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Tags: Super Bowl Travel / Disney World / Florida Travel / Events / Lists / Disney / → All Tags

Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees is Going to Disney World...Today!

We learned something during this year's Super Bowl, after the win of the New Orleans Saints against the Indianapolis Colts. We learned that if we ever actually get to attend the Super Bowl in the future and it's back in Florida, that we should book a side-trip to Orlando's Disney World for the next day, because of the tradition for the Super Bowl MVP to go on a ticker tape parade through the park.

Saint's QB Drew Brees isn't going to mess up the tradition by turning down the offer to ride around with Mickey Mouse either; last night, at the end of the game, he was asked the traditional question—one dating back to 1987—that goes a little something like this: "You've just won the Super Bowl, what are you going to do next?" And of course he answered: "I'm going to Disney World."

The official @DisneyParks twitter confirms this, saying that Brees and a few teammates are scheduled to do the Magic Kingdom parade at 11:55am today. That gives you three hours—you Orlando-area football fans—to get to the park, but we'd hope that you had today off work first. And since a New Orleans ticker tape parade is inevitable, stay tuned to us here at Jaunted for news on that once the city has the official news out.

Related Stories:
· @DisneyParks [Twitter]
· Drew Brees: 'I'm Going to Disney World' [Disney Parks Blog]
· Football travel [Jaunted]

[Steelers 2009 parade photo: lifthill]

Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags

Revealed: The First Commercial for the Harry Potter Theme Park at Universal Studios

More, more, MORE new information leaks out from Universal Studios as they get ever closer to the spring opening of their new theme park: "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter."

Fresh from post-production, we have the commercial for the place, which isn't due to air on television until during the Super Bowl on Sunday. Watch it above—before most of the rest of the world gets even a glimpse of it—and start trying to decide whether you're don a Gryffindor or Slytherin scarf for Sunday.

Okay so we've watched it a few times now, and it keeps giving us goosebumps. There's something about the look of the place that appeals to us so much, and you know—we wouldn't mind throwing on a cape and pretending we were in old-timey England for a day (although the theme park is in Orlando, so it'll be like 80 degrees). Who's ready for Harry Potter fever to hit South Florida?

Related Stories:
· More News On Universal Studio's Harry Potter Theme Park: Ollivander's! [Jaunted]
· Revealed: First Images of Hogwarts at 'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' Theme Park [Jaunted]
· The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Open at Universal Orlando in Spring 2010 [Jaunted]
· Universal Studios news [Jaunted]

[Photo: care of Universal Studios]

Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags

More News On Universal Studio's Harry Potter Theme Park: Ollivander's!

As we get closer and closer to the projected opening season of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park within Orlando's Universal Studios, we're receiving updates on the construction and features pretty quickly. Just earlier this week, we revealed the first official photograph of the huge Hogwarts castle, which is making finishing touches.

Today, we've found out details of a few interactive experiences that'll be around the base of Hogwarts, down in the park. Want to know more about Ollivander's Wand Shop and more? We've got all the details after the jump, but also pick up today's USA Today for a code to use with your phone's camera or laptop camera to see an augmented reality map of the park.

More! After the jump

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Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / → All Tags

Revealed: First Images of Hogwarts at 'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' Theme Park

Look what just landed in our inbox just a moment ago. It's the first official real image of Hogwarts, within "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" theme park at Universal Studios Orlando. Muggles, rejoice!

Seriously though, this is one work of crazy construction. Granted we don't have any idea of its actual size from the picture, but it does look impressive and we can't wait for more news to trickle out before the 20-acre "fully immersive" theme park officially opens sometimes later this spring. Oh wait, we remember the CEO of Universal Studios saying something about how "everything will be scaled to size with an incredible level of detail." We're far too old to be freaking out about this, but the thought of donning a cape and entering a life-size great room at Hogwarts is pretty appealing, you have to admit.

After the jump, a full update on construction

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Tags: Theme Parks / Disney / Walt Disney World / Florida Travel / Amusement Park Travel / Swine Flu / H1N1 / → All Tags

Disney Installs 200,000 Hand Sanitizers To Preempt Spread Of Swine Flu

The holidays are a big time for Walt Disney World. The parks are transformed into a winter wonderland—well, a fake one as they are in Florida after all—and the guests pour in through the turnstiles. Some days the park has to limit guest access because there are just too many tourists dreaming of a holiday photo with Mickey and friends. All these people are starting to worry some, especially if these people are coughing, sneezing, and leaving their germs all over Space Mountain.

Thankfully, Disney is ready to combat the spread of germs, and is hoping that their efforts will be enough to convince people that their park is safe. After all, the threat of catching that pesky H1N1 flu is kind of a downer and not the stuff dreams are made of. Thus, Disney World has ordered about 200,000 hand sanitizers—although we're wondering why they haven’t always had some.

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Tags: 2009-Halloween-Theme-Park-Map / 2009 Halloween Theme Park Scare Guide / Halloween Travel / Scary Travel / Theme Parks / Orlando Travel / Los Angeles Travel / → All Tags

2009 Halloween Theme Park Scare Guide: Halloween Horror Nights

At this year’s event you will be trapped by “SAW’s” maniacal serial killer Jigsaw, come face-to-fangs with “The Wolfman” and be chased by the twisted “Chucky” doll.    

And that’s just the beginning: All eight haunted houses, six scarezones and two live shows are inspired by blockbuster horror films. Until now, you’ve only been able to watch the action in horror films like “SAW,” “The Wolfman,” and “Chucky.” But at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, these films and more have been transformed into live experiences that put you in the middle of your worst cinematic nightmares.   

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Tags: Volunteer Travel / Disney / Orlando Travel / Travel News / Freebies / → All Tags

Spend One Day Volunteering And Get A Free Pass From Disney

Mickey's giving away free one-day passes to Disney's Theme Parks and all you have to do to get one is spend a day volunteering. Beginning on January 1, 2010, you can sign up to volunteer with any participating organization for just one day, and in return you will receive a one-day pass to any Disney park. Disney is hoping to inspire one million people to volunteer (and spend money at Disney World) next year.

If you're not sure how or where to volunteer, Disney has made it easy by teaming up with HandsOn Network, which links volunteers with more than 70,000 nonprofits across the country. Once you've completed your day of service, it will be verified by HandsOn and you will receive a voucher good for one day at any Disney park.

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Tags: Orlando Travel / Florida Travel / Walt Disney World / Twitter / → All Tags

Follow the 67-Day Adventures of Orlando's Smile Ambassadors

Donnie and Marie might be known for their wholesome perkiness, but they've got nothing on Orlando "Smile Ambassadors" Kyle and Stacey. The cheery duo—Kyle, a Broadway actor, and Stacey, who works with children—hail from New York and have been BFFs for a dozen years and counting. They applied and won their coveted position by submitting an audition video and essay to the 67 Days of Smiles contest, and their merry attitude was deemed good enough to represent the city of Orlando.

On their 67-day journey (they're currently 26 days in), the gleeful twosome are experiencing all of Orlando's 100 attractions, with blog entries and constant Twitter updates (@67days) documenting their every step.

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Tags: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Harry Potter / Universal Studios / Theme Parks / Wizarding World of Harry Potter / Travel News / → All Tags

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Open at Universal Orlando in Spring 2010

It's hard to believe anything good could come out of Draco Malfoy's mouth but today in a media webcast, Draco (aka actor Tom Felton) let us know that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a 20-acre "fully immersive" theme park attraction would be opening at the Universal Studios Orlando in Spring 2010. Muggles and Wizards rejoice!

Tom Williams, chairman and CEO, Universal Parks and Resorts was joined by Harry Potter films production designer Stuart Craig and show producer Alan Gilmore to give out a special sneak peek of the most anticipated theme park attraction since...hmm...maybe since Disney World opened? You all know how nutty HP fans get over the newest books/films. But imagine what they'll do to experience riding a Hippogriff or sending owl mail or exploring forbidden rooms in Hogwarts Castle?

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Tags: Universal Studios / Movie Travel / Theme Parks / Roller Coasters / Amusement Parks / → All Tags

Could Steven Spielberg Bounce From Universal Studios To Disney World?

We are already quite aware of the roller coaster delays at Universal Studios in Orlando, but at least we know it’s coming sooner than later. However, that might not be the case for those of us who love the rides from Steven Spielberg movies. See, the movie director extraordinaire is re-negotiating his contract with park officials—he’s got quite the lucrative consulting contract.

Right now, Spielberg gets a flat fee and a percentage of the cash brought in for attractions at the park. He signed the deal about 20 years ago, so you can imagine that his annual check has probably increased significantly. They never set an expiration date to the agreement, but as of June 2010, he does have the right to cut things off.

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Tags: Roller Coasters / Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Universal Studios / Seaworld / → All Tags

Florida's Summer Is Sunny Skies With Chance Of Roller Coaster Delays

We’ve been trying to plan a trip to check out Universal Studios' latest coaster at their Florida park for a while, but constant delays have left us less than thrilled. The summer is definitely approaching its end and we haven’t heard too much about this new roller coaster’s grand opening. Originally the thing was supposed to be thrilling folks around the Memorial Day weekend, but maybe Labor Day will be when we can welcome it into the world.

Apparently there’s been some issues with the lift, and the cars haven’t been making it all the way through the track. We love a little thrill, but we’d rather not be stuck upside down on a lift hill—so we say keep up the tests!

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Tags: Disney / Walt Disney World / Disneyland / Amusement Parks / Theme Parks / → All Tags

Oops, They Did It Again: Disney Raises Prices On Theme Park Tickets

Apparently the fact that the country is in a huge economic mess doesn’t seem to phase the suits at Disney. We understand that earnings were down this quarter compared to last year, and that you need more cash, but the ticket prices to your parks already cost a lot of money. Nonetheless, over the weekend the admission costs to Disneyland and Walt Disney World both went up by a few bucks, just like they have for the last couple of years.

If you have your heart set on heading to the mouse house in Florida this summer, a one-day ticket will now cost $79. This is an increase of $4 over the former rate, and once you add in the tax, you’re looking at well over $80 for a day with Mickey and friends. Like always, it pays to stay longer—they want to fatten you up on churros. The difference between a three day base ticket and a ten day base ticket is less than $30, but it will still cost you over $200 per person.

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