Florida Vacation Blog

Archive for the ‘Disney Epcot’ Category

Get ready for another blast from the past at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.

On July 2, Disney will bring back the 3-D sci-fi movie, “Captain EO,” starring the late Michael Jackson.

The film which originally ran at Epcot from 1986 to 1994, will take over the Imagination Pavilion’s 570-seat theatre that had housed, “Honey I Shrunk the Audience.”

The 17-minute, 3-D movie was one of the first films ever to incorporate 4-D, in-theatre effects like wind, water and lighting. The movie will have only minor tweaks from its original version. Even the show’s original marquee sign is back. Captain EO is also playing at Disney parks in California, Tokyo and Paris.

Epcot will open its gates early at 8:30 am on July 2 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to the re-opening of the show.

The movie, which co-stars Anjelica Huston, features two Jackson songs and lots of dancing. For more information on Epcot and Disney World Resort or Disney tickets, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

Last chance. This weekend marks the end of the 2010 version of Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.

It’s your last opportunity to see the dramatic topiaries such as the American Gothic Mickey and Minnie near the entrance to World Showcase. It’s your last chance to see the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden and Butterfly House with Tinker Bell and her fairy friends. And it’s your final chance to see the green wall, a large wall featuring a fountain and a variety of greenery.

The weekend festivities also conclude this year’s Flower Power Concert Series. The final musical guest artist is Chubby Checker who performs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 pm in the American Gardens outdoor theatre.

For more highlights of Epcot and Walt Disney World Resort, please visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or go to www.WestgateReservations.com for details on discount Orlando vacation packages and resort lodging at Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa.

There are always plenty of monkeys to be seen at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but one former Monkee will be on hand at Disney’s Epcot this weekend.

Davy Jones, former teen heartthrob and lead singer of the Monkees, is this weekend’s musical guest for the Flower Power concert series at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Show times are 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 pm.

The concert is just part of the fun at the Flower & Garden Festival which also features a colorful array of flowers, gardens, topiaries and educational events.

Enjoy millions of blooming flowers and a vibrant collection of Disney-themed topiaries, and get up close with hundreds of colorful butterflies inside Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden.

During the weekends throughout the festival, guests can also meet with top horticulturists, learn helpful gardening tips and attend public demonstrations of advanced gardening techniques from around the world.

Davy Jones will perform each evening this weekend at the America Gardens Theatre next to the American Adventure Pavilion. The concert and festival is included with regular Epcot admission.

Spring is in the air in Orlando so take a minute to stop and smell the flowers - at Disney’s Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. It’s a great way to start your Disney Orlando family vacation.

This special annual event is filled with an immensely colorful array of flowers, not to mention a wide variety of gardens, more than 100 topiaries, plus live music on the weekends and a number of educational gardening events and demonstrations.

Whether or not you are a gardening fan, you’ll find plenty to capture your attention and interest at Epcot. Experience the magic of millions of blooming flowers. Watch in amazement at the hundreds of colorful butterflies inside the Butterfly Garden. And don’t forget to simply enjoy the dozens of rides and attractions throughout Epcot and the always popular World Showcase.

Spring is in the air as the annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival kicks off at Disney World on March 3 and runs thru May 16, 2010,

This year’s event features more than 100 colorful and fun topiaries ranging from a 14-foot tall Goofy fishing to Lion King characters and, of course, Mickey and Minnie. Enjoy millions of blooms, hundreds of butterflies in the butterfly garden, and more. There’s also experts ready to provide gardening tips and demonstrations, and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival, you can also enjoy the Flower Power Concert Series featuring music from the 1960s and 1970s.

For more information about Disney World, Epcot and other Orlando theme parks, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. You’ll find discount tickets, discount Orlando vacation packages and discount Orlando hotel and resort accommodations.

Each spring Florida bursts into bloom with a variety of eye-pleasing garden festivals — from butterfly celebrations to one of the nation’s most ambitious flower and garden fests.

A short drive from Orlando, you’ll find beautiful Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. The Gardens present Butterflies at Bok from March 3-31, 2010. Special areas of the gardens feature plantings specifically designed to attract the beautiful wings of a variety of butterflies.

For information, you can visit www.boktowergardens.com.

Meanwhile, Disney’s Epcot also opens its annual flower festival on March 3. The 17^th Annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival remains one of the largest such events in the world, with more than 30 million blooms spread across 300 acres of Epcot’s World Showcase.

The event runs thru May 16 and visitors will experience themed gardens, floral floating islands, gardening seminars, planting demonstrations, exhibits, hands-on activities and a wonder series of Flower Power concerts. The concerts feature music from the ‘60s and ‘70s at the American Gardens Theatre each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the Festival.

Concerts and most festival activities are included in regular park admission. Visit www.disneyworld.com/flower for additional details. For information on Orlando Disney theme park discounts or savings on Orlando vacation packages and Orlando hotels near Disney, visit www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com.

The New Year is just around the corner and there’s plenty of New Years Eve excitement brewing in Orlando, FL!

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and all of Disney’s favorite characters are set to help ring in 2010 throughout Walt Disney World® Resort. The Disney parks are decked out in all their holiday glory as we reach one of the resort’s busiest and merriest times of the year.

The Disney parks will offer extended hours on New Years Eve and there will be plenty of year end fireworks to light up the night sky throughout Orlando.

At Disney’s Epcot, the park will remain open til 1:00 am while featuring a special version of the Illuminations at 11:40 pm.

Magic Kingdom Theme Park will also remain open til 1:00 am with a special showing of the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks taking place at 11:50 pm. Meanwhile at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, New Years Eve guest can stick around until midnight and enjoy the Lights! Cameras! Fireworks show starting at 11:50 pm.

Across town at Universal Orlando Resort, there’s also plenty of New Years activity on the horizon. Islands of Adventure theme park will offer extended hours til 10:00 pm while its sister park, Universal Studios Florida remains open for late night fun til 1:00 am. Best of all, Universal CityWalk will help rock in 2010 with a separate ticket event that offers live entertainment in every club, gourmet cuisine and a fabulous concert featuring the legendary music of The Temptations and The Four Tops and a midnight champagne toast!

Not to be outdone, SeaWorld® Orlando offers up its own special New Years Eve memories by staying open til 1:00 am. From 9:00 pm til 12:30 am, SeaWorld will offer continuous entertainment, music and an amazing midnight fireworks display.

Of course, the fun in Orlando rolls right on thru to New Years Day where the parks will again be filled with thrills and adventure. And sports fans will be delighted with a trip to Orlando’s nearby Citrus Bowl stadium where Penn State University is set to battle Louisiana State University in the annual Capital One Bowl. This high profile football game pits two of the most prominent and storied collegiate programs in a battle of highly ranked teams.

For discount Orlando theme park tickets, check out the deals currently available at www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com. Or for great rates on discount Orlando resort and Orlando vacation packages, visit www.WestgateReservations.com today.

September 25 — November 8, 2009

Your taste buds will be more than tempted at the 2009 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Disney’s annual event returns Sept. 25 thru Nov. 8, 2009, bringing with it many of the world’s tastiest regional foods and drinks. Of course, that’s only the beginning as guests will also enjoy rockin’ concerts, fabulous shopping, fun-filled seminars and demonstrations, taste-testing other special programs.

Tantalizing new additions to this year’s menus include the robust and exotic flavors of Rio de Janeiro and Bangkok as well as world-class performers like Richard Marx, Billy Ocean and Vanessa Carlton, who will all take the stage at the Festival for the very first time.

A convenient Disney Gift Card offers a fast, easy and secure way to carry your money on your wrist while enjoying the Festival. Just load or reload the card with any amount you desire, swipe — and you’re spared the trouble of getting out your credit card or cash any time you want to pay for food or merchandise at the Festival.

This year’s marketplace and promenade includes 25 international kiosks are serving up delicious, tapas-sized portions from countries on 6 continents.

Eat to the Beat! Concert Series
Musical entertainment includes the Eat to the Beat Concert Series which offers up an equally tempting variety of classic rock, soul, R&B, jazz and funk with artists ranging from Boyz II Men to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

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