Florida Vacation Blog

Archive for February, 2010

ESPN’s annual fan-fest continues this weekend (Feb. 26-27-28) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, FL.

 With 35 superstar athletes, two dozen sportscasters, live shows, special motorcades, interactive sports zone and more, it’s sure to be a fun-filled weekend for sports fans of all ages.

Don’t miss your chance to get up close and personal with stars from the NBA, NFL, major league baseball, golf and more. Plus look for all of your favorite ESPN personalities.

Of course, you’ll also enjoy a full day of fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park which offers a wide range of thrill rides, shows and other attractions.

For information on Disney’s Hollywood Studios, discount Orlando vacation packages and discount Orlando theme park tickets, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or for discount Orlando resort and hotel accommodations, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Legoland® Florida, slated to open in the fall of 2011 on the site of the former Cypress Gardens theme park, will feature a unique mix of attractions. The largest Legoland park in the world, the Central Florida version will feature more than 50 rides, shows, attractions as well as spectacular LEGO models and other interactive elements for the entire family.

For information about the new park and the LEGOLAND sister park already open in California, please visit www.legolandfloridaresort.com. Or you can visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for more information on all the Orlando area theme parks and attractions as well as discount Orlando theme park tickets and discount Orlando hotels and resorts.

Parades, food, music and beads. Lots of beads. It’s all part of the annual Mardi Gras fun and excitement at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando!

This week’s Universal Mardi Gras concert features rising country star Dierks Bentley on Saturday, February 27 at 8:30 pm.

For complete information on Mardi Gras and the soon to open Wizarding World of Harry Potter, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. For information on discount Orlando theme park tickets and discount Orlando vacation packages including hotel and resort accommodations, go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com or www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Universal Orlando is promoting vacation packages featuring the soon-to-open Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Islands of Adventure. Deals are valid for travel beginning May 28, 2010, meaning the long awaited Harry Potter adventure should be open no later than late May.

The $200 million theme park expansion project is taking shape with Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade Village as the central attractions.

For more information on the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com. For details on discount theme park tickets, discount Orlando, Florida vacation packages and more, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com or www.westgatereservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Get ready to celebrate. While the official Mardi Gras celebration kicks off in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Universal Studios style has already started in Orlando with a a long list of weekly concerts and parades plus fabulous food and plenty of beads.

The party really gets cranking tonight, Feb. 16, at Pat O’Brien’s within Universal CityWalk where the popular restaurant/club is hosting a Fat Tuesday celebration to kick off the Lenten season. From 4pm til close, you can enjoy a live party band, special drink discounts, New Orleans style food specials, stilt walkers, bead girls and plenty of other fun and entertainment.

Admission is free until 7 p.m.

After 7 p.m., admission is $8 per person or $20 for a VIP ticket offering private balcony access, light appetizers from 4-8 pm and free admission to select CityWalk clubs.

This week’s Mardi Gras concert features the music of Blondie and lead singer Deborah Harry. Ranging from disco and punk to new wave and hip hop, Blondie is best known for hits like Call Me, The Tide is High, One Way or Another, Heart of Glass and Rapture.

For additional information on Mardi Gras events at Universal Orlando or discount Orlando vacation packages and theme park tickets, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or to register for a free resort getaway sweepstakes, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

The classic Main Street Electrical Parade is slated to return to Disney’s Magic Kingdom in June and run throughout the summer as part of a Summertime Nightastic! promotion.

The longtime favorite originally found its way down Main Street U.S.A. back in 1977 and ran until 1991 when Disney introduced the SpectroMagic parade. The Electrical Parade returned again from 1999-2001 but has been part of the fun at Disney’s California Adventure Park in Anaheim the last few years.

As part of the return to Disney World, the classic parade will feature a new Tinker Bell presentation at the start of the parade. Also new to the Main Street Electrical Parade will be Snow White and Pinocchio floats.

In Disney’s ongoing effort to “go green,” the thousands of lights in the parade have all been replaced with LED bulbs.

Visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for information on all the Disney parks as well as discount Orlando vacation packages and discount theme park tickets. Or visit www.WestgateReservations.com for discount Orlando hotels, resorts and accommodations for the entire family.

The Mardi Gras celebration is in full swing at Universal Studios Orlando Resort. With weekly parades and concerts, lots of great food and plenty of beads, there’s a definite taste of New Orleans in the air.

The party amps up on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at Pat O’Brien’s within Universal CityWalk. The restaurant/club will be hosting a Fat Tuesday celebration to kick off the Lenten season.

From 4pm til close, you can enjoy a live party band, special drink discounts, New Orleans style food specials, stilt walkers, bead girls and plenty of other fun and entertainment.

Admission is free until 7 pm. After 7, admission is $8 per person or $20 for a VIP ticket offering private balcony access, light appetizers from 4-8 pm and free admission to select CityWalk clubs.

For additional information on Mardi Gras events at Universal Orlando or discount Orlando vacation packages and theme park tickets, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or to register for a free resort getaway sweepstakes, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

Now your little princess can have lunch with a real Disney princess. Actually, you can enjoy any meal of the day, thanks to the new Fairytale Dining attraction at Disney World’s Cinderella Castle inside the Magic Kingdom.

Guests with reservations can now greet Cinderella in the Castle lobby prior to having breakfast, lunch or dinner inside the Castle dining area. While dining, additional princesses will stop by your table to chat, pose for photos and sign autographs.

While there is no guarantee as to which princesses circulate on any given day, you can usually expect to see Snow White, Jasmine, Aurora and Belle.

For more information on attractions at Disney World or for discount theme park tickets and hotels, please visit www.WestgateReservations.com or www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com today.

An exciting new traveling exhibit, “Out of This World,” now at the Orange County Regional History Center has brought a variety of extraordinary costumes from film and television to downtown Orlando.

Costumes on display include a number of classic characters ranging from Star Trek’s Captain Kirk as well as Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder to the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz and Darth Vader of Star Wars fame.

Many of the legendary costumes are displayed on custom styled mannequins, each designed to uniquely reflect the character’s body. Other costumes are enclosed in futuristic cylinders.

The traveling exhibit is part of a renowned collection borrowed from Microsoft co-founder, Paul G. Allen. You can find the display on the second floor of the Orange County Regional History Center from now until May 16, 2010. The museum’s elevators have also been specially redesigned for the exhibit…they now resemble Star Trek’s transporters ready to beam up visitors to the exhibit floor.

Out of this World is just one of many special exhibits you’ll find at the museum. Another popular exhibit now on display is “Lights! Camera! Action! Filming in Paradise,” which offers a closer look at the history of movie filming in Florida.

For more information on other popular theme parks and attractions in Orlando, or discounts on Orlando 5-Star Resorts and hotels, visit www.WestgateReservations.com or www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com today.

Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort presents its monthly Velvet Sessions concert featuring A Flock of Seagulls on Feb. 25, 2010.

The band, which reached its peak of popularity during the ’80s, is best known for the hit “I Ran.”

Velvet Sessions is open to adults age 21 and over. The evening includes specialty drinks and hors d’ouevres which are included in the price from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Starting at 8:30 p.m., additional cocktails are available at a cash bar while the band takes the stage in the lobby of the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando. Parking is free at the hotel situated adjacent to Universal Studios theme park.

Admission for the Velvet Sessions program is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. For details, see www.UniversalOrlando.com.

Discount Orlando hotel accommodations and discount Universal Studios theme park tickets are available at www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.