If you’re planning to celebrate America’s independence with a trip to Walt Disney World, you’ll find plenty of events to keep your family entertained throughout your stay. Headline events at Walt Disney World Resort in July include several live concerts in each of Disney’s parks, including Disney’s “Celebrate America! concert, July 3 and 4 , at 9 p.m.;Epcot’s “Illumnations:Reflections of Earth” laser light show. Several shows continue throughout the month of July, such as the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade and the Electric Light parade, both at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. At Animal Kingdom, guests can watch a 15-minute,parade known as Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade, which loops through the various sections of the park—Africa, Discovery Island, Asia, and back to Africa.
Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade begins at 3:45 p.m.,daily and features elaborate animal puppets, spectacular stilt walkers, drummers, musical safari vehicles , wacky rickshaw taxis and 8-foot-tall Party Animals. Other popular parades in July include Disney Hollywood Studios Block Party Bash,featuring your child’s favorite Pixar characters, including characters from Monsters Inc, The Incredibles and Toy Story. Other attractions at the Block Party Bash include acrobats, trampolines and retro tunes. Like the electrical light parade, the Block Party was originally featured at Disney’s California Adventure Theme Park. Another popular show at Hollywood Studios in July is Fantasmic! Which features one million gallons of water and 50 costumed performers. Combining explosive pyrotechnics, shimmering laser lights and dazzling dancing water effects
A two week-long sporting event known as ESPN Rise Games highlights the third and fourth weeks of July at Walt Disney’s Wide World of Sports. ESPN Rise is a series of sports challenges for youth and high school sports teams in basketball, football, lacrosse and soccer, and youth baseball, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, and track & field teams. If you don’t think your family can afford a week or long weekend at Walt Disney World, you should visit reputable discount Orlando vacation package sites. With hundreds of Disney-area hotels desperate to sell rooms during the economic depression, there’s never been a better time to find an incredible deal on lodging in the central Florida area.
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July events at Walt Disney World
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010Downtown Disney opens Paradiso 37
Monday, May 17th, 2010Next time you’re heading out for fine dining in Disney’s World nightlife spot, Downtown Disney, be sure to check out one of the newest additions to the restaurant lineup, Paradiso 37 which is located on the west side of Downtown Disney. The waterfront restaurant offers casual dining at a reasonable price, with main courses ranging from$15 to $30 per dish.
Paradiso 37 features the foods of 37 countries of North America, Central America, South America and Caribbean. Specialities at Paradiso 37 include skirt steak, ribs, fish fry, Mexican food and half-pound burgers. Popular items on the appetizer menu include the dipping trio. One of the most popular drinks includes corzing which includes strawberry puree, jaberno line juice, and tequila.
If you’re craving a beer or microbrew, your taste buds will be happy to know that they’re about to experience the world’s coldest draft beer, which is served at approximately 29 degrees. For starters, the appetizer menus includes several items under $7.99, including home-style North American Potato Pancakes, which are topped with chives, Special Paradiso 37 Spice Blend, and then sauteed to a Golden Brown. This dish is served with sour cream and the cost is $5.99. Other items include Mexican Chips and Salsa, served with fire roasted Tomato Salsa for just $3.99. Mexican food lovers will also enjoy the Chile con carne, slow cooked tender ground beef with onions, peppers, and chills, topped with Chef’s Special cheeses and served with Corn Tortilla Chips, all for $6.50. Paradiso features 38 tequilas and nightly live entertainment. Paradiso’s menu features 15 appetizers, 3 salads, Mexican food, a Colombian style whole crispy hen, Chilean styled salmon, burritos, quattro tacos, enchiladas, bacon and pineapple BBQ, surf and turf and citrus BBQ pork ribs.
Desserts at Paradiso 37 include Chilean sopapillas, which are crispy fritters dusted in sugar and served with a chocolate sauce, for $5.99, and the world famous churros, dusted with cinnamon and served with caramel, for $5.99
Universal disastrous first quarter with 44% profit drop
Monday, May 10th, 2010Despite the new attractions and adventurous rides that have recently been added to central Florida’s theme parks, the parks haven’t been immune to the damaging effects of the international recession. A perfect example is Universal Studios in Orlando, which recently released its first quarter reports. The report revealed more discouraging news in and a recurring theme from the past two years: profits were dramatically down. According to the report, profits at Universal Studios Orlando saw a 44 percent decrease from this time last year. 2009 first quarter earnings were $34 million and 2010 has only brought in $19 million.
While much of the blame can fall on slumping tourism dollars, other contributing factors may include the heavy amount of marketing and advertising dollars the resort is leveraging to promote one of the most widely anticipated theme park additions across the world: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For months, Universal Studios has been leaking clips of videos and hints about the Island themed around the bestselling Harry Potter books penned by J.K. Rowling.
Officials are hoping to see an increase in attendance and profits with the opening of the new attraction on June 18.
According to reports from the Orlando Sentinel, attendance was down 10% at Universal’s two theme parks during the first quarter of 2010.
Universal Orlando spent $3 million to advertise the Harry Potter Island in a Super Bowl commercial. In a written statement, Universal Studios President Bill Davis said:
“We are excited about the June 18 grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and what it will mean for our guests and our business. We continue to look to the future and manage our business aggressively.”
The contrast with last year was especially sharp because Universal in 2009 cut deeply into its marketing budget as it sought to reduce costs during the global recession.
Mother Day Events in Orlando
Sunday, May 9th, 2010Give mom a memorable mothers day gift with a vacation package to Kissimmee. What better way to express your love for your mother than to make her feel like a kid again. You can bring back the childlike joy with a trip to Walt Disney World or one of the many other attractions in the Kissimmee/central Florida area.
If your mom loves marine life, she can dine with the Dolphins at Discovery Cove. Or you might want to check out Sea World’s Mother’s Day Escape package at Discovery Cove which includes a note delivered via Atlantic bottle nose dolphin, a Crabtree & Evelyn La Source spa essential gift basket, photo and frame, champagne and private cabana. The cost is the standard park admission plus $329 and the purchase of at least one dolphin-swim, which is priced at $200. This is quite expensive but it will definitely put a smile on Mom’s face.
For a cheaper experience with the fish, you can bring mom to EPCOT’s Coral Reef restaurant at The Seas with Nemo and Friends exhibit. When your mom is done dining with the fish, the family can walk a short distance to EPCOT’s annual spring event, the International Flower and Garden Festival. She’ll be awestruck by the majestic beauty of millions of blooming topiary and colorful butterflies inside Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden.
For the moms who want to just get away and get the royal treatment, Gaylord Palms’ first-ever “Mom Prom & Family Affair” Mother’s Day weekend package, for $149,which includes one night in a guest room and 20% discount on Mother’s Day Brunch in Emerald Plaza on Sunday, May 9 and self-parking for one vehicle.
Other restaurants to consider for a Mother’s day dinner include Jiko at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, for an African feast of dishes including savanna rolls, Swahili curry shrimp, and grilled swordfish. She can top-off her first-class meal with Tanzanian chocolate cheesecake.
Legoland included in Flex Ticket package
Friday, April 23rd, 2010Central Florida’s newest theme park may play a key role in the arch rivalry between Universal Studios and Disney World. Scheduled to open in the fall, Legoland will replace one of Florida’s oldest theme parks, Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven.
Geared toward a much younger audience than Cypress Gardens, Legoland will feature over 50 rides, shows and attractions, including spectacular LEGO® models. Legoland’s owner, Merlin Entertainment, just purchased new property in its surrounding area for improved roads to be built around the park to avoid traffic issues.
Legoland is indirectly tied to two of Disney’s biggest rivals- SeaWorld and Universal Studious, because it is co-owned by Blackstone, through the private-equity firm’s stake in Merlin Entertainment Group. When asked about the possible inclusion of Legoland in a flex ticket package, SeaWorld Parks Chief Atchison said the addition is still just a speculation and Universal Studios representative didn’t comment on the possibility of adding the third major park. Legoland’s spokesperson Julie Estrada said that the park is exploring opportunities for partnerships to benefit vistitors, but she didn’t disclose any specific figures or plans.
Adding Legoland to the flex ticket could be an effective way for Universal and Sea World to lure families away from the more expensive choice of a Disney Resort. Universal suffered a dropoff in visitors last year, with a 10% drop in attendance. Despite the drop in attendance, Universal still beat SeaWorld in Flex Ticket sales revenue, claiming $28 million to SeaWorld’s $25 million and $7 million for SeaWorld. By adding Legoland, the flex ticket would add year-round appeal, which could compensate for the winter attendance dropoff at Wet N Wild. LegoLand is expected to generate millions of dollars for central Florida and create 1,000 jobs for its staff.
Flex ticket agreement may expire
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010For 15 years, a partnership between Universal Studios and SeaWorld/Busch Gardens provided central Florida tourists with a ticket package to rival Disney’s park-hopper pass. Within the next year and a half, the theme park executives at Universal Studios and Sea World Orlando must reach a decision on whether or not they’ll extend the joint agreement on the ticket package known as the “Flex ticket” package.
Currently, the flex ticket package offers 14 days of unlimited admission to both Universal’s and SeaWorld’s collection of theme parks, and the agreement is intact until December of 2011. Park executives are expected to renew and extend the deal, but the negotiations may go smoother than originally expected, thanks to the recent change in ownership of SeaWorld. In 2009, 25% of Sea World was purchased by the investment firm Blackstone Group, which co-owns Universal Orlando with GE’s NBC Universal, from Anheuser-Busch InBev purchased 25%. Blackstone already co-owns Universal Orlando with General Electric Co.’s NBC Universal.
One transaction that may complicate matters is Comcast’s ongoing negotiations to purchase NBC Universal.
According to reports by universal regulatory filings., Sea World and Universal sold an estimated 300,000 FlexTickets in 2009 for $60.9 million. Universal, SeaWorld and Wet ‘n Wild split the revenue according to a contract that was negotiated according to each respective park’s attendance figures. Last year’s attendance at Universal was down 10 percent, yet it claimed the largest amount of sales, with $28 million, roughly 6% of Universal’s total revenue. The $28 million for 2009 was 52% lower than the Universal’s total in 2008, and experts blame the global economic recession to the slumping figures. at the beginning of every year, that is based on the attendance share of each park included in the ticket.
SeaWorld earned $25.6 million through Flex Ticket sales last year, followed by Wet ‘n Wild,with $7.3 million.
Click here for great deals on hotels near Sea World Orlando
Top TV shows comes to Universal Studios
Saturday, April 17th, 2010You don’t have to head to Hollywood to see live taping of your favorite shows. Two of the most popular television shows in the U.S. are coming to Orlando during the second week of April. NBC’s America’s Got Talent will be taping live performances at Hard Rock Live, from April 7-8. Talented singers from across the Sunshine State will showcase their skills to Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan, Nick Cannon and a public audience.Tickets are free, and the first taping begins Wednesday, April 7 at 1 p.m.. If you plan on going with a charitable group, you can register your organization at http://www.ocatv.com/group/.
In its fifth season, America’s Got Talent is a spin off of a British reality show where live performers vie for a million-dollar prize. The format is similar to American Idol, but with a wider range of contestants. In addition to singers, America’s Got Talent also features dancers, magicians, and comedians.
One of America’s longest-running game shows, Family Feud, is hosting tryouts to any families who will be in the Orlando area from April 7 to April 11. If you think your family is worthy of an appearance with John O’Hurely on Family Feud, sign-up your family for a tryout, you can email orlando@familytryouts.com or call, 323-762-8467.
Originally aired in 1976, Family Feud is a trivia game show where two families square-off in a challenge to guess the most popular answers to a variety of surveys. Other Universal Orlando events in April at include: Earth Week! April 19 – April 23, Mardi Gras concerts featuring Sheryl Crow on April 9, Flo Rida on April 10 and Chicago on April 17. Fans of live music will appreciate Harbor Nights Primavera on April 23 , a wine-tasting event with live jazz and complimentary cigars, hosted at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.
If you want to come see any of these shows we have great deals on hotels near Universal Studios.
Gatorland offers chance to see Fl Wildlife
Thursday, April 15th, 2010For the tourist who has seen enough of Mickey Mouse and Shamu for their visit, Gatorland offerse a unique experience to see the real Florida wildlife in its most active form. On four different nights, April 30, May 1, May 7 and May 8.
The 100-acre outdoor wildlife center and theme park is hosting Swamp Sunset Celebrations, which showcase baby-bird season at Gatorland. The park is home to hundreds of native birds, including egrets, spoonbills and wood storks that fly home to roost every night. Swamp Sunset Celebrations features live music, mixed drinks on the Nature Tower and select attractions such as the White Gator Swamp and Gator Gully Splash Park. There could also be a Bubba and Cooter sighting.
In addition to the American Alligators, other wildlife attractions at Gatorland include roseate spoonbills, flamingos,
Oh, and your flashlight is for shining into the eyes of the gators in the breeding marsh. You’ll see red.With admission prices at $15, Gatorland offers a family-friendly cheap alternative to the ajor theme parks in central Florida. It’s also an entertaining way to educate yourself and your kids. Other Gatorland events include a 2010 Workshop Weekend for beginner to intermediate photographers from April 24-25, with two seperate workshops for learning about the best techniques for shooting and processing wildlife images. The workshops are led by Robert Amoruso of Wildscape Images, an Arthur Morris “Birds as Art” approved instructor and workshop leader.
The Field Technique workshop is designed to help photographers of every skill level improve their image quality; both in composition and exposure under the direction of an experienced professional nature photographer. You’ll learn outdoor-specific techniques for ideal composition, backgrounds, image edges, head and light angle. They’ll also teach you how to use fill-flash to tame high-contrast images, and how to use your histogram and exposure compensation to obtain the correct exposure. Workshop pricing is set at a special introductory rate of only $50 per person (per day) and includes access to the Gatorland Rookery for that day.
Gatorland is located on South Orange Blossom Trail. For more information about the park you can visit www.gatorland.com or call 407-855-5496.
The Thrill Seekers Adventure at Disney’s Magic Kingdom
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010With Universal Studios Orlando focusing on the teenage thrill rider market and Walt Disney World focusing on the toddlers and elementary school aged children, you would think the Disney’s Magic Kingdom would be no place for a teenager. However don’t think that Disney has thrown in the towel when it comes to teenagers.
If you are going to the Disney Magic Kingdom for your family vacation and you are concerned about your teenager being bored at the Magic Kingdom, don’t worry about it. Disney has everything under control.
Here is a short list of rides descriptions at Disney’s Magic Kingdom that most teens enjoy:
• The Haunted Mansion – This is not necessarily a thrill coaster. In fact, there are no gut wrenching drops nor is there any high speed motion, but there are plenty of scary moments and scenes that keep most teens entertained.
• Thunder Mountain – Hold on to your hat on this one. This out door crazy train will leave you wanting more.
• Space Mountain – Ever been on an indoor roller coaster that is all in the dark? This space coaster makes you feel like your racing through space. This is one of Disney’s most popular rides. Make sure that you get your Speed Pass for this ride as line can be quite lengthy.
• Splash Mountain – I would not exactly call this one a roller coaster, but it sure has quite a drop. In fact, Disney takes pictures of you, as you go down the main hill of this log coaster. If you don’t like getting wet, then I would not set in the front seat. This ride is great for Florida’s Hot Summer days. As the ride proclaims, everyone has a laughing place.
Epcot Center’s New Italian Ristorante
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010If you like going to the Disney Epcot Center in Orlando and you like to eat a good Italian pizza with your family, then Walt Disney World has you and your family in mind. Construction workers have been quite busy at Epcot Center in the “Italy” portion of the theme park building a 14,000 square foot Italian Pizza Ristorante that has yet to be named. The newest Epcot Center restaurant will seat about three hundred customers and it also will have an optional outdoor dining area for guests. All meals will be served on genuine Italian plateware.
The Disney Corporation is creating this restaurant in true Italian fashion. The interior architecture includes gorgeous vaulted ceilings and piping hot wood burning pizza ovens.
Many local Orlando cooks complain about the Florida water and it’s effect on their tasty creations. It is generally believed that Florida water is a negative contributor on many recipes. The Disney World cooks seem to agree with them, as these pizzas will be prepared at this Italian Ristorante with water that closely assimilates the chemical composition of the water that is found in Naples, Italy. This is being done in order to produce a dough that best resembles the pizza dough found in Naples, Italy. Now if that is not a true Italian pizza, then what is?
Disney has not set an official opening date for the restaurant or at least they have not publicized it as of yet. It is generally believed that the restaurant will open in the late Fall of 2010.
