Universal have announced the dates for this years Halloween Horror Nights. Calling it “20 years of fear.”

The Dates Are:

Sept: 24, 25 & 30

Oct: 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 20, 24, 27 & 31.

Prices are $74.99! which does seem quite expensive but well worth it. If you are a HHN fan then you can buy a Frequent Fear Pass with Express Access which costs $154.98. these tickets gain entry on 14 selected nights, complete with front-of-line rights to the haunted houses and designated park attractions.  Please note: The front-of-line part is one time per attraction per evening.

There is so much to see and do at Animal Kingdom, that it is hard to fit it all in, but one thing I would not want to miss is the wonderful and very spectacular ‘Festival of the Lion King,’ in Camp Minnie Mickey. We normally try to catch a performance later in the day, after we have visited most of the attractions. It is quite a long walk to the huge auditorium, but its well worth it, even if your feet are killing you by then. Try to arrive reasonably early as it gets pretty full and you can then choose where you sit.

The 1000 seat auditorium is now fully enclosed, and benefits from the addition of air conditioning. When we first visited Animal Kingdom it was open at the sides, and sometimes, during heavy showers or thunderstorms it was difficult to remain focused, because of the deafening noise of the rain and thunder. It could also be rather hot and humid, but now it is great.

The atmosphere is electric as the show starts, and the huge animatronic animals emerge from behind the curtains, accompanied by colourfully dressed cast members who sing and dance. Their tribal costumes are extravagant and stunning, with bold colours and vivid use of a variety of materials, and their typical African headdresses are very spectacular. There are 4 animatronic animals, Simba, who sits atop Pride Rock, a swaying giraffe, an elephant, and, in the jungle, Pumba and Timon. The theatre, which has 4 banks of seats, is then divided up so that each bank represents an animal – elephant, wart hog, lion and giraffe. The audience is encouraged to make appropriate noises for their allotted animal, and a member of the audience is coaxed down onto the floor to demonstrate their prowess at making animal noises. It is no problem for elephant or lion, but giraffe and warthog have a bit of a struggle. After a quick practice, this fast moving show is on the road.

There are acrobatic monkeys, in their startling orange striped costumes, who cavort and tumble on the trampoline that rolls out of the central area. They swing on the trapeze and provide a fast moving and intricate display of acrobatics. They tumble and twist and turn, whilst the song ‘Hakuna Matata’ plays.  There is a high speed finale, and then, almost in the bat of an eyelid the trampoline is folded away and disappears.

The mood changes dramatically and the auditorium is filled with pounding drums. The lights are lowered and in come the tribal warriors on stilts, their spectacular costumes, red and yellow striped, grass skirts, topped off with feathered tribal headdresses. There is a fire show, with plumes of flame rising out of the central stage area. The whole floor looks to be alight, and there are spinning torches, surrounded by colorful dancers – but there is an air of foreboding. Fire eaters make us gasp as they swallow flames.

The mood changes yet again, and all is calm and lightness. A turquoise and red bird dances in front of us, the female lifted high into the air, spinning and swooping. They perform to the sounds of that beautiful duet, and one of my favourite songs, ‘Can you feel the love tonight?’ which is sung with such feeling that it brings a lump to your throat. It is enchanting and romantic, and a spine tingling moment as you listen to the glorious harmonies. The female bird spins high in the sky, and as she circles above the audience there is orchestral music – a world in perfect harmony, connected in the circle of life. This wonderfully emotive song is sung with great power and emotion – the whole auditorium is simply transfixed by the beauty and emotion of it all.

Then it’s straight into the powerful, exciting and joyous ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ with its rhythmic chorus of ‘Whimoweh!’ and everyone joins in the singing and clapping, with a parade of eager children drawn into the centre of the auditorium.  More songs follow – Hakuna Matata – ‘no worries for the rest of your days’ – indeed your worries simply disappear in the magic of it all.  The birds return for another beautiful song, followed by the powerfully song ‘Be Prepared’ when an atmosphere of menace and evil emanates.

Simba reappears and sings ‘I Just Can’t Wait to be King’ a happy, rhythmic song in which the whole audience participates.  ‘The Circle of Life’ brings the ‘tingle’ factor once more, and delicate birds are brought out on tall sticks, swooping and gliding high above the audience. The finale, itself, is truly spectacular, engulfing you in song and music and dancing, drawing us all together in the circle of life. All too soon it is over, and the huge animatronic animals glide silently backstage. If you are quick, you might just get a photograph before they disappear.

I always leave with a feeling of great calm, awe and wonder, after this truly memorable show, which although offering just a brief taste of the magical musical, The Lion King, brings a visit to Animal Kingdom to a remarkably beautiful end. It is one of Disney’s best shows, combining wonderful sound systems, superb singers and dancers, remarkable animatronics, fast action, suspense, romance, and beautiful songs, in a way that only Disney can do. Don’t miss it, whatever you do.

Submitted by "ellie" a vacation home owner, view her property here:
http://www.perfectfloridavillas.com/main/prop.aspx?pID=183

When we visited our beautiful villa in Orlando in June we made a trip to Hollywood Studios to see the new interactive ride, 'Toy Story Mania'. However, we were not there early enough, having 'hopped' from Epcot first, and found that the queues were horrendously long - over two hours - and there were no fast passes left. We left disappointed, vowing to make sure that next time we would go there first. So when we visited our home again, in December, we made sure that Hollywood Studios was first on our list of parks, and that 'Toy Story Mania' was the first attraction we headed for when we reached the park.

So it was that we set off bright and early for Hollywood Studios, and luckily our villa is only a few short minutes away so we arrived at the gates just as they opened. We made a beeline for the Pixar area, which can be found behind Mickey's Sorcerer's Hat, which dominates the central area of Hollywood Studios. Located in the area which once housed 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire,' this new attraction has been a huge success. The first view of this attraction is when you walk under the huge 'Pixar' sign which is suspended above the walkway. Even outside there are some great features - look up and see the giant Scrabble board which hang down the front of the building.

We were delighted to see that the wait times were only about 20 minutes, so we dashed over to get our fast passes for later in the day, and then stood in line at the entrance. We were not to be disappointed, as this is a really stunning attraction, and the fun starts the minute you walk round the corner into the main waiting area. As we entered we picked up 3-D glasses, and then made our way round and round the queuing area. This was brightly decorated with an amazing array of huge toys - giant crayons, bricks etc.

All of this makes you feel as if you have been shrunk to the size of a toy, when in reality the toys have been made to a large scale.  Despite quite a long queue, the time went quickly as there was so much to look at around the room, and hanging from the ceiling. As we reached the rear of this area we could see Mr Potato Head, interacting with the crowd and cracking jokes. Occasionally a body part would pop loose which is highly amusing.

The time seemed to pass in a flash and we soon found ourselves walking through to the vehicle area.  The vehicles themselves are partitioned, so that each couple face a different way. You sit back to back with the other couple, with a partition between you. In front of you is a toy cannon, which fires when you pull a string, and there are two cannons in each section of the train. The aim is to fire at targets in the game booths on the way.

We sat down quickly and familiarised ourselves with the cannon, before donning our 3-D glasses, ready for the off! The vehicle started on its way and we were soon in front of a practise target. A good tip is to keep firing, as you never run out of ammunition. The practice over, we were off to the real games. The route is themed, with about 12 scenes, each hosted by a character from Toy Story and Toy Story 2. We saw Buzz, Woody, Bo Peep, Hamm, and the Little Green Men who cheer you on. The aim is to hit the targets, and rack up the highest score. The cars do spin, but it is fairly mild. Each of the targets has a different score - the ones at the bottom of the game are often higher, so look out for the highest scoring targets and aim for them. It is surprisingly easy to get the hang of it, much easier than the Buzz Lightyear attraction at Magic Kingdom.

There are six mini-games including Pie Throw Practice Booth, Hamm and Eggs, Bo Peep's Baa-loon Pop, Green Army Men Shoot Camp, Buzz Lightyear's Flying Tossers, and Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery. The detail is brilliant, and your score is recorded on an onboard display screen.

We really enjoyed this attraction, and had great fun zapping away. We couldn't wait to do it again, although our fast passes were not for another couple of hours. Second time round it was even better, and it is definitely on our list of 'must do's' for the next time we visit Orlando. Make sure you go there first if you want to be sure of doing it, and get your fast passes first so that you can try it again later in the day. It's brilliant!

Submitted by "ellie" view her property here:  http://www.perfectfloridavillas.com/main/prop.aspx?pID=183

Sea World have announced a new tour that gives you admission with preferred seating to the Shamu show, “Believe” the dolphin show, Blue Horizons” and the Clyde and Seamore show and, gives you a photo opportunity immediately following the shows. It’s called Animal Shows and Photo Experience.

You also get to interact with a Penguin and a Clydesdale. The tour will run with groups of around 12 at a time and is a walking tour that lasts around 5 hours. At the conclusion of the tour you receive a photo cd of your days adventures.

The cost is from $125 for adults and from $100 for children. This is on top of the regular admission price.

Diana – The people’s princess the new exhibit is now open. It occupies the old Virgin Mega store in the West Side part of Downtown Disney. There are many artefacts on display along with some of her dresses. The exhibit covers the whole of the downstairs part of the building. It charts her life from child to icon.

Admission is $14.50 (ages 10 and above), $5 for ages 3-9. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily. The exhibit will be at Downtown Disney through Nov. 30, 2009.

During these days of some pretty high temperatures Aquatica provided some relief for some of it’s visitors. Albeit for a few hours, these ice seats were a hit with this family. Each section of seating weighed over a ton.

(Photo by Sea World)