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The Best of Universal Orlando

So youve done walt disney world and now youre ready to discover Universal Orlando. But where to start? Universal Orlando is a whopper of a destination composed of exceptional resorts, first-rate restaurants, and two theme parks offering a certain brand of high-speed intensity certain to please. Here are some of Universals best experiences:

Best Deluxe Resort

For the height of luxury in a Mediterranean seaside setting head straight for this exclusive hotel designed to resemble Italys idyllic seaside town of Portofino. The scenery is pure postcard with colorful fishing boats bobbing in the seductively curving bay, sun-bleached stucco buildings with shuttered windows and trompe loeil decorative facades, and a charming, waterside piazza loaded with appetizing restaurants. Guestrooms are large and luxurious with four-poster beds, luxe linens, down pillows, and a pile of other amenities that cant be beat.

Best Resort For the Utterly Cool

Hard Rocks motto is love all, serve all and serve they certainly do at the single coolest place in florida to hang out in California hip style. Its a mix of pure luxury and star worship where an ultra slick marble lobby, a marvelous pool complex, and stylish guestrooms are interspersed with over one million dollars worth of rock and roll memorabilia and rock music blasting away in every public space; over 900 speakers are scattered throughout the property, all running seven days a week, 24 hours a day. But rest assured, from the moment you enter the hallways leading to your trendy guestroom, only beautiful silence is heard.

Best Resort pool

Hard Rocks 12,000 foot zero-entry pool is almost too hip to handle. It comes with an underwater sound system and a 250-foot slide (the longest at any U.S. hotel), all surrounded by a sand beach and swaying palm trees. For the ultimate in luxury, rent a poolside cabana equipped with lounge chairs, TV, telephone, fax line, refrigerator, and ceiling fan. You can even order up your own private masseuse.

Best Resort Lounge

It depends. The hip crowd should head to Velvet, Hard Rock Hotels so cool cocktail lounge offering a huge list of specialty martinis and premium cigars along with rock and roll, chic seating, and a great outdoor terrace with a view of the resorts pool. Those with a more sophisticated inclination will love Bar America at Portofino Bay Hotel where a pianist entertains a fashionable crowd feasting on Beluga caviar and fine wine in an elegant setting.

Best attractions For Thrill Seekers

Universal Orlando is the perfect place for those who crave a rush of adrenaline. And the best park for thrills is Universals newest, islands of Adventure. Head first to the Incredible Hulk coaster where youre launched from a near standstill to 40 mph in 2 seconds, then immediately into a zero-G dive roll looping through inversion after inversion and twice underground before coming to a halt. Then take a ride on Dueling Dragons, the worlds first inverted, dueling (theres two of them), near-miss coasters. At certain points during the ride youll swear your dangling feet almost touch those of the opposite dragon as it goes roaring by.

Best Way to Spend an Evening Without the Kids

first check the children into one of the Universal resorts excellent child care centers. Then head to either Emerils at Citywalk, a classy spot reminiscent of the New Orleans warehouse district with intoxicating Creole/Cajun food or Tchuop Chop at Universals Royal Pacific Resort, one of the most beautiful restaurants in Orlando serving innovative Asian/Polynesian fare. Afterward dance the night away at Universals Citywalk. Buy a Party pass for unlimited admission to all the nightclubs and enjoy!

Best Resort restaurant

Its a toss up. Tchoup Chop at the Royal Pacific Resort for its breathtakingly beautiful dining room and imaginative cuisine or Delfino Riviera, Portofino Bay Hotels stylish and sophisticated Italian restaurant perched above the piazza overlooking the bay.

Best Way to Spend an Afternoon Away From the parks

Immerse yourself in luxury with one or two soothing spa treatments at Portofino Bays Mandara Spa. Choose from a variety of massage, face, anti-aging, and body treatments including Indonesian four hands massage and Javanese Lulur. Follow this with an afternoon lazing beside one of the resorts three luxurious pools.

Cara Goldsbury is the author of The Luxury guide to Walt disney world: How to Get the Most Out of the Best Disney Has to Offer available at 800-247-6553, or www.luxurydisneyguide.com

posted by 56046 @ 4:46 PM 0 comments

Hypnosis, Suggestion, and Advertising

The power of suggestion is not a new concept. Marketing and advertising gurus all know what it takes to drive a message into peoples minds; suggestion and repetition. It doesnt have to be taken in consciously. In the case of marketing, the subliminal delivery of a message has just as much impact, sometimes more, than just telling people what you want them to hear.

Advertisers already use hypnosis. They offer the suggestion. Maybe its a billboard or its a TV ad. Youre not quite sure where you saw or heard it, but you know you believe it. That is the whole foundation of a successful marketing campaign. It is to penetrate peoples minds without them even being aware of it. Sound familiar? It should, it is hypnosis. Its suggestion. For example, the image of a healthy looking, smiling, beautiful girl drinking a club soda. There are no words necessary. Its being suggested. Drink a club soda and you will look like me, you will be like me. Youll be beautiful, like me.

Advertisers know exactly how to penetrate the mind and deliver a message without effort. In some cases its the suggestion of consequences to your actions. Images that convey a sad or frightening experience, they communicate the message, dont let this happen to you, without saying it, then they show you how to prevent it, with their product.

They even use techniques to more effectively reach your unconscious mind. Techniques like subtle increases in sound, or the use of color. Theyve studied the effects of color and sound on the human psyche, and theyve researched how the mind captures information. They know what theyre doing.

Have you ever noticed when you are watching television that sometimes the ads sound louder than the program? Youve noticed it but not consciously. In other words, now that you think of it, you agree that its true, but you didnt consciously notice it before.

Advertisers also understand that when you are watching TV, you are essentially hypnotized. Youre tuning out reality and the outside world, and youve opened your mind completely to whatever suggestion will be imposed upon you.

Marketing geniuses share another little known secret with hypnotists, that the mind is subjected to millions of subliminal messages every day, and that no matter how much or how little you are paying attention to your surroundings, on some level, youre taking it all in. The message is getting on board, unconsciously. This belief is worth millions and millions of advertising dollars to some major retailers and businesses, so there must be some validity to the theory that we are all susceptible to the power of suggestion.

Barrie St John is a leading figure in the field of hypnosis and personal change. He is the author behind the best selling self hypnosis CDs and downloads at www.HypnoShop.com where you can find a broad range of sessions on health and addictions, personal improvement, sports performance, weight loss, confidence issues, fears and phobias, and lots more.

posted by 56046 @ 8:44 AM 0 comments