Life can be full of Hard Knocks!

A few weeks ago, Travis (Global I.T. specialist) and I set off to visit Hard Knocks Orlando, a urban themed indoor laser tag (sort of and I’ll get to that) gaming facility. Located just a few minutes from University of Central Florida, it’s a 30-40 minute drive from most of our resorts. After all is said and done, it’s well worth the drive and the money. This isn’t your father’s laser tag!

Once we arrived , we joined a group of six other friends and kept the same 4 man teams throughout the two hour session. After all, we had to keep score for bragging rights! Who won? Keep reading.

So how is Hard Knocks NOT like your ‘father’s laser tag’? Simple, you use real (looking) guns and run around in realistic themed environments completing several team based missions. The ‘weapons’ are replica metal electronic devices with a similar weight and feel of the real thing. Ammo is limited and the quantity of available ammo is tied to the type of gun your using at the time. You have to remember to ‘reload’ by hitting a button when your ammo count is low. Then you must wait a few LONG seconds for the gun to become live again as it completes the reload sequence. All in all, very realistic. Also, only ‘killing’ shots made to your opponents sensors (three in total) will cost them a life. Once all your available lives are gone, your dead and have to take the walk of shame back to the staging area. Remember, no talking to your teammates on the way out - dead man tell no tales. Pirate rules!

I haven’t played laser tag for over a decade and honestly never got into it. Too much of people running up to you and rapidly pulling the trigger in your general direction. Not very realistic! Hard Knocks is much different, teams must work together to advance (and stay alive) or they won’t last long. Strategy actually counts for something at Hard Knocks and the combinations of realistic feeling weapons and the fast pace of game play (missions rarely last over ten minutes) makes for a quick and fun team building experience for all involved. The two available formats (Warehouse and Office Building) are played back to back with over 30 missions or scenarios to choose from.

If I had to list one thing that makes Hard Knocks worth your time, it’s the realism. The environments and weapons are so realistic that local SWAT teams practice in their facilities. With over 30,000 square feet of air conditioned  space available, it’s a great place for team building, birthday parties, pickup games or any sort of group team experience. You’ll also get a great workout! Even though the AC is blasting, running (actually running isn’t allowed - let’s call it ‘aggressive walking’) around for two hours gets the blood moving. I had a hard time climbing stairs for three days after Hard Knocks!

For more information on Hard Knocks Orlando, including prices, requirements and training videos - visit Hard Knocks Orlando and Hard Knock Training Videos for details on the rules of game play. Your Regulator “Athena” will walk you though it.

So who won? Well the fact that this blog post exists should give you some idea. Travis and I were on the winning team with yours truly winning the final mission - “The Highlander”. As I walked out of the Office arena, our Regulator gave me a thumbs up and said, “Congratulations, your the Highlander!”. I can think of no higher compliment.

Disney’s Characters In Flight - Review

Disney’s Characters in Flight is a welcome addition to Downtown Disney. With the recent closing of the Virgin Mega Store (a museum of Princess Diana “The Peoples Princess” has filled the space through Nov. 30, 2009 ) along with an ongoing revamp of Pleasure Island, it’s been a little bland downtown. Disney is trying to spice things up with Characters in Flight.

A bit of full disclosure: I am in the process of getting a hot-air balloon pilots license so my views are slightly skewed.

I wouldn’t call the ride ‘thrilling’ (see disclosure above) but it’s certainly interesting. While the roof of Bongos isn’t the most fascinating view to be had, you do get good picture opportunities of the Marketplace (Rainforest Cafe, etc.) and the  surrounding lake. I haven’t had the opportunity to ride the balloon at night but people I’ve asked say it’s a little more interesting looking down at the lights. If you time it right, you can even see the fireworks from Epcot and the Magic Kingdom (far away) when they launch.

The only real tip for this ride is to be among the first to board the 30 person gondola. The gondola is surrounded by netting and while you can fit a camera lens through the holes, the balloon does not really spin. The best views seem to be had by those who get on first and stand facing the Marketplace. If you’re going up while Epcot’s fireworks are going off, boarding around the middle of the pack should afford the best view in the general direction of the Epcot ball - a.k.a. Space Ship Earth.

The ride is suitable for all ages 3 and up ($16 per adult - $10 per child 3-9) and lasts 10-15 minutes in total. It’s a generally sedate ride (landing can be a little bumpy) that might bore your average teenager looking to ride something more thrilling. All in all, it’s a good family experience to be had for those so inclined.

P.S. If your looking for a balloon ride with a little more adventure, I recommend Orlando Balloon Adventures. You might even see me out there on the weekends helping out.

Happy flying!

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