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lake buena vista

GIVEAWAY: Win a $50 GC to Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores for Back to School!

24 July 2013 by Suzannah Otis 5 Comments

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Here’s a fun giveaway which Zannaland.com also participated in last year, perfect for locals doing some back to school shopping or visitors who love to shop and plan on being down here to enjoy the tax-free weekend coming up soon. Here are all the details below:

It’s almost August, and you know what that means:  school bells will be ringing soon, and so will cash registers during back to school shopping. If you’re like most of the country, shopping smarter and stretching your budget will be a priority. The Florida Sales Tax Holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 2 and ends at 11:59 on Sunday, August 4. Local schools go back into session in mid-to-late August, so plan now to take advantage of that.

Image credit: Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores/Tom Hurst
Image credit: Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores/Tom Hurst

 

Heading out to destinations like Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores, one of Central Florida’s best-kept shopping secrets where you’ll find savings up to 75% off at select stores, is a great choice. The village-style center offers a customer-friendly shopping experience and 50 spacious outlet shops with convenient store-front parking. Shoppers will find great deals at the area’s only Old Navy and G by GUESS outlet stores, newcomers Justice, Crocs, Calvin Klein and Levi’s® Outlet Store, as well as other well-known outlet stores include Aeropostale, Carters, Converse, Famous Footwear Outlet, Fossil, Gap, Izod, Nike Factory Store, OshKosh, Rack Room Shoes, and many more. Stop into the new Lindt Chocolate for a treat!

 

Here’s your chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the Center. (See entry rules below…)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Even if you aren’t selected for the gift certificate, you can get in on the savings by downloading a coupon from the Center’s web site, then bringing it to Travelpro at the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores to receive a coupon booklet valued up to $400 in savings.The Center is located at 15657 S Apopka Vineland Rd (SR 535), Orlando, FL 32821.

 

Happy shopping!

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Filed Under: Disney Movie News & Reviews, Top Stories Tagged With: carters, convenient store, coupon book, crocs, famous footwear, florida sales tax, florida sales tax holiday, image credit, lake buena vista, lake buena vista factory stores, late august, lindt chocolate, nike factory store, old navy, outlet stores, rack room shoes, sales tax holiday, school bells, select stores, style center

Photos: “Disney Springs” to Revitalize Downtown Disney Area

14 March 2013 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

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As an early visitor to Walt Disney World, back in 1983, one of my very favorite parts of our vacation was the Lake Buena Vista Village Marketplace area, or “The Village” as my family called it. Our first visits to WDW included stays at the Lake Buena Vista Vacation Villas, part of a set of villas where Saratoga Springs now resides. Your stay at one of the villas (larger town-home style rooms with bedrooms, a living area and kitchen) included a golf cart, and we would ride over to the Village every day, either for breakfast at the Empress Lilly, dinner at Heidelberg’s Deli, or for stocking up on snacks at the Gourmet Pantry. It was such a truly relaxed, unique area; it became forever engrained in my memories as “Walt Disney World.”

Over time, changes took place at the Village Marketplace, and Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island, and West Side were born. More and more visitors came to Walt Disney World and Disney answered with more shopping and dining experiences. But something was lost along the way: that relaxing, Florida feeling that made such an impression on me as a child. So when I heard the latest announcement regarding Disney Springs, I was thrilled that perhaps this would again be a place for beautiful sites and memories to be born. Hearing the description with emphasis on meandering springs, open-air promenades and waterfront charm gives me hope for this new area to capture the right balance of shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Here is the official announcement from Disney this morning:

Disney Springs will feature an eclectic and contemporary mix from Disney and other noteworthy brands. From boutique shops to unique flagship anchor stores, guests will be able to explore a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment experiences and discover options unlike any other currently available in Central Florida.

Disney Unveils Vision for Disney Springs
Along with an eclectic and contemporary mix from Disney and other noteworthy brands, Disney Springs (as shown in this conceptual rendering) will feature a new gateway with a signature water tower and grand entry.

“Disney Springs will be a timeless, vibrant place where Walt Disney World guests and local residents can relax, shop, dine and be entertained in an imaginative setting where they’ll instantly feel at home,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Featuring distinctive brands, world-class restaurants and unforgettable entertainment, Disney Springs will be brought to life with the same focus on storytelling and attention to detail that goes into our theme parks, resorts and cruise ships, resulting in a welcoming space that only Disney could create.”

Disney Unveils Vision for Disney Springs
Downtown Disney is undergoing a multi-year transformation, representing the largest expansion in its history. The renamed Disney Springs (as shown in this conceptual model) will double the number of shopping, dining and entertainment experiences, and feature an eclectic and contemporary mix from Disney and other noteworthy brands.

Disney Springs will double the number of shops, restaurants and other venues for guests to explore, resulting in more than 150 establishments. In addition, Staggs noted, Central Florida stands to benefit from the expansion with more jobs, tax revenues and business opportunities.

Disney Unveils Vision for Disney Springs – Marketplace
As part of Disney Springs, the family-friendly Marketplace (as shown in this conceptual rendering) will continue to delight guests of all ages and include new experiences, such as an over-the-water pedestrian causeway.

Drawing inspiration from Florida’s waterfront towns and natural beauty, Disney Springs will include four outdoor neighborhoods interconnected by a flowing spring and vibrant lakefront. In addition to a new gateway with a signature water tower and grand entry, the destination will feature:

  • The Town Center, which offers a sophisticated mix of shopping and dining along with a promenade where guests can relax, refresh and reconnect.
Disney Unveils Vision for Disney Springs – Town Center and The
With a flowing spring as a centerpiece, Disney Springs will feature four outdoor neighborhoods including the two shown in an artist’s conceptual rendering. The Town Center (lower portion of the image) will offer one-of-a-kind shopping and dining experiences along a promenade while The Landing (upper portion of the image) will include inspired dining and beautiful waterfront views.

 

  • A colorful and thriving commercial district called The Landing with inspired dining and beautiful waterfront views.
Disney Unveils Vision for Disney Springs – West Side
Inviting and infused with character, Disney Springs will feature four outdoor neighborhoods including The Landing (as shown in this conceptual rendering) which offers inspired dining, retail and beautiful waterfront views.

 

  • The family-friendly Marketplace that will continue to delight guests of all ages by combining new experiences, such as an over-the-water pedestrian causeway, along with classic Disney favorites, including an expanded World of Disney store.
  • A West Side that provides an exuberant atmosphere with lively entertainment, along with a series of new elevated spaces that provide both shade and an overlook to the activity below.

 

Disney Unveils Vision for Disney Springs – West Side
Along with an eclectic and contemporary mix from Disney and other noteworthy brands, Disney Springs (as shown in this conceptual rendering) will feature a new gateway with a signature water tower and grand entry.

 

Collectively, these efforts will not only have an impact within Walt Disney World, but will also have an economic ripple effect on Central Florida. The project will create an estimated 1,200 construction jobs and nearly 4,000 operational roles.

Disney will share more details on specific experiences coming to Disney Springs in the future. Construction is slated to begin next month with new areas opening in phases. Disney Springs is expected to be complete in 2016.

What do you think of this announcement? Are you excited for Disney Springs? Disney has not officially announced the restaurants or shops which will sign on for Disney Springs, but one of the many rumors is Trader Sams, the tiki bar made so popular at the Disneyland Hotel. I’m very excited for the possibilities!

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Filed Under: Disney Dining, Disney Merchandise, Disney News, Top Stories Tagged With: boutique shops, disney pleasure island, Disney Springs, Downtown Disney, downtown disney pleasure island, Downtown Disney refurb, Downtown Disney remodel, empress lilly, gourmet pantry, home style, lake buena vista, marketplace area, promenades, saratoga springs, Trader Sams, vacation villas, village marketplace, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World

Disney Exclusive Cosmetic Line-Beautifully Disney to Debut March 2

21 February 2013 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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With the incredible success of Disney’s past make-up partnerships – the Villains collection, various Urban Decay sets like the new Oz eyeshadow sets,  and the Disney Princesses cosmetics collections, currently available at Sephora, Disney has now created its very own line, exclusive to Disney Parks. In the same vein as the extremely popular designer handbag lines – Disney Dooney & Bourke, LeSportsac and Harvey’s bags, I think this make-up line is going to be a huge hit – “coordinating cosmetic bags and beauty tools”?! sign me up! I know I can’t wait to see it in person – we’ll update you when Beautifully Disney appears!

BeautifullyDisney

Here’s the official word from Disney: Beautifully Disney, a new collection of cosmetics and beauty products for women, is coming exclusively to Disney Parks. The character inspired collection is the first of its kind for Disney Parks and has been developed to evoke the spirit, beauty, and fantasy of all things Disney. Beautifully Disney provides a rich color collection for lip, eyes, and nail at an exceptional quality level. Through character and storytelling on the cosmetic packaging, Disney Parks guests will be able to choose from their favorite films and characters in various moods. The range will provide a broad expanse of classic colors as well as some fashion forward trend colors that are complementary to the spectrum of skin tones. Coordinating cosmetic bags and beauty tools will round out the initial Beautifully Disney offering to create a truly immersive beauty statement. Beautifully Disney will be available this spring at select retail locations including Tren-D at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. and Disney Vault 28 at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Ca.

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Filed Under: Disney Merchandise, Disney News, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: anaheim ca, Beautifully Disney, beauty tools, broad expanse, classic colors, cosmetic bags, cosmetic packaging, cosmetics, designer handbag, Disney cosmetics, Disney makeup, Disney parks, disney vault 28, disney world resort, Disneyland Resort, favorite films, lake buena vista, lesportsac, make-up, makeup, quality level, sephora, skin tones, Walt Disney World, walt disney world resort

Families Look to Vacations to Rediscover Each Other According to Disney Survey

21 February 2013 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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It’s not often I like to just post press releases without my own personal take on them, however this release just appeared on my doorstep and I think the information is just perfect as is, and an important message to relay to all of us Disney Parks fans out there. We all grew up going on family vacations of some sort or another, whether it was going to a Disney Park, packing up the car and heading to the beach or local lake, summer was a time for carefree rediscovery with your family. Sure, you probably fought with your brother or sister and your parents threatened to “turn this car around!” a few times, but the end result was wonderful memories that turned us into the people we are today. And if by chance you didn’t have that background of family vacations, it’s even more important to gift your own children with those memories that last a lifetime. I know the vacation that stands out the most for me is our family drive from Massachusetts to Walt Disney World, in 1983. It sparked the Disney magic that courses through my veins today and is truly a highlight of my childhood. And as was shared last year during the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, we only have 18 summers with our children. Treasure them, and make even more of that time with travel throughout the year when you can. Let’s check out all the official statistics, because don’t we all need a little more Disney Time? —

 

DisneyTimeSurveyLAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.  Feb. 20, 2013- Between long work hours, busy after school schedules and countless distractions, today’s American family is feeling more disconnected than ever – creating a deficit in “quality time” amongst U.S. parents and their children.

The solution? According to the Disney Time Survey, a blind study conducted by Kelton – a leading research firm – quality family time not only increases while on vacation but parents and children say they learn something new about one another during this time, as opposed to when at home.

More than 1,000 parents of children age 5-17 participated in the Disney Time Survey, which asked families to think about and share thoughts on quality time when at home – versus when on vacation.

So, how do parents define quality time? Ninety-one percent of parents report that quality time is achieved when they learn something new about their child, while 84 percent of parents say quality time means their child learned something new about them. From favorite to least favorite activities and food, to details about their children’s friends – the survey found that moms and dads saddled by hectic lifestyles are craving more time together with their kids.

We’re Busy!

Time is precious – and fleeting – and for many parents, scarce.

  • Out of 52 weeks a year, on average, parents surveyed admit that they have only 15 “free” weekends – i.e. “no plans.” Further, 13 percent say they have no free weekends.
  • Seventy-one percent of parents would love more time with their kids – up to nine hours more a week, specifically.
  • Ninety-six percent of parents would give up at least one thing for a year to spend just one extra hour with their children every week, such as a favorite TV show/sports/game (78 percent), the internet (74 percent), shopping (74 percent), sleeping late (69 percent), a favorite hobby (64 percent), even coffee (59 percent).

Solution? Go on Vacation!

The findings present vacations as a key way to cultivate family bonding and strengthen quality time.

  • Ninety-seven percent of parents say that their children have gotten to know new things about them while taking family trips, including more about their parents’ childhoods (86 percent) or facts about other family members (74 percent).
  • Almost one in two parents feel that out of all the time they spend with their children, only half of it, at most, could be classified as “quality time.” However, while on vacation, parents report that 82 percent of time would fall in the “quality time” category.
  • When they do vacation together, the whole family is inclined to be more excited (77 percent), relaxed (75 percent), silly (68 percent), calm (54 percent) and even more affectionate (54 percent).
  • Parents report eating an average of 10 meals with their children in a typical week at home. However, when on a seven-day vacation, families say they almost double the number of meals they eat together (19 meals vs. 10 meals) – and 68 percent claim they would eat all 21 meals (three meals per day) as a family.

Family Travel: Looking Ahead

As part of the study commissioned for Disney Parks, parents were asked to share some vacation habits and places of interest. Family travel is set for growth over the next five years, findings showed.

  • More than eight in ten (82 percent) respondents who have taken family vacations reveal that they will take the same amount of, if not more, vacations in the next five years. Further, 94 percent of parents think it’s important for families to take vacations together on a regular schedule.
  • When asked to pick one specific location where they felt their family would have the best time on vacation, top responses in terms of type were theme park, beach, cruises and camping, respectively.
  • Parents also highlighted Florida, specifically Orlando, Hawaii and California as top destinations for family vacations.

Disney asked Kelton to conduct the survey to better understand the value parents believe vacations bring to their families.

“We know vacations are important, but to have parents validate how important vacation time is to their families was insightful,” said Leslie Ferraro, executive vice president of global marketing for Disney Parks.  “As we’ve learned from families who participated in the survey, those moments of quality family time can feel fleeting in our everyday home lives.  At Disney Parks, families enter a different kind of time – where the entire family can relax and be a kid – Disney Time.”

This year, Disney Time gets an extra sprinkling of pixie dust as Disney Parks celebrates Limited Time Magic, featuring special and new experiences every week aimed at creating memories to last a lifetime.

Survey Methodology
The Disney Time Survey was conducted by Kelton between January 8 and January 21, 2013 among 1,004 American parents of children ages 5-17, using Random Digit Dialing of listed and unlisted numbers. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample. The margin of error for any subgroups will be slightly higher.

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Filed Under: Disney News, Top Stories, Walt Disney World Tagged With: 18 summers, blind study, Disney magic, disney park, Disney parks, disney time, family vacations, kelton, lake buena vista, leading research, official statistics, parents and children, parents and their children, quality family time, rediscovery, school schedules, those memories, time survey, Walt Disney World, wonderful memories

Locals and Visitors-Win $50 To Use At Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores

3 August 2012 by Suzannah Otis 11 Comments

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Lake Buena Vista Factory StoresAugust is now upon us and back to school sales are filling up the local stores. A great place to get some shopping done for the school year is right around the corner from Walt Disney World – the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores. I remember when I was little, I always loved going to the outlets up in New England for back to school clothes, shoes, and backpacks. Not surprisingly, consumers recently surveyed by the National Retail Federation noted that shopping smarter and stretching their budget will be a priority. Now, whether you’re a local or a visitor to our fine state, you could win a $50 gift certificate to use at any of the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores, one of Central Florida’s best-kept shopping secrets where you’ll find savings up to 75% off at select stores.

The village-style center offers a customer-friendly shopping experience and 50 spacious outlet shops with convenient store-front parking, including favorites: Aeropostale, American Swimwear, Carter’s, Converse Shoes, Dressbarn, Eddie Bauer Outlet, Fossil, G by GUESS, Gap Outlet, Izod, Levi’s® Outlet Store, Loft Outlet, NikeFactoryStore, Old Navy Outlet  and featuring outlet exclusives; OshKosh, Reebok, Samsonite, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Travelpro, Wilsons Leather Outlet and many more!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tax-free days are now through midnight on Sunday but deals will still be happening throughout the month. Even if you don’t win the giveaway, you can still get in on the savings by downloading a coupon from the Center’s website, then bringing it to Travelpro at the Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores to receive a coupon booklet valued up to $400 in savings. The Center is located at 15657 S Apopka Vineland Rd (SR 535), Orlando, FL 32821.

Shop happy!

 

 

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Filed Under: Central Florida Family Entertainment, Disney Movie News & Reviews, Giveaways, Orlando Area Attractions Tagged With: $50 gift certificate, back to school shopping, converse shoes, coupon booklet, eddie bauer outlet, factory outlets, Florida, gap outlet, Giveaway, lake buena vista, lake buena vista factory stores, national retail federation, old navy outlet, Orlando, outlet shopping, outlet store, samsonite, school clothes, shopping, travelpro, wilsons leather outlet

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