Archive for June, 2012

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Fourth of July at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Posted in EVERYTHING DISNEY with tags , on June 29, 2012 by disneychronicles

 

Where will you be celebrating?

A variety of special events for Fourth of July are scheduled at Walt Disney World® Resort – such as patriotic parades, live music and spectacular fireworks shows. A street party with live entertainment and fireworks is also planned for Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney. All of the Fourth of July celebrations are included in the regular admission price.

Magic Kingdom will present “Disney’s Celebrate America! A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky.” This patriotic fireworks spectacular, paying homage to the hopes and dreams of America’s forefathers, will light the skies at 9 p.m. July 4 – and for guests who would like to begin the Independence Day celebration early, the show also will be presented July 3 at 9 p.m.

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, traditional Fourth of July fireworks take on a different spin when Mulch, Sweat, and Shears perform for the all-new “Rockin’ 4th of July Celebration!” These resident landscapers – with serious rock and roll ambitions – take Disney guests on a musical road trip across America that will highlight each region’s contribution to rock and roll. Fireworks, lighting and special effects – backed by the driving live rock and roll of Mulch, Sweat, and Shears – combine to bring a new twist to celebrating Independence Day. Showtime July 4 is 9:45 p.m. Before or after the show, Disney’s Hollywood Studios guests can thrill to Disney’s Fantasmic!, performing July 4 at 9 and 10:30 p.m.

At Epcot, sky-watchers can check out “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” bursting high above World Showcase Lagoon. IllumiNations is a 14-minute spectacular during which pyrotechnics, lasers, water and music are all used to tell a story about the past, present and future of our planet. On the Fourth of July, the show will be enhanced with “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” an overture of traditional Americana themes displayed in a pyrotechnic and laser light event. The show is at 10 p.m.

Also at Epcot, you can hear a “Voices of Liberty 4th of July Concert” and participate in meet-and-greets with Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross and Disney characters wearing their patriotic dress at American Adventure.

No Independence Day celebrations are planned for Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

All of the parks will be extremely busy.  So plan wisely!

In the past the parks have reached capacity and guests were turned away- even those with dining reservations inside the closed park.  You need to decide which park you want to visit for the 4th, arrive early and plan to stay the whole day.  Don’t park hop and don’t return to your resort for a break, a swim or a nap.  If you do, you may not get back in the park!  If you are a Disney Resort guest, you are guaranteed entry into a park, but it may not be your park of choice!  Again, arrive early and stay all day.

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday!

 

Theme park hours on July 4 (subject to change without notice):
Magic Kingdom, 9 a.m. through 11 p.m.
Epcot, 9 a.m. through 10 p.m.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, 9 a.m.through 10 p.m.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, 8 a.m. through 7 p.m.

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Gatorland….. is it worth it?

Posted in FLORIDA ADVENTURES with tags , , on June 25, 2012 by disneychronicles

Not to start off on a negative note but the last 2 weeks it has been raining. It has been hard to plan anything because your either in a serious DOWNPOUR or your sweating from the humidity! Ahhhh the luxury of living in Florida!

So we headed over to Gatorland.  Now from the time I was just a child coming down to Florida with my parents I have always had somewhat of an obsession with gators. Those who know me may speculate that this gator-fascination stems from my love of watching “Swamp People” not true….I don’t watch it THAT often. 😀

But you have to admit there is something fascinating about them!

Not too long ago, the American Alligator was on the brink of extinction.  Through a number of conservation efforts, these amazing creatures thrive today.  Scientists believe that the American alligator is more than 150 million years old. That means that these alligators once shared the same space as dinosaurs! Even though most other species that shared breathing space with dinosaurs are now gone, the American alligator lives on. Huh! bet you didn’t know that! pretty cool right?!

So as much as I prefer actually going down to the Everglades and driving down U.S. Route 41 State Road 90 … parallel  to Alligator Alley, the trail is only one lane in each direction and has no fences to keep the gators in, or better yet jumping on an airboat!  I’ll take what I can get!

ok enough about me…thats how we ended up at Gatorland…

At 110- acres, Gatorland  has thousands of alligators & crocodiles to see, an aviary, breeding marsh with observation tower, petting zoo, nature walk, gift shop and one-of-a-kind reptilian shows including the Gator Wrestlin’ Show, Gator Jumparoo and the Up-close Encounters Show.

Gator wrestling, now I’m not really fond of people sitting on the poor gators but the guys running the shows are funny and informative, they truly are having a BLAST doing what they do.


You can also take a ride on the Gatorland Express train and then head on over to Gator Gully Splash Park where kids of all ages can enjoy a good ol’ fashion squirtfest!

The thing we missed (and are going back for) is the Zipline!  Otherwise known as the Screamin’ Gator, at heights exceeding seven stories, riders zip over Orlando’s wildlife (including more than 130 gators!) on five intense zip lines at speeds of 25 miles per hour. It was closed due to the rain. 😦

We also saw the new rare white alligators on display for a limited engagement at Gatorland’s newest exhibit, White Gator Swamp. Featuring four of the world’s largest white leucistic alligators known to roam the planet, these giant Ivory colored reptiles are each ten to twelve feet in length and weigh over 800 pounds. Their piercing blue eyes are believed to have the ability to command good fortune to those lucky enough to make eye contact with the blue eyed beauties.

Yup! totally made eye contact! 😀

Overall it feels like you are in an “Old Florida” atmosphere.  So go if you like animals of any kind. It is very clean and well maintained, and the animals all appear in good health, and fortunately for the gators, well fed.

Some of the gators are so big it’s ridiculous and, scary  knowing they are underneath your feet and you can even see them gliding past the floor boards! LOVED it!

In addition to being able to see and feed Alligators, there is a huge bird sanctuary where you can literally take a photo two feet from a rare bird’s nest. Beautiful white cranes are everywhere. It is a photographer’s dream (hopefully having better weather then we had that is)

You can easily do it all in about 3-4 hours. It is a good half day trip. Five dollars worth of turkey dogs is enough for two people to feed the gators. It is a different and fun alternative to the bigger parks in the area.

Heads up  though…THIS IS A TOURIST ATTRACTION… they WANT YOUR MONEY… so bring extra as there are some cool things you need it for… Pictures with Gator, feeding hot dogs to the Gator… Pictures with snakes… oooh and you can sit on a gator too….

so to answer the question… Is it worth it? you decide 🙂

Check out all my pics…

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Did you know YOU could cruise for free?

Posted in DISNEY CRUISE LINE with tags , on June 20, 2012 by disneychronicles

Do you love  to cruise?

Do you know that you could cruise for FREE? (Honestly this IS true)

Yes you could get a free cruise vacation, and although it sounds too good to be true, it’s not. Well, it is not so difficult if you have a certified cruise travel agent (me) on your side who will walk you through and help you to get your FREE cruise and I can do that!

Do you know that Cruise Lines will reward you with free travel just for bringing other friends and family along with you on your vacation. You can earn a free cruise just for bringing a group of your friends onboard with you!

Are you part of an interest group or association? church group, sports team ect? or maybe a family reunion or a friends get together even a girls getaway! This will even work for a wedding!

What Do You need To Get A Free Cruise you ask?

It is quite simple…

All you need is to have enough people who are interested in taking a cruise together, and you can earn a FREE cruise. The cruise line will award a free berth for particular amount of cabins your group books. In most cases it is  eight cabins. There’s typically no cap on the number of free beds you can earn, so as long as you keep booking cabins, you group can keep earning free berths (two per cabin).

So to earn your Free Cruise you NEED to start speaking to everyone you know about their interest in taking a group cruise vacation.

Group cruises are perfect for many types of travelers and easy! Just get creative!

Family Reunions

Weddings and Anniversaries

Friends and Social Groups

Clubs and Associations

Church Groups

Country Clubs and Golfing Groups

Professional Groups

Retired Military Groups

Fraternal Organizations

really the options are endless…..

Once you have people excited and interested, contact us and we  will help you find the best ship and destination for your group, provide all promotional materials and brochures, and take care of a booking process for you. Simple as that!

Cruising for free is simple and every week hundreds of groups embark on ships around the globe.

On most of these sailings, it’s easy to pick out the group member who sailed for free. They are the one with the biggest SMILE.

So start planning today. You will likely need at least 9 to 12 months lead time.

Now the best part is….
We do not charge a fee for this service we are compensated by the cruise line. Closer to sailing, we will also arrange onboard parties, private shore excursions and other activities to make your group feel special.
So what are you waiting for? Lets make some calls! 🙂
Please send me the following information if you are interested in becoming a group leader…..and I will walk you through it!
Type of Group…

Dates you want to travel…

How long of a cruise….

How many people ……..

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Posted in DISNEY RESORT REVIEWS with tags on June 19, 2012 by disneychronicles
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge was designed by architect Peter Dominick, who is also known for the Fort Wilderness Lodge and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. It opened on April 16, 2001.
Animal Kingdom Lodge has a massive mud fireplace, huge carved wood pillars, and giant showcase window facing the savanna. In the lobby are fascinating artifacts. It is beautiful! and as always the theming is fabulous!!
There is a semi-circular layout that ensures most rooms overlook the 30-acre savanna, allowing guests views of the birds, giraffes, and array of other African animals that call the savanna home.
(Book the savanna rooms).
Among the animals you may see are Ankole Cattle, Bontebok, Eland, Zebra, Greater Kudu, Impala, Okapi, Red River Hog, Nyala, Reticulated Giraffe, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Thompson’s Gazelle, Waterbuck, White-Bearded Wildebeest, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Blue Crane, East African Crowned Crane, Greater Flamingo, Marabou Stork, Ostrich, Pink-Backed Pelican, Spur Winged Geese, Guinea Fowl and Ruppel’s Griffon Vulture!
There are 972 rooms, 499 suites or villas. Restaurants, bar, golf course, pools, gym, spa, children’s programs, laundry facilities, and a business center.
In addition to the Uzima pool and slide, there’s a wading pool for little ones, unique animal-themed activities for everyone in your family, a 24-hour, high-tech game room and a 24-hour playground.

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