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Take a hot air
Balloon Ride and See Disney World from the Air!
By Mark Whichard
If you are looking for
the ultimate view of Disney World and the Orlando area then
you should get up early in the morning and take a balloon
ride. Every morning at sunrise a one hour balloon flight
begins, flies over the whole area giving participants an
amazing panoramic view and ends with a champagne toast and
an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet.
Here are some more
details about this fascinating experience. The whole
process starts at 6:00 AM with a flight briefing and then
everyone heads off to one of the more than 25 launch
locations in the Orlando area. Passengers can watch the
inflation of the hot-air balloon and once the flight begins
the pilot points out all the attractions that can be seen
below.
Now in case you are wondering, the balloons carry either
four, six or nine passengers. The size of the balloon
depends on how many bookings there are for a particular day.
So you do have to make your reservation in advance.
A frequently asked question is “will we fly over Disney
World?” That depends on the wind conditions. The flight
direction is determined by the wind, but on most days you
can see Disney World and the other parks of the area.
You don’t have to bring a sweater because you will not be
cold when the balloon rises. These are hot air balloons and
you will be six to eight degrees warmer in the balloon. You
are advised to wear comfortable shoes as you will have to
walk in cow pastures and hay fields as these are the areas
where the take off and landing points are located.
The tour operators recommend that you bring your cameras
and videos, and if you are using film, then take twice as
much as you would normally take, because the views are
spectacular and you will want to shoot to your heart’s
content.
For this kind of activity safety is of the utmost
importance. The company which organizes these flights has
been flying 250-275 flights per year with four to thirty
passengers every day, for over 18 years and has a perfect
safety record. “We don’t take any chances,” is how they
explain it.
These flights only take place when there is good weather.
You should make your reservation in advance and call the
night before to check to see whether the flight will
actually take place. Most of the time the operators know in
advance whether the flight will be OK for the next day.
Occasionally flights are cancelled at the launch site when
there is a late change in weather conditions.
If you are already sold on this then here are some
important details. The cost of the flights are approximately
(check with operators for the latest prices) as follows:
Adults - $175 per person, Children (10-15) age - $95 per
child and children under nine fly free with each paying
adult.
You can get more information and make your reservations
by calling this number: 407 415 7283
So there you have it! If you want to know what it is like
to be up in the air with the birds, and want to see all of
Orlando, then make your reservation for a hot air balloon
ride.
Mark and Susan Whichard are Orlando tourism experts and write frequently about attractions in and around Orlando.
Mark and his wife Susan are the proprietors of
Quality Villa Rentals Orlando. You can get great deals on
Orlando vacation homes and villa rentals at this website
http://www.qualityvillarentals.com
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