Orlando Magic Get Some Additional Magic from the Nets

One more abracadabra trick has been added to the Orlando Magic’s arsenal for the 2009-2010 Season! Yes, we just exited the playoff-run season, but looking ahead to the Magic’s upcoming season just got that much more exciting with the addition of NBA All-Star Vince Carter! The Orlando Magic has acquired Vince Carter, as well as Ryan Anderson, from the New Jersey Nets, in a 3-person trade deal. The Orlando Magic gave up players Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie from the playoff-run team, but has in turn gained a true all-around superstar, with hopes of one day holding the National Championship trophy!

The eight-time All-Star, who averages around 23.5 points a game, is a great new asset for the Magic as they look towards the 2009-2010 Season! The 6-foot 6-inch, 220 lb., shooting guard brings the talent and skills needed to execute a championship for the Orlando Magic. Just shy of winning an NBA Championship title this past season, the Magic needed one more “big-shot” player to battle against the NBA powerhouse teams of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the, NBA Championship winners, Los Angeles Lakers. As the current holder of the NBA playoff record for most three-point field goals made in one game and holding the record for the most three-point goals made in one-half during the playoffs, Vince Carter might be JUST what Orlando needs to keep their consistency in the “big” games.

Eight players have definitely re-signed with the Orlando Magic for the coming season. With spots still open, the Magic will look to the free agents to fill the remaining slots, starting July 1. Due to the large inquisition of Vince Carter and still footing the large bill for all-star greats of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis, the Magic have now been backed up against the NBA’s luxury tax threshold. In the simplest of terms, the Magic are tight on what their money will allow for acquiring more players. Magic favorite Hedo Turkoglu might be the next out for the Magic. After turning down a $35 million/4 year contract from the Magic, it appears as if Turk will walk away to teams such as Detroit, Houston, Portland, or Sacramento who might be able to foot his aim for a $50 million/5 year contract.

The upcoming season will definitely be interesting as powerhouse Magic powerhouse players Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and, now, Vince Carter combine their “magical” powers together! After a run at the NBA Championship Title, the Magic will be out with a vengeance wanting to take back the Championship crowning title to their hometown! Tickets will be difficult to attain with the newly attained gems to the team, the All-Star lineup cast, and being still in the spotlight as the runner up to a National title! To see the “Magic” happen, make sure to stay tuned to DWTickets.com for your discount Orlando Magic tickets.

“Star”board Sailing with Disney Cruise Lines!

Are you a Disney Channel fanatic? Have you watched High School Musical one too many times? Would you’re dream be to meet the stars of the Disney Channel? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then we have the experience of a lifetime for you! This summer, Disney Cruise Lines will be launching their first-ever Disney Channel Summer at Sea Cruises, where you can cruise and party along with your favorite Disney Channel superstars!

That’s right! The Disney Channel Summer at Sea Cruises will give fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and mingle with their favorite celebrities, while basking in the beautiful Caribbean sun. Cruising on select dates from July 9th to August 2nd, the Disney Channel Summer at Seas Cruises will feature 3-night and 4-night Bahamas Cruises. Each cruise will be different, with new celebrities among the traveling passengers on the ship. Celebrities from numerous Disney Channel shows and films including Sonny With a Chance, Hannah Montana, JONAS, High School Musical, Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, Hatching Pete, and Camp Rock will all be in attendance on-board!

While on-board these special cruises, guests can take part in numerous types of meet-and-greets and activities with the celebrities. Attend star autograph and photo sessions, where you will have the opportunity to get your picture taken with top Disney Channel shows and movies. Take part in star question and answer sessions and special Disney Channel sneak peeks, for what is in-store for your favorite and up-and-coming shows. Rock late into the night with an onboard party with the stars, where your favorite cruise stars will come out for a rockin’ party of high-energy shows and special music performances.

Aside from the celebrity appearances, meet-and-greets, and more, you will get to take advantage of the beautiful Disney Wonder cruise ship. Enjoy a full-sail adventure to stunning Nassau and the fun-loving Disney secluded island of Castaway Cay. Along the way, onboard the ship you can enjoy uniquely themed restaurants, top-of-the-line entertainment, and the utmost in Disney service. Along with these ports, you will stop and sail out of Port Canaveral, where you can venture to nearby Walt Disney World for a day at the Disney theme parks!

Some of the stars who have their bags packed and are ready to cruise with you include Corbin Bleu, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Camp Rock), Jason Earles (Hannah Montana), Chelsea Staub (JONAS), and much, much more! So, pack your bags and get ready to set-sail on the ride of a life time, where sailing will always be on the “star”board side!

RISE to the ESPN Occasion

If you are a high school athlete looking to "RISE" to a challege, this it it! ESPN RISE Games are asking talented high school athletes from around the country and world to "RISE" to the challenge at the Inaugural ESPN RISE Games at the Walt Disney World Resort. Held July 19-25, the ESPN RISE Games celebrate the best-of-the-best in student-athletes from around the globe!

"I should state clearly that this is the most inspiring development opportunity I have seen for any field hockey nation in my 35 year experience in the international scene," says Terry Walsch, Technical Director for High Performance. "The ESPN RISE Games can and will be the forerunner to USA's developmment program, rivaling that of the best countries in field hockey."

Same goes for all of the other sports of Baseball, Basketball, and Track and Field offered! This is the tournament for the creme de la creme in high school sports. Treated like Olympic royalty, teams will be treated to an Olympic'esque opening ceremony at the Walt Disney World Wide World of Sports Complex, where all of the games will be held. The opening ceremony will be an elaborate production, showcasing all of the teams in the overall event. ESPN's very own Michael Smoth will head as the Master of Ceremonies and welcome all of the athletes to an exciting week of competition and Disney magic. And, in true Disney fashion, the opening ceremony will end with a vivid firework display for all to enjoy! While at the tournament, teams will even get the opportunity to attend an exclusive ESPN RISE Games special event within one of the Walt Disney World Theme parks!

Other events will be going on around the tournaments, as well. There will be an AAU 17-under Boys Basketball Super Showcase, showcasing the best-of-the-best in AAU club basketball, and a Soccer Training camp. The Champion Gridiron Kings will provide performance training, position specific training, a skills challenge, and 7 v. 7 competitions for the best in high school football. The event will also feature the Under Armour High School All-American Softball Game, which will spotlight the top 30 high school All-Star softball players ihn the nation, as selected by the high school softball experts of ESPN RISE Magazine.

There is a minimum guarantee of six games for those in the team sports and a three event guarantee for those in the Track and Field tournament, so it is definitely worth your trip. Registration has already started for this all-star event. So, if you or your club-team think you have what it takes to compete against the best in the nation, RISE to the occasion and head to Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex for the tournament of a lifetime.

Disney Secrets, Now Just an iTouch Away

With the recent phenomenon of Apps, created by Apple for the iPhone and iPod Touch, there is now something for everyone. Disney lovers and theme park gurus have jumped on the App bandwagon to create Apps to help enjoy their favorite pastime…a day in a Disney theme park!

With a 4 out of 5 Mice rating by Macworld and being rated in the Top 25 paid Travel Apps, the “Walt Disney World Secrets” iPhone App has become one of the most popular new accessories on phones and travelers alike while in the Walt Disney World Theme Parks. The App features advice on where, when, and how to experience all of the hidden gems of the Disney parks. With just a couple of touches, owners of the App can find magical surprises around every corner of Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

This innovative guidebook is the perfect application for anyone with an iPhone visiting the Disney Theme Parks! There are over 180 fun and magical secrets about the Walt Disney World Resort on the App, and there is also an additional section that gives Hidden Mickey tours! Discover over 80 Hidden Mickey’s that you may have never seen with the naked eye. Plus, get over 200 fun-filled facts about the “Happiest Place on Earth!”

“To our knowledge, this is the first Walt Disney World App reviewed and rated by Macworld, so we are very pleased,” says Mike Westby of TimeStream Software, creator of the App. “It’s a notable reflection on the quality of content within the App, as well as the hard work put into its development.”

If you can’t get enough of the Disney fun with this App, there are also Apps available for purchase for your iPhone, iPod touch, iPod Classic, and iPod nano, including “Walt Disney World Guide,” “Disney’s Animal Kingdom Hidden Mickey’s,” and MORE! Apps can be purchased for as low as 99 cents on Notescasts.com! And, to keep with the low prices of Disney fun, you can get into the Disney theme parks with discount Disney tickets on DWTickets.com. With a full-out guided tour of the parks, via your iPhone or iPod, and discount Disney tickets, you can have a fun, and educated, experience at Walt Disney World!

Disney World Lovers Will Love the New Disney Netpal Laptop

Perfectly in time for the upcoming holiday season, Disney has teamed up with computer company Asus to create a compact laptop just for kids – the Disney Netpal. Perfect for Walt Disney World lovers and those looking for a unique spin on the traditional children’s laptop, the Disney Netpal will provide an all-Disney interface which children and parents will both love!

Disney characters and parental control galore, these laptops will be a hit for young children to tweens. The all-Disney interface will feature the Windows XP Home addition with added Disney features. For example, Tinkerbell will swoop down to let you know you have e-mail, Mickey and Minnie will speak any error or computer system reminders, and a 2D “gadget tray” that will display all of the applications for the computer as the young Little Mermaid Ariel displays her gismos and gadgets in the classic movie (think, a Little Mermaid-esque Windows Start menu). On top of that, the computer will have plenty of Disney-developed applications, including a Disney Mix where you can listen to music and Disney Pix where you can store and upload photos. Disney Pix will not only allow you to do simple photo tasks, such as re-coloring and resizing, but there will be a cool feature where users can insert their faces onto bobbleheads that can dance, move, and more! Plus, not to mention, the streaming real-time music of Disney Radio that will be available for kids to listen to, play games with, and even request songs to be played!

Parents will love these laptops that have been created for mainly the age 6-12 demographic. The laptops come in two colors, Princess Pink and Magic Blue. The desktops of the laptops can be customized to feature your children’s favorite Disney stars, characters, singers, and more. But, parents will go crazy for the control and safety features available on the laptops. Parents have full control with over 40 content regulation options, including safe web-browsing and email correspondence features. The laptops have also been designed with liquid-proof keyboards and a ShockShield, for any falling and dropping accidents that are likely to occur with children.

The Disney Netpal MK90 will be sold exclusively at Toys “R” US and the Disney Netpal MK90H will be released through other computer selling portals. With 1GB of memory, an Intel ATOM N270 processor, built in Wi-Fi, and three USB terminals…I think we know what some lucky 6-12 year olds will be getting for the holidays this winter! Maybe if parents are lucky, their children will let them use these cool laptops to search the web for their annual trip to Walt Disney World with discount Disney tickets from DWTickets.com.

Camps for Animal Adventurers

If you are tired of the every-day day-camps, sports camps, and sleepaway camps of summer, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens have a refreshing and adventurous change of pace in store for you! Adventure Camps by SeaWorld and Busch Gardens provide campers with the opportunity to care for, study, and interact with amazing animals at numerous sessions throughout the summer months.

At these interactive Adventure Camps, campers will get the opportunity of a life-time to work side-by-side with animal care specialists, trainers, and veterinary staff with some of the wildest animals on the planet. Beyond the fun on these experiences, the Adventure Camps act as inspiration for kids wanting a career path in animal sciences. With wildlife conservation and environmental awareness at the helm, this program gives campers not just animal experiences, but a true heightened awareness of the natural world around them and concrete ways about how they can make a difference in the world.

The Adventure Camps of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens go beyond just swimming with dolphins, diving with sharks, feeding giraffes, caring for rhinos, and petting penguins. Referred to as “camouflaged fun,” campers really learn through these amazing experiences. “Our parks become interactive classrooms,” says Judy Jenkins, SeaWorld Orlando’s Director of Education and Conservation. “We don’t just tell campers how much Shamu eats or how cold it is inside the Penguin Encounter. Campers actually have a change to help our animal trainers prepare fish buckets and step inside Penguin Encounter to feel just how chilly – and smelly – the exhibit really is.”

From these Adventure Camps, there is an amazing track record of over 150 former Adventure Campers who are now employed in the zoological departments of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens! This just goes to show how close to a real-life experience you get into the lives of working for these amazing animal parks.

Adventure Camps are available for campers from grades 5-12. From June to August there are five day camps (on select dates) that are available for paying campers, at both Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and SeaWorld Orlando. Campers can choose from a SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, or a combo-park experience. Housing, food, activities, and transportation are all included during the program. On top of that, campers also get the chance to take advantage of the amazing rides, shows, exhibits, and more at these parks.

These camps are a great experience for animal lovers, future animal trainers, and curious minds alike. More information on these Adventure Parks can be found at www.swbg-adventurecamps.com. However, if you are not one of the select few who get to try these amazing camps, don’t fret! You can join in on the animal fun with the option of seeing these animals at SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay with discount SeaWorld tickets and discount Busch Gardens tickets from DWTickets.com!

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival: Eat to the Beat 2009

It may seem too soon to be talking about the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, which is held September 25 – November 8 of this year. But, how can you not talk about it when there is SO much fun to look forward to at this year’s celebration, especially this year’s music line up for the Eat to the Beat concert series!

Showcasing the flavors of the world is just the beginning of this wonderful annual festival. Held at Epcot every fall, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival features marketplaces of food, wine, beer, and other beverages in every country of Epcot’s World Showcase. At the festival you can also take part in classes and demonstrations by world renowned chefs and wine makers.

Though the food and beverages may take the cake (no pun intended) at this event, the music of the Eat to the Beat concert series is the icing on top of that cake! The list of performers was recently released earlier this month. The concert series will be featuring 17 different acts from all over the music scene, so there is sure to be something for everyone in your party. This year, there are several Grammy-winning bands and five newcomers to the festival, as well. Performing nightly at 5:15 pm, 6:30 pm, and 7:45 pm daily:

September 25-27: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
September 28-29: Richard Marx
September 30-October 3: Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
October 4-6: En Vogue
October 7-8: Better Than Ezra
October 9-11: Sister Hazel
October 12-13: Kool & The Gang
October 14-16: Spyro Gyra
October 17-18: Jon Secada
October 19-20: Sister Sledge
October 21-22: Vanessa Carlton
October 23-25: Taylor Dayne
October 26-28: Boyz II Men
October 29-31: John Waite
November 1-2: Night Ranger
November 3-5: Billy Ocean
November 6-8: Los Lobos

You will not want to miss any of these all-star performances at this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival! The International Food and Wine Festival is included with your admission to Epcot. So, to secure your spot for one of these great concerts, make sure you purchase your Disney tickets ahead of time with DWTickets.com.

La Nouba & Cirque Will Attempt World Record

Throughout the year, fans and entertainment seekers come from all over the world to Downtown Disney for one reason – to see Cirque du Soleil and its fantastic spectacle of dream and reality, La Nouba. However, this summer, Cirque du Soleil hopes that fans will return to Downtown Disney for a different reason: to show support and maybe even join in as the cast of La Nouba attempts to break a Guinness World Record in conjunction with other Cirque productions all over the world.

Five years after setting the first Guinness World Record for the most people simultaneously walking on stilts, Cirque du Soleil is attempting once again to reclaim the record (it has since been broken by the Japanese) in honor of its 25th anniversary. On Tuesday, June 16, the cast and crew of La Nouba, along with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, invite fans from all over the city to join them as they hold their stilt walk from 4 pm to 4:30 pm outside the La Nouba theatre at Downtown Disney.

Anyone can watch or even participate at the La Nouba crew and performers parade on stilts. CirqueduSoleil.com offers a stilt-making guide for those who want to march, along with a demo video demonstrating the process.

The June 16 event is actually one of several Cirque du Soleil stilt gatherings that will be taking place all over the world. The cast and crew of La Nouba will also be joined in other cities, simultaneously, by the teams of Kooza in New York, Varekai in Lisboa (Portugal), Zed in Tokyo, Zaia in Macau, Corteo in Nagoya (Japan), Quidam in Fortaleza (Brazil), and by the cast and crews of all six resident shows in Las Vegas. Cirque du Soleil employees will also gather in the Red Square in Moscow and at the international headquarters in Montreal.

To correspond with what will hopefully be a new Guinness World Record, La Nouba will hold a special event at the opening of the 6 pm performance that evening. All audience members will also be given a clown nose, which they’ll be asked to wear at some point during the show as a nod to Cirque’s 25-year history.

“Twenty-five years later, the dream continues, and these celebrations will kick off the next 25 years,” said Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil. “Our journey over the last 25 years was scattered with opportunities, some of which we decided to take, and others we found better to pass on. These choices sealed our success.”

To join in on Cirque and La Nouba’s anniversary celebrations, be sure to stop by Downtown Disney and try out your stilt-walk or make plans to see the 6 pm performance that night. Whichever activity you choose to participate in, you’re sure to experience a magical evening marked with Cirque’s signature style of spectacle and wonder. Get your La Nouba tickets right here on DWTickets.com to witness the 25th anniversary show.

Disney World for the Sports Lover

With the NBA Finals currently playing out at Orlando’s own Amway Arena, we can’t think of a better time to address all the sports lovers thinking about an Orlando getaway. If you’ve been hankering for a great vacation, few places are better than Orlando, which has something for the sports fanatic every step of the way. Whether there’s a major championship in town or not, you can have a blast at Walt Disney World with sports-themed hotels, restaurants, and attractions, including Disney’s very own sports complex, Disney's Wide World of Sports.

First, if you love sports and love the idea of surrounding yourself with them, the place to stay is Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort. A 1,920-room Disney Value hotel, it features five pairs of 3-story buildings whimsically themed after a different sport; there’s the Home Run Hotel, Hoops Hotel, Touchdown!, Surfs Up!, and Center Court. And with two swimming pools, a 1.5 mile walking/jogging trail, arcade, playground, and shopping, there’s plenty to keep the active sports-fiend busy. Rates start at $82 a night.

When it comes time to chow down, sports fans can satiate their hunger and catch a game at the ESPN Club, located on Disney’s BoardWalk on the edge of Crescent Lake. You won’t miss a second of the action at this sports hub, filled with 100 video monitors hooked up to satellite feeds. There are even TVs in the bathrooms! The atmosphere is especially fun on a big game day, when fans pack the seats from wall to wall. And the food is great, too – the restaurant serves American fast food, hamburgers, and deli sandwiches with big pitchers of beer and specialty drinks.

Once your belly’s full and you’re ready for some outdoor fun, check out the events at Disney’s Wide World of Sports (WWoS) complex. A 220-acre sports facility inside Walt Disney World, the WWoS hosts nearly 200 amateur and professional sporting events in a year. It can accommodate more than 50 sports, from aerobics to wrestling, in nine venues and is even the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves. With so much space dedicated to pure sports, chances are there’ll be something fun going on there during your trip. Just check out the schedule online, then head on over.

And of course, no trip to Orlando is complete without catching an Orlando Magic game. The team is in the finals now and tickets are hard to come by, of course, but when the regular season starts up again, you can expect to score tickets right here at DWTickets.com.

So let it never be said that Walt Disney World is just for kids – it’s just as much for sports lovers and other fun-seekers, too. Start planning your sports-tastic vacation by taking a look at the discount Disney tickets here at DWTickets.com.

Cinderella Castle Lights Up in Magic Blue & White

There are only a handful of occasions worthy enough to cause Cinderella Castle to be lit up in colors different from its usual color scheme. But when the Orlando Magic are playing in the NBA Finals, we’d say that’s certainly one of those worthy occasions. In support of its local team, Walt Disney World has lit up the iconic symbol of Magic Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle, in Magic blue and white.

The lights were first switched on Thursday, June 4, the date of the Magic’s first game in the 2009 NBA Finals. In California, Disneyland also illuminated its Sleeping Beauty Castle in Los Angeles Lakers colors, purple and gold.

Incidentally, the two parks even made a wager over who would win what’s become known as the Disney World vs. Disneyland Finals. Just as the mayors of their respective city’s teams traditionally make a bet on the outcome of a championship, Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton and Disneyland President Ed Grier are betting on their local teams with some very interesting terms.

If the Magic win, Grier will have to walk down Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland wearing a pair of special Mickey Mouse ears in Magic blue and white. If the Lakers win, Crofton will don a pair of Laker’s purple and gold mouse ears and walk down Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom.

“The Lakers are going to make your team very Grumpy this week,” bantered Grier to Crofton.

“But we have ‘Magic’ on our side,” countered Crofton. “And isn’t that what Disney is all about?”

The two presidents went through their respective parks last week looking for supporters and posing with fans. In front of Cinderella Castle, Crofton was accompanied by Minnie, Goofy, Chip, and Dale as she passed out Orlando Magic hats, t-shirts, balloons, and basketballs to park guests.

If the Magic win, not only would it be their first Championship win in history, but fans would be able to expect a wild celebration at Disney World. Magic Kingdom, as it usually does with the Super Bowl and other game championships, would likely hold a spectacular parade featuring players from the team. After all, when all major sports players and American Idols celebrate a major victory, they go to Walt Disney World – just ask Kris Allen.

While everyone awaits for a winner to emerge from the Finals, fans at Walt Disney World can support their team with newly released Disney/Magic t-shirts. Available at Walt Disney World and Amway Arena, the shirts are available in three blue and white designs, with Mickey dressed in Magic gear on the front of two designs and a Magic basketball with Mickey ears on the third.

And of course, you can always bide the time with fun at Walt Disney World! Check out Walt Disney World tickets on DWTickets.com to enjoy the parks or preemptively get your passes for the Orlando Magic victory celebrations. Not that we’re biased, of course…