What’s New in Orlando

If it has been more than a year since your last visit to Orlando, you might have noticed that there have been more than a few changes made to some of the most popular local attractions. Here are just a few of the highlights from the past year:
· IKEA--The mammoth Swedish furniture and housewares store made its debut in Orlando right before Christmas 2007. Customers who crave the store's contemporary design and affordable prices buy items by the cartload.
· Prime Outlets--Formerly the Belz Outlet Mall at the north end of International Drive, this shopping center has undergone a very upscale extreme makeover with over 100 name brand outlet stores.
· Walt Disney World--Spaceship Earth at Epcot has been updated for the 21st century, and so has the Haunted Mansion ride at Magic Kingdom. Disney-MGM Studios has been renamed Disney's Hollywood Studios, which is home to the brand new Toy Story Mania interactive arcade ride.
· Universal Studios--Universal Studios kicked off this summer season with the greatly anticipated Simpsons Ride, which replaces the Back to the Future ride. This might explain why Homer Simpson plush dolls seem to be edging out SpongeBob Squarepants amongst the CityWalk vendors.