Beat the Heat, Before Back to School!!

Central Florida may be best known for its world-class theme parks and attractions, but one other thing that is synonymous with Florida is plenty of sunshine. And down here, we have plenty of it! The theme parks may have a few rides that will cool you off in the midst of your day, but with only a few weeks left of the summer season before school begins, you may want to consider taking a day out of your vacation to beat that summer heat in one of Orlando's water parks.

The two Disney water parks are second to none- both, like the four main theme parks, are built around a theme that is carried throughout the grounds. Blizzard Beach is the most popular water park at Disney and is the first of the two to reach capacity on a hot summer day. Blizzard Beach was conceived off of the idea that a random snow storm hit Central Florida- and the snow is beginning to melt, making for some awesome rides! Here, you can expect to see an actual ski lift, which will take riders to the top of the mountain, and mounds and mounds of- yes, you guessed it... snow! (And for that reason, be sure to bring along your sunglasses for the day, as the "snow" gets a very bright glare off of it in the afternoon.) This park is also known as the park which has the best thrill rides. Summit Plummet, the world's tallest free-fall speed slide, is located 120 feet up in the air at the park's summit, offering beautiful glimpses of most of the rest of the Walt Disney World resort before you take the plunge down at a speed of nearly 60 mph. Blizzard Beach also has the world's longest family raft ride, Teamboat Springs, and many other attractions that will keep you cool all day long.

The main difference in Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon- besides the theming- is the wave pool. While Blizzard offers a fairly large pool that has mostly gentle, rocking waves, Typhoon Lagoon's front-and-center attraction is, and always has been, its wave pool. Containing almost three million gallons of water, this massive water attraction cranks up some of the biggest waves in all of Florida- so big in fact, that they actually offer surfing lessons there before the park opens! While Typhoon may not have any record-setting rides, they do offer plenty of fun slides and some other unique attractions, like the opportunity to snorkel in a shark reef (another thing to beware of here-besides the sharks of course- is the water. This man-made coral reef pool is freezing, but is sure to help you beat the heat any time of day.).

If you want another option away from the Walt Disney World resort, you can try Wet 'n Wild near Universal Orlando. This park, noted as the first true water park, has over 30 acres of rides and fun for the entire family. Wet n' Wild has five thrill rides, seven multi-rider attractions, a lake, wave pool and lazy river. This park may not have the theming that the first two have, but you are assured of an entire day of fun if you head here, as any and everything is surrounded by their plethora of water attractions!

Whether you plan to spend a day on dry land or in the water, we here at DW Tickets can help you enjoy all of the action at a discounted price. Be sure to check out these amazing discounted prices that only we can offer here! Stay cool and remember to buy your discounted Disney tickets from the best around!!

STAR TOURS 2 ?? MGM Studios Ride Gets Makeover

If you've ever been to Disney's MGM Studios, one of their signature rides is Star Tours, located in the MGM Studios backlot. Star Tours is a Star Wars adventure simulated thrill ride (much like Islands of Adventure's Spiderman) and takes you on an intergalactic ride through outer space. Created almost 20 years ago, there have been rumors about an update with 3-D and digitized picture quality. The update of Star Tours has come up in discussion through the past year, and during Star Wars Weekends at MGM. The new ride should be completed sometime next year, around Thanksgiving 2008. Disney MGM Studios tickets can be purchased at a heavy discount by CLICKING HERE!

Star Wars Weekends continues throughout June, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at MGM Studios Theme Park. MGM Studios is one of the hottest places to visit at the Walt Disney World Resort, and the Tower of Terror and Rock N Rollercoaster are the most popular rides along with Star Tours. Summer if officially two weeks away, and now is the perfect time to bring your family down to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Have a great weekend, and come to the DW Blog for more updates about new rides and attractions in Orlando.

EPCOT turns 25 Years Old

On October 1, 2007; EPCOT at the Walt Disney World resort will be celebrating its Silver Anniversary. Twenty-five years ago EPCOT was born. "EPCOT" stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, and was a vision of Walt Disney before he passed away. This "community of the future" opened in 1982 and featured a "future world" with innovative approaches to theme park ride technology. It took Disney World Co. three years to build EPCOT, starting in 1979, and the total cost was $1.4 billion.

EPCOT is now called Epcot park and hosts many events such as the Annual Food and Wine Festival as well as the Flower and Garden Festival. The World Showcase at Epcot features countries from all over the world with rides, attractions, shops, and restaurants. Future World is home of Spaceship Earth, the gigantic silver geosphere that is the trademark icon of the park. Epcot is also home to SOARIN', Mission Space, and Test Track. Come to the Walt Disney World resort and help celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Epcot Park, and have a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend!

Shopping at MGM Studios

When going to Disney's MGM Studios, there are so many different places to see if you are looking to shop for some Disney-related merchandise. Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards in MGM Studios are two places that have some very interesting memorabilia. You have to check out the stores outside Aerosmith's Rock N Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. They are right next door to each other, and have some really sweet looking t-shirts and jackets. I was even able to find a book of original music from Aerosmith to play guitar to. Click Here to get your MGM tickets at a discount and pass the savings along to your kids by getting them some cool merchandise at the Disney stores.

Other great shops at Disney's MGM Studios are Villains in Vogue where you can get Disney World villain apparel and gifts, as well as cool trinkets for your home. The Writer's Stop is a very unique book store at MGM, and Tatooine Traders has all the Star Wars collectibles and merchandise. When coming to Disney World, and especially MGM Studios, don't just go on the rides and buy food, but check out the retail stores too. I promise you there is something in there for everyone, and it is always interesting to browse around and see what they have going on.

Magic Kingdom Attractions - Fantasyland

Well - as we're roaring into May, Disney World is heating up and getting ready for Summer break. Since all the kids will be out of school sooner than later, I thought I'd talk about some of the most popular attractions for children - which all can be found at The Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland. Dumbo The Flying Elephant is one of the most popular rides among kids. Centered in the heart of Fantasyland at Disney's Magic Kingdom, Dumbo will take your kids soaring through the sky and spin around the carousel. The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is also a popular ride with everyone's favorite honey-obsessed bear - Pooh. Riders sit down in a giant honeypot and go on an adventure from cartoon-land. Peter Pan's Flight takes you into the clouds and on a journey to Neverland. Beware of Captain Hook's pirate ship or you might be held captive!

Snow White's Scary Adventures takes you through the world of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, where the wicked witch is waiting to cast her evil spell. Each of the different cars are named after the Seven Dwarfs, so make sure you don't climb in with Dopey. "Its a Small World" puts you on a boat where you travel to lands of different cultures and continents, all while singing "It's A Small World, After all." Fact is, it really isn't such as small world as there are so many more rides and attractions, you'll just have to take your kids to Disney World and see for yourself.

The World Showcase at EPCOT CENTER

The World Showcase at EPCOT has over 20 pavilions with countries from all over the world. Some of the country pavilions have rides, like Norway or Mexico. Other country pavilions have amazing restaurants like at Italy, Japan, and Mexico. The World Showcase at Epcot is a beautiful circle of attractions with inspirational buildings and colorful scenery. People describe the World Showcase at EPCOT as breathtaking and fascinating.

EPCOT's World Showcase is a melting pot of different countries, cultures, and cuisines - and will teach you a little bit about the origins of these far away lands. There is also great shopping at the different country pavilions where you can buy some really interesting and unique apparel. EPCOT is a theme park that usually takes a day or two to complete, so a Park Hopper ticket is usually a good idea. To buy discount Park Hopper passes, CLICK HERE!

The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World

The Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort has forever been known as "The Happiest Place on Earth". Another big weekend is among us in America's # 1 attraction destination - Orlando, FL. We are heading into April, and the mercury is climbing on the thermomater as Spring has finally arrived. Walt Disney World is as popular as ever, with 4 amazing parks headed by Magic Kingdom and Epcot, as well as 2 refreshing water parks in Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Everything down here is peaking, and thousands of people are coming to Florida everyday to experience the magic of Walt Disney World. Today I wanted to write about my favorite park - Disney's Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom is the original theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort, and after 30 years - still going strong. There is nothing like getting off the monorail, walking through Magic Kingdom's main gates, and seeing Cinderella's Castle from afar.

As you walk down Mainstreet USA at Magic Kingdom, you can smell the popcorn and freshly-baked cookies from the MainStreet Bakery, and cotton candy and soda from the charming sidewalk shoppes. Once you pass through the main corridor, you walk under Cinderella's Castle and on to Fantasyland. My favorite rides are Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Space Mountain. The Haunted Mansion has always remained a timeless classic, as has the Hall of Presidents, which just added Ronald Regan and Bill Clinton to the mix. From the daily mid-afternoon parades to the firework shows at night, Disney's Magic Kingdom is simply amazing from your first step off the train. Seeing the look on kids faces when Mickey Mouse, Winnie The Pooh, and Snow White pose with them for pictures is priceless. No wonder Disney World is the happiest place on earth - you never want to leave. Have a good weekend everyone, and I hope to see you out there at the parks.