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Closest Hotel to Disney Springs – We Explore the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

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Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

If you’re like me, you have driven by the hotels on Hotel Plaza Blvd. near Disney Springs (in my case, way back to when it was called the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village and later Disney Village Marketplace), but never really stopped to investigate the amazing resorts that exist, minutes from the shopping and dining action. One example of that is The Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort Complex, which just announced the completion of its reimagination and $14 million-dollar guest room renovations and poolside dining. Even better, the rates right now are some of the lowest the property has ever seen – some nights are under $100 a night (yes you read that right).

Situated around 5 minutes (yes you read that right too) from Disney Springs, the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista and its sister property, the Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista are conveniently accessible by the recently installed pedestrian bridges crossing East Buena Vista Drive. No need to worry about cars in your way or waiting for crosswalks to be clear. However, if you want to park in the Disney Springs parking garages, those are really close too!

We were recently invited to tour the newly remodeled rooms and Oasis restaurant and were pleasantly surprised. For those history buffs, the Wyndham property was actually the 3rd resort to open at Walt Disney World. It has a storied history, opening as the Dutch Inn, which later rebranded as the Americana Dutch Resort, before being sold to Grosvenor and becoming the Grosvenor Resort, renamed to the Regal Sun Resort, and then merged with the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts and became what it is today. In between all of those name changes, there have been several multi-million dollar renovations, so you would never know walking into the lobby or a room, the history of the resort! The resort now features open air, socially distanced dining in the Oasis Restaurant adjacent to the new kids’ pool section of their massive aquatic center.

The two official Walt Disney World Resort hotels, the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista and Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista are packed with many shared amenities. This guest room renovation includes 394 newly reimagined garden-themed rooms for the value-minded guest and another 232 rooms in the upscale 19-story tower overlooking Disney Springs, which features a lake house motif.

Wyndham Lake Buena Vista lobby

“Just in time for your holiday vacation and weekend staycation planning, we have completed a significant transformation that has been several years in the making, said Jay Leonard, General Manager of the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort Complex. We are grateful to those who have pardoned our dust as we worked with top designers and builders to create what we believe will be a great guest experience.”

 

See You at The All New Oasis Restaurant

Open daily for lunch and dinner, it’s ideal for everyone who wants to soak up a day’s worth of the Florida sun or simply delight in a refreshing beverage or satisfying meal while watching sports on the big screens in their all-weather dining room.

Handcrafted cocktails, frozen drinks, beer and wine selections and a delicious menu of dining options await poolside. From mouthwatering fish tacos to some of the best chicken wings in town, you will find what you seek at the Oasis Restaurant. Fresh baked pizza, a variety of burgers, sandwiches and salads are prepared to order as you relax at the pool or recharge after an early start at the theme parks. Hidden Mickey fans will also find quite a few to hunt down and spot! 

Click on a photo below to enlarge and see the updated restaurant and amazing pool area:

 

Reimagined Tower and Garden Rooms

Interior Image Group drew the inspiration for the design concepts from the hotel’s lobby area, continuing the lake house theme from the tower into the garden guest rooms.  These newly recreated rooms allow guests to unwind and relax with the feeling of being in their very own garden retreat.

Jamie Malays served as lead creative designer on both hotel offerings and applied her expertise using multiple fabric textures, wood finishes and a minimal color palette in the garden concept.

Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Tower Room
King room at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Tower Room
Queen tower room
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Tower Room Disney Springs view
A Disney Springs view tower room at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

Upon entering a reimagined garden room, guests will find themselves in a serene and inviting space. The main design features are the all-white, laminate wood, built-in storage bench unit that is back lit and accented with decorative aviary hooks to hang caps and jackets. This is where functionality meets beauty; it is aesthetically pleasing, and also acts as a multifunctional storage space with room to place luggage and hideaway shoes in the under-bench area.

Hidden spaces have also been created within the built-in entertainment center, which conceal a coffee maker and mini refrigerator (much larger than the Disney value resort fridges), and come standard in each room.

Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Garden Room
Garden room at Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

The 55” TV is displayed on a backlit wood finish entertainment wall conveniently opening the space on the new quartz countertops. Maintaining the functional design, the built-in unit has an ample amount of storage space with three large drawers.

Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Garden room
Garden wing room window overlooking the pool area

Carrying the minimalistic theme over onto the sleeping area, a soft green wood headboard awaits guests, accented with modern light fixtures. The vanity and bathroom also received a significant facelift, starting at the entrance with a new rolling white barn door and a frosted edge back-lit mirror that hangs over the spacious vanity.

The large picture windows feature a privacy and a blackout shade. The blackout shade is actually decorated with a relaxing garden motif so when closed, it looks like a beautifully pained picture on the wall.

The best part is perhaps the quick walk to Disney Springs, knowing that this beautiful room is waiting for you on your return. I was so impressed with the new room designs, and at this price point, how could you not to stay here?

Walking over to Disney Springs really reminded me of staying in Disneyland, and walking over from Harbor Blvd. to Downtown Disney. That’s a pretty common practice when staying off-property in Disneyland, so it really makes sense that it would work here in Walt Disney World Resort too! So many people want to stay in a Disney hotel, but the comfort and amenities found here are hard to beat – you still receive Extra Magic Hours, FastPass+ (under normal circumstances) and other Magical Extras.

What impressed me most at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista was the people. Everyone we met was like family, ready to welcome you to their home. They were justifiably  proud of their beautiful hotel, and the wonderful amenities it has to offer guests. It truly is a hidden secret on Walt Disney World property and definitely worth investigating for your next stay. Head to Wyndham Lake Buena Vista for more info and to book your stay today!

*Disclosure: The Wyndham Lake Buena Vista invited us out to tour their rooms and pool area, and walked us across to Disney Springs and we experienced some of the shops and dining there. You can see more on my Wyndham LBV instagram story from the day! As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for reading! 

 

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Hilton Bonnet Creek & Waldorf Astoria Food & Wine Weekends Return

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Hilton Bonnet Creek Myth BarOne of the best kept secrets among Walt Disney World visitors is the resorts that are on Disney property, but not Disney-run hotels. Two exceptional examples of this is the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. I have visited, stayed, and dined at these properties for the past 5 years or so, and am consistently impressed with the quality, service and surroundings. I understand that everyone seems to want that Disney experience, but these properties really have so much to offer, you’ll wonder why you didn’t stay here before…

Hilton Bonnet Creek lazy river
Just part of the Hilton Bonnet Creek views and lazy river

If by chance you do not know where these resorts are located…if you are coming from Disney Springs, heading toward the rest of the Disney parks, you will take a left off of Buena Vista Drive onto Chelonia Parkway. The Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando are about a mile down on the right. There is a central parking garage for both properties, but you can valet at either spot too, for a fee. If you are just dining, you can have your parking ticket validated for free parking as well.  You can read more about staying here in my previous Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria posts. For now, though, we are discussing FOOD (and wine)!

Waldorf Bar du Chocolat

You may recall last year I was invited out to experience the Food & Wine Weekends that the Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Orlando put on. I then went back on my own to experience it again, and I’m still thinking about that food. Food & Wine Weekends have officially returned, and though the experience is slightly modified, it is still a spectacular time. This year, Zeta Asia has sadly not reopened yet due to the pandemic. Our fingers are crossed it will be returning soon. However La Luce and Bull & Bear still have an amazing 4 or 5 course offering for the Weekends, and better still, they have full vegan menus for both locations!

La Luce® is Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek’s signature restaurant, inspired by famed Napa Valley chef and restaurateur Donna Scala. I have yet to have a less than stellar meal there. Additionally, the servers, bartenders, managers, and more all go above and beyond to ensure you are taken care of, you know about all of the offerings, and you are enjoying yourself. It’s something we forget exists sometimes, that servers can really go above and beyond with every guest. And yes, a few of my visits have been as an invited guest of the hotel, but others have not, and I’ve still been impressed every time. It really is worth a trip over there to experience the service and food. Here is what is included with your Food & Wine Weekends menu:

La Luce Food & Wine Weekends Menu

La Luce Food & Wine Weekends VEGAN Menu

We started our our meal at La Luce with some cocktails, but then decided to get the wine pairings as well. I will say that I am in no way a wine connoisseur or even really a wine person, however each of these pairings went so well with the menu items, it really made me consider being a wine person!

For the regular menu, there are some choices to be made from the Taste of La Luce menu. Christian chose the Bruschetta, the farfalle, and the Risotto, which came with a seared filet mignon. The other options were a roasted red pepper and tomato soup, Cacio e Pepe (an amazing dish which I included a photo of even tho Christian didn’t pick it – they serve it in a bowl made from parmesan cheese!), and a salmon filet. Then for dessert the choices are between Sugar Bombolini and a Nutella cake. He chose the Nutella cake. We aren’t including photos of all the regular menu items here because we have everything on the video.

I didn’t have any choices with the vegan menu, but I was not disappointed. Even the Spaghetti Primavera, which I wasn’t super excited about because I’m not a regular ol’ tomato sauce kind of person, was wonderful. You could tell it was made fresh in the back and bursting with flavor. The risotto was also amazingly flavored. Just the right amount of pepper added. Also, I had a lot of leftovers, which I was very happy about.

The dessert, a macaron, normally made with egg whites, was made with aqua fava (the liquid left in a can of chickpeas) and you really couldn’t tell that it was vegan at all. As you can see, the portions were huge as well. Our server also recommended we try a vegan pizza, made in their 700 degree brick oven, and it was hard not to finish the whole pizza. They used a chickpea paste in place of tomato sauce, and it made for a great flavor combination with the crispy crust. There was also an absolutely amazing sunset view, as you can see below.

 

Bull & Bear has a reputation for comfortable elegance. Where you are taken care of from the moment you step food inside, and the food and drink quality match that service. Unlike some other upscale dining locations, you don’t feel out of place or stuffy in this atmosphere. You do feel like your every desire (as far as dinner goes) will be taken care of. Named one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the United States by Open Table, Bull & Bear offers a menu featuring re-imagined steakhouse classics and trend-setting fare including a signature 32-Day Dry-Aged Tomahawk Rib Eye. You wouldn’t exactly expect a place with that sort of reputation to offer a vegan option – but they DO! And, they do it well. Here is the breakdown of what’s included for Food & Wine Weekends:

Bull & Bear Food & Wine Weekends Menu

Bull & Bear Food & Wine Weekends VEGAN Menu

We started again with cocktails and bread service. Here everything but the brioche is vegan. The ciabatta bread I had was so good, it didn’t even need butter of any kind. The amuse bouche here was quite simply, amazing. I know they like their Pasta Explosion here, but to me, this was the real explosion of flavors, it was SO good. The mushroom soup was also very hearty and flavorful. The wedge salad was a little dry for both of us but I was happy to have something light in between courses.

Bull and Bear cocktails
Gold Smoke and Mary Pickford cocktails

Next up was a tomato tart for me, which was super unique in flavor and very tasty. A thick crust with chickpea sauce inside and heirloom tomatoes on top. Then, pasta explosion time. It was basically mushroom ravioli. I’m not sure if ours were just sitting there for too long or what, but they didn’t really explode for either of us in the regular or vegan version. It was quite busy and I think there was a bit of a mix up with what the 3rd and 4th courses were for us, so that may have been the issue.

Lastly, the vegan fall vegetable fricassee was my favorite. It paired distinctly fall vegetable flavors with Asian seasoning, and made for a warm and hearty combination. I want to attempt to make this at home! The dessert here was also the vegan macaron but with passionfruit sorbet inside. Of the two macaron desserts, I preferred the limoncello.

Of the two experiences, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I think for what you get, vegan-wise, La Luce was the winner. Christian agreed for the regular menu as well. We both loved the atmosphere and surroundings in Bull and Bear though. I would go back to either in a heartbeat. In addition to my review here, Christian and I also have a fun video of our experience. We hope you enjoy watching it to see first hand what it’s like at each resort’s location. Please like and subscribe to see more of our fun Orlando and Disney vlogs!

 

Here is the rundown of Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando Food & Wine Weekends dates and info:

October 16-November 22, 2020

Bull & Bear Chef’s Table – Fridays & Saturdays, 6pm – 10pm
Experience an exclusive multiple course Chef’s Tasting Menu for $145 (plus tax and gratuity). Suggested
wine pairings are available for $45 additional. Reservations recommended. View Menu.

Taste of La Luce – Fridays & Saturdays, 6pm – 10pm
From the kitchen of La Luce, enjoy an exclusive four-course menu for $55 (plus tax and gratuity).
Suggested wine pairing available for $30 additional. Reservation recommended.

NEW: Vegan Tasting Menus
Available at Bull & Bear and La Luce, Friday and Saturdays.

Sip, Swirl & Savor: A Wine Tasting Experience – Fridays & Saturdays, 5:30pm – 7pm,
La Luce Entrance
Regardless of your wine knowledge, this is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy samples of wine and learn
from an experienced sommelier. Complimentary.

Bonnet Creek Beer Garden – Saturdays, 4:00pm – 5:30pm, Hilton Lobby
Join us for an exclusive tour of Florida’s top craft breweries with samples of their award-winning beers.
Complimentary.

Bar Du Chocolate and Champagne Tasting – Saturdays, 6:30pm – 10:30pm, Peacock Alley
A decadent selection of à la carte chocolate treats hand-crafted by Waldorf Astoria Orlando’s world-class pastry chefs. (watch our video above for more of this amazing display!)

You can reserve any of the dining experiences at Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek or Waldorf Astoria Orlando on Open Table. If you are vegan and want to order off the regular menu, I’d recommend letting the restaurant know ahead of time and the talented chefs will be happy to accommodate you! I’d go back just for the vegan pizza any time! 

Have you stayed at either of these properties, or enjoyed their Food and Wine Weekends, or their stellar dining options?
Waldorf Astoria Orlando

I’d love to hear your thoughts or if you plan to check it out. Let me know in the comments below or drop me a line on social media, I’d love to chat about it! Thanks for reading.

 

Disclosure: As mentioned, I was hosted by Hilton for this event, but my thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own. 

FOLLOW THE ZANNALAND TEAM ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WATCH OUR VIDEOS, VLOGS AND PODCAST TOO: 

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REVIEW: Gaylord Palms Goblins and Giggles Weekends 2020

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Gaylord Palms Resort

If you haven’t heard of the Gaylord Palms Resort, it is situated over in Kissimmee. It’s actually very close to the ESPN Wide World of Sports/Art of Animation side of the Walt Disney World Resort property. It’s super easy to get to and close-by for those wondering if it’s easy to stay there and go to the parks. We have stayed there a few times over the years, and absolutely love the resort. The resort itself is a great place to do a staycation for locals too because there is so much to explore and do in the hotel itself. We’ll have full resort and room tour videos coming up later this week, so be sure to subscribe to our Zannaland channel and click the bell to get notified when they go live! Now, let’s get to our review of Goblins & Giggles Weekends!

What is Goblins and Giggles Weekends? 

We discuss all that’s included in Goblins and Giggles Weekends in our previous article, so check that out if you’re curious as to what’s included. In addition to this Goblins and Giggles review, you can watch our video from our weekend there to see what we saw and enjoyed! Watch here:

Is Goblins and Giggles Worth it? 

I think it is, yes. The event weekend rates start at $189/nt and I think that’s a great value with some extras thrown in like the Halloween Hide & Seek with Spookley the Square Pumpkin, the Trick or Treating, and the little shows, animal encounters and storytelling on the tv. We didn’t get video of that but basically on channel 51 of our room tv, from 6-10pm, we could watch storytime with Morgana, and Monster Mash with Vlad, where their costumed characters told stories or did dance numbers for the kids. That was the only place we saw the Goblin in question from the weekend name. Unless we missed him being somewhere else, be sure to tune in to see him.

I will say that while I personally enjoyed the Castillo de San Marcos ALIVE! experience, because I love fun theatre-y stuff like that where people perform dramatic monologues, I can see how some people might not think it was worth the $15 per person ticket price. I don’t usually do any sort of Halloween experiences like that, so maybe that’s the going rate, I’m not sure, so I’ll let you decide for yourself.

For the ticket fee, you see some lit up jack-o-lantern collections, which are very fun, but I do wish I could’ve taken some photos of them in the daylight too. Then you experience 3 different ghost “stations” where each ghost tells you their tale and then ushers you on. It ends with Bones, a “comic relief” performance to counteract the creepy (and based on real stories?) tales you just heard. Bones was really fun, we loved him. Then you are sent to the SpookEasy, where you can enjoy an alcoholic drink if you’d like. So if you had a big family, that price would add up quickly, but again, it’s up to you to decide if it would work for you. I will say the performers were all great, really into their characters and the makeup and costumes were on point too. I really had fun.

Lastly, there is the Phantom of the Atrium Light Show. I was really looking forward to this as I love a light show, and anything Phantom of the Opera related. This was a fun show, but it was quick, only 5 minutes long. The Phantom “conducts” from below, and the lights display various Halloweenie images and characters, with classical spooky music. I think this could be a much longer show, even if the lights aren’t necessarily showing graphics, they are just lights. Some of the images were a little cheesy, but again, it was super fun to watch from our balcony. I’d have sat through an hour-long show!

Will My Kids Like it?

There are some activities which are definitely geared toward younger kids. The Seth the Sea Turtle and Ava the Alligator Adventure Kids show is for sure. The bedtime stories on the tv are as well. The Hide and Seek is great for little kids and older kids, because if the little ones can’t solve the puzzles, older siblings or parents can help, and the littler kids can search for Spookley the Square Pumpkin. Trick-or-Treating is of course for everyone. The ALIVE! experience isn’t really very scary, it’s just loud in some parts when the actors really get into something. But little kids may not enjoy it if you are going at night. The Phantom of the Atrium Light Show is great for everyone!

Bottom Line Review

My Gaylord Palms Goblins and Giggles review in a sentence: I had a great time, my family had a great time. I think the value is there, and on par with Disney’s value resorts, which Gaylord Palms certainly exceeds in terms of comfort and surroundings. Again, I love going there for a Staycation and not even visiting the parks, because with the resort itself (even now when some things are closed) and the water park area, there is a ton to do.

I will say that we were a little disappointed in the lack of enforcement of the mask-wearing policy. It IS clearly stated everywhere that it’s required in the hotel, and at the pool unless you are in the water, but we did not see anyone outside of the front desk reminding people to keep their masks on or up over their noses. Many times people would be asking an employee a question, with no mask on, and no one was telling them to stop and put their mask on.

Additionally, they have notices to keep elevators at 4 people max occupancy, or your entire party, and we had to, at least twice, stop people from getting on the elevator with us. I realize that is a people problem and not a Gaylord Palms problem, but I do wish they had at least one person stationed around the atrium enforcing mask-wearing. We felt safe the whole time, however, we just stayed away from those who weren’t complying. Just something to be aware of if you are immuno-compromised.

How to Book

You can book directly at GaylordPalms.com and don’t forget about their upcoming holiday season as well with the Gaylord Palms I Love Christmas Movies pop-up experience!! We can’t wait for that! Thank you to Gaylord Palms for having us out and we hope you enjoyed our Goblins and Giggles vlog and review – stay tuned this week for Resort and Room Tour videos coming up on Zannaland!

You can also see the fun from our weekend on my instagram story if you missed it while we were there, I’ve saved it in a Gaylord Goblins highlight.

 

Disclosure: Gaylord Palms invited my family and I to stay for the weekend and experience Goblins and Giggles Weekends. We were provided with a $100 resort credit, passes for the ALIVE! experience and preferred seating at the pool area. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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Magic Kingdom Attractions – RANKED! Up the Waterfall Episode 35

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This week, we wanted to do a fun palate cleanser episode after our deep discussions on Waking Sleeping Beauty, Most Unecessary Changes to Walt Disney World and Reasons You MUST Visit Disneyland. After the fun of our Disney Hotels RANKED episode, we wanted to rank ALL the Magic Kingdom attractions. For this ranking, we are using all the official attractions, as well as some experiences that have an added component. Examples are Enchanted Tales with Belle, and Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom, both of which have more to them than a traditional meet and greet, or “show.”

Space Mountain

Will our ranking match up with yours? Did we commit any cardnial sins with our list? Let us know! My criteria for ranking was kind of subjective, not a “thrill factor” or technology, sometimes it was more just the classic nature of the ride or “Disney Imagineering” at its finest. We’d love to know your thoughts on all the Magic Kingdom attractions! You can create your own Magic Kingdom Attractions Ranking too! Feel free to screenshot your ranking and share it with us on any of our Zannaland social media channels (see below) or email us!

Don’t forget you can email us your Disney Trivia Question answers too!

 

Watch for our next LIVE show, Monday, August 17, 2020. We’ll be broadcasting live from the Zannaland facebook page, so be sure you are following along there and like the page to be notified when we go live!

Pirates of the Caribbean

As always, we thank you for watching and listening! If you enjoyed, please share with a friend so more folks can learn about our growing podcast! Thank you!

Listen to Up the Waterfall:

You can listen anywhere you download and listen to podcasts, including: 

(If there’s a podcast service where you can’t find our show, let us know and we’ll get it added there!)

Watch Up the Waterfall:

Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and see some unique images during some episodes.

Feel free to comment below with your opinions on ANY of these hot button topics, any questions or info you’d like to add, or if it’s easier, head to the Zannaland Facebook page and join the discussion there with fellow Disney Parks fans!

Zannaland and Up the Waterfall Community – Let’s Connect!

FOLLOW THE ZANNALAND FAMILY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WATCH OUR VIDEOS, VLOGS AND PODCAST TOO: 

We thank you for your support and for sharing the love! 

Up the Waterfall logo

 

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NEW Florida Resident Staycation Offer at SeaWorld Orlando

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EDITED TO ADD: SeaWorld and all area theme parks are closed for the remainder of March due to Coronavirus concerns, so this ticket offer is no longer available. Stay tuned for further updates about local area theme parks.

SeaWorld Orlando announced today that their Florida residents can take advantage of a very special offer this weekend!

Starting today, March 12, SeaWorld Orlando Parks are offering Florida Residents a staycation promotion! Florida Residents can save up to 60% on SeaWorld tickets as low as $49.99, Aquatica tickets as low as $34.99, and a SeaWorld/Aquatica 2 park ticket for only $59.99.

The promotion starts today, March 12th, and ends March 16th – better act fast to score those deals! The promotion comes just in time for the Seven Seas Food Festival, ongoing at the park through March and April.

The nearby Discovery Cove will be participating in the offer as well, offering Florida Residents a 40% discount if they book their reservation by March 16 and visit by May 20, 2020.

For more info and to take advantage of this deal, click here. Or to score even more, and visit Discovery Cove too, click here for more information on that deal.

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NIK WALLENDA to Perform Stunt at LEGOLAND’s Pirate Island Hotel Opening

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World-renown daredevil Nik Wallenda has announced that he will be ‘walking the plank’ at the grand opening of LEGOLAND Florida Resort’s all-new Pirate Island Hotel. The stunt is scheduled to air live on ABC for all to view!

LEGOLAND Florida Resort writes,

In true pirate-fashion, Wallenda will “walk the plank” from inside the theme park to the new hotel to kick off the resort’s opening festivities on Thursday, April 16. LEGOLAND Florida Resort park and hotel guests are invited to take part in the fun and watch the nail-biting stunt safely from the ground.

This event will be no “walk in the park” for the Wallenda Team as they will construct a high wire longer than 500 feet for the walk. They will also work closely with LEGOLAND master model builders to craft LEGO bricks onto Wallenda’s 28-foot balance pole.

LEGOLAND and Nik Wallenda fans alike can stay tuned to Facebook and Instagram as the park releases additional details on how to watch the stunt unfold live on Thursday, April 16.

NEW! LEGOLAND® Pirate Island Hotel Grand Opening – April 17

Located just 130 kid-steps from the theme park entrance, LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel will feature 150 LEGO-filled rooms (including four suites), a heated pool (complete with LEGO soft bricks to build in the pool), hundreds of LEGO models, exclusive character experiences and in-room LEGO treasure hunts. Similar to the popular LEGOLAND Hotel, each room will include two separate spaces: a kid’s sleeping area and an adult area.

The five-story hotel will house the pirate-themed Shipwreck Restaurant with family-style dining, Smuggler’s Bar for adult swashbucklers, an entertainment area with kid-friendly nightly programming and LEGO play areas. Directly outside the entrance to the hotel, a pirate shipwreck will greet guests and offer a unique photo opportunity.

LEGOLAND Florida Resort has also prepared a brief video to tell us more about the event!

[videopress hF5wR6Ny]

The Pirate Island Hotel will officially open to the public on Fri., April 17. Reservations are available at LEGOLAND.com/pirateisland

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SeaWorld Announces Artists for Seven Seas Food Festival

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The Seven Seas Food Festival will begin soon at SeaWorld Orlando!

Coming this spring, guests will be able to experience a festival of fun, food, and music at SeaWorld Orlando. Every weekend during the event, concerts will be held at 6pm at the Bayside Stadium.

THE LINEUP!

·      Billy Ray Cyrus headshot, Seven Seas Festival SeaWorld Orlando  March 7 – AJR

·        March 8 – Dylan Scott

·        March 14 – Hunter Hayes

·        March 15 – Joe Nichols

·        March 21 – YES and Alan Parsons Live Project

·        March 22 – Edwin McCain

·        March 28 – Gin Blossoms

·        March 29 – Village People

·        April 4 – Jesse McCartney

·        April 5 – Gretchen Wilson

·        April 11 – Scotty McCreery

·        April 12 – Jeremy Camp

·        April 18 – Everclear

·        April 19 – Grand Funk Railroad and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT

·        April 25 – Vanilla Ice and C&C Music Factory

·        April 26 – Chris Janson

·        May 2 – Billy Ray Cyrus

·        May 3 – Sean Paul   Village People headshot, Seven Seas Festival SeaWorld Orlando

All of these performances are included with the price of admission! But for the most exclusive experiences, reserved seating can be purchased online. Additionally, there’ll be a plethora of fun new food items at the event, and the full menu can be viewed on SeaWorld’s website.

The SeaWorld Orlando Seven Seas Food Festival begins February 7th, and lasts Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through May 3rd.

Of course, be sure to keep an eye out for the new ICEBREAKER attraction coming this year as well!

 

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Details Announced for The 6th Annual Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival

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Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival

Earlier this week we got some exciting new details for the upcoming Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay coming this spring.  From concert dates to fun new food items, here’s what we know so far!

DATES!

The fun begins with a Passholder exclusive event!

Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival

Feb. 28:                Pass Member Exclusive Preview with “Eaglemania: The World’s Greatest Eagles Tribute Band!”

This exclusive event is available ONLY for Pass Members to preview the all-new menu of sips and samples at the 6th Annual Food & Wine Festival.

Be sure to visit Busch Gardens’ website to learn more or purchase your Annual Pass to gain access to this VIP opportunity!

Additionally, we’ve received information with more concert dates during the festival!

Feb 29:                Collective Soul
March 1:              The Commodores

March 7:              Chase Bryant & Danielle Bradbery
March 8:              Rachel Platten

March 14:            Ezra Ray Hart
March 15:            THREE DOG NIGHT

March 21:            LOCASH 
March 22:            Fitz & The Tantrums

March 28:            Home Free
March 29:            Taking Back Sunday

April 4:                 Third Eye Blind
April 5:                 KC & The Sunshine Band

April 11:               38 Special
April 12:               Micah Tyler & Austin French

April 18:               Lee Brice
April 19:               Clint Black

April 25:               El Gran Combo
April 26:               Toad the Wet Sprocket & The Verve Pipe

Fans of these groups will be excited to know that there are VIP packages available for each act “including reserved concert seating and a 5-item Food & Wine Festival Sampler Lanyard.” And new for 2020, you can upgrade to the Unlimited Food & Wine Festival VIP Seating Package for the ultimate concert-going experience. This new opportunity includes VIP seating for EVERY concert of the 2020 festival!

NEW TREATS!

Busch Gardens Food and Wine FestivalThis year’s event highlights a tasty new dining lineup too! Designed by the award-winning new Executive Chef of Busch Gardens Ernie Reyes, the festival’s menu features 25 NEW food items, and over 80 wines, beers, and cocktails. Here are just a couple of the new dishes to expect:

·        The ALL-NEW Chef’s Corner cabin: featuring three signature dishes carefully crafted by the park’s head chefs – arroz con pollo, pork belly taco with kimchi slaw, and pork tenderloin with champagne watercress sauce.

·        NEW Iconic Coaster Cocktails: including Iron Gwazi Gimlet, Falcon’s Fury Lemon Drop, and Tigris Tea

·        NEW Pick-A-Barrel tasting: create your own flight of liquors and wines from around the world

Guests can also already view the entire remaining menu online, and decide ahead of time what their must-eats are. From there, guests can also upgrade or purchase their Food & Wine Festival Sampler Lanyard. Busch Gardens writes that “Guests can purchase a 5, 8 or 12-item sampler lanyard to use at each festival cabin to explore sample-sized dishes and drink offerings with ease, starting at just $32. Pass Members can purchase an exclusive 15-item sampler for the same price as a 12-item sampler and SAVE 20%!”

COMING THIS SPRING!

Busch Gardens Food and Wine FestivalThe 2020 Food & Wine festival at Busch Gardens begins this spring, running every weekend from February 29-April 26. While you’re there, be sure to check out the incredible new IRON GWAZI attraction opening Spring 2020.

Best Way to Play:

Visit Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival and year-round events is with an Annual Pass that includes 12 months of unlimited visits, FREE parking, FREE Serengeti Safari, merchandise and dining discounts¹, and special limited-time perks throughout the year. Or for a limited time, buy a Busch Gardens Tampa Bay 2020 Fun Card and an Adventure Island 2020 Fun Card FREE – Florida families can take advantage of this limited time buy-one-get-one FREE offer and get unlimited year-round park admission to TWO until December 31, 2020².

¹All events and attractions listed are included with park admission. Upgrades, specialty food and beverage items are sold separately.

²Some restrictions apply; Blackout dates may apply

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VLOG: Building Christmas at LEGOLAND Florida Resort!

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We have a brick-tacular time during the Christmas season at LEGOLAND Florida, and in the process try some weird fries, build an ornament, and roll down a hill into the sea. Never to be seen again.

Disclosure: LEGOLAND hosted us for this event, but these opinions are our own!

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