The holidays are steamrolling into Orlando!  The Grammy-award winning Mannheim Steamroller is scheduled to perform two live holiday concerts at Universal Studios Florida on Dec. 6 to kick off the resort’s annual holiday program.

Mannheim Steamroller is famous for the New Age-jazz spin it adds to Christmas and other holiday seasonal music.  During the concerts, the band will perform songs it specifically composed for the resort’s original holiday stage show, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” as well as new music from its latest album release titled, Christmasville.

The concerts will take place at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the “New York” area of the Universal Studios theme park.  The concerts are included with regular park admission.

The performances are the start of the month-long holiday festivities at Universal Orlando which begin Dec. 6 and run through Jan. 1, 2009.  Other holiday highlights include the resort’s Grinchmas show and Macy’s Holiday Parade.

High flying acrobats help set the stage for the newest show at SeaWorld Orlando.  “A’lure, the Call of the Ocean” replaces Odyssea and features a wide variety of tumbling and aerial maneuvers, hula hoops, unicycles, trampolines, puppetry, dance, Chinese pole climbers and more.

The 30-minute stage show tells the tale of a fisherman who falls overboard and is lured into the lair of the hypnotic sea sirens.  There he encounters a very different kind of sea life on the ocean floor.  Amidst all the action on stage, a rear projected screen provides additional visuals of fish, coral and even a giant sea serpent.
A’lure, the Call of the Ocean features a dozen electrifying acrobats, five graceful dancers and two star tumblers.  Together they create an aquatic and visual tapestry that offers fun and adventure for all ages.

The votes have been cast and the Hall of Presidents at Disney’s Magic Kingdom will soon be receiving a new addition, namely Barack Obama, the 44^th President-elect of the United States.

The 37-year-old animatronics-based attraction closes its doors today to undergo an extended eight-month refurbishment, including the addition of Obama as the next President.  The attraction will reopen after Disney completes updates to the hall’s lighting, sound, mechanics, projection and show systems.
The Hall of Presidents originally opened in 1971 and features a 10-minute panoramic film of American history, followed by the roll call introduction of every U.S. President in the form of life-size, robotic figures.
The show features a speech by the Abraham Lincoln figure and also a second speech by the current president - a tradition that started with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. 

Disney hopes that when the show reopens on July 4, 2009 the next president will also have recorded a new speech.  In addition, it is expected that the George Washington figure will be given a speaking part.

Enhancements to the attraction include new digital projection systems, state of the art technology and controls, LED lighting and a longer spotlight during the introduction of each President.

 A new dinosaur themed restaurant recently debuted at Downtown Disney in Orlando.   The T-Rex Restaurant features several fun-filled environments, including a geothermal region with a “Kitchen of Fire” and a 26-foot-high lava wall oozing over “ancient geological formations.”  In an ice cave room, a woolly mammoth and her baby help greet visitors. And in an aquatic region, look for a 45-foot giant octopus with animated tentacles.

The exterior features a full-size Tyrannosaurus Rex and another massive dinosaur measuring 28 feet tall and 122 feet wide.

T-Rex features a fun combination of dining and shopping in an interactive, prehistoric environment. The concept is designed around water, fire and ice as guests visiting T-Rex will be greeted with life size animatronics dinosaurs that live among cascading waterfalls, bubbling geysers, a fossil dig site and more.

The Polar Express is returning to SeaWorld Orlando for the holiday season.   Originally introduced last year, the popular Polar Express ride is returning to SeaWorld Orlando from Nov. 14, 2008 thru Jan. 4, 2009.

Warner Bros. Pictures and Iwerks Entertainment reprogrammed the theme park’s Wild Arctic ride, transforming it into a simulated train ride to “Santa Town,” based on Chris Van Allsburg’s children’s book The Polar Express and the 2004 animated movie of the same name. 

The ride uses motion technology and big-screen video to simulate a wild, fast-moving trip. Normally, it offers visitors a simulated helicopter flight to an Arctic animal-research station, complete with swooping maneuvers to spy various animals and to avoid danger. Under The Polar Express format, the ride simulates a train excursion powered by a massive steam-locomotive.

Guests will ride the train up snow-cloaked mountains, across frozen lakes and along perilous, icy passes.  SeaWorld’s exhibit of polar bears, beluga whales, walruses and other Arctic animals also remains part of the attraction, although the exhibit area will resemble a winter wonderland.

Central Florida was well represented among the 2008 Golden Ticket Award winners in an annual vote of amusement park aficionados polled by Amusement Today magazine.  The poll gauges the best of the best among all of the nation’s theme parks.

Here’s how Orlando’s theme parks fared in the voting by category:

Best Overall Park

#5      Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Best Waterpark

#3      Disney’s Blizzard Beach

#5      Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon

Best Marine Park

#1      SeaWorld Orlando

#4      SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove

Cleanest Park

#4      Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park

Best Shows

#3      Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Best Food

#3      Epcot

Best Water Ride in Theme Park

#1      Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

#3      Splash Mountain at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park

#4      Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-rat Barges at Universal’s  Islands of Adventure

#5      Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld Orlando

Best Kid’s Area

#2      Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Best Landscaping

#5      Epcot

Best Outdoor Show Production

#1      Epcot

#5      Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Best Dark Ride

#1      Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

#2      Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

#5      Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Best Halloween Event

#1      Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida

Best Christmas Event

#2      Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park

Best Carousel

#4      Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Best Indoor Coaster

#1      Revenge of the Mummy at Universal’s Islands of Adventure

#2 Rock ‘N Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

 The Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando Resort welcomes Eddie Money as the featured performer in the hotel’s monthly rock n’ roll cocktail party, Velvet Sessions. 

The Velvet Sessions party is held the last Thursday of every month and combines creative cocktails with live music from some of the world’s hottest rock bands and performers.

Eddie Money is best known for hits like, Two Tickets to Paradise, Shakin’, Take Me Home Tonight, Walk On Water, Think I’m In Love, Baby Hold On, and I Wanna Go Back.

Admission for Velvet Sessions with Eddie Money is $50 and includes FREE drinks, hors de oeuvres, and warm up tunes from 6:30 - 8:30 pm. There will be a cash bar and additional rock music from 8:30 pm on.

To attend a Velvet Sessions event, you must request an invitation online at http://www.universalorlando.com/.  Please note that Velvet Sessions is restricted to those age 21 and older.

Get set for the 15^th and final edition of ABC’s Super Soap Weekend at Disney’s Hollywood Studios - slated for Nov. 15-16, 2008.

The Disney theme park will play host to approximately 30 daytime drama characters during this year’s event, which is being discontinued by Disney-ABC Television Group after a 15-year run.  The group plans to send its soap stars out on a national promotional tour next year, rather than sponsor a single weekend at Disney World.
This highly popular soap event allows Hollywood Studios guests an opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite ABC Daytime stars. The stars will answer questions, sign autographs and entertain with their unscripted and lively conversation.  The Daytime TV luminaries will also be featured in special motorcades and live music sessions during the two-day event.

Due to the overwhelming popularity of the event, guests are usually allowed to gather on Hollywood Boulevard about 30 minutes prior to official Park opening.

When it comes to Disney favorites, it’s tough to top Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel and the other popular princesses.  But look out now because Disney is ready to roll out the Disney Fairies!

To go along with a straight-to-DVD animated children’s movie about Tinker Bell scheduled for release on Oct. 28, 2008, Disney is also opening a new walk-through attraction featuring Tinker Bell and four other pixie fairies.  The new “Pixie  Hollow” attraction will be part of the Magic Kingdom and feature Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist and Fawn in addition to Tinker Bell.  The attraction opens Oct. 24 in Mickey’s Toontown Fair section of the park.

The Disney Fairies will be developed for books, movies, Internet games and other Disney merchandise.

Top Chef is coming to CityWalk at Universal Orlando Resort on September 23 and 24.  Come enjoy live cooking demonstrations with your favorite cheftestants from Bravo’s Top Chef television show.  Daily showtimes: 10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm.

You can also shop for Top Chef gear, get autographs, sign up for a raffle, and check out interactive kiosks during this total Top Chef experience!

Admission is free, but tickets are limited.  Get your free tickets one hour before each show in front of the Plaza Stage.