Shamu’s Special Holiday Offer - buy 1 adult ticket get child ticket free
Holiday Shamu
Whilst staying at Avalon on the Windsor Palms Resort, you can visit Seaworld and experience the holidays like nowhere else, with special evening shows including O Wondrous Night, Shamu Christmas – Miracles, Clyde & Seamore’s Countdown to Christmas, and more.
Families can share a delicious meal with Santa and Mrs. Claus in Santa’s Fireside Feast - a charming, warm-hearted holiday experience. You and your family will create Christmas memories to last a lifetime as you enjoy this sumptuous seasonal dinner and show.
Now you can enjoy one FREE Kids ticket with the purchase of a full-price Adult ticket valid for visits through Dec. 25th. Click here for tickets
Dave and Busters now in Orlando!
Dave and Busters
Dave and Busters has opened on I-drive. A Chuck-E-Cheese for big kids, this will sure to be a hit with the teen kids and those big kids at heart.
Dave and Busters opens in the International Drive spot formally occupied by Race Rock. That building was torn down and the new premises built specially for Dave and Busters.
Dave and Busters houses a bar area, a restaurant area and an arcade area. The restaurant area is away from the arcade area, so you are not in the middle of the action while dining.
A welcome addition to the Orlando area which, I suspect will be great for families with teenage kids and young adults.
http://www.daveandbusters.com
Dave and Busters
8986 International Drive
Florida, FL 32819
Phone: 407-541-3300
Hours
Sun-Thurs:11am-1am
Fri-Sat:11am-2am
Current Specials
Happy Hour
Mon-Fri 4:30-7pm
1/2 Price Cocktails
$2.50 Domestic Pints
$1 Off 22oz Drafts
Late Night Happy Hour
Sun-Thurs 10pm-Close
1/2 Price Cocktails
$2.50 Domestic Pints
$1 Off 22oz Drafts
Power Hour
Mon-Fri 4:30-7pm
60 minutes of video
game play for only $10
You’ll need more Disney Dollars this summer!
Walt Disney World Castle (c. Kay Robinson)
Effective Sunday, June 12, ticket prices have increased at Walt Disney World. The second time in under a year a price increase has occurred.
The price of a one-day ticket has risen to $85 before tax (from $82), up 3.7 percent. But that is just the start!
A five-day ticket will increase to $251 (from $237), up 9 percent. A 7 day pass has jumped 8.1% to $267. The 10-day pass has increased 11.1 percent to $291.
All this is adding an extra ‘ouch’ to your wallet this summer vacation.
Staying at Avalon at Windsor Palms? Where do you get groceries?
- Lets get groceries!
One question I get asked frequently by guests to Avalon at Windsor Palms is “Where can I get groceries?”.
The nearest grocery store to Avalon at Windsor Palms is the Marketplace in the Formosa Gardens Plaza (7840 W. Irlo Bronson Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34747). That is at the junction of the 192 and Formosa Gardens Blvd. However I tend to recommend other stores which are just a little further away, but I feel offer a better selection and prices.
At the same junction but the opposite corner is a Walgreens which is 24hours. It has some basic foods and drinks. Enough to get you through the night if you just want to pick up basics on your way in. Of course it has the usual drugstore offerings too, like sunscreen, candies and some Florida souvenirs.
Next nearest stores are Publix and SuperTarget near Orange Lakes (they are on opposite sides of the 192 near the Junction with the 429. I personally head to one of these stores for my groceries and supplies.
Both close at 11pm
Publix - 14928 East Orange Lake Boulevard, Kissimmee, FL 34747
SuperTarget - 3200 Rolling Oaks Blvd, Kissimmee, FL 34747
(closes at 11pm most nights, except Sunday when it closes at 10pm)
Furthest away is Walmart at 550 US Highway 27, Clermont, FL 34714 but this store is open 24 hours, so you can shop for groceries, clothes, (almost anything you need) 24/7 (and yes, I have been in there at 3am getting groceries after landing in the area at midnight local time)
Other options for you.
If you are flying into Sanford International or Orlando International, you can drive to the area via the 419. It is a toll road (so make sure you have cash), but if you come off at exit 3 (which is the way I normally go), you come out close to the Publix at 2925 International Dr Kissimmee, FL 34746-4407. Once you have your groceries, you just drive West along the 192 to Formosa Gardens Blvd and you are there!
Another options is a grocery delivery service such as
both will shop for you and deliver to your Emerald Island Resort vacation home. You would have to liaise with your management company / owner so that the company can get access to deliver your groceries, but it would mean that your groceries could be in your home upon your arrival.
One last thought for our guests from ‘across the pond’ in the United Kingdom. If you are yearning for a touch of home - several stores have British groceries in their ‘ethnic’ section. I know Walmart does and if I recall correctly, Publix does too. Marketplace has a wide selection of British foods, and also newspapers. Just don’t expect to pay the same as you would if you purchased the same item back home!
Have a great time at Avalon at Windsor Palms
Staying at Windsor Palms Resort? Take advantage of dinner and a movie made simple!
A New In-Theatre Dining Experience with a Menu of Choices
Opens May 16 at Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 6, 2011) – AMC Theatres® (AMC), a leading theatrical exhibition and entertainment company, announced today that guests will be able to watch the latest movies while enjoying their favorite food and beverages at AMC Downtown Disney 24 located in Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World Resort. AMC Dine-In Theatres, the only theatre of its kind in the Orlando area, debuts at this location May 16 and combines restaurant cuisine and cocktails with AMC’s noted immersive movie theatre experience and hit movies.
- Casual, in-theatre dining
- Upgraded, comfortable reserved seating
- Table-top dining
- Seat-side service and a personal call button that discreetly alerts a server
- An extensive menu including a wide array of entrees such as an enticing selection of quesadillas, burgers, flatbread pizzas, grilled sandwiches, house specialties, as well as appetizers and deserts
- A wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty drinks, beer and wine
- Fork & Screen guests must be at least 18 years old unless accompanied by a parent or guardian
- A full-service bar and lounge area inside AMC Downtown Disney 24
- The perfect place to hang out with friends before the show or discuss the movie after it ends
- Named after a term coined by famed filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock
- Features a variety of beer, wine, cocktails and the full Dine-In Theatre menu, including appetizers and desserts
- MacGuffins Bar & Lounge guests must be at least 18 years old; minors accompanied by a parent or guardian (at least 21) are welcome
- Ticket prices range from $6-13, depending on day of week and showtime, for the Dine-in Theatre experience.
- Menu items start at $6.59-8.99 for appetizers and adult entrees range from $8.59-11.99.
- Specific pricing information, including value pricing and senior/student pricing, for the Dine-In Theatres at AMC Downtown Disney 24 can be found at www.amctheatres.com/dinein (click on the Downtown Disney 24 link).
Disney Junior–Live on Stage! debuts March 4th
Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will find that the pre-school favorite “Playhouse Disney - Live on Stage” is no more. Instead it is being replaced by “Disney Junior - Live on Stage” to coincide with the new Disney Junior Channel on television.
This is a great show for the younger Disney fans. As the show is inside, it can also be a welcome break from the summer heat.
The full Disney press release is below.
Ahoy, Mateys! Jake and the Never Land Pirates Landing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as Part of Show Debuting March 4
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Jake and the Never Land Pirates are landing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios March 4, 2011, less than a month after they cast off on their first adventure on Disney Channel as part of the launch of Disney Junior programming designed for 2-to-7-year-old children.
At the Walt Disney World theme park, they are playing a role in “Disney Junior–Live on Stage!”, a theme park show created for young guests. Co-starring roles in the show are played by the cast of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny and Little Einsteins — other shows that are part of the Disney Junior schedule.
“Ever since ‘Playhouse Disney–Live on Stage!’ premiered in 2001, it has been a chance for our younger guests to experience their Disney Channel friends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios,” said Dan Fields of Walt Disney Imagineering, the creative director for “Disney Junior–Live on Stage!” “As their circle of TV friends has grown and changed during the years, we’ve endeavored to make sure those new friends are part of their vacation fun, too.”
Like the previous show (”Playhouse Disney–Live on Stage”), “Disney Junior–Live on Stage!” will be presented several times during the theme park day. Guests should check their Times Guide for show times
Fastpass System to include Mickey Mouse
FASTPASS TO THE BIG CHEESE: For the first time in Disney Parks history, Magic Kingdom guests will be able to reserve meet-up time with Mickey Mouse.
Magic Kingdom Guests Will Be Able To Determine a Time To Meet with Mickey Mouse Beginning Later This Spring
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Magic Kingdom officials have a hunch a really “hot ticket” in their realm this summer is going to be something other than a ride, a snack or a show. Rather, it’s a first-ever opportunity to nail down a time to meet with Mickey Mouse.
When meet-and-greets with Mickey move into a permanent new location in Town Square later this spring, Magic Kingdom guests will be able to obtain a Disney’s FASTPASS ticket specifying a one-hour window when they can return to see the popular character for hugs, photos and autographs — without waiting in the standby queue. It will mark the first time the complimentary, computerized service has been available for a character meet-and-greet at any Disney Park.
Since spending time with Disney characters is at the top of the “must-do list” of many guests, the FASTPASS ticket will allow them to experience their Mickey Mouse meet-and-greets more conveniently. As a result, guests will be able to devote more time enjoying other Magic Kingdom experiences with family and friends.
The new meet-and-greet location, Town Square Theater, will be located inside the current Exposition Hall area just inside the park entrance. Imagineers already are working to completely transform the space for the new experience. “This isn’t just remodeling Expo Hall; it is completely re-imagining this entire venue as a beautiful Victorian-era theater and the new home for Mickey Mouse,” Jon Georges, WDI Director, Senior Show Producer, said.
Image: Walt Disney Company
“Mickey and Main Street, U.S.A. are great examples of pure Americana that complement each other very well,” Concept Designer Jason Grandt said. “We drew a lot of inspiration from classic Mickey animated shorts such as The Nifty Nineties and Mickey’s Grand Opera. Many of the scenes in these shorts look like they take place right on Main Street.”
Guests arrive at a building befitting Mickey Mouse’s stardom — with a grand-Victorian-theater elevation, including a marquee that glistens with gold-leaf trim and sparkles with lights. Inside, there’s a mosaic floor, lush curtains with gold rope tie-backs and polished-brass chandeliers. Imagineers are creating new elements and surprises for Magic Kingdom guests, including an interactive queue — with an extra touch of Disney magic — and highly themed retail shops.
The queue takes guests “backstage,” where Mickey is waiting to greet them in a rehearsal-room environment amid posters, steamer trunks and stage props.
In addition, during the New Fantasyland construction, royalty will be visiting as the Disney Princesses will be in Town Square Theater to meet and greet their loyal subjects.
Currently, guests can visit with Mickey Mouse in Tomorrowland, in a location to the right of Space Mountain. Meet-and-greet experiences with the Disney Princesses are currently at Adventureland Verandah.
Epcot’s Via Napoli Ristorante to open during August 2010
Via Napoli (Artist's renderering: Walt Disney World)
Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria is scheduled to open during August 2010. Located in the Italy Pavillion at Epcot, this 300 seat restaurant expands the dining options at this multicultural part of Walt Disney World.
The Patina Restaurant Group’s CEO Nick Valenti created the authentic menu based on his travels in Southern Italy. A feature at Via Napoli is its three wood-burning ovens which are named after the three active volcanoes in Italy – Mount Etna, Mount Vesuvius and Stromboli.
The Walt Disney World blog gave a sneak peek at the new menu which includes
Appetizers
- Sicilian eggplant with olives and raisins
- Salad of lettuce, fagiolini (string beans), fennel and tomatoes; arancini (fried saffron risotto balls) with meat ragù, mozzarella and pomodoro sauce
- Corn-crusted fried calamari
- Minestrone with basil pesto
- A plate of arancini, mozzarella, calamari, portobella mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini and carciofi (artichokes).
Main course salads
- Manzo (filet of beef) with greens, red onion, gorgonzola, apple and cucumber with a red wine-mustard vinaigrette;
- Chopped salad with lemon chicken, greens, cantaloupe, cucumber, red pepper, green beans, onions, almonds and pasta crisps with honey-citrus vinaigrette;
- Calamari with arugula, carrots and fennel with orange vinaigrette.
- Pastas: candele (long, tube-shaped pasta) with sausage ragù; linguine with seafood; malfadine (ribbon pasta) with guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon) and pomodoro sauce; lasagna verde.
- Piatti alla Parmigiana: (dishes topped with Parmesan and mozzarella gratinée): veal, chicken and eggplant
Wood-fired pizzas
The pizzas will be made with caputo flour imported from Southern Italy, San Marzano tomatoes, handmade mozzarella and water from a local spring just like in Italy’s Campania region – 10-inch, 20-inch or 1/2 meter to share: a dozen choices include
- Margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil
- Arciofi with artichoke, potato, pecorino cheese, prosciutto and cantaloupe.
Deserts
- Tiramisù
- Zeppole di ricotta (ricotta cheese-fried dough, whipped cream and chocolate sauce)
- Apple cake with almond sorbetti
- Gelatie
- Vanilla gelato with almond cookies and amarena cherries
Yum!
–Kay
- Providing special vacation home rentals and advice for over 5 years to families and friends wanting to make the most of their time and money while visiting Walt Disney World.
- Windsor Palms Resort Vacation Rental http://www.windsorpalmsorlando.com
- Emerald Island Resort Vacation Rental http://www.emeraldislandorlando.com
Luxury Pet Resort to Open Aug. 27 at Walt Disney World Resort
Photo: WDW News
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Gourmet dog and kitty treats, plush pet bedding and all the creature comforts of home are on tap for Pluto wannabes and other pet pals at Best Friends Pet Resort, opening Aug. 27 at Walt Disney World Resort.
Best Friends Pet Care Inc. will operate the one-of-a-kind, 27,000-square-foot luxury facility complete with cat “condos,” doggy suites, and special accommodations for smaller “pocket pets.” Park and resort guests, as well as visitors staying off property, can reserve the pet hospitality services to include overnight boarding for pampered pups, cats and pot-bellied pigs.
The new resort, built to accommodate 270 dogs, 30 cats and a small menagerie of pocket pets including hamsters and guinea pigs, will replace the five existing pet care facilities now operated by Best Friends Pet Care Inc. throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
Services and amenities offered at the resort are designed to create a fun and comfortable environment for all pets. Dogs staying overnight and accustomed to curling up with a child for bedtime stories will be all ears when they settle down for staff-read “tuck-in” tales. Discriminating cats with a taste for tuna can get their own custom treats. TVs will be tuned to favorite pet films like “Milo and Otis” or “Homeward Bound.”
Guests also can board pets by day and take advantage of services like the resort’s doggy day camp and grooming services.
Best Friends Pet Care’s luxury pet resort includes:
- 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space
- 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas
- A full-service grooming salon with lobby view
- Two 1,100-square-foot doggy-day-camp rooms opening onto a play-yard
- Nearly a quarter-acre private, nature-scaped play park with water-play area and protected trail
- Accommodations for 270 dogs in standard and luxury indoor-outdoor suites. Oversized luxury suites include raised bedding (hop up Fido!) and TVs
- A separate “Kitty City” pavilion accommodating up to 30 cats in “purr-fect” two- and four-story cat condos
- A special room for boarding of pocket pets that include birds and hamsters
As guests and their pets approach the resort, located at 2510 Bonnet Creek Parkway, Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 32830, across from Disney’s Port Orleans Resort, they’ll drive beneath a stylized porte cochere canopy. From the airy lobby, they can watch grooming experts at work on pets of all shapes and sizes.
The resort’s exclusive dog park features a fenced walking trail that borders the natural wetlands around the park. Inside the trail, a 3,300-square-foot play area is covered in artificial turf, and another 4,500-square-foot area is dotted with shade trees for owners who want to sit and watch their pets play. Dogs even can enjoy a 1,300-square-foot water park in their own splash-and-shake zone. Several park spaces are equipped with benches where guests can sit and watch their pets play. The park is secured for guests and their pets only and is illuminated for use after dark.
Directly off the resort’s lobby, a grooming salon offers “go-home-fresh” baths and haircuts for pets. A la carte activities for dogs range from one-on-one playtimes and social playgroups to “cuddle time” and bedtime stories with resort staff. Dog owners also can choose from pet amenities that include ice cream treats, bottled water and premium orthopedic bedding. Cat owners can treat their feline favorites to private playtimes or gourmet snacks like “Tuna on a Ritz” or Cookies and Milk.”
Guests who wish to book accommodations for their pets can visit www.wdw.bestfriendspetcare.com or call 877/4-WDW-PETS.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates for 2010
Photo: Kay Robinson
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is special event held on select dates in the Magic Kingdom theme park. This Halloween themed event requires a separate ticket to attend (regular park tickets do not allow entry to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
The event will be held on certain dates from 7pm-12am September- November, 2010.
During Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Guests of all ages are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween costumes. This is the only time adults are allowed to dress up in costume at the Magic Kingdom! Guests trick-or-treat around Magic Kingdom collecting candy and other treats as you go.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has special themed entertainment including:
* Mickey’s “Boo-to-You” Halloween Parade—including Disney Characters and the stars of the Haunted Mansion attraction. The parade begins with a spook-tacular ride by the Headless Horseman.
* Happy HalloWishes—a spectacular fireworks show where the Disney Villains go trick-or-treating in the sky.
* Many favorite Disney Characters and Disney Villains in special Halloween costumes.
* Special lighting, music and theming effects transforms special areas of Magic Kingdom theme park into happy haunted hollows.
The tone of the event is, well, “Not-So-Scary”, and is appropriate for children of all ages.
Dates:
* Tuesday, September 14, 2010
* Saturday, September 18, 2010
* Tuesday, September 21, 2010
* Thursday, September 23, 2010
* Saturday, September 25, 2010
* Tuesday, September 28, 2010
* Thursday, September 30, 2010
* Friday, October 1, 2010
* Sunday, October 3, 2010
* Thursday, October 7, 2010
* Friday, October 8, 2010
* Monday, October 11, 2010
* Tuesday, October 12, 2010
* Thursday, October 14, 2010
* Sunday, October 17, 2010
* Tuesday, October 19, 2010
* Thursday, October 21, 2010
* Friday, October 22, 2010
* Sunday, October 24, 2010
* Tuesday, October 26, 2010
* Thursday, October 28, 2010
* Friday, October 29, 2010
* Sunday, October 31, 2010
* Monday, November 1, 2010
*Advance Purchase Price not available on 10/8, 10/22, 10/28, 10/29, 10/31. All other select nights, when purchased prior to the day of the event: $53.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $47.95 + tax (Ages 3 - 9); Day-Of Event Prices: $59.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $53.95 + tax (Ages 3 - 9); Premium Pricing (10/29, 10/31 ): $64.95 + tax (Ages 10+) $58.95 + tax (Ages 3 - 9)
–Kay
- Providing special vacation home rentals and advice for over 5 years to families and friends wanting to make the most of their time and money while visiting Walt Disney World.
- Windsor Palms Resort Vacation Rental http://www.windsorpalmsorlando.com
- Emerald Island Resort Vacation Rental http://www.emeraldislandorlando.com
