NASA's Kennedy Space Center : Ticket Area

Pretty soon, we will be leaving Florida and move back to the Gulf Coast. Our property was already sold and we are just waiting for the closing schedule. The buyer was so happy to know that the #KennedySpaceCenter is just 15 minutes away from the house. I told them to purchase the annual pass so that they can come here anytime they want.

This is the express ticket area where guests will be able purchase tickets with just a push of the button. The prices are displayed with complete information on what's included in the ticket. A team member is also assigned in the area to assists the guests who are buying the tickets.

Other guests prefer to purchase their ticket in the adjacent ticket area. The queue is not bad at all and it's moving fast. There was an event inside and look at the crowd in here, not bad at all compared to Disney World huh?

If you are wondering about the ticket prices, here it is. Ours is the annual pass and we can visit the Kennedy Space Center anytime and any day for the whole year. This price is really affordable don't you think?

I saw a lot of Filipinos buying tickets too because Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal is just 16 minutes away from here. If you have been cruising, you already know that a great number of Filipinos work on cruise ship industry. If the Port of call is Port Canaveral, cruise ship workers take their free time right here than in Disney World which is an hour drive from the port. The #KSC is an easy place to check out on their free time..

Most of the guests came from Orlando and other places in the country. They were on Disney buses and chartered buses and the #KSC has enough parking space to accommodate all these buses.

The photo below is the new entrance to the KSC's Visitor Complex and I like this entrance better than the old one. It looks spacious, grand and the contemporary design is gorgeous.

See the orange sticking up behind the building? That's where the incredible and breathtaking Atlantis attraction is located. It's newly constructed and it is my most favorite attraction in KSC. Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction has more than 60 interactive exhibits with high tech simulators. Awesome right?

Anyway, check out this beautiful view from the entrance. The American flag is swaying gallantly.

Here are some of the chartered buses and motorhomes parked at KSC parking lot.

KSC has a huge parking lot and each area has the name of the astronauts. When you come and visit KSC, you should remember the name of the Astronauts where you park your car. It will be terrible if you forget this simple detail. You will have a hard time locating your car if that happens.

Remember the number and the name of the Astronaut just like the photo below. Now, Malcolm Scott Carpenter is an astronaut. He was the second American to orbit the earth and the fourth American in Space. He was selected for NASA's Project Mercury. He died last year in October 10, 2013 at the age of 88.

If you are forgetful in remembering names and details, take a picture of where you park your car. Believe me, it will save you time and energy because I saw people who forgot this stuff. They were excited to see the attraction so; when they comeback, they were lost in the middle of thousand of cars LOL. It could ruin your happy day and that's not an ideal to end a vacation right?

That's all for now and thanks for visiting my blog. Now you know that the price is affordable, visit KSC for this spring vacation. Bye and comeback next time.

Ready For #Cruising

It's #RandomThoughts #Thursday in #BeyondPhotography so; I was checking my folder once again to pick a random photo that I love. I choose this picture which was taken in Bahamas. That's The Atlantis in Paradise Island on the background. When the Norwegian Cruise Ship dock in Nassau, hubby and I decided to roam inside the famous Atlantis World Class resort.

This place is truly awesome! If I am rich, I would love to spend my vacation every month ... right here. That's quiet expensive huh? I know and that's the reason I said "IF" ... Hubby and I are so ready to do another cruising so; I need to renew my passport. Gosh! It will be exciting. How about you? How many times did you do cruising?

Atlas V Launch Alert

March 25,2014 is supposed to be the Atlas V rocket launch schedule but, when I check the KSC site, TBD was added. There was a delay of the launch due to technical difficulties. The launch will be re-scheduled soon. We will be busy on Tuesday so; I doubt if we can drive by the Indian River and watch it.

We will probably see the launch in our backyard. I will not even attempt to take pictures using my DSLR. I will just use my fon so; the photos will not look like the ones above. Anyway, I will be posting in FB the live telecast of the rocket launch. Watch out for it.

Helping Your Child Make the Transition to College

For most incoming college students, it’s the first time they’ve lived away from home, and the change can be overwhelming. There are many new responsibilities that they now have to take care of—both with their academic and personal lives. You can visit University Villages West in Clemsonto see what their life will be like on campus and learn how you can help make the adjustment easier on your child.

Choosing a Career Path

One of the major responsibilities a student has to deal with during their time at college is choosing a major and a career path. Obviously, this can have a weighty impact on their entire future, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Encourage your student to sit down with you or with a school counselor to talk about their options and make a plan to fit in all the necessary classes and other requirements. It doesn’t hurt to remind them, at the same time, that many people change their major partway through college, and it isn’t the end of the world if they change their mind.

Taking on Financial Responsibilities

College is a good time to let your child learn how to handle their own money if they haven’t already started to do so. Even if you’re paying for their tuition, you might want to make them responsible for items like clothes and music. It’s a good idea for them to get a bank account and even a credit card. Using a credit card responsibly and paying it off on time every month will help them to start establishing a good credit history, which will be invaluable in the future.

Adjusting to Independent Living

A third major adjustment for your child will be living away from home for the first time. They will be responsible for doing their own laundry, tidying their room or apartment, and possibly even making meals. If you help teach your child these skills while they’re young, it will make the move a lot easier on them, and you’ll never have to worry that they can’t take care of themselves. You can also visit University Villages West in Clemson before the semester starts so you know what furniture or other belongings your child will need as he or she starts their new life away from home.

Nice Ferry Ride to Fort Matanzas National Monument

These photos are my entry for Flashback Wednesday. We live only few hours to Saint Augustine but, it has been a long while since we visited this place. On this particular visit, we arrived in Fort Matanzas at noontime and there were few people waiting for the Ferry. The schedule for the ride was every hour so; we need to wait for another hour.

We were reading the fascinating facts about Fort Matanzas and how important this Fort in protecting Florida from the enemy. When the ferry came, we grow in numbers but, there were enough seats for all of us. The ferry ride is always free of charge and it's a short ride to the Fort. The captain started to talk about the history of Matanzas and he was a great story-teller. Everyone enjoyed listening to him.

I think most of us were tourists and first-timer in the Fort. The captain asked us and almost all of us raised our hands confirming that it's our first visit.

The ride was smooth and the weather was great! We applauded the captain for the good information he shared to us. We stayed inside the Fort for more than an hour. The Captain is knowledgeable about Fort Matanzas and we were listening attentively.

He gave us enough time to explore the Fort. Some people in our group asked a question about the things inside and he had the answer. He was really cool and very friendly too.

My husband and I were planning to comeback here. That will be happening before we move to Mississippi. I am hoping that we can squeeze a time for Saint Augustine trip soon.

If you plan to visit Fort Matanzas in Florida, make sure you plan ahead. You should know that it is crowded on a weekend and holidays. The ferry ride is free but, you need to get the boarding pass at the Visitor Center.

Wear cap or a hat if necessary to protect your face from the heat of the sun. Do not wear high heels!  Do not forget your sunglasses and use sunblock too. Bring a camera with extra batteries and enjoy your visit.

#StarTours in Hollywood Studios

When we plan to visit Disney, we usually stay for few hours. 4 hours max and we come late in the afternoon. We select 3 to 4 attractions, dine in and that's about it. We have a yearly pass so; we are not in a hurry to check out all attractions at once. On this particular day, we braved ourselves to ride the flight simutor. At the entrance, right beside the fast pass machines, characters of the Star Wars were waiting to greet the fans.

Well, there's few minutes left before take off to outer space so; we had no time to meet the characters. We move along and went towards the gate of Star Tours.

Here I was, just topping by to check out some souvenir items.

It's a long walk towards the flight simulator area so; the robot attendants were the ones who gave the directions. It was like going inside the airport and pass to a security area, LOL. The picture below is R2-D2 (standing on top of the starspeeder1000), an Astromech Droid giving directions to us.

Welcoming us in another area is C-3PO, the Protocol Droid which by the way fluent "supposedly" in over six million forms of communication. I was entertained and seemed to forget the long walk already.

I blame the long walk to the zigzag way hehehe. This is how they do it to kill the time especially when it's crowded. I really don't mind at all. The attraction is thrilling and exciting!

Check out R2-D2 on top and giving us instructions which way to go.

Here's another robot who gave us the last minute reminders.

The queue is long but, it was moving fast and besides, the robots keep us company.

I was reading the signs everywhere to make sure that this Flight Simulator is okay for me to ride. I hate adrenalin-rush rides. I said to myself, I will just close my eyes and scream if I'm scared LOL.

Actually, closing my eyes when the ride was too scary to handle, works! The bad part was when it was over, I felt dizzy and almost get sick. After a short walk along the Streets of America, I recovered my strength! That's the reason why; the Star Tour is always the last attraction that we want to visit before we head home. I don't want to ruin my day if I get sick.

By the way, on this particular day, there was a family of 8. The kids were quiet but, excited! The daddy was LOUD! As in LOUD! My goodness, it seemed he was screaming already. He keeps telling the kids to just relax because this ride is not scary according to the reminder posted on the wall. When we were seated and ready to take off, everyone around must be annoyed of his loud voice. Someone hushed him. He still talked loud and ignoring the hush. When the Flight Simulator started, he became silent. Even when it was time to scream, he was silent! When it was over and the door swung open, we were looking at his direction and he was like "pale-and-sickly" looking. Someone yelled, "the amazing ride GOT HIM good huh"? Everyone were laughing LOL. He was still quiet and went to a bathroom. Toink!

#Disney's #HollywoodStudios

It's been so many weeks now that we haven't used our Disney pass. Hubby and I were so busy with this "moving frenzy" so; a trip to Disney is not a priority. We will definitely go there anytime soon. For now, I am sharing some photos that I took inside the theme park but, you will never see these anymore. They constantly changing the landscape but, no matter what, when you are inside the park, everything is beautiful and you will not miss any of these. Whatever is in there right now, it's equally AWESOME!

Hollywood Boulevard

I always feel excited whenever we go to Disney. Excited to see what's the new ride and what attraction is added. Hollywood Boulevard is the main road that goes all the way to Mickey's Sorcerer's Hat which is the icon of Disney World's Hollywood Studio in Florida. When I am here, I always love to check out :

1. The Great Movie Ride

This is a 22-minute tours which is fun because walking is not really favorable for me hehehe. I want to save my energy to just sit back and relax. In this attraction, guests will be able to travel through classic film scenes and view some exciting Hollywood moments. There is walking alright but, not that bad. I remember the rides mostly. By the Echo Lake, two attractions that I wouldn't dare miss.

2. Star Tours

If you love an adrenalin-rush type of rides, this attraction is for you. I like it alright just loving the heck out of it. But, I can only do once and more than that, I will probably get sick. Are you familiar with Flight Simulator? Oh yeah, the name is thrilling alright! R2-D2 will be there to greet the guests as well as C-3PO and #Yoda. It is more exciting when you see and greet Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker huh? Yes, they are there too. Now, the rides is EXCITING! THRILLING! SCARY! That's it hahaha. I hate fast rides. I can't help myself but, love this ride. Love and Hate LOL!

3. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular

To make me relax after that dizzy flight simulator ride, watching the stunts from Indiana Jones movie are relaxing. You should have this attraction in your list too if you visit Disney's Hollywood Studios. Indiana Jones movie is an epic. It is one of my favorite movies. Did you know that Indiana Jones could really be real? Well not the name but, the person that they based this movie from. I saw a documentary about it and it was fascinating to know. Anyway, this attraction is all about stunts, movie magic and they will be showing how the movie was done. The stunts are dangerous but, safe for the audience to watch. If you are eager to volunteer, go ahead! They usually pick a volunteer from the audience.

Streets of America

1. Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show

This is one of the 4 attractions that I love in this area. It is exciting to see how monstrous vehicle stunts are done and captured on film for blockbuster Hollywood movies. This attraction lasts about 33 minutes and yes, if you love to volunteer, you can volunteer too. It is dangerous but, Disney always have safety measures for everyone so; just do it if you are a risk taker. It is fun though. At the end of the show, you will be starring in the movie stunts that they will going to replay on the big screen. You will have a 5-minute fame experience. Awesome huh?.

2. Studio Backlot Tour

This is one of the best attractions in Hollywood Studios and my personal favorite too. I love the walking tour especially the tram tour of movie-making magic. The tour lasts for 35 minutes. If there is a special activity in Disney, this attraction is a favorite so; wait time could go for an hour but, it is worth it. You should not miss this attraction.

Animation Courtyard

Kids love to meet Disney characters right? This is the best location to go to but, you need to get the map and the Times Guide to know when they are coming. My favorite in this area is:

The Voyage of Little Mermaid.
This is a live musical show and done in a theater. I am a big fan of Ariel so; I love to sit and listen to the music, just relaxing.

Sunset Boulevard

This place is fun because I love dining in this area. Aside from that, the hair-raising adrenalin rides are located here too: the Tower of Terror andRock and Roller Coaster. I am chicken so; I detour and never tried any of these two rides hahaha.Fantasmic is also in this area and my favorite:

Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage.

This is a live musical and Broadway style show which lasts for 30 minutes. After all the walking and thrilling rides, this show is a perfect attraction to end an exciting day in Hollywood Studios. Unless if you want to wait for Fantasmic show which will be done at night time.

Well, those attractions are my personal favorites. What do you think? Are you excited to visit Hollywood Studios soon? I got lots of photos to share so; please come by anytime and check out my latest posts. Thanks for stopping by always. See you again.

Visiting New Orleans

I was browsing some pictures about St. Patrick's Parade but, I saw these set of photos in my folder. Well, I promise to post pictures of St. Patrick's parade later but first, let me share these photos. I personally took these pictures in New Orleans during Mardi Gras parade. I noticed that most of the souvenir stores in French Quarter area has this type of display.

It shows the culture in New Orleans. They love music and have a good time. Inside the store, there are plenty of souvenir items to choose from. They also sell voodoo dolls and all those black magic paraphernalia.

During Mardi Gras season, the French Quarter in New Orleans is crowded and the traffic is terrible. This is a fun place but, you should be careful always. Do not wander the streets at night! The food is delicious and affordable. The Southern Cuisine is always good you know.

There are so many hotels and few casinos in the area. My personal favorite is the Harrah's Hotel and Casino because I love the location. It is near the mall and the French Quarter area. Their buffet has a wide selection of great tasting food and very affordable too.

This is just one of the streets in New Orleans. We were heading to Harrah's for lunch before we head back home. Anyway, I miss going to New Orleans. In few weeks, we will be moving to Mississippi so; the thought of visiting this place again is what I look forward to.

Astronauts Memorial at Kennedy Space Center

I found these photos in one of my folders and I'd like to share these to all of you. If you are planning to visit Florida, spend a day in Kennedy Space Center. It's just an hour away from Orlando and I promise you, you will find this place interesting, educational and inspiring.

You will see this commemorative plaque in the Astronauts Memorial, inside the Kennedy Space Center. This is one of my favorite places to visit and have the time to relax a bit. It has a different atmosphere in here; too solemn is all I can say.

This area might not be the most popular attraction if kids love the adrenalin of games and rides. For those who loves a moment of peace and quiet, this is the place to go to. The best place to contemplate what had happened to the men and women who died during Science mission.

I took this picture before Atlantis called this place , a home. Now? The Atlantis is one of the popular attractions in Kennedy Space Center. You should check out this place soon and bring your children and the whole family. You will love it here. See you soon and thanks for stopping by.

If you want to see more photos of the Kennedy Space Center, click the tags below. Enjoy.