8 Ways to Save on Your Orlando Vacation

Orlando, Florida is synonymous with family fun. Home to some of the best theme parks in the world, Orlando offers exciting thrills, close encounters with your favorite cartoon characters and amazing ways to spend your summer days with your family. This summer season money is tight for many families and some are struggling to ensure their families can still have an unforgettable, deserved vacation. Look no further than Orlando, Florida for the one-stop, do-it-all destination you and your family have been searching for. Even though budgets are tight and gas prices are high, Central Florida is a vacation destination offering discounts and cheap things to do in Orlando making it easy for any family to enjoy some summer fun.

Here are 8 ways to save on your Orlando Vacation:

1) Purchase a Go Orlando Card for discounts on over 50 Orlando attractions, including Cypress Gardens, Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, Kennedy Space Center, Wonderworks and more. Do as much as you like each day for one low, affordable price. The Go Orlando Card is easy to use....simply present the card. Visit as many attractions as you want in a day! Admission to all listed attractions is included with the card. It comes in 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7 day increments and is activated the first time you use it. Days do not have to be used consecutively, and you can take up to 2 weeks to use it.

2) Discover our Orlando Direct Deals page on ReserveOrlando.com. There are great deals on Orlando tickets and discounts for Orlando attractions. A few of the discounted Orlando activities include Pirate’s Dinner Adventure, Sleuths Mystery Dinner Show, Spirit of the Swamp Airboat Tours, Wet ‘n Wild and Arabian Nights Dinner Show to name a few.

3) Orlando vacation packages are another great way to save in Orlando. On ReserveOrlando.com there are packages available featuring Universal Studios, Disney World, Gatorland, Cypress Gardens and Wet ‘n Wild. They are a great way to save money and still have fun!

4) Your won’t find Cheap Disney Tickets anywhere, but you’ll certainly find the best Discount Disney Tickets and Park Hopper Passes on ReserveOrlando.com. There are special deals offering free days at Disney World or you can get a great low price ticket for a 1-3 day pass. The deals are available, are you?

5) Universal Studios Orlando discounts are also available on ReserveOrlando.com. We are proud to offer the some of the best discount Universal Studios tickets around, with deals the whole family will enjoy. Our prices are way lower than gate prices, and offerings include a 2 park unlimited admission pass and a CityWalk Party Pass ticket.

6) There are plenty of Free Things to do in Orlando. Spend some time at Lake Eola Park, visit a museum like the Cornell Fine Arts Museum or explore Old Town, where every Saturday night free rock-n-roll concert and a parade of 300 vintage cars. There are plenty of outdoor activities for families and historical sites to visit, so be sure to check out all of the Free activities in Orlando.

7) Get a Central Florida Play Pass. This 7-day pass features unlimited admission to seven unique and out of the ordinary attractions and museums, including Cypress Gardens, Fantasy of Flight and Bok Tower Gardens. The pass is flexible, you can come and go as much as you like at each location, plus it’s a great value for families!

8) Take a short trip to the beach. Orlando may be in central Florida, but a trip to the beach is just a short drive away. Cocoa Beach is the closest beach to Orlando, with about an hour drive time on SR-528 to the east. Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach are about an hour and a half away, and are located east on I-4. A trip to the beach is cheap, fun and family friendly!

Orlando Celebrates Holiday with Shows, Shopping and Seasonal Spectacles

From festive events to a variety of themed holiday shows and unique shopping experiences, Orlando offers one of the most elaborate and diverse holiday celebrations of any destination in the world. In addition to the well-known theme park activities, visitors can enjoy breathtaking light displays; choral concerts; specialty shopping and shows; guaranteed nightly snow showers; seasonal hotel packages and more throughout November and December.

Here are just a few of the trimmings that make the holidays in Orlando merry and bright:

Holiday Dinner Theater Offerings

Arabian Nights - In this stunning holiday fairytale, 60 magnificent Arabian Nights horses and a cast of more than 40 holiday characters are joined by spectacular pyrotechnics, snow, special sets and breathtaking holiday costumes to create a winter wonderland fit for a prince and princess. The Arabian Nights Holiday Show includes a wide range of seasonal music from Andy Williams, Hilary Duff, Rebecca St. James and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Appearances by toy soldiers, horse-riding elves, gingerbread men and sugarplum fairies add to the holiday cheer.

Pirate's Dinner Adventure - A shipload of yuletide surprises are in store for guests of the Pirate's Christmas Dinner Adventure. Choreographed swordplay, aerial artistry and dynamic duals combine as the cast of pirates engage in a thrilling, heroic effort to save Christmas. All youngsters are invited to participate in the show's March of the Toy Soldiers and more than 150 guests each night find themselves in the middle of the show action. A pre-show Nativity Scene with live barnyard animals and a post-show Buccaneer Bash Dance Party with a live DJ complete the high-seas holiday festivities.

Holiday Music and Theatre

The Plaza Theatre - Internationally acclaimed crooner Michael Andrew and the Atomic Big Band present some of the hippest renditions of holiday favorites in Michael Andrew's Swinging Christmas Show Friday Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 22 at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at The Plaza Theatre. The evening will kick off with pre-show entertainment in The Plaza's very own Swingerhead Lounge followed by a night of swingin' music, including the Michael Andrew original song, "Mistletoe Mambo," and nutty comedy hijinx for all ages. Tickets are $43 for both adults and children.

Winter Park Playhouse - Ring in the holidays with music from Broadway, film, television and radio, plus the return of crowd favorites, the wacky duo, Eb and Flo. Performances take place Nov. 30 - Dec. 15 on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Winter Park Playhouse.Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students.

Holiday Shopping

Old Town - Holiday-goers can stroll Old Town's brick-lined streets and browse through a diverse selection of merchandise at more than 75 specialty stores. A variety of rides and attractions are also offered. Every evening from Dec. 3-21, Old Town turns into a flurry of fun with nightly snow showers on the hour from 6-9 p.m. and offers free pictures with Santa Monday - Friday to anyone who brings an unwrapped toy or offers a cash donation.

Orlando Premium Outlets - Savvy shoppers can kick off their three-day Thanksgiving Weekend gift-buying spree with special deals at high-end designer and name brand fashion outlet stores during the Orlando Premium Outlets "Midnight Madness" event beginning at midnight on Black Friday (Nov. 23). Exclusive offers and coupon book vouchers worth hundreds of dollars in additional savings are also available at Orlando Premium Outlets online throughout the holiday season for impressive savings at Ann Taylor, Barneys New York Outlet, Burberry, Coach, Diesel, Fendi, Gap Outlet, Giorgio Armani, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, MaxMara, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Salvatore Ferragamo, Theory, Tommy Hilfiger and more.

Special Events

Historic Bok Sanctuary - Stunning holiday décor is showcased at the 1930's 20-room classic Mediterranean Revival Pinewood Estate, a National Historic Landmark mansion. The 8-acre estate also features a spectacular winter garden and a 60-bell carillon housed in a 205-foot-tall Gothic bell tower, which rings daily throughout the sanctuary. Historic Bok Sanctuary is open every day of the year from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. General admission is $18 for adults, $9 for children ages 5-12 and free for children ages 4 and younger.

ICE! at Gaylord Palms Resort - Guests will experiences thrills and chills during this walk-through winter wonderland hand-carved by Chinese artists from two million pounds of ice. The interactive, larger-than-life display includes ice monuments, sculptures, ice slides, memorable holiday scenes, a walk-through igloo and a towering gingerbread candy house made from colored ice. The enormous structure that houses ICE! is cooled to 9 degrees and over-sized parkas are loaned to guests to stay warm. An outdoor skating rink, special Christmas show and display of country wreaths add to the resort's holiday activities. ICE! at Gaylord Palms Resort runs Nov. 19 - Jan. 3 and tickets range from $9.99 to $24.99, depending on the type of ticket and day of week.

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art - For the 29th year, the Morse Museum, which is renowned for its comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany jewelry, pottery, and leaded-glass windows; lights up century-old Tiffany windows in downtown Winter Park, just north of downtown Orlando, on Dec. 6 from 6-8 p.m. The spectacular lighting ceremony is complemented by a free outdoor concert featuring the 150-voice Bach Festival Society choir.

SeaWorld Orlando - Guests can create yuletide memories and celebrate the season during "Christmas at SeaWorld." The holiday event features festive decorations, snowfalls and live holiday music from classical musicians and carolers. The event is included in daily park admission, which is $64.95 for adults, $53.95 for children ages 3-9 and free for children ages 2 and under.

Universal Orlando Resort - The world's most famous parade has become a holiday experience for park guests at Universal Studios. The Macy's Holiday Parade features some of the most popular balloons and floats direct from the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The excitement and pageantry of the parade, complete with a festive tree-lighting ceremony by Santa Claus himself, is exhibited each day of the holiday season.

Walt Disney World Resort - Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney's Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World includes a series of fun nighttime events for the little ones including holiday shows, fireworks and magic treats with Minnie and Mickey. Holidays Around the World at Epcot features international holiday storytellers, a daily character tree-lighting ceremony and a stunning display of snow-white lights. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights electrifies Disney Hollywood Studios with millions of sparkling lights.

Information courtesy of Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Christmas Comes to life at Arabian Nights

The 2007 edition of the fantastic Arabian Nights Holiday Show finds Princess Scheherazade in need of a distraction while her husband, Prince Khalid, is off searching the globe for the perfect holiday gift for his wife. The always-faithful genie Hocus Pocus invites a new friend, Santa Claus, to come distract Scheherazade from missing her husband with gifts and good cheer.

"We've taken the idea of a holiday show one step further by adding the kind of magic only Arabian Nights can do," explains Arabian Nights Owner/CEO Mark Miller. "The result is even more of the holiday fun that everyone enjoys."

Hocus Pocus does even more to lighten the Princess' mood, bringing each of Santa's gifts to life in the magical Palace of Horses located at the intersection of U.S. 192 & I-4, minutes from the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

In this dazzling show, the 60 Arabian Nights horses and 40 talented performers are joined by spectacular pyrotechnics, snow, and special sets, including four incredible 25 foot Christmas trees, and breathtaking costimes.

"Arabian Nights truly becomes a Winter Wonderland," says Miller. "Add to that music by artists including Andy Williams, Little Texas, Hilary Duff, Rebecca St. James and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and you have an amazing show that leaves everyone happy!"

Santa and Hocus put on quite a show for the Princess, bringing to life a variety of gifts including Toy Soldiers, a Mystical Unicorn and a Winter Wonderland Snow Globe. Santa's Reindeer, Horse-riding Elves, Gingerbread men and Sugarplum Fairies are just a few of the astounding guests who stop by to bring the Princess some holiday cheer.

Guests can also join Princess Scheherazade, Prince Khalid and Hocus Pocus on New Year's Eve, where they can enjoy the dazzling holiday show and stay to ring in th New Year as part of a special New Year's Eve package available.