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Archives for May 2019

Kick off the Summer at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay!

30 May 2019 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s fabulous summer-long event, Summer Nights begins this weekend! This means extended park hours every night through August 11th and fireworks every Friday through Sunday. Be sure to take advantage of the limited-time Memorial Day Sale to get the best deals of the season.

Starting next Friday, May 31, the thrills go late and the fun lasts longer at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay with the return of Summer Nights.

Dance the night away with music and more

Music, entertainment and more create a vibrant nightlife atmosphere surrounding Florida’s best thrill rides. In addition to fan-favorite coasters, thrill seekers can now take on Tigris, Florida’s tallest launch coaster, in an exciting new way after dark. The triple-launch coaster takes thrills to new heights as riders face a 150’ upward surge, dramatic heartline roll and top speeds exceeding 60 miles per hour through the night sky.

Park guests can also enjoy special-edition menu items that feature a new twist on traditional summer fare. 
Classic popcorn gets a makeover with an infusion of buffalo ranch and white cheddar flavors.

Summer tastes sweeter with a churro sundae or a fireworks ice cream slushy.

The grilled cheese of childhood memories is transformed as a mac and cheese melt, also available with lobster.

Grown-up indulgences include colorful handcrafted cocktails and pop-tails (new frozen treats with alcohol) in addition to the continued free beer offer as a part of the park’s 60th anniversary celebration.

Enjoy fireworks each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

Memorial Day Sale:

Now through June 2, guests can enjoy limited-time offers for the best value of the summer season.
Busch Gardens Single Day Ticket – SAVE UP TO 60%!
Price: $49, must visit by June 23
Add Adventure Island for only $10 more

Busch Gardens Fun Card – SAVE OVER 30%!
Price: $65
blockout dates apply

Busch Gardens, Adventure Island & 4-Park Annual Passes
5% off Bronze
10% off Silver
20% off Gold

For more details on limited-time offers, visit BuschGardensTampa.com; Restrictions apply. Be the first to know about new events, special deals and future announcements by following Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s blog and social media channels on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.

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Filed Under: Busch Gardens, Family Travel, Florida Theme Parks & Attractions, Travel, Travel, Theme Parks, and Resorts Tagged With: busch gardens, busch gardens summer nights, busch gardens tampa, busch gardens tampa bay, summer travel deals

REVIEW: ‘Aladdin’ Could’ve Used a Magical Lamp

22 May 2019 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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To begin, I’ll say that this movie entertained me. To be fair, most Disney movies do – they’re lighthearted, often fairly funny, and usually have a bit of a spectacle to them/their experience. 2019’s Aladdin definitely checks all three of those boxes, but it does little outside of that.

Aladdin was fun to watch. From a design point of view, it was very interesting. I’m already very invested in Middle Eastern art and culture, and this film certainly managed to live in that world, arguably far more than the original did. And visually, it’s the equivalent to seeing a well developed Broadway show, like the ones Disney puts on (Aladdin, for example). That is to say, every musical number was a big show stopper that is definitely worth watching.

But outside of that, this film really lacks anything worthwhile.

Even after seeing it, I still wholeheartedly believe that this movie really did not need to be made. I don’t know that anyone was really clamoring for a live-action remake of a movie that’s only 27 years old, and didn’t really have many problems. Fans of the original are better off still watching the original, which is largely more charming than this version. And if you’re specifically seeking a bigger spectacle of Aladdin, the Broadway version still already exists, and while it’s not my favorite musical in the world, I think there is definitely good fun to be had, making this movie ultimately unnecessary.

This movie is admittedly more entertaining than the original, which to me never really stood out from that era’s other animated works. Like I said, the musical numbers are all as big and epic as you could ever want them to be – with all of the CGI in the world assisting Prince Ali make his big entrance. But those don’t necessarily add up to something worth more than the sum of its parts.

Will Smith is Genie in Disney’s live-action ALADDIN., directed by Guy Ritchie.

The musical numbers are actually, to me, the best parts of the film. They take Alan Menken’s wonderful original soundtrack and bring a vibrant new life to it, which fits perfectly in the vivid world the characters now live in. This is of course not including the two new songs written just for this film, both of which are sung by Jasmine. They were stylistically very clashing with the rest of the soundtrack, and felt almost as if Disney was just trying to make a song as “empowering” as ‘This is Me’, from The Greatest Showman, just because of how popular that song has become. Additionally, most of the ‘Prince Ali’ scene has actually already been posted to YouTube, and I think watching that clip is really all you need from this movie. It gives you a taste of exactly what to expect.

Will Smith’s performance is what actually keeps this movie from sinking under though. The musical numbers are great, but they are few and far between. Every time Smith was on screen he stole the show, which is actually important because most of the other performances felt nearly lifeless. Before the release of this, there was a lot of controversy about his appearance in the movie, and how they would pull it off. I didn’t really care one way or the other, but I definitely had no issue with him in the end.

Aladdin (Mena Massoud) meets the larger-than-life blue Genie (Will Smith) in Disney’s live-action adaptation ALADDIN, directed by Guy Ritchie.

Overall, it was indeed entertaining, but lacked any real purpose. The plot was more or less the same as the original, so it’s not as if they’re making any groundbreaking leaps or bounds in storytelling, which is bold for a remake of a movie only 27 years old. You can watch this movie and have fun, but you can watch the original and get the same emotional beats/moments. And simply listening to the soundtrack is enough to be satisfied for a “new” Aladdin.

There is something beautifully ironic about this movie being entirely surface-level though, as it mirrors Prince Ali’s character arc in the original film.

Parts of it felt like a Hallmark movie, parts of it felt like a Disney Channel Original Movie. It was just an odd thing that exists, but I’m not sure why. It was fun in the same way a direct-to-video sequel is fun. It exists purely to be looked at, and will be enjoyed largely because people like the original, and this movie didn’t change anything.

While it’s not a spoiler in any way, this movie ends with a black screen, you hear the words, “DJ Khaled… Anotha one!!” and the credits roll, and that should really speak for itself.

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Filed Under: Disney Movie News & Reviews, Disney Parks, Resorts, & Entertainment, Movie Reviews, Reviews, Top Stories Tagged With: Aladdin review, live action Aladdin

VIDEO: TODAY Cafe Grand Opening!

16 May 2019 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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The TODAY Show-inspired ‘Today Cafe’ is now open at Universal Orlando Resort! Join us as we check out some of the festivities including behind the scenes of filming the TODAY Show.

This vlog was filmed on May 16th, 2019, at the Universal Studios Orlando Resort, for the opening of the TODAY Cafe. Check it out below!

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Filed Under: Universal Orlando Resort, Videos

Ch-ch-changes…Big Changes Coming to Zannaland!

3 May 2019 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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You may already know if you’ve been here from the start, or follow me on social media, that Zannaland is about to turn 10! I first started blogging on this site back in April of 2009, but it took a couple of months to realize writing about Disney was what I should be focusing on, on June 25th, 2009. And then 10 years happened.

So much has changed since 2009, in the world, in my life, with my children and even here on Zannaland. I’ve gone through my ups and downs and have even struggled with keeping Zannaland because I felt, once I started working full-time again, that I couldn’t devote the time I needed to to keep up with all the changes in the social media and theme park/travel worlds. I’ve never been one to hustle enough to be “first” and certainly not best by any means, but I always had a passion for sharing my own thoughts and commentary on the topics of Disney, theme parks and travel in general. It took a long time, but as it turns out, I grew my own assistant to help reignite my passion and excitement for Zannaland.

Enter my now 20 year-old, Christian. You have seen him recently writing movie reviews here on the blog. Along with his interest in writing, he also has a love for film-making, recording and editing videos, and creating graphics as well. He’s actually done the last few updates of the Zannaland logo, but now he created a whole new look. I’m not making these changes just because he’s my son and I’m letting him take over; rather, he has me genuinely excited about the updates and “putting myself out there” even more than writing here. We’re having fun, and I hope that fun is contagious.

Christian is taking over the YouTube channel for Zannaland, and will be making and sharing several different weekly videos. Some will be vlog style, featuring him and various other family members. The other two will be news updates, with commentary by Christian and me, maybe some special guests, who knows. Lastly, something that’s been in my mind for the past FOUR years to do is a Disney history podcast with my Disney bibliophile husband, Scott. We’ve had a name, we’ve had an amazing logo that a friend of ours was gracious enough to create….we just didn’t make the time to DO it. So now that we’ve whispered that into the universe, maybe it’ll actually happen.

We are a silly bunch. We joke, make dumb comments, and certainly aren’t the most reverent of Disney fans, so I hope our new entry into the world of video and podcasting etc. will be welcomed and appreciated. I will of course still be blogging and taking photos to share on instagram, most of the new videos will be all Christian. The parts that do include me will usually just be commentary, all the editing and graphics will be his handiwork. You have to start somewhere so our first video jumps right in to the news of the past week at Disney and while I’m sure things will only improve over time and we know it’s not perfect (I noticed a spelling error, and we used a lot of b-roll just to get this first one posted today) we threw it up there anyway and we know we’ll only improve over time. Sometimes you just have to take a chance and put yourself out there, and I’m glad my own son was able to remind me of that.

Thank you ALL for your support over the years, I hope you’ll stick with me and follow along on as we start these new chapters! If you aren’t already, please subscribe to zannaland on YouTube and click the bell to get notified of a new video (and would of course love if you could share videos too). We’d love to hear your comments and feedback too! What would you like to see more of? Let us know and thank you again for the past 10 years of magic in Zannaland.

https://youtu.be/LBAOqHH8u3g
Be gentle, it’s our first attempt! 😉

 

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Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: last week in disney, zannaland, Zannaland news, zannaland videos

LEGOLAND Florida, SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds Cinco de Mayo Annual Pass Sales

3 May 2019 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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Unikitty's Disco Drop

If traditional Cinco de Mayo celebrations aren’t really your speed, Merlin Entertainments Attractions has a deal for you. The four fun-filled Central Florida attractions of Madame Tussauds Orlando, SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium, LEGOLAND Florida Resort and LEGOLAND Florida Water Park, along with the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Atlanta, are offering a big discount on “Awesomer” annual passes during Cinco de Mayo weekend.

SEA LIFE Mermaids

Available May 3 – May 5, 2019, the “Awesomer” Annual Pass will be only $99.99 per person – a $70 discount! The pass includes 12 months of unlimited access to the FIVE attractions named above. In addition to park and attraction admission, the “Awesomer” Annual Pass includes free standard parking as well as discounts on dining and retail at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. “Awesomer” Passholders can take advantage of year-round discounts at LEGOLAND Florida Resort Hotel and Beach Retreat.

The sale comes just in time for guests to experience all-new summer offerings. Passholders can meet real-life mermaids at SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium every Friday through Sunday from May 31 through June 23. The mermaids will dive into the ocean habitat at Orlando’s only aquarium to mesmerize guests with their unbelievable underwater feats.

Madame Tussauds Orlando Justice League

Visitors can also join forces with The Flash and Cyborg, the latest additions to Madame Tussauds Orlando’s Justice League: A Call for Heroes experience. Only in Orlando can guest complete daring missions alongside the ENTIRE Justice League cast, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and now, Cyborg and The Flash.

Guests can also experience the brand-new flying theater attraction, Masters of Flight, at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. Which you can read more about here on Zannaland!

Masters of Flight LEGOLAND

LEGOLAND Florida Resort’s discounted “Awesomer” Pass will be available online and at walk-up admission windows (during operating hours May 3 – May 5) at LEGOLAND Florida Resort, Madame Tussauds Orlando and SEA LIFE Orlando. Learn more about the “Awesomer” Pass at legoland.com/awesomer, visitsealife.com/orlando/awesomer-pass-cinco-sale, or madametussauds.com/orlando/en/cinco-de-mayo-sale.

We bought this pass ourselves on the last sale like this, and it is SO worth it! If you plan on experiencing any of these fun attractions, especially LEGOLAND Florida, we highly recommend snagging this deal!

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Filed Under: Central Florida Family Entertainment, Family Travel, Florida Theme Parks & Attractions, LEGOLAND Florida, Orlando Area Attractions, Top Stories, Travel, Travel, Theme Parks, and Resorts Tagged With: Cinco de Mayo sale, LEGOLAND annual pass sale, LEGOLAND Florida

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