The Holy Land Experience - (407) 367-2065

I, of course, have reservations about panning a Christian themed experience but I just have to say this was horrible. At 35.00 it is way over priced - save your money: attend church, read the Bible, take a Religion class or study up on the internet - all of these would be more beneficial than wasting your time here. It is roughly 3 weeks before Christmas, I figured that would be a great time to go. Wrong. The big draw was the Passion of Christ - which I will be fair and say it seemed to be well done - at least the parts I could see. The problem was that this was shown only one time in an area that seats 100 people and park attendance was over 800. Everything else closes since this is their idea of the big finale - no sarcasm intended! So, since at least 700 people had no seats, you were forced to stand in the crowd of at least 6 deep. I felt extremely bad for the elderly population who were forced to stand and there did indeed seem to be a lot of them. The workers were very rude to several people (luckily not me but I did see and hear them personally) and they obviously were told that by saying Shalom repeatedly would take the rudeness factor away - it did NOT. Don't go. I had a hopeful feeling that this would be a unique, warm and intelligent endeavor. WRONG on all counts!

We went on a homeschool trip here and it was very impressive. The children especially enjoyed meeting a Roman guard, in complete costume, who stayed in character the whole time he talked to us. We loved the scale model of Jerusalem, it's remarkable! The live presentations are excellent. Admission price is typical for an Orlando Park, but you can find discount admissions online if you search around. Eating is a bit pricey and there are no picnic areas, but you can leave the park and go eat in a grassy area near your car. We set up our chairs and had a picnic, very enjoyable. This was a very enriching day. PROS: Wonderful experience, very lifelike! CONS: Not for young children

The Holy Land is a favorite family activity of ours. There is something for everyone. It is so much fun to watch all of the shows. There are lots of unique gift shops and artisans. The kids or adults for that matter can ride elephants and camels. Honestly, I think the food is much better than at Disney. Yes, you can expect to spend some money here, but it is worth it. And, if you have a Happening's book, check out the coupon for admission.

The scenery and the re-enactments are superb,the actors are very good not just with script and vocals but you can see they really become like the Biblical character they portray. Especially enjoyed SEED OF PROMISE, JERUSALEM MODEL and VIA DOLOROSA PASSION. The Scriptorium was interesting but long and crowded still it was worth the wait if you are able. Don't miss it if you come to FL.

I loved visiting The Holy Land Experience. I was glad however that I left my 3yr old son at home though. I look forward to bringing him to the park in a few years when he is able to appreciate it more, probably 3rd or 4th grade. The preformance in the temple square was my favorite. I learned about the significance of the Jewish festivals, and many other interesting things I never knew about Biblical background.