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…

Music Fills Summer Nights at Epcot

If you need something to jolt you into a summertime state of mind, follow the sound of your favorite hits to Walt Disney World, where a rockin’ and rollin’ concert series will be sure to set you straight. You’ll be swept back to youthful memories of beach trips, backyard cookouts, and long carefree days when the Sounds Like Summer concert series features summertime songs by legendary musical icons at Epcot.

From June 15 through August 9, the Sounds Like Summer concert series will host multiple performances nightly under the stars. An annual event, the series is returning to the America Gardens Theatre this year with a great lineup of popular tribute bands. Seven bands in total will recreate the sounds of legendary artists like the Bee Gees, Eagles, U2, and more, providing a great end to a day at Epcot.

The lineup is subject to change, but so far, the performers for the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series include Stayin’ Alive, a tribute to the Bee Gees performing from June 15 through 21; Hotel California, a tribute to the Eagles performing from June 22 through 28; Slippery When Wet, a tribute to Bon Jovi performing from June 29 through July 8; 52nd Street, a tribute to Billy Joel performing from July 9 through 17; Sounds of The Supremes, a tribute to The Supremes performing from July 18 through 26; and 2U, a tribute to U2 performing from July 27 through August 2. Finally, Petty Theft, a tribute to Tom Petty, closes out the concert series from August 3 through August 9.

Throughout Sounds Like Summer, multiple nightly performances will take place at 5:45 pm, 7 pm, and 8:15 pm except on July 4. On Independence Day, park guests can rock out at 5:15 pm, 6:30 pm, 7:45 pm, and 9 pm before enjoying a great fireworks extravaganza in the sky.

Though other summer concert series and nighttime entertainment are being offered at Busch Gardens and Universal Studios, the Sounds Like Summer concert series at Epcot is the only one offering performances every night. Best yet, the series is also free with regular admission to the park, so all you need to rock out is a Walt Disney World ticket.

And of course, there’s only one place where you can get Walt Disney World tickets and save – DWTickets.com. Check out Magic Your Way passes today and begin planning your trip down a memory lane of summertime fun at Epcot.

Have a Wild Birthday at Busch Gardens

Walt Disney World isn’t the only place in Orlando where you can get fun free treats on your birthday (read up on the What Will You Celebrate? promotion if you have no idea what we’re talking about). At Busch Gardens in Tampa, the park is now offering a free Serengeti Safari if you come to the park on your birthday. Great thrill rides, fun animal encounters, and a one-of-a-kind journey into the park’s animal habitats – what else could you ask for on your birthday? Except for cake, of course.

An up-close, 30-minute-long open-truck tour, the Serengeti Safari at Busch Gardens takes guests into the wild of the park’s 65-acre Serengeti Plain, where they’ll see some magnificent animals from a perspective most guests don’t get to enjoy. Safari riders will get nose-to-nose with a giraffe, learn a thing or two about zebras, and understand exotic species like bongo, eland, and ostrich. They’ll even get to hand-feed giraffes and antelopes. Guests are guided on their trek into the wild by a Zoo Educator, who’ll help bring them closer to the wildlife while sharing their seemingly infinite knowledge.

Normally, the Serengeti Safari at Busch Gardens is only available with an extra fee of $33.99. But from now through the end of the year, if you come to Busch Gardens on your birthday, you can explore the Serengeti Plain for free! Simply visit the Adventure Tour Center located in the Moroccan Village area of the park to reserve your safari expedition.

If you plan on taking advantage of this great offer, be sure to bring proof of your birth date to the park in the form of a valid driver’s license, government-issued ID, or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate. The offer is valid for the birthday adventurer only, who must be five years of age or older to participate, and it doesn’t include free admission to Busch Gardens, which is still required.
Incidentally, this free birthday Safari is being offered in honor of Busch Gardens’ 50th anniversary. To kick off a year-long celebration of 50 years of fun, the park is also hosting Summer Nights at Busch Gardens, a summer-long series of nightly parties filled with entertainment, music, and food. Busch Gardens has also opened a brand-new exhibit dedicated to the history of the park, featuring a historical photo timeline and artifact displays including vintage uniforms, classic coaster cars, ride designs, and more.

To join in on the celebrations and to take advantage of a free Serengeti Safari if your birthday’s coming up soon, plan a trip to the wildest theme park in Tampa. Take a look at discount Busch Gardens tickets on DWTickets.com and have fun safari-ing!

Can You Smile for 67 Days?

If you think you might be able to flash your pearly whites for 67 days straight (with some pauses in between, of course), then the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. (Orlando CVB) has a mission for you.

In conjunction with its new global marketing campaign, “Orlando Makes Me Smile,” the Orlando CVB is looking for two people with great grins to experience one smiles-packed Orlando vacation. Over the course of 67 days, the two lucky winners will experience every single one of the more than 100 attractions available in Orlando. Meanwhile, they’ll share their daily adventures with a global audience via social media outlets and media interviews.

“There are clearly a lot of frowns throughout the world because of the economic downturn,” said Danielle Courtenay, Orlando CVB Chief Marketing Officer. “We want an engaging pair of people who you can’t help but smile along with as you follow their Orlando tale of some of the best vacation experiences in the world. You don’t have to have a perfect smile to apply – just a ‘smiling’ personality and outlook on life."

During their 67-day trek around the city, the winning pair will live in a two-bedroom condo in Downtown Orlando. They’ll be given cell phones, digital video and still cameras, a Dollar Rent A Car, and even $25,000 to cover living expenses back home. And as for their daily itinerary, the duo will visit every kind of attraction in Orlando, with their fun and varied experiences including everything from rollercoaster riding at Universal Studios to swimming with dolphins at SeaWorld and gator wrestling at Gatorland. They’ll also golf, have a spa day, explore museums, go to the theatre, dine, and much more.

The “67 Days of Smiles” will begin this year in late August and end in early November. The Orlando CVB is conducting its search now for the lucky pair of partners who’ll make their way around Orlando’s theme parks and attractions.

Both people in the pair must be over 21 and pairs can be any combination of friends, family, spouses, or co-workers. To enter the contest, pairs must complete a personal profile, submit 500 words in English on why their smiles should be chosen, and upload a 60 seconds or less video in English of both applicants along with photos at VisitOrlando.com/67DaysofSmiles by June 30. The winners will be notified in late July.

The contest is particularly looking for adventurous couples willing to try everything from skydiving to high-speed racing with a penchant for good storytelling and fun personalities.

However, if you don’t think you fit the qualifications (in other words, if jumping out of a plane doesn’t sound like fun to you), you can still enjoy a great Orlando vacation for 67 days, 67 hours, or however long as you like. Simply check out the Walt Disney World tickets and Universal Studios tickets, among other great offerings, at DWTickets.com and get your smile on.

Pixar Mascot is Coming to Walt Disney World

If you’ve seen beloved Disney-Pixar films like Toy Story, Cars, and Monsters, Inc., then you probably know about a little lamp named Luxo Jr. Known as the mascot of Pixar Animation Studios and the main character in Pixar’s very first short firm in 1986, Luxo Jr. is a rambunctious little desk lamp who loves to play with colorful bouncing balls – no matter what size they are. And now, Luxo Jr. will be coming to Walt Disney World, where’ll he’ll interact with park guests, move around, and maybe even hop just like he does in the famous Pixar short.

Disney recently confirmed that a 6-foot-tall animatronic version of little Luxo will soon make its home in the Pixar Place area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. He’ll appear on an elevated platform at the “Lighting” building located across from Toy Story Mania!

Rumors circulated for months about the possibility of Luxo Jr.’s arrival at the park and sprung into overdrive when construction walls were built around the Lighting building, yielding the view of what is probably the little aluminum lamp’s outline. As Disney’s newest animatronic creation to be featured at Walt Disney World, Luxo Jr. will be part of Disney’s Living Character Initiative, which has also produced the live Remy currently at Epcot’s France pavilion and past characters like Animal Kingdom’s Lucky the Dinosaur and Epcot’s Mobile Muppet Lab.

“He’s going to come out and do some little shows,” said Roger Gould, creative director for theme parks at Pixar, to the Orlando Sentinel. “He’ll be out there throughout the day and through the evening.”

Though Luxo Jr. will certainly become a famous figure when he awakens at the park, the spirited desk lamp has actually been featured in every Pixar film and short film since Toy Story during the film’s introduction and at the end of the credits. In the company’s production logo, Luxo hops in from the right, stops next to the ‘I’ in Pixar, and bounces on it until he’s completely squashed it. And if you keep your eyes peeled, Luxo’s colorful ball can also be seen in several Pixar films, including the latest, Up.

Luxo Jr. will make his debut at Hollywood Studios in late June/early July, and you can expect that he’ll be the hit of the Disney theme park. If you’ve never had the opportunity to interact with one of Disney’s incredibly lifelike and entertaining animatronic figures, then you’ll definitely want to plan a special visit to Hollywood Studios; it’s one of Disney’s most special and unique experiences. Start planning your meeting with Luxo by scoping out the Walt Disney World tickets on DWTickets.com.

Gay Days at Magic Kingdom

Walt Disney World has always been a gay and merry place, but this early June, the theme parks will receive a boost of a different kind of gay. The first week of June through Sunday, June 7, marks the annual Orlando event known as Gay Days, which unites members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and supportive community in enjoyment of a day at the Disney parks. Since 1991, GLBT visitors and supporters have worn red and gathered at Magic Kingdom. Today, the event is bigger than ever, bringing an estimated 75,000 visitors to Orlando and encompassing all four parks and several Orlando resorts with meet-ups and special events.

This year, the Gay Days calendar is packed with expos, concerts, comedy shows, and parties all over Orlando. At the parks, however, the event rotates to a different Disney park each day. On Thursday, Gay Days is at Animal Kingdom; on Friday, the event moves to Disney’s Hollywood Studios; on Saturday, the traditional (and biggest of all) Gay Days takes place at Magic Kingdom; and on Sunday, Gay Days winds down at Epcot.

What this means to those unfamiliar with Gay Days is that a large amount of GLBT visitors will be visiting the designated Disney park on that specific day, where they’ll ride the rides and have fun like everyone else. The daily parade usually serves as a gathering point, especially on Saturday when Gay Days guests will “meet at Cindy’s place” (Cinderella’s Castle) for the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade at 3 pm.

While for GLBT visitors to the park, Gay Days is a chance to don their rainbow-colored Mickey ears, the event has stirred up some controversy in the past. Some Gay Days guests have been known to engage in public displays of affection, which sometimes make other guests and families with children uncomfortable.

For those who feel like Gay Days might taint their Walt Disney World experience, we advise steering clear of the specific meet-up park on the day you want to visit. For example, you may want to visit any other Disney park besides Magic Kingdom on Saturday. Visiting the parks early is also a good idea, as the crowds will be particularly thick in the afternoon.

It’s important to note that Gay Days is not sanctioned by or affiliated with Walt Disney World. Still, as Gay Days participants and GLBT Disney lovers know, the parks do an excellent job of treating every guest the same. Mickey loves you no matter what your sexuality is.

Ultimately, for those participating in the event, Gay Days is a fun and festive opportunity for the GLBT community and its supporters to get together, show their pride, and have some good, old-fashioned Disney fun. And if the event doesn’t bother or affect you, feel free to go and enjoy the parks among its red-wearing visitors like you would on any other day.

As always, you can save on Walt Disney World tickets -- for Gay Days or a regular magic-filled visit to your favorite park – right here on DWTickets.com.

Busch Gardens Celebrates 50 Years with Extra Summer Fun

As we’ve previously reported, Busch Gardens is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion, the park will be pulling out all the stops this summer with extended hours, special entertainment, and festive food and drink every night. Summer Nights at Busch Gardens will heat up Tampa Bay every evening from June 6 through August 16, and it’s sure to be the best event of the season as the park marks half a century of providing family adventures.

The fun kicks off this Saturday, June 6, with music from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s performed by original artists in Gwazi Park. The night will be capped by a spectacular fireworks display. Then on July 3, guests will be able to groove to David Cassidy in Concert, while the 4th of July features Starship and Mickey Thomas, along with another amazing fireworks show.

On every night in between this Saturday and the festivities in July and thereafter, Busch Gardens will also feature Darren Romeo, the voice of magic, presented by master magicians Siegfried and Roy. Romeo will thrill the crowds with his captivating mix of magic and music in the Moroccan Palace. Meanwhile, at the Marrakesh Theater, Jeff Civillico will present his amazing blend of comedy, juggling, balancing, athleticism, and audience participation. And every night, an infectious new dance choreographed expressly for park guests will keep the energy in the park amped, while DJs spin party songs from four different spots throughout Busch Gardens.

While guests enjoy the hot tunes, fun shows, and the thrill of riding their favorite coasters in the dark, they can also visit the new exhibit honoring Busch Gardens’ 50th birthday. Hundreds of items, including photos, souvenirs, and artifacts, are on display, along with a 70-foot timeline marking milestones from the park’s humble beginnings as a bird garden and brewery tour, all the way to its present day status as a world-renowned adventure park. The exhibit is located between the Crown Colony House Restaurant and the Clydesdale Hamlet and is open during regular park hours.

While normal park hours usually end at 7 pm, during Summer Nights at Busch Gardens, the park will be open until 9 pm Sundays through Thursdays and until 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Best yet, all these extra hours of fun and excitement are included with regular Busch Gardens admission, making it one of the summer’s hottest deals.

So if you love the atmosphere of a high-energy street party, check out discount Busch Gardens tickets on DWTickets.com to get your pass to summertime dancing, music, and partying at the hottest theme park in Tampa, Florida.