Legoland Announces Plans for Orlando Theme Park

A new theme park is headed to the Orlando Attractions scene. Merlin Entertainment has announced that the world’s largest Legoland will open in Orlando by the end of 2011, at the former site of Cypress Gardens. Merlin Entertainment plan to incorporate some of Cypress Gardens existing features, while constructing Legoland’s signature attractions as well.

Legoland is expected to feature between 40 to 50 main attractions, including kid-powered rides and giant Lego brick models. The historical gardens of Cypress Gardens will stay intact, and officials plan to incorporate one of the two wooden coasters currently on-site as well as the water ski shows Cypress Gardens was famous for. The popular Splash Island Waterpark is also expected to keep operating under Legoland ownership and a new name, but it will be a separate, ticketed admission.

Some of the Legoland Theme Park highlights include lots of interactive, hands-on attractions, such as a kid-powered monorail, junior roller coasters and mild spinning rides, intricate Legoland dioramas, and a driving school for kids. The 145-acre site will be larger than any of the current Legoland operations. This new addition to Orlando Theme Parks will be geared towards the 12 and under set.

Merlin Entertainment officials stated they chose to renovate the existing Cypress Gardens location instead of building from scratch because it will shave years off development time. Instead of a 4-5 year development time, the park will be up and running in two years or less. Eventually, Legoland owners plan to build out the property with an onsite hotel and other gated attractions, similar to its additions at its California attractions.

Whopper Bar at Universal CityWalk Now Open

When customers belly up to this bar, instead of a few cold brewskies they'll find a nice, warm Whopper that they can customize with 22 different toppings.

Burger King on Tuesday unveiled its first Whopper Bar at Universal CityWalk dining and entertainment complex in Orlando. The protoype concept features an open kitchen where customers can watch their food prepared and a limited menu aimed to capitalize on the brand equity in the Whopper.

The menu features a choice of a Whopper, Double Whopper and Steakhouse XT with toppings like smoked bacon, pepperjack cheese, guacamole, sautéed mushrooms and crispy onions. Some toppings are free and others cost 50 cents each.

There also is a chicken sandwich. Plus, there are a selection of favorites including the Bourbon Whopper, Angry Whopper and Three-Cheese Steakhouse XT. There's also french fries and milk shakes, plus future locations may include those cold brews.

Featuring a red, black and gray color scheme the aim is to create a hip-looking destination. The Whopper Bar is designed to fit into places where there wouldn't be room for a full-size restaurant like in shopping malls, casinos, cruise ships and universities.

''There are more and more nook and cranny real estate opportunities that are perfectly suited for a concept like this,'' said Russ Klein, Burger King's president of global marketing, strategy and innovation.

Plans call for opening about half dozen Whopper Bars before the end of the year in locations including Munich, Singapore and, Los Angeles. If it proves successful, Klein says the company sees potential for between 300 and 500 Whoopper Bars over the next three to five years.
The Whopper Bar costs between $600,000 and $800,000 to build, making it about 30 percent cheaper than the smallest Burger King restaurant protoype. Burger King expects the concept to generate well over $1 million in sales, Klein said.

''We're looking for a cash on cash return equal or superior to that of a regular Burger King,'' Klein said. `We need to prove the concept out in as many key regions and venues around the world as we can.''

Information courtesy of Miami Herald

Orlando Ranked as a Top Budget Friendly Vacation Destination

As some parts of the country brace themselves for more bone-chilling weather, plenty of Americans are looking to get away. But with the sinking economy on everyone's minds, where can you go for a break, without breaking the bank? ASTA recently asked its travel agent members what they saw as the most budget-friendly destinations for travel in the United States in 2009. Not surprisingly, perennial favorites Las Vegas and Orlando/Disney World were ranked first and second, respectively, with Branson, Mo., New Orleans and Los Angeles rounding out the top five.

"Travel agents are experts at finding the best value for their clients," said Chris Russo, ASTa president and chair. "When every penny counts, using the services of a professional ASTA travel agent can mean the difference between enjoying a vacation with friends and family or staying home."

Travel agents cited Las Vegas' multitude of choices in lodging and entertainment, competitive hotel prices and great bargains on airfare and dining. Not surprisingly, one of the reasons Orlando/Disney World sits among the top five budget-friendly destinations is the sheer number of package trips available and Disney's "Kids Fly Free" packages. Branson, Mo., was rated highly for its senior-discount travel packages, as well as the fact that for many in the country it's within driving distance.

New Orleans, too, made the top five list thanks to numerous travel packages at discounted prices that are available year-round and for special events such as Mardi Gras and other music and cultural festivals. Coming in at number five was Los Angeles, cited by ASTA travel agents as providing visitors with a host of options on everything from lodging to dining and entertainment.

Information courtesy of ASTA

Universal Orlando Resort Unveils New Options at CityWalk

Universal Orlando is planning to open a Moe's Southwest Grill and a Panda Express in the newly emerging quick-service food area of CityWalk, officials said last week.

The two restaurants bring burritos and other Tex-Mex dishes, and orange chicken and other Asian dishes, to a dining and entertainment district that until now has featured big table-service restaurants but only a very limited offering of quick-service foods.

Those two restaurants and a previously announced Burger King Holdings "high energy" concept restaurant called the Whopper Bar all are being built in the area next to the NASCAR Sports Grill and should be open before spring-break season, Universal Senior Vice President Ric Florell said.

Information courtesy of Orlando Sentinel

Disney Announces Changes for Downtown Disney, Pleasure Island

Walt Disney World is shutting down the six nightclubs at Pleasure Island to make its party district at Downtown Disney more family friendly.

BET SoundStage Club, Mannequins Dance Palace, 8Trax and three other clubs that have for years catered largely to young, single adults -- rather than to Disney's bread-and-butter family market -- will close after Sept. 27.

During the next couple of years, Disney will reopen the Pleasure Island venues with a broader mix of restaurants and shops.

Pleasure Island's change has been the subject of rumors for a while. Now 19 years old, it may have seemed an odd venture for Disney, but it appeared to thrive -- so much so that some in the industry have blamed it for accelerating the decline of the nightlife district in downtown Orlando during the 1990s.

In announcing what they called "a bold new vision" for all of Downtown Disney on Friday, Disney officials framed the Pleasure Island nightclub closures as a response to customers who say they want more broad-based dining and retail opportunities throughout the 120-acre district.

"Right now we believe we've got a shortage of dining capacity and shopping capacity, so we'll be adding to those areas, and we'll be looking at some specialized entertainment options also," said Downtown Disney Vice President Kevin Lansberry.

Pleasure Island opened in 1989, designed to look like a revitalized back-alley warehouse district. Today it is the middle section of Disney World's dining, shopping and entertainment district. Though the two flanking areas, Marketplace and the West Side, also have nightclubs, they operate as parts of restaurants, appealing to broader, family-friendly crowds. Until recently, Pleasure Island has been mostly about music, dancing, drinking and partying -- creating an awkward link between Marketplace and West Side.

"The rumor has been there that they would transform Pleasure Island into something else, but us regulars always thought at least Mannequins and 8Trax would stay alive," said Jorge Vazquez, 41, an accountant who said he goes to Pleasure Island two or three times a month.

Pleasure Island and its counterpart at Universal Orlando, CityWalk, which opened in 1999, both offer coordinated clusters of high-quality, highly themed nightclubs with lots of free parking and security. They offered two carefully conceived alternatives to downtown Orlando's once-vibrant counterpart, Church Street Station.

Orlando lawyer Mark NeJame, majority investor in the downtown nightclub Tabu as well as an investor in other nightclubs, said he is surprised at Disney's announcement but that it could be good news for downtown Orlando.

"It's a real opportunity for downtown to continue its revitalization," NeJame said. "When Pleasure Island first opened, it devastated a lot of the local entrepreneurs and operators."

Though the six nightclubs will close, the other businesses on Pleasure Island -- a couple of restaurants, a cigar bar and a couple of clothing shops -- will remain open. They already offer the broad appeal that Lansberry said Disney's patrons want. He did not offer specifics about what might replace the clubs but said Disney was looking worldwide for restaurant and shopping concepts.

"Some of the offerings might feel like a nightclub, but they won't feel like high-energy clubs like we have today in all likelihood," Lansberry said. "Truthfully, our guests have really gotten out of that in the last couple of years. They want things that are a lot more geared toward family entertainment."

Disney World also is sprucing up Downtown Disney's other two areas, adding restaurants, expanding and updating a band shell, refurbishing and updating other businesses, and bringing in a giant tethered-balloon attraction that visitors will be able to ride in, going up more than 300 feet above Village Lake.

Bob Snow, who developed Church Street Station in the 1970s and has re-entered the picture this year by reopening one of that district's centerpiece nightclubs, the Cheyenne Saloon, said he never blamed Pleasure Island for Church Street's decline. But he, too, said he hopes Pleasure Island's nightclub closures would create more opportunities in downtown Orlando.

Snow said he always was amazed that Disney got into the nightclub-district business in the first place.

"It really surprised me that they're just going to throw in the towel," he said. Then he added: "They got out of their knitting. They got out of their main line, what they do so well."

Information courtesy of Orlando Sentinel

Country's Largest Observation Wheel coming to Orlando

The country's largest observation-wheel will open in Orlando in 2010, offering panoramic views of Disney, SeaWorld and other locations as far as 25 miles away.

Official plans for the 400-foot attraction were announced Wednesday, June 25, by Singapore-based Great Wheel Corp.

"As one of the world's most popular tourism destinations, Orlando provides the ideal location for North America's first Great Wheel," says Florian Bollen, Chairman of Great Wheel Corporation. "We are bringing the Great Wheel not just to Orlando but to the millions of visitors who vacation here each year."

The Ferris wheel-like attraction will sit next to the Orlando-Orange County Convention Center in the heart of the thriving tourism corridor at 6503 Westwood Boulevard.

The attraction's 30-minute rides will also offer views of launches from Kennedy Space Center and nightly fireworks unlike anywhere else in North America, according to Bollen.

"The Great Orlando Wheel will attract visitors and locals, young and old alike," Bollen said. "They will come to enjoy one-of-a-kind dining and shopping, with the added benefit of spectacular views.

The Great Orlando Wheel is one of several observation wheels currently under development in gateway cities around the globe, including Beijing, Singapore and Berlin.

Orlando is the first North American site for the Great Wheel Corp.

The London Eye is one of the tallest structures in Europe and it welcomes an average of 3.5 million customers each year, according to its Web site.

Before the Orlando attraction, the Pepsi company announced it planned to create America's largest Ferris wheel in New Jersey. The attraction would be 287 feet tall, according to a Business Wire report.

Currently, the largest observation wheel in the world is the Singapore Flyer.

Information courtesy of Local 6 Orlando

Sea World Announces New Attraction for 2009 Season

SeaWorld Orlando is preparing to build a new roller coaster attraction billed as the most ambitious and largest single investment for any SeaWorld attraction.

The ride will be part thrill ride and part animal attraction — combining those elements for the pre-show queue line, the ride itself and the-post-show, said Joseph Couceiro, vice president of sales and marketing for SeaWorld’s parent company, Busch Entertainment Corp. He and other company executives revealed their plan tonight to a gathering of travel industry and community VIPs dining at SeaWorld for Busch’s kick-off gala for two other big new attractions — Aquatica in Orlando and Jungala in Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Few other details of the new coaster have been disclosed — not even a name.
The coaster is set to open some time in 2009.

"What it’s going to be is the next generation SeaWorld attraction," Couceiro said. "What we do well is connect the world with the sea, presenting marine life in totally different perspectives. Also what we do well is put the guest in the midst of that. This is the next generation of that."

He and other officials were reluctant to call the ride a roller coaster, though they said it would have roller coaster components. They said the attraction will combine entertainment with education about marine life.

"It’s going to have animal components, marine life components. It will have a very unique, state-of-the-art ride, a roller coaster if you will, that will provide a sensation of gliding," Couceiro said. "And the combination of the animals and the ride is what makes it special."

SeaWorld began clearing land for construction this winter. The ride will go into the area formerly occupied by a flamingo habitat exhibit, a backyard habitat exhibit, other small exhibits and a gift shop.

Information courtesy of Orlando Sentinel

Image courtesy of Tampa Tribune

Orlando Arts and Culture Scene Thriving

Think ''Orlando,'' and what comes to mind?

The muscle of the mighty Mouse, a sprawling Disney presence that draws millions each year? The screams of kids on the roller coasters at the Universal Orlando Resort?

Since Walt Disney World opened almost 40 years ago, theme parks have transformed this area from a city surrounded by citrus groves and small communities to a booming tourist magnet.
But the prosperity has also brought a less widely publicized boom: a thriving arts and culture scene.

Among Orlando's cultural riches are a professional opera company, ballet and orchestra; a Shakespeare theater company that presents everything from classics to new work; the oldest, open-to-any-group fringe theater festival in the United States; art museums that house masterpieces, folk art, modern works and a dazzling collection of pieces by stained-glass master Louis Comfort Tiffany; small theaters whose eclectic productions draw adventurous audiences to works by Bertolt Brecht and Samuel Beckett.

And on the drawing board for the fall of 2012 is another key indicator of the arts community's growth: a $425-million, three-theater downtown performing arts center.

''The growth of the arts here has been meteoric over the past 40 years,'' says Jim Helsinger, artistic director of the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, which moved into its three-theater complex in the city's museum-and-arts-focused Loch Haven Park in 2001. "In just the past 13 years, we've seen a brand-new art museum, science museum and history center and a new home for the Orlando Repertory Theatre. The opera, ballet and philharmonic are all thriving and just waiting on the new performing arts center.

"The perception needs to catch up to the reality. We have excellent arts organizations to [serve] the people who live here.''

In 1989, the aggregate budgets of Orlando's arts and culture groups were just over $10 million; almost two decades later, the figure is about $40 million. Margot Knight, president of United Arts of Central Florida -- a kind of United Way for arts and culture groups -- says that funding is about half that of the similarly sized Charlotte, N.C., metropolitan area. But she argues that the Orlando area, with its relatively young arts-and-culture community, has ''the quality and breadth to match'' Charlotte's companies and museums.

That budget disparity means that Orlando's groups and institutions have to do more with less. Terry Olson, who has been involved in Orlando arts since he relocated from Minneapolis 26 years ago and serves as director of Orange County's Arts and Cultural Affairs office, says that burnout among the area's arts leaders is one of the biggest challenges.

''We're highly productive,'' Olson says. ``Many people work 70 hours a week and then some.''

One of those multi-tasking arts leaders is Alan Bruun. Bruun works as an associate creative director for Disney and is also artistic director of the downtown-based Mad Cow Theatre Company. His motto: ``I'll sleep when I'm dead.''

Bruun began freelancing for Disney in 1998, the year after he and three associates founded Mad Cow. He went full-time with Disney 4 ½ years ago and now spends his days on Disney work, his nights and weekends at Mad Cow, which has two performance spaces and a gallery. Bruun says that Disney, far from being concerned about his split work life and long hours, has been supportive.

"When I came to work here, I said, 'I run a theater.' And they said, 'Good,' '' Bruun recalls.

"They provide year-round employment for talented people, which is unique in a city our size. They allow actors, directors, stage managers and designers to make a living. Mad Cow becomes an outlet for those talented individuals in a much different setting. Disney could be the 800-pound gorilla if it wanted to be, but whenever possible, concessions will be made [for outside work], because Disney deems it valuable.''

Disney spokesperson Andrea Finger confirms the company's philosophy: "At the heart of our business, we are a creative-content company with deep roots in entertainment, brought to life by our talented, artistic cast members. We're proud to do our part -- together with great community partners -- to support Central Florida's vibrant arts community.''

Rather than twitching at the mention of the Orlando area's tourist-magnet theme parks, most arts leaders praise Disney and Universal for their flexibility in letting employees work with arts groups or serve on boards, as well as for their financial contributions to Orlando arts and culture.

Beth Marshall, producing artistic director of Orlando's popular theatrical Fringe Festival, acknowledges that with its internationally known theme parks, Orlando is often seen as ''a city ruled by a Mouse.'' But as the theme parks have expanded, so has the region's arts-and-culture scene.

''We could create it to be whatever the heck we wanted to be,'' Marshall says. "All of us are the cultural pioneers here.''

At many arts events, the audience skews younger than it typically does in South Florida. Patrick Flick, director of new play development at Orlando Shakespeare and the man in charge of the company's annual PlayFest new works festival, points out that the median age in Orlando is just under 33 (vs. 38.7 for Miami and Fort Lauderdale) and says that the area's colleges help account for the youthfulness of the audience.

Orlando's arts groups sometimes collaborate or simply help support each other's programming. Orlando Shakespeare and the family-oriented Orlando Repertory Theatre host the Fringe Festival, which this year will present 436 performances by 67 groups May 15-May 26 at the two theaters and outdoors in Loch Haven Park.

That 45-acre park, ringed by a trio of lakes, is Orlando's cultural haven. It is home to two theater companies, two art museums and the city's science center. Frank Holt, executive director of the Mennello Museum of American Art there, says that the park "gives us all a focus, instead of being scattered.''

''It's definitely a symbiotic relationship that we are fortunate to have,'' says Marena Grant Morrisey, executive director of the Orlando Museum of Art, which was founded in 1924 and currently houses an exhibition of Norman Rockwell paintings. "We do a lot of joint ticketing and cross-promotion.''

The Orlando Ballet, the Orlando Opera and the Orlando Philharmonic, which currently juggle their seasons (along with touring Broadway productions) at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre (a facility that United Arts' Knight calls "acoustically and experientially poor and too in-demand''), will necessarily grow when they become anchors for the new Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center.

With a 2,800-seat theater, a 1,800-seat multiform theater and a 300-seat theater, the facility designed by architect Barton Myers and theater designer Richard Pilbrow will boost art and audiences, the groups' leaders say.

Davis Gaines, whose many Broadway credits include the title role in The Phantom of the Opera, agrees. Gaines is an Orlando native who is giving back to his hometown by serving on the DPAC board; next season, he'll also sing the title role in a concert version of Sweeney Todd with the Orlando Philharmonic. He calls the Bob Carr, where he has performed many times, ''outdated and obsolete,'' and says the new performing arts center represents a "huge opportunity for children here to grow up with the arts, dance, music, ballet and theater.''

Orlando Opera president James Ireland says his company has been hampered in its choices and its ability to hire artists, directors and designers by the Carr's limitations. The performing arts center, he's certain, will make a critical difference.

''We load in on a Monday, and our first rehearsal is Monday night,'' Ireland says. "It's like instant mashed potatoes. We don't have enough time onstage to light it, rehearse with the actors. The [orchestra] pit isn't big enough. We can't do certain operas.''

David Schillhammer, executive director of the Orlando Philharmonic, calls the new performing arts center a ''decades-long dream'' that has already raised awareness of the orchestra and the fact that Orlando has ''a vibrant arts community'' -- at least, it upped awareness among Orlando-area residents.

Bruce Marks, once a star dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and formerly artistic director of Ballet West and the Boston Ballet, became the Orlando Ballet's artistic director after the death of Fernando Bujones. He knows that grand performing arts palaces bring, with their greater artistic possibilities, greater costs. But arts-enthused Orlando -- ''the only city in Florida with a professional symphony, ballet and opera,'' Marks says -- seems poised to keep the growth going.

Information courtesy of Miami Herald

New Restaurants add Flavor to Orlando

During the past decade, Orlando has matured into a culinary destination, and the latest batch of restaurants to enter the market certainly bears this out. From high-end seafood, supper clubs and sophisticated taverns, to Greek, Cuban and Brazilian entries, these establishments will happily surprise visitors seeking something new and adventurous. Reservations are generally recommended at all eateries.

Pointe Orlando

The Oceanaire Seafood Room’s high-energy atmosphere is reminiscent of the great seafood supper clubs of the 1930s and 1940s featuring a spacious dining room complete with traditional table-style and horseshoe booth seating. The Oceanaire offers more than 25 types of seafood and shellfish flown in daily from around the world.

Opening during the fall, Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is part eatery, part dance club. Dinner service focuses on modernized Cuban fare like grilled skirt steak, ropa vieja, honey-mango glazed salmon and mojo-marinated roast pork, among other highlights. However, as the evening goes on, Mojitos are poured, tables are cleared and the massive 18,000 square foot space transforms into a late-night Latin destination complete with DJs, floor shows and salsa dancing.

B.B. King’s Blues Club is a supper club-style restaurant and live music venue features cuisine that ranges from ribs to Carolina glazed salmon. It showcases four full-service bars, a mezzanine level and open-air patio. B.B. King’s also has three VIP rooms for private dining. Live music is performed nightly by the B.B. King All Star Band, an 11-piece house band.

Redrock Canyon Grill specializes in Southwest and American cuisine served in a casual, energetic atmosphere. The menu features fresh items such as their signature wood-fired rotisserie chicken, grilled or smoked fish, ribeye steak and St. Louis ribs.

Taverna Opa features traditional Greek cuisine and festive entertainment including belly dancing and Greek music. Specialties include tzatziki, spanakopita, kebabs and numerous variations on lamb. A family-style menu is available for parties of six or more. While lunch is served at Taverna Opa, dinner time provides a unique, lively experience as patrons are encouraged to dance on the tables and napkins are routinely tossed into the air.

International Drive
Gol! The Taste of Brazil, a recently opened Brazilian-style Churrascaria steakhouse on International Drive, is changing its name to “Nelore” to reflect the high-quality beef it prepares, as well as its more upscale surroundings. The restaurant features 17 cuts of beef, pork, chicken and seafood that are grilled over an open pit. These items are then served table-side by a steady stream of “Gauchos,” who slice the meat to-order. A unique salad bar that includes 46 hot and cold items is also available.

Downtown Orlando

Citrus Restaurant emphasizes fresh American cuisine with a definitive Latin influence. Located on Orange Avenue, the restaurant provides a contemporary atmosphere with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. The menu includes blue crab cakes, marinated skirt steak, bacon-wrapped Maine scallops and yellow fin tuna. Operated by Urban Life Management Restaurant Group, Citrus was presented with a Golden Spoon Award as one of the “Top 20 Best New Restaurants in Florida" by Florida Trend magazine.

Metro Orlando

The Village Tavern, located on Conroy Road near The Mall at Millenia, celebrates freshly prepared, classic American food in a chic and modern atmosphere. All menu items are made from scratch, with its aged beef cut onsite. Favorites include bacon-wrapped scallops, Maryland-style crab cakes, steak frites, grilled Ahi tuna, marinated flank steak and wood-oven pizzas and flatbreads. The tavern also serves specialty cocktails and martinis, micro-brewed beer and fine wines. A brunch menu is available on Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. that features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine or a mimosa, in addition to modernized classics like steak Benedict, a southwest frittata and an Italian quiche.

Replacing the former Dan Marino’s space at Veranda Park, Tavern on the Lake emphasizes fresh seasonal ingredients and an international wine list. Its menu serves indulgent, yet lighter fare such as roasted salmon, grilled quail, skirt steak, jumbo sea scallops and rack of New Zealand lamb. The wine list offers nearly 60 selections by the glass or the bottle. Tavern on the Lake has also been remodeled to include an enhanced interior color palette and re-styled ambient lighting, in addition to incorporating environmentally friendly practices such as using as recycled paper and glass products.

Hotel/Resort

Serving U.S. Prime and aged Midwestern corn-fed beef, PorterHouse at the Orlando Airport Marriott thrives on generous portions and attentive, old-school service. The menu, developed by Executive Chef Anthony Hull, features 100 percent natural Angus beef that is also certified “Humane” by Humane Farm Animal Care, an independent, non-profit organization that monitors the ethical treatment of feed cattle. From a 12-ounce N.Y. strip steak or a 36-ounce Porterhouse big enough for two, to pan-seared breast of duck and grilled Atlantic swordfish, the eatery sets a new standard for hi-end steakhouses.

Located at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resort, Il Mulino New York Trattoria is an award-winning Italian eatery features fresh seafood, steaks and imported ingredients. Diners may select from wild mushroom risotto, grilled ribeye steak or tortellini alla panna, among many other classically prepared dishes.

Information courtesy of Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau

Orlando's Mall at Millenia is Shopper's Paradise

From Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, to Paris and Milan, every great city has distinctive shopping. And while some might not be aware, Orlando is certainly no exception. Just minutes away from the city’s sprawling convention center, mouse-eared hats and souvenir T-shirts, visitors will find The Mall at Millenia, a must-visit, total shopping experience unlike any other retail center in Florida. And now, The Mall at Millenia is offering an exclusive package that allows travelers visiting Central Florida to discover what distinguishes it from other area attractions – the Mall offers a luxurious, sumptuous, unexpected and one-of-a-kind experience.

With more than 1.5 million visitors shopping and dining at The Mall at Millenia last year, the luxury retail center has quickly established itself as one of Central Florida’s most popular tourist attractions by providing an unforgettable vacation experience. The center features a blend of luxurious retailers, such as Chanel, Gucci, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo and Tiffany & Co., today’s most in-demand brand concepts, including Betsey Johnson, Anthropologie, Chico’s and Marciano, as well as award-winning décor, popular dining options and a variety of guest services in an upscale atmosphere.

“When visitors first step into The Mall at Millenia, they immediately recognize we are much more than your typical shopping mall,” said Steven Jamieson, general manager of The Mall at Millenia. “With 150 shops, a variety of restaurants, an abundance of guest services and dramatic architecture, we’ve created a full-day, all-out experience not to be missed when visiting Central Florida.”

For those who’d like to fully experience all that The Mall at Millenia offers, including one-on-one image consultation, personal shopping, valet service and star treatment at the center’s most upscale retailers, visitors should reserve the “Millenia Experience” package.

The “Millenia Experience” begins with a personalized on-site image and styling consultation with Lisa Maile of Lisa Maile Professional Image, Modeling & Acting. Veteran consultant Maile, who has previously worked with scores of actors and models, including actress Mandy Moore and two Miss Americas, will coach the discriminating shopper on finding clothes that work best for their body type and provide tips on simple wardrobe tricks, as well as ways to enjoy the overall wardrobe shopping experience when they return home.

Maile then puts visitors’ new-found knowledge into practice during a personal shopping session at the Mall’s most luxurious retailers, followed by a customized make-up lesson at MAC Cosmetics. To round out the exclusive experience, also included in the “Millenia Experience” package is a $1,000 Mall at Millenia gift card for purchasing new looks, $150 for a sumptuous lunch at one of the Mall’s popular dining establishments, such as P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, The Cheesecake Factory and Brio Tuscan Grille, as well as a cocktail at Blue Martini, the Mall’s entertainment lounge, to cap off the full day of events.

The “Millenia Experience” package is priced from $1,900 (which includes the $1,000 Mall at Millenia gift card) and can be customized for groups of two or more. For booking information, please contact The Mall at Millenia’s tourism marketing manager at (407) 363-3555. For more info on Lisa Maile and image consulting services, please visit www.LisaMaile.com/image.

About The Mall at Millenia: Conveniently located just minutes from every major attraction in Orlando, the Mall at Millenia’s overall shopping experience includes the opportunity to take advantage of a wide range of experience-enhancing services and amenities, including personal shoppers, trunk and fashion shows, special signature events, salons, a day spa, valet parking, a full-service concierge, currency exchange, multi-lingual staff and VIP “meet and greet” program, as well as an onsite U.S. post office.

Daily shopping hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Sunday, noon until 7 p.m., with many restaurants open through midnight. For more information, call (407) 363-3555 or visit the Mall’s Web site at http://www.mallatmillenia.com/.

Information courtesy of Press Release Newswire

Aquatica Opens March 1, Monthlong Celebration Planned

Aquatica will open to the public March 1, followed by back-to-back grand-opening celebrations in early April for that water park and a new attractions area at one of its sister parks, Busch Gardens-Tampa Bay.

Parent company Busch Entertainment Corp. announced Monday, January 21, that Aquatica tickets are now available in multipark ticket packages for dates starting with a March 1 "soft" public opening of the new water park, located across International Drive from SeaWorld Orlando.

Opening festivities for the new, 59-acre Aquatica will last more than a month, allowing Busch Entertainment to combine its April 4 grand opening with one the next day for Jungala, the new attractions area in Busch Gardens. In addition, Busch Entertainment plans an April 4 global fundraising celebration known as Wildnight for the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.

Aquatica will be the first full-size theme park to open in the Orlando area since Busch opened its Discovery Cove tropical-resort park in the summer of 2000. Company officials have said Aquatica would be able to handle up to 16,000 visitors at a time, making it the highest-capacity water park in the state.

Formally known as Aquatica SeaWorld's Water Park, the South Pacific-themed park will combine conventional water-park attractions such as tube slides and wave pools with some of the attractions found in sister parks SeaWorld and Discovery Cove , such as lush tropical landscaping, animal encounters with creatures ranging from tropical fish to Commerson's dolphins, personal cabanas, and -- during peak seasons -- beachside food and beverage service. The park will feature 36 water slides, a high-speed river ride with rapids, and an 80,000-square-foot beach.

Single-day tickets are not yet available. They will cost $38.95 for adults and $32.95 for children ages 3 to 9. SeaWorld is now packaging multipark deals, starting with an Aquatica-SeaWorld combination available for $79.95.

The 4-acre Jungala area will combine jungle habitats for Bengal tigers, orangutans and other animals with jungle trails alongside and above those exhibit areas as well as waterways, towering trees, three new attractions and two new restaurants.

Information courtesy of Orlando Sentinel

Imax Theater coming to Altamonte Mall in Orlando

The Orlando entertainment experience just got bigger. An Imax digital-projection screen will be installed in the AMC Altamonte Mall theater in Altamonte Springs as part of an agreement announced this morning between Imax Corp. and AMC Entertainment Inc. that will bring such big screens to 100 U.S. theaters.

The Imax screen at the Altamonte Mall will be installed sometime after next July, the companies said in a news release. It will join local Imax theaters already in place at the Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium on International Drive, Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex in Brevard County, and the Pepsi Imax Theatre in Daytona Beach.

Company officials said the new Imax theaters will use a digital-projection system that will nearly eliminate the need for film prints. Current IMAX theaters, such as those in Central Florida, use film projection systems.

Information courtesy of Orlando Sentinel