April 2014 - Page 2 of 5 - On the Go in MCO

runDisney Race Bibs with Heather

Join guest Heather Winfield with her post about this great idea for scrapbooking her runDisney race bibs. Visit Heather’s site here for more great content, especially her fantastic collection of character pictures.

Over the last year or so, I’ve gotten addicted to runDisney. It’s an accomplishment to walk or run any length, and it’s fun to hang your medals to remember what you’ve done. After recently doing a race that didn’t give out a medal (boo!), I wanted a way to show off my bibs and remember each race, even if there wasn’t a medal. I decided to make an album where I could include the bib on one side of the spread, and information about the race on the other side of the spread.

runDisney race bibs are 7.5 x 8 inches. I figured I was mostly doing runDisney races, so I chose an 8 x 8 scrapbook for this project. If I do a race with a larger bib, I’ll just have to fold it! You could also use a regular 8.5 x 11 binder, and get page protectors to use in the binder. I’m a scrapbooker, so I had several 8 x 8 albums at home to choose from, but you can find these at your local scrapbook or arts and crafts store. Sometimes they will have albums on sale, or you can usually find a 40-50% off coupon on one item in their circular. I found an 8 x 8 album in AC Moore for $5 last week, plus they had a 50% off coupon, so you can see how cheap you can make this book for! Most scrapbooks include 10 page protectors, which would be enough for 9 races. You can buy refills for the books in the store or online, and they usually aren’t expensive.

Once I chose my album, I used my word processing program to type up my race information page. I decided to include the name of the race, date, location, distance, time/pace, characters, outfit, and other notes. The great thing about doing this project yourself is that you can tailor it to what’s important to YOU. If you’re not like me and don’t like stopping for characters during a race, you could change that to photo stops, or just eliminate it completely. I don’t care about my race time (I stop a LOT during a Disney race, so don’t look at my times, haha!), but if that’s something you want to remember, you could include your placement overall, in your gender, and in your age range. I usually try to theme what I’m wearing to the race, but if you don’t care about that, you don’t have to include that either. There are other things you can choose to include, such as weather, type of course, it’s completely up to you!

I also like that I can change this list up based on each race. So for the non-Disney race I did, I eliminated the character line.

Under other notes, I tried to include how I was feeling, how the race went, and even what I did and ate after the race. I don’t want to forget years from now how nervous I was for my first race, or how important seeing a character was on a race where I wasn’t feeling great to pick me up and push me to finishing strong.

I haven’t scrapped in over a year, but since I still consider myself a scrapbooker, I could have made this more complicated. But I knew I wanted something simple that I could just fill in after a race, print it out, and add it to the book. Otherwise, I’d keep putting it off and never get it done. I wanted to add a little something on the page, so I included a running shoe element (from ‘A New Me’ by Wimpychompers Creations) to the bottom of the page. You could find clip art or even add stickers after printing, too. I might eventually add a picture of the medal for the race, or a picture of me with the medal after the race, to the empty space on the page.

Then I typed up an easy table of contents page to go in the first page of the book. I didn’t want to print this up again after every race, so I just made lines on the page so I could write in each race after completing it. Again I had to make it a little fancy, so I added “I did it” word art (from ‘Life Is A Marathon – Word Art Bits’ by WM[squared] Designs) to the top of the page.

After printing, I just trimmed the 8.5 x 11 paper to 8×8 so it would fit in the book. If you chose to use an 8.5 x 11 binder, you don’t even need this step!

The last page in my album had room for pictures, so I decided to include the wrist band from the race retreat. Eventually I will add course maps for the races here. Even if your album doesn’t have this extra page, you can include this type of extra memorabilia in the last page of the album.

On the cover, I used some glitter chipboard stickers to title the book and added a few race stickers, and that’s it! I really like how it turned out, and I can’t wait to add more race bibs to the book!

LEGOLAND Florida Goes Green On Earth Day

LEGOLAND Florida becomes first theme park

in U.S. to run completely

on renewable energy on Earth Day

The initiative marks the beginning of a new partnership with Tampa Electric

LEGOLAND Florida and Tampa Electric kicked off a groundbreaking partnership today in a celebratory moment by making the 150-acre theme park run completely on renewable solar energy for the day in celebration of Earth Day – the first theme park to do so in the U.S. The celebration is part of existing and new conservation initiatives, including installations that will educate park guests about solar energy. As part of the partnership, LEGOLAND Florida will also permanently power a section of the park, Imagination Zone, on renewable energy.

“This is a historic day for LEGOLAND Florida,” said LEGOLAND Florida General Manager Adrian Jones. “With our new partnership with Tampa Electric, we will give guests a whole new way to learn about renewable energy while also doing something that no other theme park in the U.S. has done before.”

A celebratory moment was held just prior to park opening Tuesday, at approximately 9:45 a.m., with both Jones and Bruce Narzissenfeld, vice president of Marketing, Customer Service, Business Development and Fuel Operations for Tampa Electric, proclaiming the partnership and special green initiative. Even the confetti was eco-friendly. The focal point centered around LEGOLAND Florida running on renewable energy for an entire day, with environmental savings equal to removing three cars from the road for one year or planting six acres of trees.

The partnership also resulted in the installation of a 30-kilowatt solar panel array mounted atop the Imagination Zone attraction venue. Funded by Tampa Electric, the system supports Tampa Electric’s Renewable Energy program that lets the company’s customers purchase a portion of their electricity from renewable sources.

“This is a partnership built on doing the right thing for the environment,” said Narzissenfeld. “Together, we’ll teach the next generation about the benefits of investing in renewable fuels like the sun to produce electricity.

As part of the partnership, a new display will be placed inside the park starting in June, featuring an interactive 6-foot LEGO ® Earth model that educates guests on solar technologies. Located outside Imagination Zone, visitors will be able to affect the rate of LEGO Earth’s rotation with tactile solar panels. Guests will also enjoy an interactive zone that features LEGO mini model communities running on renewable energy inside the Imagination Zone.

The new areas add to the multiple educational aspects already within LEGOLAND Florida. The park gives kids a chance to learn and play with STEM-based activities such as LEGO MINDSTORMS robots, Build & Test and Power Towers.

LEGOLAND Florida has made a consistent effort for conservation since the park opened in 2011, including:

The park recycled nearly 60 tons of bottles and cans in 2013, along with 176 tons of cardboard
Throughout the park, guests can find over 180 recycled-made benches, with each made out of 800 recycled milk jugs
Each of the park’s 310 trash cans (consisting of both waste and recycle only at a 1-to-1 rate) are made out of 330 recycled milk jugs
LEGOLAND Florida has map recycling stations to avoid the waste of park maps that guests can acquire at the beginning sections of the park
The LEGOLAND Water Park holds 26 benches and 88 trashcans made entirely out of recyclable materials

Girls day at The Barn Antiques, Lake Alfred

Last week for girls day we decided to go visit The Barn Antiques, which is located in Lake Alfred toward Lakeland, and was established back in 1969. Not only is there a huge antique showroom, but also a large showroom of new gifts, some from local artists, but there is also a garden center and cafe!

My friend told me about this place a while back, and how a lot of their antique items are from England, she has some great items from here around her home. So we thought we would make a day out of it and go for lunch and a shop around their antique showrooms.

We decided to meet early for lunch at 11:30am as she had mentioned it can get quite busy around the midday time. The cafe is called “The Back Porch” and has a lot of seating both indoors and outside in their porch area facing their gardens. Upon entering you pick up a paper menu with a post it note at the top, then take your seat where you would like to sit. There are pencils in jars on the tables, so you jot down your table number on the post it note at the top, then check the items you would like to order. The menu has so many options, and you are able to mix and match between these. We all chose “the Country Picnic”, which included a soup, sandwich, salad and dessert for only $7.84! There were even a couple of vegetarian options, and the soups were also vegetarian friendly.

For the drinks you could chose from their different freshly brewed ice teas, hot teas, coffees and lemonade. I decided to go for the spiced raspberry iced tea, which included free refills so that worked for me. When they bring the food out, they bring it in little picnic boxes, which I thought was such a lovely presentation style, so different! The food was delicious, and the little desserts were very cute and tasty, I opted for an English trifle, which didn’t include jello so was great for this vegetarian!

After lunch we headed into the antique showrooms. The gift part was a lot of fun as they had such an array of items to purchase! From candles, to jewelry, clothes, light fixtures and kitchen ware, they had it all! Some parts were presented in themes which made it easy to show around and look at your favorite things.

Next we headed into the antiques part, and It looked smaller inside, until i realized it just kept going and going! A lot of their pieces are from England and Europe dating from the 19th and 20th century! They get shipments quite regularly, so no one visit is the same, so it’s good to keep coming back and seeing what else they get in.

They even have a stained glass window section toward the back, which made me wish I had somewhere to put one as I saw some beautiful pieces!

We then made our way out to the “Backyard Shop” located in the garden. Here you could find so many whimsical garden ornaments and decor, from solar powered fairies to gnome homes and mailbox covers! Some parts of the store are designed around the oak trees themselves so you almost feel like you are shopping in the forest or inside a huge tree house!

We pretty much stayed the whole day at The Barn as there was so much to do. It was so relaxing and fun that I am already planning my next trip there! It’s only about a 45 minute drive from the Orlando area, so well worth the trip for some fun and unique antique finds! Their opening times are always seasonal, but this season they are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-4pm, be sure to check them out soon for some great antiques!

Wordless Wednesday – Rawr

Wordless Wednesday – April 23, 2014

New Feel The Force Dining Event for Star Wars Weekends!

Star Wars Weekend will be adding another dining experience for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this year. In addition to the new Galactic Dine-In Breakfast and Jedi Mickey’s Star Wars Dine at Hollywood and Vine we told you about here, this new pre-paid event will start booking tomorrow morning, April 23rd online at disneyworld.com/dining, through the My Disney Experience apps and over the phone through Disney Dining at 407-939-3463.

The Feel The Force Dining Event will include VIP Viewing areas for both the parade, Legends of the Force Motorcade, and the nighttime fireworks, Symphony in the Stars. Also included will be soft drinks and water during the daytime parade and a dessert party with the fireworks. Guests will receive a souvenir PhotoPass card with a series of free Star Wars photos, which can be linked to their My Disney Experience account.

For the parade viewing area, guests will have a standing room only section near Echo Lake facing the Sorcerer’s Hat. The viewing area is open from 11am – 12pm with the motorcade starting at 11:30am. Guests in wheelchairs, ECVs and scooters will be permitted to remain seated.

The dessert party will be Star Wars themed and in the same location as the VIP Viewing area for the parade. It will take place from 9-10pm with the fireworks scheduled for 9:45pm each evening.

Check in for both events will be at Min and Bill’s Dockside Diner from 10:30am until 12pm. At that time, guests will receive a wristband which will provide entrance to the designated area for daytime and evening. Guests who miss the morning check in are still able to check in for the dessert party starting at 8:30pm at Min and Bill’s with a greeter.

Prices, including tax and gratuities are $54.00 for adults and $32.00 for children. Pre-payment is due in full at the time of booking. There will be no discounts accepted and no Disney Dining Plan entitlements may be used to pay for this event. If there is still availability, walk ups and same day reservations may be permitted. Please contact Disney Dining for any additional information or questions regarding this special event during Star Wars Weekends. As usual, all details are subject to change.

Carousel of Progress 50th Anniversary with Kelly Christine

Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress was my favorite attraction at Walt Disney World during high school and college. For years it never made sense to my friends and family. They know me as a thrill seeker, a roller coaster nut. How can a ride with a slow moving theater satisfy an adrenaline junkie? The answer is simpler than you think.

Like It’s A Small World and Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln, Carousel of Progress debuted at the 1964 World’s Fair. When the fair was over, the ride was transported to Anaheim and installed at Disneyland. It was replaced in Disneyland by America Sings and then moved to Walt Disney World. It is one of the only attractions in Walt Disney World that Walt himself had a hand in creating directly. You can even see Walt Disney and the Sherman brothers in a pre-show video talking about the original attraction.

Originally debuting under the name “Progressland,” the Carousel of Progress follows a family through four different eras. The first scene is staged at the turn of the 19th into the 20th century, then the 1920s, 1940s, and present day follow, echoing the seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter respectively. The Carousel of Progress is the longest running stage show in the history of American theater.

After a few years, I finally explained to my friends and family why the Carousel of Progress was my favorite and it’s quite simple: despite how much the world around you changes, your family is a constant. I think about how my life has changed due to technology and despite all the convenience and distractions at my fingertips, the relationships I have have only improved. After 50 years, the significance of family has not changed. I believe in a great big beautiful tomorrow, it’s just a dream away.

The Disneyland Story Presents Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln And Kelly

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln debuted 50 years ago at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, and Kelly Christine Delaney is back helping us celebrate this iconic attraction’s anniversary.

The 1964 World’s Fair is something I’ve discussed with my dad many times. I have enjoyed all of the stories he has told me of what it was like and he kept repeating “it was nothing I had ever seen before. Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln was definitely something that had never been seen before.

Walt Disney had the idea for a show that would pay tribute to the Presidents of the United States in Disneyland but wasn’t able to due to technology and space. Instead imagineers focused on a show about one of Walt’s heroes, Abraham Lincoln. While this was being worked on, interested parties discussed bringing the show to the World’s Fair. It debuted in the Illinois state pavilion on April 22, 1964 and was duplicated and opened in Disneyland on July 18, 1965.

Since it has opened, there has been some additions to the show and times that Lincoln was taken out completely. The first time I saw the show it included the Walt Disney Story. The pre and post show have since changed and now include history of the Walt Disney company and Disneyland.

Every time I experience the attraction I get goosebumps thinking of the influence Walt had on the attraction. As someone who has spent much more time in the Florida Disney parks, I rarely felt the direct connection to Walt. I really appreciate the amount of history and tradition that is throughout this attraction. I look forward to seeing the evolution of it in the next 50 years.

Have you experienced this attraction in any previous forms or the current form? What are your favorite parts of Great Moments With Mr Lincoln?

Earlier today we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of It’s a Small World, so don’t forget to take a moment to check that out!

Happy Anniversary It’s a Small World!

Today It’s a Small World is among three ground-breaking attractions created for the 1964 World’s Fair celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and we wanted to take a moment to talk about why each attraction is so special to us.

This gentle boat ride is the ‘Happiest cruise that ever sailed around the world’, and was created for the 1964 World’s Fair to salute UNICEF and the children around the world. Filled with beautiful Animatronic Dolls, colorful lands, and an infectious song more than 10 million visitors from 1964-1965.

It was great to see how each of the five Disney Parks around the world celebrated the anniversary of It’s a Small World, but it is really great to hear everyone’s personal connection to the attraction!

httpv://youtu.be/050ZVhjPiNk

My father is a big guy with a southern accent and usually stern face, but his absolute favorite ride at Walt Disney World is It’s a Small World!

I remember on our first trip to Walt Disney World in 1986 we rode It’s a Small World three times, so when my daughter’s, Zoe, first trip rolled around there was only one thing we could do!

As we walked down Main Street, we made our way to It’s a Small World where Zoe shared her first ride at Walt Disney World with my father at her side.

To this day it remains a family favorite ride, and I will never forget the look of delight and love that my father had as rode hand-in-hand with her.

Keep an eye out for our posts on Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Carousel of Progress that will be coming to you later today!

Do you have a special memory of It’s a Small World?

Orlando City SC Accepting Ticket Deposits for 2015 MLS Season

Orlando City SC Launches Season Ticket Deposit Campaign for Inaugural MLS Season

$50 Deposit Ensures Fans’ Seat Priority as Season Ticket Members;

Lions to play 2015 season in Orlando Citrus Bowl

Orlando City SC announced today it will immediately begin accepting season ticket deposits for the 2015 Major League Soccer (MLS) season, allowing fans the opportunity to secure their place as part of the historic inaugural season. The $50 deposit per seat is fully refundable and will allow Season Ticket Members to secure their seating priority and also indicate preference of their seat location for 2015 in the newly reconstructed Orlando Citrus Bowl. Fans can claim their spot in history by placing a deposit at www.OrlandoCitySC.com or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.

As previously announced, current 2014 Orlando City Season Ticket Members will receive seating priority over newly placed deposits and are not required to place a deposit for 2015 Season Ticket Memberships unless there is an interest in adding seats to their account.

Fans placing deposits will have the opportunity to indicate their preferred ticket location among club, midfield, sideline, corner, end-line and supporters sections.

Season ticket prices and the seating configuration for the 2015 season are expected to be released early this summer following the finalization of the Orlando Citrus Bowl’s new seating configuration.

“In less than one year our community will be hosting Major League Soccer matches,” said Orlando City President Phil Rawlins. “We’re excited to offer our fans the ability to secure seats to experience our historic first MLS season.”

httpv://youtu.be/rXyCEoYkHsU

Due to delays in the City of Orlando’s acquisition of land required for the downtown, soccer-specific stadium, the Lions also announced they will play the entire 2015 MLS season in the Orlando Citrus Bowl. With more than $200 million spent on stadium reconstruction, the “new” Orlando Citrus Bowl will reopen as a world-class stadium and offer an enhanced fan experience at every ticket price level in 2015 featuring wider chair-back seating in select areas, new concession areas, and new club and premium spaces throughout the stadium.

Throughout the years, the Citrus Bowl has become a fortress for Orlando City fans and the 2015 season will provide the City faithful with a return to their original stomping ground. In just three seasons at the Citrus Bowl, the Lions generated unprecedented success while creating numerous fond memories, including a minor-league championship event attendance record of over 20,000 fans at the 2013 USL PRO championship match.

Beginning in 2016, the new downtown stadium will become the permanent home of Orlando City with its location one block west of the Amway Center. The natural grass playing surface will be surrounded by approximately 20,000 seats, providing an intimate and energetic atmosphere. Funding for the $80+ million stadium has already been secured from the Club, City of Orlando, Orange County, Seminole County and Osceola County.

“We remain hard at work alongside our partner the City of Orlando on all aspects of the project,” said Rawlins. “I am very confident saying that we remain fully on track to open our new stadium prior to the start of the 2016 MLS season and we will be announcing details for our new stadium ground breaking ceremony later this year.”

The Club recently announced that the 2016 stadium project is being guided by industry leading companies Populous, Barton Malow and Icon Venue Group.

All three companies have a wealth of experience in designing stadiums and are responsible for constructing many of the premier facilities in the world, such as Yankee Stadium, Amway Center, Wembley Stadium, 02 Arena and the Rose Bowl.

For more information or to establish yourself as a prestigious Orlando City Inaugural Season Ticket Member, please visit OrlandoCitySC.com or call 855-ORL-CITY.

About Orlando City SC:

Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) is Major League Soccer’s 21st expansion team, beginning play in 2015. The Lions’ first team has won two USL PRO regular season titles and two postseason championships and will continue play in USL PRO in 2014 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Outside of the first squad, OCSC also has a youth club, Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) and a U-23 team that participates in the PDL. For more information on the pro and youth clubs, visit www.OrlandoCitySC.com andwww.OrlandoCityYouth.org.

Studio 25: Disney’s Hollywood Studios 25th Anniversary Event

Studio 25: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios

A WDWCelebrations Commemorative Event

Thursday – Sunday, May 1st – 4th, 2014

WDW Celebrations has put together Studio 25 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Disney’s Hollywood Studios May 1-4, 2014, and we are extremely excited about partnering and celebrating with them!

Studio 25 is an amazing four day event around the Walt Disney World Resort designed to bring old and new Walt Disney World enthusiasts together through signature offerings to complement the official Walt Disney World celebrations planned.

The **tentative** schedule includes group dinners, prizes for trivia challenges and scavenger hunts, group rides, and more! I have to say that I am really looking forward to the new interactive game and group rides! You can find the entire schedule on the WDW Celebrations Page here, and with a schedule that is so full of fun events you don’t have to worry about keeping up with any changes or missing things because they have an Event Alert Service.

Registration for the Studio 25 Event by WDW Celebration is open now, and as an extra bonus a good chunk of the registration fee will go towards the WDWCelebrations Charitable Initiative! The Registration Fee for adults (ages 16+) is $10, of which $3 will go toward the charity donation, and the registration fee for children (ages 3-15) is $6, of which $3 will go toward the charity donation.

More information about Studio 25 and upcoming events will be released on the WDWCelebrations.com website, theWDWCelebrations newsletter as well as the WDWCelebrations official fan page on Facebook and theWDWCelebrations Twitter feed.

We are really excited about attending WDWCelebrations Studio 25, and hope to see you there!

Celebrating Earth Day at Walt Disney World

Earth Day is just around the corner tomorrow and I thought I’d share some of the ways Walt Disney World is celebrating around some of the parks and resorts.

At the Yacht Club, there will be a lady bug release just outside the lobby heading towards the boardwalk.

Saratoga Springs is hosting an afternoon of fun activities at both the High Rock Spring and the Paddock Pools. Some of the games and things to do will include Animal Who Am I?, Earth Day Memory, Marsh Mud Madness, Earth Day Fact or Fiction, a Lady Bug Release, Animal Bingo, Design a Reusable Tote and Beading with “Earth” Charms.

Port Orleans Riverside will play host to fun and games, music and more at Riverside Marina from noon until 3pm with an Earth Day theme.

Disney’s Old Key West Resort will also have the same offerings as many of those at Saratoga Springs. Instead of the Design a Reusable Tote and Beading, Old Key West will have flower pots available to decorate at an additional cost.

The Contemporary will have a Picker Parade where guests can help pick up garbage on the jogging trail.

Animal Kingdom Lodge will have an Ostrich Egg Contest and Auction where proceeds will go to the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund. They will also have Upcycled Crafts where guests can go to Simba’s Cubhouse to create crafts from recycled items.

Both Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness will have tree plantings and recycled materials bird house contests.

Epcot will have Earth Day activities in two locations. In the Seas with Nemo and Friends, guests can get hands on learning about turtle excluder devices and can also learn about conservation and animal rescue efforts. In Innoventions at the Vision House, guests can learn how to shop in a way that is better for the environment in a game and learn about sustainability.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be hosting the Party for the Planet again on Earth Day this year. You can learn more about the specifics of the Party here in the Disney Parks Blog post.

V The Velociraptor Testing at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Professor Parker Woodson will be bringing his friend V the Velociraptor to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a ‘Jurassic Jaunt’ with guests in Dinoland U.S.A. beginning April 19, 2014!

Professor Woodson has hand raised V the Velociraptor from birth, so V is excited to be out meeting people and exploring the world all around him.

You will be able to find Professor Woodson and V the Velociraptor roaming around Dinoland U.S.A for limited time from April 19 to May 3, 2014.

Tentatively the daily 30 minute sets for their explorations are 11:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, and 4:00 pm.

While I was never lucky enough to meet Lucky the Dinosaur, I am really excited to have Professor Woodson and V the Velociraptor visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland U.S.A at lest for a little while.

And while this may or may not be a permanent addition to the area, I am certainly going to enjoy them while they are here!

We’ll be updating this post with more pictures and videos soon, so keep checking back.

Merlin Entertainment Brings Three New Attractions to Orlando

Project Update from Merlin Entertainments PLC for Three New Orlando Attractions

Coming Spring 2015

The leading U.K.-based family entertainment company, owner of LEGOLAND Florida, is bringing three of its best know global visitor attraction brands to Orlando – The Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life aquarium

With less than a year to grand opening, Merlin Entertainments PLC (Merlin) is gearing up to introduce three of its exciting global brands to the Central Florida region, with the launches of The Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and SEA LIFE aquarium in Spring 2015 at I-Drive 360 on International Drive.

Merlin, the second largest visitor attraction operator in the world, already operates LEGOLAND Florida, the highly successful theme park uniquely targeted at families with children under 12, which opened in 2011.

The Orlando Eye, the cantilevered observation wheel at the heart of the complex, will be a little sister icon to London’s world-famous landmark, providing breathtaking views of Central Florida in all directions within fully enclosed, air-conditioned glass capsules.

Madame Tussauds, the world’s most famous celebrity wax attraction, provides visitors with the ultimate fame experience and its signature red carpet treatment. Madame Tussauds showcases incredibly detailed and lifelike wax figures that lovingly pay tribute to the most influential celebrity and historical figures of our time.

SEA LIFE Orlando will offer a new wave of underwater adventures with beautiful displays of colorful fish, sharks, jellyfish, sea horses and more, that turn the traditional aquarium observation on its head. Winding tunnels, floor-to-ceiling tanks and bubble aquariums provide an immersive experience for children and adults alike. Additionally, the aquarium, known for its strong conservation efforts, will have unique educational components for young marine life enthusiasts.

“The success of LEGOLAND Florida has underlined to us the potential for Merlin’s high quality global attractions in Central Florida; and particularly in Orlando, undoubtedly the best and most exciting location for family entertainment anywhere in the world,” said Nick Varney, Chief Executive of Merlin Entertainments PLC. “We believe that this is an exceptional group of attractions which will not only provide three quite different new experiences for visitors; but also together add an exciting new dimension to what is already available in the region.”

“We are very excited to be bringing some of Merlin’s best-loved global attractions to International Drive. SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds have already proven their popularity with audiences across North America; and in Europe and Asia,” added James Paulding, Head of Openings for North America, Merlin Entertainments. “From 2015, these two, together with the unique views from the Eye will become must-do experiences for every visitor to Orlando.”

All three attractions are scheduled to open in Spring 2015, in addition to numerous shopping and dining options in the complex, adding a new dimension to Orlando’s world-class entertainment options.

Famous Disney Bears

In honor of Earth Day on April 22^nd, Disneynature is releasing another new documentary, Bears. This new movie will follow a bear family for a year as the young cubs learn life lessons. Seeing the commercials for this movie got me thinking about all of the bears in the Disney family.

Winnie the Pooh
Let’s start with probably the most famous Disney bear of all. Coming from the books by A. A. Milne, Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood are a childhood staple. He may be “stuffed with fluff,” but he can be quite courageous when needed. We’ve all joined in on their adventures (often in search of “hunny”) and learned about friendship along the way. Pooh and Piglet’s friendship in particular, never fails to warm my heart.

Baloo

Carefree and fun-loving Baloo is Mowgli’s best friend in The Jungle Book and he taught us all about the Bare Necessities (which, thanks to writing this blog post, I have had stuck in my head for three days). For the most part, Baloo is playful, but he can be very protective of Mowgli. He is probably the most popular character from the movie and in fact, became the star of his own TV series: TaleSpin.

Koda and Kenai

These two bears from Brother Bear started out with quite the complicated relationship, but eventually became as close as brothers. Koda is the playful and talkative one, while Kenai is moody and serious. I think they both learn a lot from each other.

Harris, Hamish, and Hubert

Oh the triplet brothers from Brave. Definitely can’t forget them. Merida’s young brothers are always up to some sort of mischief, which is what caused them to become bears to begin with. Although they don’t stay that way forever, you can still see the brothers as bears in the Festival of Fantasy parade.

Br’er Bear

Betsy mentioned Br’er Bear in her post about bunnies and rabbits as the antagonist to Br’er Rabbit in The Song of the South. Teamed up with Br’er Fox, the two keep getting outwitted by Br’er Rabbit and you can see a lot of their foiled plans in the Splash Mountain ride at the theme parks.

Country Bears

Big Al, Liver Lips, Wendell, Trixie, Terrence, Henry, and the rest of this musical gang have been entertaining guests at the Magic Kingdom since the park opened. There was also a version at Disneyland up until 2001. The popularity inspired a movie in 2002, but that wasn’t very successful. They remain pretty popular in the Magic Kingdom though, especially with fans who grew up with the show.

Fozzie Bear

This jokester of the Muppets is Kermit’s best friend. He’s very often the target of Statler and Waldorf’s heckling, but he keeps trying with his “wocka wocka” tagline! Fozzie always struck me as very loyal, especially to Kermit and though he may be slow to catch on most of them time, I think he is a friend you can count on.

Humphrey the Bear

Humphrey was created in 1950 and appeared in several Disney Animation cartoons at that time. Humphrey is kind of a big and goofy bear that lives in a national park and tries to steal food from the visitors. He doesn’t speak, but he does make different grunts to express emotions. His shenanigans are usually spoiled by Donald Duck or the park ranger. He got to be so popular that the animation studio created a series just for him, but unfortunately the studio stopped producing the short films soon after that. He later appeared in other shows like Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers and House of Mouse. If you’re looking for him these days, you might want to check out the Wilderness Lodge.

Honorable Mentions: Little John from Robin Hood, Gummi Bears, Duffy, Lotso, Bear in the Big Blue House

When I first started writing this post, I was surprised by how many bears would be on this list. It was fun to rediscover some old favorites like Humphrey! Did I forget any of your favorite bears?

Orlando City SC Needs Your Input!

Orlando City SC Seeks Fan Input on Design of New Soccer Stadium

Idea the Result of Recent Supporter Group Suggestions to Architects; Group of Respondents will be selected to Participate in Small-Group Workshops with Stadium Design Team

Orlando City SC announced today a unique plan to solicit input and gather suggestions from its fans on the design of its new downtown stadium. The idea was born out of a recent meeting with Orlando City supporter group leaders and stadium architects.

“We recently invited the leaders of our supporter groups to meet with our stadium design team. During this conversation it became very apparent that our supporters had a lot of great ideas – and that we needed to find a mechanism to incorporate additional fan input into our stadium design,” said Orlando City President Phil Rawlins. “As a result, we’ve launched this new initiative to encourage all of our fans to send us their stadium design ideas.”

Fans are encouraged to send their stadium design ideas to stadiumideas@orlandocitysoccer.com or via Twitter using #NewOCSCStadium.

“If you have even a small idea that you think would be cool regarding Orlando City’s new stadium, this is how you can get our attention for it,” said Rawlins. “Orlando City’s goal is to create an iconic year-round development on Church Street that will serve as the top soccer stadium in MLS – and we’re excited to hear our fans’ ideas on how we can best accomplish this goal.”

In addition, upon review of fan submissions, the club will select a group of respondents to participate in small-group workshops with the stadium design team.

Fan input will continue to be solicited throughout the design process, and the club intends to also release a compilation of fan ideas collected in the coming weeks.

For more information, please visit OrlandoCitySC.com.

About Orlando City Soccer Club:

Orlando City Soccer Club (OCSC) is Major League Soccer’s newest expansion team. The club will begin play in MLS in 2015, becoming the league’s 21^st club. The Lions’ first team has won two USL PRO regular season titles and two postseason championships and will continue play in USL PRO in 2014 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Outside of the first squad, OCSC also has a youth club, Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) and a U-23 team that participates in the PDL. For more information on the pro and youth clubs, visit www.OrlandoCitySC.com andwww.OrlandoCityYouth.org.