The parade is a dazzling event, with beautiful floats, costumes, and entertainers. Catch plenty of colorful beads, just like in New Orleans! Kids can go to the Little Jester’s Parade Viewing Areas by the Terminator attraction to make sure they’ll be able to view the parade. There is also a KidZone Mardi Pardi Krewe in the Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone, which will ensure everyone- no matter how small- will get free beads of their own. There is also a live show just for kids.

Huge musical talents perform after dusk on these special nights. Past performances include Heart, The Beach Boys, Earth, Wind & Fire, and many others. So far it has been confirmed that Kelly Clarkson will be performing on February 18!

Come for the show, stay for the After Party! Anyone with a ticket to Universal during Mardi Gras nights gets free admission to seven clubs and bars at CityWalk. (Some venues are 21 and older; CityWalk is open til 2am.)

There’s still time to make your reservation, so visit our site or call us toll-free at 1.866.882.4720!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held in the Magic Kingdom theme park certain nights from November 8 through December 18, 2011. The Magic Kingdom opens from 7pm to midnight just for those attending the party and begins with a magical snowfall on Main Street. And even though the party doesn’t begin until 7pm, you can enter Magic Kingdom with your Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party  starting at 4pm to enjoy some extra time in Magic Kingdom.

The big highlights of this event are the special holiday events, an amazing holiday parade, and even a special holiday version of the nighttime fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Plus, there’s a special show to light up Cinderella’s Castle with the holiday lights (look at the next photo). At Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, there are also holiday stage shows with your favorite Disney characters and places to meet characters. You can also enjoy free cookies and hot cocoa.

This year, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held on the following dates:

November: 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 27, 29, 30, 2011
December: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 2011
Event time: 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

(Note: The December 18, 2011 is sold out, but other upcoming dates are still available.)

Prices for this event range from $60-$67 for adults and $55-$62 for kids ages 3-9.

There are come discounts available for certain dates if you book in advance, so call to find out about possible discounts!

I think the artwork looks amazing and I can’t wait to see it in person. The Scenic shop we see in this video, and where they are painting the mural, is in the back of Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. If you have ever been on The Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios, you actually pass this building and can see in through giant windows that you pass by. Next time you visit Walt Disney World, hop on the ride and see if you can see the mural or other Disney World art displays for yourself. You never know what Disney magic you might see being made while on the ride, maybe you’ll see designs for new Disney rides!

When you approach one of the popular attractions that does have FASTPASS, you will see three different signs around the entrance area. One is the FASTPASS distribution line (where you will find the machines you can get your FASTPASS), the FASTPASS return line (where you return with your FASTPASS ticket during the time printed on it), and then the Standby line is the line you go to if you do not have a FASTPASS.

At the FASTPASS distribution line, there is a clock above that shows what time FASTPASS tickets are currently being issued for. Above the FASTPASS return line, there is a clock showing the current time which is the official clock to determine when you can start using your FASTPASS ticket. And above the standby time, there is a number posted which shows the current wait in minutes for the regular line.

Let’s see how this all works. It’s 11:00am and you want to go on Kali River Rapids but there’s a 60 minutes wait posted outside the Standby line. You take a look at the FASTPASS distribution and see that passes are being issued with a return time of 1:00 – 2:00pm. You get your FASTPASS and instead of waiting on a one hour line, you have two free hours before coming back, bypassing the standby line and getting on Kali with little or no wait.

For the attractions, the assigned time will give you a 1 hour window to return, so you don’t have to run back to be there the minute it goes into effect. With the theater attractions, you’ll have a FASTPASS for a specific performance.

One thing to keep in mind, there are restrictions as to how many passes you can have at once. Your FASTPASS will have the time that you can get your next FASTPASS printed on it. (Usually this is when your current FASTPASS can be used or after two hours have elapsed.) Don’t plan on going from one FASTPASS attraction to another gathering up slips. These machines are smart and won’t issue another until your current pass allows it.

Every one in your party will be expected to turn in a FASTPASS at the attraction. And please don’t return before your scheduled time because you will not be allowed to enter. There’s nothing like weaving through a crowd of guests who are blocking the FASTPASS entrance because they’re too early. Another no-no is trying to use a FASTPASS that wasn’t issued that day. Don’t bother, they can’t accept it. Jumping off the standby line into the FASTPASS line isn’t cool. There will be a Cast Member waiting for you to turn in your non-existent pass who will send you right back to where the Standby line begins.

FASTPASS is available to everyone and works with all admission media. There’s no charge for using it.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Boardwalk Resort
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Polynesian Resort
Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort
Disney’s Yacht Club

Most of the hotels now offering free wireless internet are Disney Deluxe Resort hotels, but there is one Disney Moderate Resort hotel also offering free wireless internet, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. No word yet if Disney will expand free wireless “in-room” internet to other hotels, but this is a big step in the right direction for Disney hotels.

I’m very glad to see Disney has finally added free wireless internet to many of their hotels. Many travelers really need or want internet when they travel, and now they can get it when they visit Disney. This was considered a downside to staying in a Disney hotel because it used to cost approximately $15 for 24 hours of internet access. Now it’s free and makes staying at one of these Disney hotels even better.

And now we want to congratulate the two winners from our 2011 Halloween Facebook Photo Contest: Carla and Coral!

Carla is the winner of our Halloween Horror Nights contest category and has won 2 tickets to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida!

Coral is the winner of our Disney Halloween contest category and has won 3 tickets to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort!

Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who participated. Missed your chance to enter this contest? Entered this one, but want another chance to win? Stay tuned for our next contest: a holiday photo contest will begin next week! Join The Orlando Vacation Store on Facebook to enter our contest when it opens and for more details as they’re released.

Avatar was a worldwide hit in movie theaters and topped box office charts. The new land in Animal Kingdom will be designed so that guests feel as though they are exploring the planet of Pandora that they saw in the movie. According to Disney, this land will feature new attractions, entertainment, merchandise and restaurants. It sounds as though they are designing this to be a truly detailed environment for guests to be submerged in.

I’ll admit, when I first heard this news, I was skeptical about it and even against it. How is this Disney how in the world will this fit into Animal Kingdom? Some people have even asked how a PG-13 movie works with the family-friendly Walt Disney World parks. Disney has assured everyone that even though the film is PG-13, the Avatar land at Animal Kingdom will be family-friendly.

To many, it also seems like this is Disney’s attempt to steal attention from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park. And maybe it is. Avatar was an extremely popular movie all around the world and maybe it will generate more visitors to Walt Disney World’s often overlooked park (by the way, Animal Kingdom is definitely worth visiting on your next Disney trip). The new Fantasyland expansion will start opening in early 2012 and will be finished in 2013, when construction on the Avatar land is set to begin. This will mean lots of new attractions will be coming to Disney, meaning lots more to do on your family vacation to Walt Disney World.

The amount of detail and level of artistry that was put into the houses and scare zones at Halloween Horror Nights this year is above and beyond what I have every seen before. The haunted houses are very detailed and you really feel like you’re transported into the most terrifying environment of your life. For my Halloween Horror Nights 21 review, I’m going to talk a little bit about what I loved about my favorite haunted houses, scare zones and shows without giving away the scares.

Of course, it’s not Halloween Horror Nights if we don’t talk about the haunted houses. It was tough to choose just one favorite haunted house, so instead I’m picking my top 3 favorite haunted houses from this year’s Halloween Horror Nights 21 at Universal Studios Florida.

1. Winter’s Night

The first thing that impressed me about this house was the amount of detail that went into this house. When you enter, it is cold enough for you to see your breath, but without you actually freezing. The walls of the cemetery’s maze are quite tall to make the maze even darker and does well to block out sound from other parts of the haunted house. My favorite part of this is how well the “scareactors” are hidden in this house. I was startled several times by the scareactors jumping out at me from places I couldn’t see. Definitely worth going to this house!

2. Nevermore: The Madness of Poe

As a fan of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories, I was very excited to see this house and put it on my list of must-see haunted houses. Universal Studios Florida did not disappoint me with this haunted house. Like most of the haunted houses this year, the scenery of this haunted house is incredible and very detailed. As you enter the house you actually see Poe himself and going through the rooms of the house you progress into his madness with him. There are scenes from famous stories such as “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Raven”, “The Pit and the Pendulum” and more. You really feel as though the stories have come to life and as though you are a part of the madness and terror of the stories of Poe. Even those who don’t know Poe’s stories will feel the terror of this house.

3. The Thing

This haunted house gives you a glimpse into the horror of the movie “The Thing” before it hits theaters in October. It serves as a prequel to the original movie from the 80’s and tell the story of when The Thing was first discovered. Like the house Winter’s Night, this haunted house is chilly and features snow as you walk into the haunted house and see the Antarctic research base that you actually go into as part of the haunted house. Like all of the other houses, the detail in this one is incredible. The Thing doesn’t look like a cheap prop, and the effects they use on some of the scareactors… all I can say is wow. This is another house that made me jump with perfect timing and things jumping out behind me.

Looking for some daytime Halloween fun for the kids in Orlando? SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular is a fun event that takes place during regular park hours, so you don’t have to worry about dragging tired kids around a theme park. During the event, kids can trick-or-treat with Shamu and friends, meet their favorite sea creatures, watch a live Halloween show or even visit a SeaWorld party zone with dancing and activities. This Halloween Spooktacular event is definitely geared with younger kids in mind, but that doesn’t mean adults and older kids can’t have fun. Kids are invited to come to SeaWorld in costume, or regular clothes if they want. I personally think it’s a very cute event and all the kids look like they’re having tons of fun.

The best part of this Halloween event is that it doesn’t cost you any extra money! That’s right parents, save some more money on your Orlando vacation. Access to SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular is included with your SeaWorld Orlando admission ticket. So feel free to visit the park and celebrate Halloween all on the same day. You can go to shows, rides and see animals in the rest of the park, then hop over to the Halloween party for some extra fun. SeaWorld Orlando is hosting this event every Saturday and Sunday in October from noon to 8 pm, all month long. The dates for SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular are October 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23 and 28-30 (the 28th is the only Friday event date). So we recommend visiting SeaWorld on one of these event dates with young kids, or get a multi-day ticket to visit for more than one day so you can return.

The Walt Disney World Resort has just announced that a new interactive experience called Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom will be coming to the Magic Kingdom theme park. The entire experience will take place inside of the Magic Kingdom, so there’s no need to leave the park to enjoy it. Merlin the magician will ask guests of all ages to become apprentice sorcerers and help defeat a group of Disney villains with the help of maps and clues that show where and how to defeat them.

Disney has already been adding parts of this new role-playing adventure to certain areas of the Magic Kingdom theme park. According to Disney, these areas will provide some clues early that you’ll need to help save the Magic Kingdom. This new adventure is set to open in early 2012 and I personally can’t wait. Full details haven’t been released, but it sounds like this may be similar to the Kim Possible adventure that Disney currently has at the Epcot theme park. If it’s anything like the Kim Possible adventure it will be tons of fun, even for adults.

We have spotted what look like a few additions to the Adventureland area of the Magic Kingdom theme park and will be adding those photos after a quick trip of our own to Disney.