Are you looking for an unforgettable cruise adventure? Do you want to spend your holiday next to your kids? Then you should think about taking a cruise with the Walt Disney World cruise ship, Disney Dream. The newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet features a sophisticated lounge where the sun sets over the skyline of a different world-famous city each night, a huge water coaster, an animated turtle that teaches children about ocean life and much more.

The Disney Dream is built on the classic style of the previous 2 ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Scheduled for completion in early 2011, the new cruise ship will feature state-of-the-art technology and convenient facilities with splashes of magic and cruise-industry firsts. Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy will have a design evocative of classic 1930’s ocean liners, offering a prime selection of entertainment options for the whole family.

Disney Dream staterooms are designed with comfort, style and a dash of Disney magic. There are 500 connecting doors adjoining stateroom to accommodate larger families and groups traveling together. What’s so unique about this new ship is that it features a Virtual Porthole that provides guests with a real-time view outside the ship.
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Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort 4 STARS

Each of the Disney resorts has a different theme. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is inspired by the beauty of Mexico and the American Southwest and features a five-story Mayan temple, Spanish-style haciendas and palm-shaded courtyards.

Although it has the largest convention center on Disney property, this resort is perfect for an extended family holiday. It is among the least expensive of Disney’s resort properties, yet still a 4 star hotel!

The resort has 1,915 rooms including 46 suites, one large pool, three quiet pools, a formal dinner restaurant, a cafeteria-style restaurant, fitness center, an arcade, a dance club and a gift shop from where you can buy unique souvenirs. The pool area, inspired by the Mayan ruins of Mexico, features a spectacular Mayan temple with a twisting water slide and cascading water!
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Click here for my Orlando tourist youtube channel!

Well everyone I’m really excited about the past few days. I got myself a cool new camcorder! I’ve been meaning to get one for a long time, and finally got one. It’s nothing fancy, a Panasonic SDR-S26. But it’s great for youtube videos, with a 70X zoom on it!

I also just opened up my own youtube video channel, click the link to see it and all my videos so far. Right now I just have some picture slide show videos I made. But very soon I’ll be taking a lot of videos of Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and so much more here in Orlando.

In fact next Sat. I’m going to Universal Studios Mardi Gras and take a nice video of that parade. Plus bike week in Daytona is almost here and I’ll take a lot up there. I can see how I’ll be spending more time in the theme parks taking videos of the rides!
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Disney Floral and gifts

Well soon it will be Valentine’s day, and if your on an Orlando vacation or here to see Disney World you what to know where a good florist shop is. Are you looking for a special gift? Do you want to express your feelings in a unique manner? Then you must take a look at Disney Floral & Gifts, which offers a wide array of flower arrangements and gift baskets for delivery to Walt Disney World Resorts. Give a piece of Disney magic to the ones you love!

A Disney Florist sales specialist can design your gift. From engagements, birthdays, anniversaries to special occasions, Disney Dream Makers are ready to help you offer the perfect gift. They also create custom floral bouquets for weddings and events. Let your child know how much you support him or her with a gift basket from the Walt Disney World Florist & Gift Baskets Team.
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Click for a much bigger full size picture, may take several seconds to load.

A month or so ago I showed a map of the new fantasyland section that is being planned at Walt Disney World. Today I found a new, 3D map that is the latest and best one yet from Stitch Kingdom. Click the picture to see the much bigger version with lots of details. Now like all plans with Disney, the details shown on this map could change.

But this is the latest and most detailed version yet, so it must be pretty close to what they are planning on having there. For those who don’t know, Walt Disney World is planning on a big expansion at The Magic Kingdom theme park. In the back behind Cinderella’s castle they are going to build a whole new section, called fantasyland.

Toontown will be completely gone, and there will be a cool “Dueling Dumbos” ride for kids. There seems to be many Disney princesses meet and greet stations and rides. Also there seems to be a “pixie hollow” forest and fairy meet place. There are lots more rides and attractions shown also.
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Disney’s Planet Hollywood Restaurant

Disney’s Planet Hollywood is a star-centric restaurant in Downtown Disney West Side. This place is so special because it is inspired by the famous portrayal of Hollywood, being the brainchild of Robert Earl, former president of Hard Rock Cafe. Planet Hollywood has over 30 restaurants in prime cities of the world including Orlando, Florida.

Some of the most famous Hollywood stars have promoted this restaurant over the years. Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are just some of the celebrities who made this restaurant so popular.

Another reason why Planet Hollywood is preferred by both celebrities and ordinary people is its exterior which resembles a giant round globe. Besides this, it has three levels with incredible displays of authentic movie and television memorabilia.
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Disney’s Beach Club Villas

If you want to stay right on Disney property on your Orlando vacation, Disney’s Beach Club Villas resort is one of the most beautiful places to stay. Disney’s Beach Club Villas is the fourth Disney Vacation Club Resort operating at Walt Disney World. This Cape May–style resort evokes the charm of seaside homes of yesteryear due to its soft hues of salmon and sea-blue and wooden porches.

Here you will be find a unique combination of nautical themes, homey comfort and resort facilities. This waterfront hotel is near Epcot theme park, Disney’s BoardWalk Area and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. As you probably imagine, there are many things to do here.

The resort provides high speed Internet access, a Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, spa, meeting facilities, Pack ‘n Play play yards and a wide range of recreational activities. For this reason it is a perfect place to stay for everyone in the family – children, parents and grandparents.
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Empty water ride boat at Universal Studios

Well it’s the new year, 2010! The holidays are gone, and it’s now the middle of the winter here in the USA. Of course down here in Florida it’s still toasty warm, maybe a bit cool. It’s also one of the most perfect times to take that Disney Orlando vacation you’ve been waiting for! A lot of people have the misconception that winter is when it’s crowded in Florida.

Everyone knows the snowbirds come down here for the winter. That’s true, but most of them are older folks who don’t really care for the theme parks. The kids are back in school, so most in USA don’t feel they should take an Orlando vacation in the winter. Same is true for our Canada neighbors.

Even the tourist from the UK, which makes up a lot of the theme park crowds, wait until summer to visit Disney. That leaves from now until Easter with the theme parks light on crowds. The weather is nice, around the 60’s or 70’s during the day. The bugs are gone, and it does not rain hardly at all during the winter months.

That means it’s a perfect time to see Disney, Universal Studios and Sea World here in Orlando. If your an older couple with no kids, single, childless couple or home school your kids you don’t have to worry about taking the kids out of school. Prices for everything are also lower than in the summer. It really is much lighter now than the summer tourist crowds.

So if you can, head down here to Orlando and enjoy the theme parks without having to fight the crowds, summer heat, rain, bugs and higher prices. Pay for your theme park tickets online and be all set when you get here!

Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas, at least those that celebrate it. The next big holiday of course is New Years eve. Just about all attractions in Orlando will have some type of New Years event or party going on. Many want to know what will be happening at the big theme parks for New Years Eve. So here’s a brief run down of what’s going on.

Universal Studios
Since Universal Studios has a big nightclub complex right at the parks it’s only natural that they will be having more events than the others. Most of the clubs at Citywalk, Universal Studios night time party zone, will be having live music inside them. Two big time bands; The Temptations and The Four Tops will be performing several times on New Years eve.

Between performances you can dine on all-you-can-eat gourmet cuisine and great desserts! Then, cap off the night with a midnight countdown, champagne toast, confetti burst and more! Yes you have to buy a special ticket, get your Universal Studios New Years eve party tickets here.

Walt Disney World
Disney’s New Years eve events are not really that much. The holiday is not one that fits the family friendly parks. About the only thing different will be better firework displays in each of the parks that have them. However they will have the best fireworks of any place in Orlando, and well worth it to go and see.

Sea World
Surprisingly Sea World will be having a special New Years eve event going on. From 9:00 PM to 12:30 AM you can hear continuous Jazz music from live entertainers in the park. At the Bayside stadium Michael Andrew and the Atomic Big Band will be performing live. Then at midnight you can see fantastic fireworks light up the sky.

So there you have it, the New Years eve events at the big three theme parks here in Orlando. Of course many nightclubs and smaller attractions will have their own little fireworks, party poppers and holiday events. You can buy fireworks in Florida, so don’t be surprised to see and hear folks setting off their own fireworks display!

Photo by Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World has many resorts you can stay at. One of the most beautiful ones is Disney’s Old Key West resort. This 761 room place is beautiful, big and has lots to offer for adults and kids of all ages. Rooms range in size from studios to 3 full bedrooms!

Disney’s Old Key West Resort recreates the beach town feel of the Florida Keys. The resort is decorated with a Victorian theme, being also the oldest of the vacation clubs at Disney. The rooms are designed in a Key West theme. Those who come to stay here may enjoy a variety of recreational activities. The studios are comfortable and have all the essentials.

The staff is very nice and positive, which makes you feel comfortable. There are Walt Disney World buses that can take you to and from the Disney parks anytime you need it. Olivia’s Cafe and Good’s Food to Go are the most popular places to eat. Both offer a wide variety of delicious food.
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If your looking for a very unique Disney World gift this Christmas holiday season, the best place to go is the Disney Downtown Marketplace. Located right in the east end of the downtown Disney area. This Disney entertainment and shopping area is filled with shows, great places to eat and lots of Disney shopping. For this article I’m talking about just the shopping stores.

As everywhere on Disney property, the Downtown Disney marketplace is alive with Christmas holiday decorations and lights right now. With plenty of free parking, this Disney shopping area has over 30 shops, all unique and wonderful. It features the largest Disney character store in the world among other things. You can find every Disney character toy, costume, accessory and more here.
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Very soon Walt Disney World will start having their Christmas lighting ceremonies. Nothing is prettier than the Christmas lights at night at the Magic Kingdom, especially Cinderella’s castle! It’s amazing how they can make that castle glow with different colors.

Then of course you have the special Disney Christmas night parades, which are also very colorful and pretty. Add the fireworks and it’s a fantastic place to be! Here’s a youtube video of a past Disney Magic Kingdom Christmas lighting ceremony. Enjoy!