A Year on the Road

Looking Ahead to Epic Universe

May 22, 2025 is shaping up as THE big date in next year’s calendar here in Orlando as we look ahead to the opening of Universal Orlando’s brand new theme park, Epic Universe. We were tasked with providing a preview for the New Zealand Herald recently, and it is now online, with a full run-down of what this super-exciting new park will offer come next May:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/looking-to-2025-universal-opens-universal-epic-universe-in-orlando/HYSTLBX365HL3EOCH2FJRWD524/

There is a LOT to look forward to, and we will have more news and insights about this astounding new park in the weeks and months ahead. Stay tuned, now…!

A Year On The Road in The Independent, Pt 10

*The mind-boggling SpaceX Starbase Complex in Boca Chica Beach, Texas*

Our latest feature (Part 10 of 12) for The Independent is now online, highlighting the blissful winter section of our epic RV adventure along the Texas coast and into Louisiana, a 600-mile stretch of superb beaches, cute towns, and bayou wetlands. It included discovering Elon Musk’s Starbase, chic Corpus Christi, bustling Galveston and the surprising city of Lafayette. You can read all about it on this link:

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/north-america/usa/road-trip-usa-texas-louisiana-b2638398.html

*Watching the gigantic cruise ships leaving the Port of Galveston is a major attraction on Galveston Island*

A Year On The Road in The Apopka Voice

We were recently interviewed by The Apopka Voice newspaper here in our little home town about our recently-concluded Year On The Road RV adventure, and had a wonderful and wide-ranging chat with Managing Editor Reggie Connell, who is also an RV enthusiast. The results of our chat have just been published, and we would like to thank Reggie and The Voice for such a well-written and positive feature. You can read it on the following link:

https://theapopkavoice.com/stories/exploring-america-apopkas-simon-and-susan-veness-take-to-the-road-for-a-year-long-adventure,102411

Pointe Orlando Goes Live!

*The eye-catching PBR Cowboy Bar, one of the six new venues at Live! at Pointe Orlando*

There’s a whole new look and vibe to the bustling Pointe Orlando entertainment center on Orlando’s International Drive these days, and much of it is due to the imminent completion of the fabulous Live! at Pointe Orlando development, which has been taking place in the past two months. Last weekend (Nov 8-10) saw the debut of one of the signature elements of this major revitalization program, the dazzling new Palm Beach Club – the brainchild of DJ Kygo – and it served as the inspiration for our latest blog for AttractionTickets.com, looking at the full collection of dining, drinking, dancing, and sheer fun of this major regeneration. Here’s the link: https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/pointe-orlando-goes-live.

*The super-chic new Palm Beach Club at the heart of the Live! at Pointe Orlando development*

The Sights of the Bayou

*The Bayou Teche in St Martinville, Louisiana on a gorgeous spring day*

We’re resuming the video snapshots from our recent, and quite epic, Year On The Road RV adventure, picking up the trail just after we left coastal Texas and continued into Louisiana, where we encountered the pretty Bayou Teche in St. Martinville, just south of Lafayette. This is classic Cajun country, the region of Louisiana inhabited by the evicted French Canadian catholic people from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in the early 19th century. The sights, food, and culture are all original to the area, and it made for quite a contrast after the beautiful beach territory of The Lone Star state.

Check out the short video highlight here:

Highlighting Orlando’s Astounding New Evermore Resort

Orlando boasts just about every kind of resort and vacation accommodation you can think of, but one thing it didn’t have – until this year – was a Crystal Lagoon. That all changed with the opening of the astounding $1.5billion Evermore Resort, and it made a suitable subject for our latest blog for AttractionTickets.com. This 500-acre stunner sits just outside Disney’s eastern border and consists of a luxury Conrad Hotel, vacation villas and flats, plus two championship-quality golf courses. And it is all set around the stunning 20-acre Evermore Bay, which provides for all manner of seaside recreation – without being anywhere near the coast! Read all about it on this link: https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/orlando/orlandos-evermore-resort-beach-marvel

Orlando’s New Latin Dining Sensation

We were invited to sample a brand new International Drive restaurant last week, and were wowed by the tastes AND style of Corazon By Baires, part of the impressive Mango’s Tropical Cafe development. You can read all about it in our latest blog for AttractionTickets.com on this link: https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/orlando/dine-style-orlandos-new-latin-sensation

Orlando’s Top 10 (Non-Theme Park) Christmas Attractions

*The fabulous ICE! exhibit at the Gaylord Palms Resort*

We always say there is a lot more to Orlando than just the theme parks, as good as they are. And that is especially true for the Holiday season here in Central Florida. There are several dozen Christmas celebrations that all offer wonderful experiences that owe nothing to Mickey and Co, hence we made it the subject for our latest blog for AttractionsTickets.com:

https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/orlando/orlandos-top-10-christmas-experiences

*Dazzling Lights at Leu Gardens in Orlando*

Let’s Go Christmas Crackers!

While it’s still barely half-past October, and we haven’t had Halloween yet, let alone Thanksgiving, it is also the case that Orlando is busily gearing up for its busiest time of the year – the Holidays! That’s right, the big Christmas festive season is almost upon us, and that’s the cue for us to set up all the excitement in store in our latest blog for AttractionTickets.com, especially with our UK visitors in store. It all starts on November 2 and there is even more to look forward to than ever before. Don’t believe us? Check out the blog here: https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/orlando/walt-disney-world-tickets/lets-go-christmas-crackers

Being Hurricane Savvy in Orlando

Florida and Orlando have been in the international headlines for major hurricane events in the past few weeks, but that shouldn’t be a major deterrent for our visitors. We discuss why in our latest blog for AttractionTickets.com:

https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/orlando/being-hurricane-savvy