Orlando Florida Spring Break 2010

I just wanted to throw out a quick post on all of our Spring Break specials that we are running here at The Official Ticket Center. Please make sure to give us a call at 1-877-406-4836  to find out how we can save you more money on your already discounted theme park tickets. Make sure to look at our Orlando Flex Tickets and our Free Disney Tickets and upgrades! The weather is beautiful and we cant wait to see you!

With a little help from Mickey Mouse, Chicago residents (from left) Danielle Rub, Dwayne Gibson and Marissa Sproul begin a volunteer project Sept. 29, 2009 at the Bethune School of Excellence in Chicago. (Photo by Gene Duncan/Walt Disney World)

Walt Disney World announced on Tuesday that they would be ending the ‘Give a Day, Get a Free Disney Day’ promotion because they have reached their goal of 1 million volunteers.  Just 10 weeks after Disney launched the promotion, 1 million individuals have either completed volunteer service or registered to volunteer with one of the participating organizations.

“By any measure, the ‘Give a Day, Get a Disney Day’ program exceeded our expectations,” Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs said in a prepared statement. “These 1 million volunteers touched their communities with their hearts and hands.”

We are thrilled and amazed that so many VoluntEARS stepped up and took part in this great opportunity!  Even though the promotion has officially ended, the need for volunteers is still present, and we encourage you to keep lending helping hands.  For volunteer opportunities, please visit http://HandsOnNetwork.org.

For more information, or to purchase Discount Disney Tickets, please visit our webite or Kissimmee Location, The Official Ticket Center, or call us toll-free at 1-877-406-4836.

Some runners dressed up as Disney Princesses for the Half-Marathon

This past weekend, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida hosted the Disney’s Princess Half-Marathon.  The event included a Fit for a Princess Expo on Friday, a Royal Family 5k and Kids Races on Saturday, and the Half-Marathon on Sunday.  Walt Disney World hosts a series of atheltic and endurance events all year, with runners and princesses traveling from all over the world to participate!Our very own Samantha ran the 5k, and enjoyed running through Epcot’s World Showcase.  “Running the 5k was a great experience, not only because I was achieving a personal goal of mine, but because I was doing it with other women and families in a place as magical as Disney,” said Samantha.  “Plus, with the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival in full bloom, what a gorgeous backdrop for a race!”

Princesses take a break to snap a photo with Beauty & the Beast

The newly revamped ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex offers many other opportunities for Princesses in Training to strut their atheltic skills at Walt Disney World.  Check out these upcoming events:

For more information or to purchase Discount Disney Tickets, please visit our website or Kissimmee location, The Official Ticket Center, or call us toll-free at 1-877-406-4836.

Guests can see the new baby gorilla at the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail at Animal Kingdom

The Disney Parks Blog announced a new arrival – a critically endangered western lowland gorilla - at Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  The baby girl was born to first-time mother, Kashata, and father, Gino. 

New Baby Gorilla with mother, Kashata

The new baby is the third gorilla born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan which manages genetic diversity among species through detailed records of individual animals. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also participates in AZA Species Survival Plans for several other animals, including elephants, cotton-top tamarins and okapi.

Guests can take a peek at the newborn gorilla at the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail at Animal Kingdom.

Do you love adorable baby animal pictures?  Then check out some of our previous blogs!  Baby Anteaters were recently born at Discovery Cove Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa.

For more information, or to purchase Discount Disney Tickets, please visit our website or our Kissimmee location, The Official Ticket Center, or call us toll-free at 1-877-406-4836.

Concept Art of Fantasyland Expansion at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Orlando

According to the Disney Parks Blog, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida has finally broken ground on their much anticipated Fantasyland expansion at Magic Kingdom.  New images have been released of a 1/4 inch dimensional model, showcasing the four Disney Classic-inspired neighborhoods that guests will be able to explore, including interactive storybook adventures with some of our favorite princesses!

Model of the Dumbo the Flying Elephant expansion at Magic Kingdom

Dumbo the Flying Elephant will be expanded to include two attractions in its own mini-land.  Guests will “be invited to take part in a series of interactive experiences inside an air-conditioned three-ring circus tent,” states the Disney Parks Blog.

We sure are excited to be gaining little nuggests of information about this amazing expansion, and we look forward to learning more!  Be sure to check our Walt Disney Weekly Scoop Blog regularly to receive updated information.

  For more information, or to purchase Discount Disney Tickets, please visit our website or Kissimmee locations, The Official Ticket Center, or call us toll-free at 1-877-406-4836.

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Relaunch Event on Feb. 25th

ESPN the Weekend is an annual event that takes place at Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  For the first time, the event branches out to the newly revamped and renamed ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.  The official relaunch of the brand took place on Thursday, February 25th, with ESPN the Weekend taking place this weekend.

ESPN the Weekend

Dates: February 25, 2010 – February 28, 2010

ESPN The Weekend is a winter special event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park packed with all-star athletes, live ESPN telecasts, broadcast personalities and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in interactive sports experiences with hall of famers.

Come live your sports dream at the ultimate sports fan fest featuring in-depth public discussions with sport luminaries, informative presentations, motorcade parades with many of your favorite stars, the kinetic ESPN Sports Zone Interactive Area and plenty of collectable merchandise.

ESPN the Weekend event at Hollywood Studios - Photo Courtesy of Attractions Magazine

Event Highlights

Live Shows

ESPN will present live telecasts – including First Take and NFL Live from a set in front of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat on Hollywood Boulevard. Park guests will have a chance to appear on-air via crowd shots while watching the programming on video screens. Popular ESPN Radio shows Mike & Mike in the Morning and The Herd with Colin Cowherd will be broadcast live from the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Feb. 25-26.

As Major League Baseball Spring Training games get underway in Florida, ESPN’s on-site program lineup will feature a special two-hour Baseball Tonight with host Karl Ravech and analysts John Kruk, Bobby Valentine and Chris Singleton from the theme park Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. as ESPN’s popular baseball news, information and highlights show kicks off its 21st season.

Mike & Mike Celebrate 10 Years

ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning will celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary at the newly re-imagined ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort on Wednesday, Feb. 24 (6-10 a.m.). ESPN Radio’s popular morning-drive show hosted by Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic launched in January 2000. Today the show is heard (and seen on ESPN2) by more than 12 million listeners each week on more than 350 stations nationwide.

Inside ESPN

Live stage shows will bring fans and guests behind-the-scenes of some of the network’s most popular programs, including SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, First Take, NFL Live and Stump the Schwab. The shows will provide an inside look at favorite athletes, teams and ESPN programs. Fans can get into the action themselves by asking questions directly to ESPN personalities and athletes.

Dream Job

Guests who think they have what it takes to be on SportsCenter can experience what it’s like to audition for ESPN. Select contestants will go through a series of on-air tasks and the audience will select the best sportscaster during each show. ESPN personalities and sports celebrities will help mentor contestants as part of the experience.

Motorcades and Conversations

Periodically throughout each day, sports stars will motorcade up Hollywood Boulevard to the stage at the base of Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat and join ESPN commentators for conversations about their careers and Q&A sessions with park guests.

Interactive Sports Area

The ESPN Sports Zone will give guests of all ages the opportunity to test their skills at a wide variety of sports. MLB-, NBA-, NFL- and BASS-themed interactive areas within the Zone will have fans swinging for the fences, shooting baskets and throwing passes, as well as Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Sports Caravan, a multi-sport interactive area.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park admission is required. ESPN The Weekend events are included with admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. Availability is limited for some events. Events and celebrity appearances are subject to change and may be cancelled at any time.

To purchase Discount Disney Tickets, please visit our website.

New Orleans' Saints' Garret Hartley helps kick off the ESPN relaunch

ESPN Wide World of Sports Relaunch

Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson, NFL star Chad Ochocinco, LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam, NFL star Maurice Jones-Drew, Olympic softball gold medalist Jennie Finch and 2009s Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes were just a few of the athletes in attendance along with several popular ESPN personalities and Florida governor Charlie Crist. Instead of a Hollywood-style red carpet, the celebrities walked a turf carpet painted with yard lines to resemble a football field. The sports complex, already the leading multi-sports venue in the nation, was officially re-launched when New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl champion kicker Garrett Hartley booted a football, held by Minnie Mouse, over the complex entrance gate amid waves of fireworks and confetti.

Afterwards, the celebrity athletes and ESPN talent attended a private reception at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill. Then some of them watched a special performance by the Harlem Globetrotters and even got into the act.

The complex at Disney was re-designed with the signature elements of ESPN – 56 HD video cameras, 40 HD video screens, 20-zone audio system, ESPN SportsCenter desk – that create a one-of-a-kind ESPN-style youth sports experience for the two million athletes, coaches and fans who come to the complex each year. Now, in addition to playing on the same fields and courts as some of the biggest names in sports, youth athletes who compete at the sports complex will also feel as if they’ve reached the “big-time’’ and made it onto ESPN.

Admission to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is included with the purchase of a Waterpark Fun & More Ticket.  For more information, or to purchase Discount Disney Tickets, please visit our website or Kissimmee location, The Official Ticket Center, or call us toll-free at 1-877-406-4836.

Epcot 2010 Flower & Garden Festival

Dates: March 3, 2010 – May 16, 2010

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is a spring special event filled with a colorful array of flowers, gardens, topiaries, live music and educational events.

You don’t have to be a gardening expert to love this event. It’s perfect for Guests of all ages who enjoy the beauty of mother nature! See millions of blooming flowers and a vibrant collection of Disney-themed topiaries, and get up close with hundreds of colorful butterflies inside Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden. On the weekends, meet with top horticulturists at one of the many Garden Town Programs and learn helpful gardening tips, and be sure to attend public demonstrations of advanced gardening techniques from around the world.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the festival, finish off the day with a melodious evening at the America Gardens Theatre adjacent to the American Adventure Pavilion and enjoy music from the 1960s and 1970s during the Flower Power Concert Series.

Plus, you can bring some of the magic back home with you—you’ll find plenty of gardening tools and products to help you grow and maintain the perfect garden.

Epcot theme park admission is required. Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival events are included with admission to Epcot theme park. Availability is limited for some events. Events may be cancelled at any time.

If you plan to attend this wonderful event, please call us toll free at 1-877-406-4836 to purchase your discount Epcot tickets.

2010 Flower and Garden Festival Guide Give this .pdf file a little time to load as it is pretty big! Great info!