Epcot's "Holidays Around the World"

 
Christmas is my favorite time of year to visit the theme parks. At Epcot, through December 30th, you can experience "Holidays Around the World".  The park is decorated with Christmas trees and lights, a Candlelight Processional performs every day, and stories are shared about holiday traditions from all over the world. You can also find tons of adorable holiday merchandise to bring the magic of Disney home with you every Christmas.

The Candlelight Processional is one of the most popular events at Epcot during Christmastime. Three times a day, the story of Christmas is told by a celebrity narrator accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a visiting high school choir.

I really like the storytellers around World Showcase. I was able to catch three performances while strolling around the park with my husband one day. The first was in Japan, where the story is told of the Daruma doll and the Japanese customs of the New Year. The second story we heard was in China, of the Monkey King and Chinese New Year. Lastly, in Norway, the storyteller Sigrid told the story of the mischievous Christmas Gnome, Julenissen.

Each of the countries in the World Showcase has its own holiday story to tell. You can hear from Los Tres Reyes Magos in Mexico, listen to the tale of the first Nutcracker in Germany, or hear from Italy's good Christmas witch La Befana. In the American Adventure, you can visit with Santa Claus, experience the spirit of Kwanzaa, or hear the story of Hanukkah. The Morocco storyteller explains the customs of Ramadan and Ashura, while Father Christmas tells of Christmas traditions in the United Kingdom and Nowell the Canadian lumber jack tells his tale in the Canada pavilion.

Back at Future World, you can catch a gospel performance by D'Vine Voices. And of course, the fireworks show continues each and every night on the World Showcase Lagoon. Each of the Disney theme parks has something different to offer for Christmas, and I had a great time enjoying the festivities at Epcot.

Bar Hopping in Baldwin Park

If you're not familiar with it, Baldwin Park is a planned community located about 3 miles east of downtown Orlando, near the Fashion Square Mall. Formerly a naval training center, the neighborhood of Baldwin Park has grown to include a large variety of homes, apartments, offices, restaurants, and shops.

A group of friends decided to go out Friday night to say farewell to a coworker who is moving to California. We met up immediately after work, around 5pm, at Colibri Mexican restaurant. Situated on Lake Baldwin, the patio offers a great view of the neighborhood. We ordered margaritas and Coronas for happy hour, and munched on chips and salsa.

After an hour or so we headed over to CaddyShanks, a brand-new sports bar located in the heart of the village center. They serve a ton of different beers and microbrews, as well as a few frozen drinks and mixers. They have lots of flat-screen tvs, two pool tables (one of which was converted to a ping pong table), three tvs hooked up with Wii, a foosball table, two virtual golf simulators, and two race car simulators. There is a fee for each of the games, and we ended up playing pool and ping ping for a few hours. Someone brought in a bunch of barbecue ribs and chicken wings to share, so we feasted on food, beer, and games.

Our next stop, around 9pm, was the UpTown Park Wine Bar. They offer a huge variety of different beers from all over the world. There was a DJ that night (he visits about once a month), and of course my crazy group were the only ones dancing in the middle of the bar! Generally, though, the UpTown Park Wine Bar is a nice quiet place to unwind and relax with a glass of wine or an international beer.

Our last stop of the evening was Seito Sushi Japanese restaurant. After all that drinking and dancing, it was time for more food! Seito's is probably my favorite restaurant in Baldwin Park. I love their fried gyoza, miso soup, house salad, and specialty sushi rolls. It was a great end to a fun-filled night.

So, if you're looking for some nighttime fun outside of the busy theme parks and away from the craziness of downtown Orlando, give Baldwin Park a try. It's classy, full of variety, and easy to hop from one place to another!

Reindeer Run at Sea World Orlando

 A few weeks ago, a coworker asked if I would be interested in doing the Reindeer Run 5k at Sea World. I just started running this summer, and had completed my first 5k in November at Lake Nona. Running at Sea World sounded cool, so I said yes! I registered and paid my $24 entrance fee at TrackShack.com (proceeds benefited the Pediatric Cancer Foundation...they were also collecting toys for Toys for Tots).   

The run was scheduled to start at 7:30am, but it got off to a late start because of traffic. According to the announcers at the event, they only had 400 people participate last year and over 4,000 this year! So things were a little backed up. No problem, though. We started running at around 7:45am.

Yes, it was COLD out. But once you start running, it isn't so bad. Plus, the Santa hat I was wearing kept my head warm. Participants were encouraged to dress up in a festive holiday outfit for the run; prizes were awarded for Most Creative Holiday Attire and Best Group Costume. I saw people dressed as reindeer and elves, lots of people wearing Santa hats and jingle bells, and even some dressed up as Christmas gifts with big boxes wrapped with a bow!

The route had us run about 1 mile through the parking lot, then into the park for the last 2 miles or so. We ran through the Bayside Stadium and around Shamu Stadium, over the bridge to Manta and the Dolphin Cove, back around past Atlantis, the Penguin Encounter, and the sea lions, and finally through Shamu's Happy Harbor to the exit. It was really nice to see the park decorated for Christmas. There were lighted Christmas trees on the water, fountains synchronized to Christmas music, fake snow falling during a performance by a live band, and Santa Claus with his elves greeting runners and taking photos as we passed by. We saw the Polar Express and Shamu Santa, could have our photo taken with a macaw or a two-toed sloth, and were treated to free snacks and hot chocolate after the race.


I definitely had a lot of fun, and am interested in trying other runs around different Orlando-area attractions. I'm already looking into signing up for one at Mead Garden in Winter Park. I'll keep you posted!

EEEK! My 2-park Universal Orlando annual passes are about to EXPIRE!

I recently received an email from Universal Studios reminding me that my annual passes will be expiring December 29th and I can renew now for the special price of $150. This sparked some interesting conversation between my husband and I. We had already agreed, months ago, that this would be our last year using the Universal annual passes (at least for now). We've had the passes for a long time and don't really feel the same excitement we did when we first bought them. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE being able to visit Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure whenever I want. But we both feel that maybe it is time to move on. However, the thought of actually letting go of my preferred annual pass is not easy for me to accept!

My husband and I have had our Universal Orlando annual passes for 4 years. He bought them for me as Christmas gift right after we first moved to Orlando. I was thrilled! Here we were, newlyweds in a new city, with theme park annual passes! I was so excited to be taking advantage of the fact that we were living in Orlando, so close to the some of the world's best theme parks. After one year with the passes, we renewed with the special buy-one-year-get-one-free deal. After another 2 years with the passes, we were ready to take a break and wait until after the crowds for Wizarding World died down before going back. But then we got an offer for a $115 renewal rate, we decided to go for it. And now here we are again, deciding whether or not we should renew.

The 2-park preferred annual pass for Florida residents costs $220. It has no blackout dates, free parking, discounts on food and merchandise, and access to special passholder-only events and deals. In comparison, a one-day one-park ticket for Florida residents is $71. This does not include parking, which I'm pretty sure is around $14. So if we don't renew our passes but end up going to the parks twice in one year (which is very likely when guests visit from out of town), we will have spent more than this year's $150 price of the renewal annual passes.

So...after talking about it with my husband again, we decided that we will go ahead and renew the passes AGAIN! I mean, come on, it totally makes sense. Sure, the initial excitement of getting the passes for the first time may have worn off a bit....but I am still SO HAPPY to have the chance to get another fun-filled year at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

Disney Store, Times Square NYC

 

My husband and I decided to go on a mini-vacation to New York City for the weekend. New York is an AMAZING city, and we had a great time walking and exploring and seeing all the sights. I was really excited about getting a taste of Orlando in Times Square, via the brand-new Disney Store (grand opening was Nov. 9th). This Disney Store claims to be the largest in the U.S., and has a large variety of exclusive NYC merchandise.

I must admit, I was actually a bit disappointed by the store's size. It wasn't as big as I was expecting, especially for being the "largest" in America. Maybe I was mentally comparing it to World of Disney at Downtown Disney, so I really wasn't that impressed. The 2nd floor is more spacious, and they do have a large variety of different items. From princess gowns to Ridemakerz cars, Tron to Toy Story, and everything in between. I really liked the NYC merchandise on the first floor. It was a bit weird, though, seeing Mickey splashed all over the New York souvenirs. Maybe it's strange, but I found myself thinking, "Mickey doesn't belong here....he belongs to us in Orlando!". Despite this possessive mindset, I still bought myself an exclusive Minnie Mouse Statue of Liberty Vinylmation.  :)  All in all, I enjoyed visiting the Disney Store in NYC and am happy to see another family-friendly spot in Times Square.  

You can find more photos of Disney Store Times Square on my Facebook page!

A Run, A Stroll, and Exotic Cars

My husband and I woke up extra early on Saturday morning and drove over to the brand-new UCF Medical College at Lake Nona to participate in the RunNona 5K. It was about a 30 minute drive, and we arrived at around 7:15am. The weather was chilly and brisk, but it was a great day for a run!  It was my first-ever 5K, and I ran it in around 38 minutes. I'm already registered for another one next month at Sea World. I'll definitely let you know how it goes!

After the run, we rested at home for a bit before heading out again. This time it was to the annual Fall Fiesta at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. Over 600 booths were set up all around the park with vendors selling art, crafts, jewelry, ceramics, food, and more. We love strolling around the park checking out all the different and unique items for sale. Its also a lot of fun to people-watch, but even more fun to dog-watch. Tons of people bring their dogs, of all different shapes and sizes. It was a great way to enjoy the beautiful weather on a Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, we went to Winter Park to see the 9th Annual Concours d'Elegance car show. The free event takes place on Park Avenue and features over 120 exotic and prestigious automobiles. Even if you're not really into cars, this is one show that you wouldn't want to miss. There is definitely something for everyone: Bentley, Corvette, Aston Martin, Hot Rods, Lamborghini, Ford's Model-T, and more. Check out more photos on my Facebook page!  

One of my favorite things about Winter Park is visiting the shops and restaurants on Park Ave. On the day of the car show, we decided to try out one of the newest cafes. Maestro, which opened early this year, is an eclectic bakery/cafe/coffee shop with a European feel. I ordered the Tangy Turkey sandwich, and my husband had the Tuscan Chicken panini. I'd definitely like to go back and try a piece of baklava with some coffee. Fun to try someplace new!    

Boyz II Men at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival

Ever since getting my Disney annual pass, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival has been one of my favorite events to attend. Great food, great music, great drinks....definitely an event that should not be missed! This year's festival started October 1st and will end on November 14th. The festival features various seminars and demonstrations, a variety of international food and wine tastings, a special concert series, and more. But on this particular day, I was there to see Boyz II Men!

I started with a quick stop at Mouse Gear, the huge gift shop near Epcot's main entrance. Looks like the Christmas season is quickly upon us! From there, I went on to the World Showcase to grab a quick snack before heading over to the America Gardens Theater for the concert. Oh, and be sure to wave hello to Duffy as you pass by!

The Food & Wine Festival has booths set up all around the World Showcase lagoon, offering food and drinks from 28 different international locations. There is a free passport you can pick up at the Festival Welcome Center that lists all the items available at each booth. You can get your passport stamped along the way to keep track of your delicious journey.

 Today I stopped at the South Korea booth for a lettuce wrap with roast pork and kimchi slaw, and Jinro Chamisul Soju (white rice wine). Both were delicious! I hope to come back to the Food & Wine Festival before it ends to try out some of the other tasty selections.

The Boyz II Men concert started at 6:30pm. I arrived around 6:10 and was able to find a seat in the middle section. I was surprised to see that there were already people waiting in line for the 7:45 show. I guess they really wanted to sit in the front!  The concert was AMAZING! It lasted about 30 minutes, and the group played some of their biggest hits like "On Bended Knee", "End of the Road", and "Motownphilly". They had a lot of energy and really interacted with the audience, including giving out roses during their performance of "I'll Make Love to You". I had a great time, and am already looking forward to seeing them again next year!   

 

After the concert, I strolled around the World Showcase for a little bit and checked out some of the other Food & Wine booths. For dinner, I decided to eat at the Yakitori House in the Japan pavilion. Beef sukiyaki and teriyaki chicken with white rice...yum! I was also able to catch the end of Boyz II Men's 7:45 concert, and noticed that this performance was a little bit different (this time they sang "A Song for Mama"). All in all, it was a pretty fabulous way to spend a Wednesday evening.

Check out more photos and videos on my Facebook page!

Halloween 2010

As I talked about in a previous blog post, I am not a fan of Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights. I don't like to be scared! So this Halloween I decided to head over to Universal Studios during the daylight hours to check out some of the props they had set up for this year's event.

twenty years of FEAR

I prefer the much less frightening pumpkins hanging from the trees!

Check out my Facebook page for more photos!

Mount Dora Craft Fair

Saturday, October 23, 2010

pumpkin patch

Today a friend and I traveled to Mount Dora to check out their annual fall craft fair. Mount Dora is a quaint town located about 30 miles northwest of Orlando. The historic downtown district, where the craft fair is located, is full of cute cafes and antique shops. The Mount Dora Craft Fair, happening October 23rd and 24th, is an annual event that draws over 300 crafters from all over the country.

We arrived around 11am, and it took us quite a while to find parking. Most of the parking closest to the fair was already full. After circling around a little bit, we finally managed to park a couple blocks away at the high school and walked over the fair.

There were a lot of visitors to the fair today. And a LOT of vendors. From sculptors to painters, photographers to woodworkers, and everything in between. The craft fair definitely offers a little something for everyone. There was also live entertainment, lots of delicious treats, and a bounce-house over in the kid's section.

Sunday is the last day to check out this year's event, from 9am to 5pm. Have fun!