommodate 10 people, two per boat. The cost was about $65, but there are sometimes coupons in the paper or on-line. We all felt it was worth the cost and just a great time for all.

The Adventures Keep Getting Better and Better!

Sheila, Nick, Tim, Linda, (Becky) and John went zip lining in Ocala at the Canyons. What a marvelous adventure we had. The staff at the Canyons were well trained and taught us the basics step by step. We went on the "bunny zips" to learn how to ride and stop. The short runs gave us confidence for the longer and more scenic runs.

We went on 9 runs, walked across a cable bridge, and propelled off a tower at the end. It was one of the most exciting and fun days we have had as a group.

It was so much fun that, unless you are afraid of heights, anyone would enjoy. Well worth the time (about 2 1/2 hours) and money (It was about $100).