Places to Stay

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents DRAGONS-Ticket Giveaway!

30 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 10 Comments

Special ticket offer to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^®Presents DRAGONS^SM

And a chance to win four free tickets!

Looking for a holiday gift that is sure to thrill? Ready for something BIG to arrive this January? Don’t miss DRAGONS, a once in a millennium event that honors The Year of the Dragon. Circus performers from the farthest reaches of the earth have assembled for Ringling Bros. Presents Dragons to showcase their astounding acts of bravery and astonishing athleticism. Ringling Bros. Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson presides over this fantastical celebratory tournament of circus champions that brings together mystic dragon lore with authentic circus feats. DRAGONS is a never-before-seen blend of renowned spiritual and real life legends that can be found only at The Greatest Show On Earth!^®. Playing the Amway Center Jan. 12-16.

Get tickets for just $12 (plus facility and handling fees) by using promo code MOMMY at checkout on ticketmaster.com. This offer is available for all tickets except Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP. The offer is valid for the following performances: Friday at 7:30 pm; Saturday at 11:30 am and 7:30 pm; Sunday at 5 pm; and Monday (MLK Day) at 5 pm.

Ringling Bros troupe — Asadullin Troupe - Teeterboard Aerialists - image ©Feld Entertainment

For those looking for something really special, try the VIP Family Four Pack, which includes 4 VIP tickets, 4 small Lemonades, 4 small Popcorn Boxes, and 4 jumbo Lollipops. The package is $170 and is a savings of over $50! To get this package use promo code FAMDEAL at checkout.

For more information on the show, visit www.Ringling.com. We’ll see you at the show!

Here’s your chance to win four ticket vouchers good for any performance of DRAGONS:

Comment below with your favorite part of a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance. I know I have such fond memories of seeing Gunther Gabel Williams and his tigers at my first visit many years ago! Contest runs from now until December 15, 2011. Winner chosen at random and announced December 16 and will need to contact me with your mailing address to receive the vouchers for any Orlando performance.

For additional entries, LIKE my facebook page facebook.com/zannaland or tweet about the contest, feel free to copy and paste the text below to tweet:

~~” I just entered to win 4 tix to the Greatest Show On Earth in Orlando @zannaland and you can too! bit.ly/txAiE0 “~~

Congrats to our winner Becky Browne Allen!

Good luck and On with the Show!

In exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion within this blog, as well as keeping you advised of the latest discount offers, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Feld shows and opportunities to attend private Feld pre-Show events. Even though I receive these benefits, I always give an opinion that is 100% mine.

LEGOLAND Florida Water Park and New Premium Pass Announced

29 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

LEGOLAND® FLORIDA – JUST ADD WATER!
Central Florida’s Newest Theme Park Announces Water Park Details and Unveils All-New Premium Annual Pass

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (November, 28, 2011) – Just six weeks after its official grand opening, LEGOLAND Florida today released details of its first expansion – LEGOLAND Water Park. Scheduled to open in time for summer 2012, the water park will feature a wave pool, Build-A-Raft lazy river, tube slides, body slides and an interactive water-play structure – DUPLO® Safari.

“We’re very excited to share plans for this amazing new attraction,” said LEGOLAND Florida General Manager Adrian Jones. “True to our mission, the water park attraction has been designed for families with children ages 2 to 12 and will add hours of water play to an already full day and move LEGOLAND Florida into a multi-day experience for vacationers. The additional also adds another great value proposition for our Annual Pass members.”

Legoland FL Waterpark — Artist rendering of future LEGOLAND Florida water park

Admission to the water park attraction is included with an all-new LEGOLAND Premium Pass, which offers 12 months admission to LEGOLAND Florida and seasonal access to the LEGOLAND Water Park. Single-day LEGOLAND Florida guests may upgrade to a water park attraction ticket for an additional $12 per person (children under 3 are $3). The Premium Pass is now available for purchase at www.LEGOLAND.com or select AAA Auto Club Group branches.

Key areas of LEGOLAND Water Park attraction include:

· LEGO Wave Pool – Families can catch a gentle wave or simply cool off in this perfectly sized wave pool where the waves are just big enough for all ages to enjoy
· Twin Chasers – Friends ride tubes 375 feet down an intertwining pair of enclosed water slides before plunging into a refreshing pool below
· Splash Out – The thrill seekers of the family can ascend to the tallest point of the water park attraction and choose from one of three unique slides, then speed down a 60-foot drop and “splash out” into the water below
· Joker Soaker – A fun, interactive playground with various lengths, heights and types of slides that offer something different for every member of the family. Guests can wade in the surrounding pool and be surprised with a torrential spill from a 300-gallon bucket
· Build-A-Raft River – Families can imagine, design and build a unique LEGO vessel and set afloat on a maiden voyage around the 1000-foot-long lazy river, set amongst playful LEGO Friends, flowering vegetation and palm trees
· DUPLO® Splash Safari – Toddlers will rule at this water play area with shorter slides and interactive, larger-than-life DUPLO creatures

“This newest attraction is just one of many ways we will continue to evolve LEGOLAND Florida over the next several years,” said Jones. “Creating a multi-visit proposition for families adds another dimension to the LEGOLAND Florida offering. Adding the water park attraction will fulfill this criteria as well as offering a unique attraction in Central Florida. ”

**Important: Please check operating schedule at www.LEGOLAND.com for park days and hours.

VIDEO: Ho Ho Highlights From Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

28 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Peppermint Castle — It's a Candy Cane Castle!

It’s no secret that I love Christmastime. It’s the perfect time of year for me – everything is sparkly and festive (it’s so much easier to get away with sparkles everywhere now!), you can walk around singing songs and no one thinks you’re crazy…and you can be EXTRA cheerful (hopefully people will be extra cheerful back!). I’ve said before that Walt Disney World during the holidays is just magic times ten. The spirit of the season is amped up and you find little details and cheer around every corner.

That is part of why I love Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I’ve shared more reasons why on TampaBay.com’s mom blog, Whoa, Momma! It’s an annual tradition for my family and the holidays officially start when you see the castle glittering in Dream Lights and see the Once Upon A Christmastime Parade. In addition to reading about it, my friend and video correspondent Nicole Siscaretti has captured some of our favorite moments from our most recent Very Merry Party to share here:

If you can make it down to Walt Disney World during the holidays, I highly recommend this magical special event. If you can’t, just keep watching the video while you have some hot chocolate and cookies! 😉

Prefer Dessert Over Disney’s Turkey Legs? No Problem!

27 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw these in the Main Street Confectionery today and just had to share them here: Turkey Leg-shaped Rice Crispie Treats! I have never had the real turkey legs that are so popular at all the Disney Parks…and have no plans to try them any time soon…but these turkey legs, I can do!

Turkey leg rice crispie treats — Now that's a turkey leg I can support!

Here are some more seasonal delicacies!

Christmas treats at Disney — More Christmas treats at the Main Street Confectionery

What’s your favorite seasonal treat at a Disney Park?

First SNOW and Tree-lighting in Celebration Florida This Saturday!

25 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

UPDATE: This post is from 2011, but I have updated it with the 2012 dates and event info below where noted. Enjoy the snow!

This will be our first Christmas as Celebration residents and I couldn’t be more excited. Last year, as we visited friends, the holidays were what convinced us to make this move happen and set things in motion. Now, a year later, we’re here and it’s all real. Continuing the Thanksgiving gratitude for a moment, I couldn’t be more thankful.

Last year, crowded as it was on the first night, seeing the horse-drawn carriages, hearing the bells from the church as we walked with our friends downtown, it was truly magical. I’m so happy we’ll be experiencing it in a different way this year, heading back to our home a mile from downtown at the end of the night. I thought maybe some out-of-town visitors or locals would like to have info on tonight’s festivities, so here’s the schedule from CelebrationTownCenter.com:

Help Kick off Now Snowing with the first snowfall of the season, a special arrival by the big man himself-Santa Claus, strolling Carolers, and a whole lot more.

Snow in Celebration — Snow at last year’s Celebration First Snow event

Here is the run-down for the nightly snowfall activities:

Snowfall and Events EVERY Night through December 31st (including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) Nightly Snowfall 6, 7, 8 and 9 PM November 24th through December 31st, 2012.

Join Celebration Town Center as they kick off 14th Annual Now Snowing event with a Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 34th from 5:30-9 PM. This special tree lighting event will feature live music, a special entrance by Santa Claus himself, and family fun for everyone.

Now Snowing, Central Florida’s original and premier “Snowing” event, offers an all new ice rink and a schedule filled with surprises. Now Snowing is a month long Winter Wonderland Spectacular featuring strolling Charles Dickens Carolers, photos with Santa, horse drawn carriage rides: Wagon Rides- $5.00 per person Horse and Carriage Rides- $25 for the first 2 passengers, $10 each additional, the Celebration Express train, and nightly snowfall at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00 and 9:00 PM.

The ice rink will be open daily from 4:00-10:00 PM through January 2nd – If you are a resident, make sure to ask about Resident Skate Passes or multiple-day skate passes for guests. Endless Ice-Ice Skating Rink $10.00 for a 1/2 hour minimum skate (skate rental included) 4:00-10:00 p.m. daily

In addition to the everyday fun at Now Snowing Nightly, join us for the Orlando Sentinel Celebration of Voices on December 1st and you can catch a special Radio Disney Holiday concert and filled with surprise performances on December 8th.

Experience Cold and Snow in Florida at Gaylord Palms ICE-Shrek the Halls!

16 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

My family first visited the Gaylord Palms and its ICE! event back in 2007. We loved it back then and I’ve been lucky enough to attend the last two ICE openings at a media sneak peek. This year was the first time I brought my littlest guy, now 3, to experience the fun. I wondered what he’d think of the extreme cold temperatures, but despite his initial resistance to wearing the puffy blue parkas the hotel provides for ICE visitors, he was excited to see everything!

As you enter the Gaylord Palms convention center, you are greeted by the “Holiday Halls” where ICE!, Snow, Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating, and the DreamWorks Experience are held. In addition to the free elements of the Gaylord Palms holidays, the special ticketed events include ICE! with over 16,000 square feet of 9-degree weather – quite the contrast to the 80 degree temperatures we are experiencing.

This year, ICE! is Shrek-themed with perfect representations of your favorite characters including Shrek, Fiona, Puss in Boots, Donkey and more. It is amazing how much the huge blocks of colored ice look like their animated counterparts. Also within the experience are the slides made entirely of ice, which my big kids (and my friend and I) loved sliding down! It’s such a fun way to experience winter in central Florida!

Shrek in Ice — Donkey, Puss in Boots and more in ICE!

Shrek characters in ICE — An overview of some of the characters from Shrek

ICE slide — This slide in ICE is so much fun (and cold!) to do!

Kung Fu Panda Awesome SNOW is another play area with a separate admission. Inside there are more slides and playground equipment and 130 tons of freshly made snow. No parkas are needed in here, it’s around 50 degrees, but snowball fights abound as you play in a courtyard themed to the Valley of Peace from Kung Fu Panda. The whole family loved making snowballs and playing in the snow – without the shoveling and scraping ice off your cars!

New this year is Gingy’s Gingerbread Decorating. This area was not open last night but will be now. There guests can purchase and decorated gingerbread houses, cookies or a tree ornament cookie and meet with Gingy himself!

The DreamWorks Animation 3D Theater Experience is also now open, where guests can walk the red carpet with Puss in Boots and enjoy gourmet theater food and beverages with Shrek and Princess Fiona before enjoying Puss In Boots on the big screen, in 3D!

Ticket prices vary by date and you can also look into a one or two-night DreamWorks Experience package to stay at the Gaylord Palms and get some amazing amenities, including interactive Character Meals, Meet & Greets and more. Check out pricing and more info at ChristmasAtGaylordPalms.com Be sure to check in on foursquare for a special treat too – free hot chocolate! Those on twitter can follow the action using the #GPICE hashtag and you can upload your photos to the group flickr account too. Speaking of flickr, for more photos from me check out my Gaylord Palms ICE set on flickr. As you can see below, photographers are on hand to capture your family’s experiences and allow you to bring home memories to last a lifetime.

ICE photo — Group shot of the family and Amanda Tinney's family too in our ICE! parkas!

Some of the free events within the hotel include Luminescence, a musical journey into the spirit of Christmas, Christmas Wonders and Majestic Christmas Tree Lighting and Visits with Santa. I can’t wait to bring the family back again and check out all of these beautiful events in person.

This Saturday, 11/19, Gaylord Palms is teaming up with the amazing local kids charity Give Kids the World, for 50% off admission to ICE! Be sure to use promo code: SEGKW when purchasing tickets!

Have a Brick-tacular Holiday with LEGOLAND Florida’s First Christmas

16 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

LEGOLAND Florida is getting into the holiday spirit with the first annual Christmas Bricktacular. Festive decorations and sounds of the season will fill The Beginning and Fun Town through the holidays, Dec. 8-31, followed by Kids’ New Year’s Eve on Dec. 31. With more than 50 rides, shows and attractions all dedicated to families with children age 2 to 12 and one of the widest selections of LEGO® products available, LEGOLAND Florida is the best place to celebrate the season and pick up the Christmas gifts that are on every child’s wish list – LEGO!

The Beginning is home to a truly spectacular, Bricktacular sight – a more than 30-foot-tall LEGO Christmas tree made with a combination of 270,000 forest green LEGO and DUPLO® bricks. The park’s first-ever tree lighting ceremony takes place on Dec. 5 with a special master of ceremonies. Through Dec. 31, a special family will be chosen to help light the Bricktacular tree each night. I can’t wait to see this in person!

Santa Claus even makes special daily appearances in the historical botanical gardens making a picture perfect spot to capture family memories sure to be treasured for years to come.

Kids’ New Year’s Eve on Dec. 31 let’s kids rock out and watch the sky explode with LEGO fireworks at just the right time for them, midnight KST (Kid Standard Time) – otherwise known as 7 p.m. EST.

Holiday events are included in park admission. Tickets and Annual Passes for LEGOLAND Florida are available at www.LEGOLAND.com

Santa Mickey Dole Whip Mugs at Disney Parks

11 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Just saw these Santa Mickey mugs for Dole Whip and had to share! The line was too long to ask last night but I’ll update as a find more info. If they are like the Halloween Dole Whip mugs, they will be available daily, not just for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The Halloween mugs were available in some resort locations with desserts inside too, so keep an eye out.

Free Downloadable Demo of Disney Universe Online

10 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

A downloadable demo of Disney Universe is now available free of charge on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network! Players can jump in and swashbuckle their way through the game’s first world, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and choose from four of the game’s 45 iconic character costumes, from Stitch, Mike Wazowski, Jack Sparrow, and even the classic Disney hero, Mickey Mouse

In addition to the downloadable demo of the game, consumers who are interested in getting a first-hand look at Disney Universe can also visit a participating Best Buy store beginning December 12. Select store locations will have an Xbox 360^®video game and entertainment system available for consumers to play the demo of the game.

Disney Universe offers a four-person multiplayer action experience, with frenzied gameplay that appeals to players of all ages. The game features 45 classic and contemporary iconic character costumes inspired by well-known and legendary properties, such as the Disney•Pixar hits WALL•Eand Monsters, Inc., Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Academy Award® winning classics, The Lion King and Aladdin. You can check out a review at my friend and fellow Disney blogger’s site DisneyEveryDay.com, with review from another friend, John Saccheri, who you may remember from his touching Give Kids the World post here last year. Check out the trailer below:

The downloadable demo available now features swashbuckling adventures with the first level of the game’s Pirates of the Caribbean world and includes costumes inspired by Stitch from Lilo & Stitch, Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc., Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean and one of Disney’s most beloved characters of all time, Mickey Mouse.

Disney Universe is now available for the Xbox 360^®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Wii™ system from Nintendo and Windows PC.

Published by Disney Interactive Studios, Disney Universe is rated E10+. Please visit www.DisneyUniverse.com for more information.

For more information about Disney Universe, please visit www.DisneyUniverse.com. DisneyUniverse is now available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation, Wii and Windows PC.

Disney Launches Season 2 of the Taste of Disney Web Series

9 November 2011 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

If you’re a local about to be forlorn at the ending of Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival this weekend, or just too far off to experience the festival in person, you can enjoy delectable Disney creations online with Disney.com’s web series. I somehow missed season one, but I’m excited to check out this series for great ideas to recreate Disney masterpieces at home:

The “Taste of Disney” web series on Disney.com offers guests the rare opportunity to explore the delectable culinary experiences found at Disney Parks and bring the magic into their homes. Mother and daughter hosts Pam Brandon and Katie Farmand are back for the second season, giving guests a behind-the-scenes look into the amazing food and special events of Disney Parks.

This season’s episodes feature in-depth interviews with the head chefs and event planners from Disney Parks, sharing their secrets from the most magical dining spots in the country. Fans can look forward to:

Finding out how 900,000 sumptuous samplings, 338,000 wine glasses and 100,000 desserts are made and distributed over the 45 days of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Seeing how some of their favorite iconic foods like Disney’s Polynesian Resort “Tonga Toast” and Main St. Confectionary’s Mickey inspired candy apples are made
An interview with the chef de cuisine of the Flying Fish Café about the restaurant and one of their most popular signature dishes
A look at how Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa has inspired the all-new Hawaiian kiosk at theEpcot International Food & Wine Festival and tips for hosting an authentic luau at home

After watching each episode, guests will be able to access the recipes for all featured dishes and make them at home. Guests can also check out the “Meet the Chefs” page for in-depth information about the hosts, chefs and other guests from the series.

Which recipe would you love to see recreated on the series??