A lot has been happening this week at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. It’s a scurry of activity all around as they’re putting the final touches and getting ready for opening. As you can see above, they’ve taken down the old construction walls and have added these “prettier” walls that have a wide door ready to open. There have been rumors of a soft opening any day now, but no confirmations.

Universal just released this video which offers a peek at some filming for the brand new Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey ride. They’re promising more details on the ride and an opening date announcement at noon next Thursday, March 25.

If you look just beyond the new construction wall you’ll see this large barrel on a stand-alone cart, which will be used to sell Butterbeer.

This clock in Hogsmeade Village was right on time.

Also in Hogsmeade is a sign for the Owl Post and a storefront.

Look up and you’ll see this tower. Keep watching as an owl makes an appearance. View the video below to see it in action.

It’s not one of the more interesting costumes, but here’s one of Universal’s team members from Wizarding World passing by. Others have reported seeing wizard robes and kilts on some team members.

This will be the back entrance into Hogsmeade from the Jurassic Park area. The hanging sign says “Welcome to Hogsmeade”.

Look towards the Flight of the Hippogriff ride and you can see the entrance to Hogwarts Castle and the wait time board for the new ride.

The Dueling Dragons roller coaster has been closed for a while but it’s reopening tomorrow, March 19. The entrance to the ride will still be back in Jurassic Park, and it’s supposed to still be called Dueling Dragons. It’s not known if it’ll close again before it becomes the Dragon Challenge ride.

This greenhouse runs along the side of the castle and will serve as a queue for the new Forbidden Journey ride.

A look at some of the pots hanging in the greenhouse.

Not everything looked ready to open. Here you can see they still have a little bit of work left to do.

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By Andy Guinigundo

Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio is my hometown amusement park. I grew up and still reside in the area. I believe all folks deserve a gas tank amusement park to tide them over until they can get to Orlando or other amusement destinations. A gas tank amusement park is a park that one can get to and get home from with a single tank of gas. Kings Island has gone through changes over the years and 2010 is no exception.

In 1972, Kings Island opened with a children’s area that was eventually named Hanna-Barbera Land. You may recall some of the more popular Hanna Barbera characters: Scooby-Doo, Jetsons, Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and others. You may even recall the Brady Bunch episode that featured the Brady kids roaming around the park. Mike Brady, their TV father, was an architect. He was in a meeting with Kings Island executives to unveil new plans. When it came time for the big reveal, it was a poster of Yogi Bear rather than the plans. Hi-jinks ensued. Oh, good times.

The kid coaster in Hanna Barbera Land was initially the Scooby Doo Roller Coaster. I don’t remember specifically riding the coaster at that time. It’s a simple figure-eight woodie with Philadelphia Toboggan Company coaster cars. I do remember climbing on board when it was re-themed as The Beastie. This opened in 1979 to coincide with the opening of the wooden classic coaster The Beast. While the graphics on the cars of The Beast feature body-less clawed paws bound by chains, the red cars of The Beastie showed clawless smaller paws bound by rope. Along with a fresh coast of Beast-red paint for the wood coaster, a tunnel was included at the bottom of the initial hill to complete the theme.

In 2006, the whole area was themed as The Nickelodeon Universe. SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, and The Backyardigans are among Nick’s more popular characters. The same coaster evolved into The Fairly Odd Coaster themed after the The Fairly OddParents cartoon. Pink and purple paint abounded and the tunnel was removed. The kid-coaster count eventually swelled to four including a suspended coaster, a ramp coaster, a little kid coaster and the Fairly Odd Coaster – the most of any children’s themed area in an amusement park. Nickelodeon Universe has won several awards including the last several “Golden Ticket” Awards for the best kid-themed area.

Now, in 2010, the area is getting a complete make-over as Planet Snoopy. The 38-year-old little woodie continues on with yet another fresh coat of paint: baby blue and white this time. The as yet unnamed coaster will continue to thrill the park’s smaller guests, and make memories.

Stay tuned this spring for a complete before and after photo shoot of Planet Snoopy. I photographed the “before” the final weeks of Nicklodeon Universe during Kings Island’s Halloween event.

• Andy Guinigundo is the author of the Out of The Loop column in “Orlando Attractions Magazine”. Out of the Loop keeps you up-to-date with attraction news outside of Central Florida. Andy lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and three daughters. He grew up frequenting theme parks around Ohio and making trips to Orlando with his family. While for most of the year, he’s out of the Orlando loop, he tries to visit Florida at least once a year.

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By Chris Ollendorf

I have had the luck to be able to travel to many wonderful cities in America but one place I have not been to is New Orleans. I had no reason to go. I never really knew anybody who lived there until recently and now they always invite me to come during Mardi Gras. Of course work and life seem to always be in the way so I never get to go, but I do have a local option. Universal Studios has celebrated Mardi Gras for the past 15 years with their own special events each weekend that last about 10 weeks.

They offer live concerts each Saturday night with some really great names like: KC & The Sunshine Band, Heart, Kool & The Gang, Blondie, Dierks Bentley, Akon, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys and Sheryl Crow just to name a few.

Universal Studios also offers a French Quarter Courtyard area that will make you feel as if you are on Bourbon Street. They have live musicians playing some great jazz. They have special booths set up with some local foods and of course, special drinks that are only made during this celebration.

One of the other highlights is their Mardi Gras parade. Different themed floats go by as well as stilt walkers, dancers and street performers. Everybody gets the traditional beads thrown from the floats. It’s fun and one of their best parades. Just be aware of the people throwing beads. I have been hit in the head more than once.

The best way to see and experience it all is with Universal’s special passes or Florida resident tickets.

There is the Annual Power Pass for $114.99 plus tax (regularly $139.99). This includes a year of admission to both Universal theme parks but has block out dates. It also includes admission to all nights of Mardi Gras, Summer Concert Series, Grinchmas and Macys events.

The Preferred Annual Pass is $194.99 plus tax (regularly $219.99) and like the Annual Pass, gives you access to both Universal parks, but has no block out dates. It also includes admission to all nights of Mardi Gras, the Summer Concert Series, Grinchmas and Macys events. You get free self-parking and discounts on food and merchandise.

The Premier Annual Pass sells for $264.99 plus tax (regularly $289.99) and gives you the same benefits as the Preferred Annual Pass as well as free Universal Express ride access after 4 p.m., free valet parking, one free ticket to Halloween Horror nights, more discounts on food and merchandise, and club access to CityWalk for the passholder and one guest.

Each of these passes is giving you about $25 off the normal prices. This can add up if you have to buy two or more passes. They also have some Florida resident offers for people like me who are lucky enough to live in Florida (or Georgia).

There is the Florida Resident Mardi Gras Ticket for $49.99 plus tax. It gives you admission to Universal Studios after 5 p.m. on any Mardi Gras event night. It also gives you free admission to select clubs at CityWalk for the after-party.

They are also offering the Florida Resident 1-Day/1-Park Ticket for $54.99 plus tax. This gives you all day admission to Universal Studios on any day and admission to Mardi Gras when used on an event night. A regular 1-Day/1-Park ticket costs $79 plus tax, so again, a $25 savings by being a Florida resident.

I went to Mardi Gras at Universal many years ago and it is just as much fun now as it was then. The only Universal special event I like more than this one is Halloween Horror Nights. Pace yourself, don’t drink too much and see how many strands of beads you can collect. Now I just have to find the right party clothes for my next visit. Maybe something in purple and green?

For more information about Universal Mardi Gras and tickets visit UniversalOrlando.com.

• Christopher Ollendorf is just your average Orlando guy who loves the theme parks. He has worked in the retail field for most of his life but spent 15 years of that time working for Walt Disney World. At Disney, he worked in entertainment, guest services, retail management, front desk and training. He’s had extensive experience selling theme park tickets.

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Disney held two princess related marathons on March 6 and 7, 2010, and Orlando Attractions Magazine subscriber Don Gworek ran along to bring you these two videos. While the races were designed for women, more than 400 men participated on behalf of the princesses in their lives.

The Princess and the Frog Royal Family 5K was held on Saturday at Epcot. It was a fun-filled event the whole family could participate in. Starting backstage, the race ran through all 11 countries in World Showcase, then through Future World, out the entrance, then back into Epcot and ending backstage.

The Princess Half Marathon was held on Sunday. The race started just outside of the Epcot parking lot. Runners then proceeded up World Drive towards the Magic Kingdom. Upon entering the Magic Kingdom, participants passed through Tomorrowland, Cinderella Castle and Frontierland. Participants then proceed down World Drive to make their return to Epcot. The course took participants through Future World and past Spaceship Earth on their way to the finish.

In a tight race, Gina Aalgaard Kelly bested more than 13,000 runners from around the world in the half marathon. Kelly (Lisbon, N.D.), 33, and second place finisher Heather Schulz of Orlando, overtook Nicole Falvo, of Grand Blanc, Mich., who led most of the race, as the women entered Epcot. Kelly crossed the finish line in 1:23:58 and Schulz, 35, came in with a time of 1:24:21. Falvo, 35, crossed only four seconds later (1:24:25) to finish third. In the Masters Division, Mary Pardi (Falmouth, Maine.), 40, won in a time of 1:25:10. Tricia Brookover-Brau from Palm Harbor, Fla. crossed at 1:27:51 to claim second place.

More than 18,000 runners, including 13,000 for the half marathon, were registered for the three-day event aimed at women’s health and wellness, making it one of the largest women-specific endurance events in the country and nearly twice as many runners as last year’s event.

Disney’s Royal Family Kids’ Races and the Fit for a Princess Expo were also held during the weekend.

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MegaCon 2010 was held this past weekend at the Orange County Convention Center and it was huge. The actual space the event took up in the convention center didn’t seem any smaller or larger than past years, but the crowds seemed at record levels on Saturday. We were told they almost reached capacity and were close to turning people away.

One side of the hall housed all of the comic book artists. The main section was filled with vendors. Here you could find action figures, comic books, clothing, tattoo stations, movie props and more. Other sections included a blood donation area, a video gaming set-up, Legos, role playing games and play sword fighting.

Of course the other big draw was the celebrity area. Some of the big names included Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), Ray Park (Star Wars and Heroes), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars), Brent Spiner (Star Trek) and Levar Burton (Star Trek and Reading Rainbow).

Thanks to Ricky Brigante for visiting on Saturday and getting the video. The photos below were taken on Sunday.

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By Andy Guinigundo

Anaheim, Calif. – It has been a long tradition that individuals who have made significant contributions to Disney are honored with a window on Main Street USA at Disneyland and Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The Sherman brothers were so honored this past Thursday, March 11, 2010.

The casual amusement park or Disney fan may not recognize their names, but there is no doubt you’ve heard their music. Let’s examine a sampling of their contributions:

In the parks:
• It’s a Small World
• In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room
• From the Carousel of Progress – The Best Time of Your Life and It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
• One Little Spark from Journey Into Imagination
And more …

At the movies:
• Mary Poppins
• The Jungle Book
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
• The Aristocats
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• The Tigger Movie
• The Sword in the Stone
and more…

It’s not as if Robert and Richard Sherman have never been honored. Here’s a short list of their hardware: Academy Awards, Grammy, Christopher Awards, Laurel Awards, Golden Globe nominations and a National Medal of Honor. However, of all the awards, the only one we can go see anytime we want is the window on Main Street USA in Disneyland.

Thank you for the music.

• Andy Guinigundo is the author of the Out of The Loop column in “Orlando Attractions Magazine”. Out of the Loop keeps you up-to-date with attraction news outside of Central Florida. Andy lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife and three daughters. He grew up frequenting theme parks around Ohio and making trips to Orlando with his family. While for most of the year, he’s out of the Orlando loop, he tries to visit Florida at least once a year.

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MegaCon, the sci-fi, comic book, toy, collectable, and other cool stuff, convention starts Friday and runs through Sunday at the Orange County Convention Center on International Drive.

You’ll find a huge floor full of comics, collectables, celebrity and comic artists autograph signings, panel discussions, costume contests and more.

Some of the celebrities scheduled to appear are John De Lancie (Star Trek), Russell Tovey (Doctor Who), Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), Ray Park (Star Wars and Heroes), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars) and many more. There’s also many kids events this year including a kids costume contest. Check megaconvention.com for the full updated schedule and list of celebrities.

If you’re a Star Wars fan, be sure to stop by the 501st Legion’s booth. Lucasfilm’s head of fan relations, Steve Sansweet will be available along with a representative of Reed Expo, Lucasfilm’s partner in the upcoming Star Wars Celebration V, which will also be held at the convention center in August. Sansweet will also take part in some of the panel discussions.

Watch the videos below to get a good idea of what the event is all about. You can also check out our 2008 Photo Gallery and 2009 Photo Gallery.

Showroom Hours:
Friday -- 1 to 7 p.m.
Saturday -- 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday -- 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets are available at the door for $24.

Commercial:

Overview of 2009 event:

2009 Mini-MegaCon Costume Contest:

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By Jackie and Matt Roseboom

A brand new Holiday Inn recently opened on Disney property. The 14-story, 323-room hotel, located near Downtown Disney on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, opened in the spot formerly occupied by a Marriott Courtyard.

The Courtyard closed about five years ago after it sustained damage during a bad hurricane season. The hurricanes virtually demolished everything. Just about everything except the basic structure is new. The new hotel has a posh new look sure to please seasoned travelers. Fun design elements provide a warm and inviting feel.

“There is no more exhilarating feeling than opening a family-friendly Holiday Inn resort, on Disney property and hiring more than 100 employees to welcome our community and guests,” said Tony Johnson, regional vice president of operations and general manager of the 323-room hotel.

Disney Advantage
Because of its location on Disney property, the hotel is able to offer a host of privileges, such as complimentary transportation to all the Disney parks, guaranteed access and preferred tee times at Disney golf courses, advance reservations at Disney restaurants and free delivery of Disney attraction purchases to the hotel. An on-site Disney retail store will be opening this summer.

Rooms
Relaxing and contemporary, the guest rooms were designed with a soft color palette and outfitted with a 32-inch HD television, white bedding with pillows that come in two comfort levels: “soft” and “firm,” complimentary wired Internet access, a coffeemaker and an electronic safe that accommodates laptops up to 17 inches. Every double room features two queen beds, rather than two double beds. The double queen rooms come with a bath/shower combo. Each king room includes a sleeper oversized chair and a walk-in shower or bath/shower combo. Many of the rooms have balconies – some with a pool view, some overlooking I-4 and some with a view of Downtown Disney.

Dining
The new modern feel of the hotel extends to the dining as well. Fusion cuisine is a nice change from the old greasy spoons from Holiday Inns of the past. The Palm Breezes Restaurant offers all three meals. Kids 12 and younger eat free at all Holiday Inns when ordering from the kids’ menu in the hotel restaurant and accompanied by a dining adult. There’s also a “grab and go” location for quick snacks. A pool-side restaurant is also in the works. There are a lot of nice small touches in the hotel, such as purse/bag hooks under the hotel bar.

Amenities
Along with the Disney advantages, the hotel features a state-of-the-art fitness room, a jogging and exercise path, a zero-entry heated swimming and connected lap pool, a hot tub and sun deck and a game room. There’s no kids room, but an off-property company can come to the hotel to provide babysitting if needed. The front desk can help make the arrangements. The business center and lobby areas provide free wi-fi. There are also party and meeting rooms for wedding receptions, business meetings and the like.

The average price for a night’s stay is around $120, but can go up or down depending on the season. One nice perk is there are no “resort fees” added onto the room price. But they do plan on adding a $10 per day parking fee in the near future. Valet parking is also available.

The Holiday Inn is located at 1805 Hotel Plaza Blvd. For more information, or reservations, visit hiorlando.com or call 407-828-8888.

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The Hogwarts Express has arrived at Hogsmeade Station as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter continues to develop at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. As guests enter Hogsmeade, they will be greeted by the iconic, smoke-billowing steam engine, made famous in the Harry Potter books and films for transporting students to a world of magic and wonder.

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By Chris Ollendorf

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner. I’m sure many of you have had your fill of snow and cold weather and might be planning a trip to Orlando to thaw out. Here are a few resort specials for all Orlando visitors as well as some specials for Florida residents too.

Disney
Walt Disney World is offering 25 percent off or more at select Disney resorts. Depending on where you stay, you can save even more on most nights now through March 27, 2010, and from April 11 to Aug. 14, 2010. Some of the rates are as low as $79 per night (plus tax) for a standard room at certain Disney Value Resorts for stays from Sundays to Thursdays.

The savings vary depending on what type of resort you choose from (value, moderate, deluxe, or deluxe villa resorts) how many nights you want to stay, and the dates you need them. Check out these great low rates by going to the Walt Disney World Special Offer page.

Universal
Universal Orlando is offering a “buy three nights, enjoy two more nights free” package until May 27, 2010.
The package includes:
• Five nights hotel accommodations.
• Four-day base ticket to both Universal Orlando theme parks – one theme park, per day.
• Access to live entertainment at Universal CitiWalk.
• Early park admission to some of Islands of Adventure’s most popular attractions before the general public.

Guests can choose to either stay at one of Universal’s on-site hotels (Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel, or Loews Royal Pacific Resort) with prices starting at $573 per adult, or at the Fairfield Inn & Suites on International Drive with prices starting at $254 per adult. On-site accommodations include complimentary Express access to bypass the regular lines at select attractions and resort-wide transportation via water taxi and shuttle bus. Off-property accommodations include free scheduled transportation between the Fairfield Inn and Universal Orlando and discounts on merchandise, food and non-alcoholic beverages at select CityWalk and theme park locations.

If you would like to book this package follow this link to the Universal Vacation Package page.

Universal is also offering a special “Florida Resident Mardi Gras Getaway” package. If you’re a Florida resident and you want a quick two-night getaway, this might be right for you. This package lasts until April 17, 2010.
The package includes:
•Two-nights accommodations at a Universal Partner Hotel.
• Two-day, two-park ticket to Universal Studios and Island of Adventure.
• Access to live entertainment at Universal CityWalk.
• Complimentary transportation between your hotel and Universal Orlando.
• Early Islands of Adventure park admission to some of their most popular attractions.

This great package starts at $79 per person, per night. You can upgrade and stay at one of the on-site hotels starting from $147 per person, per night. On-site accommodations include complimentary Express access and access to a new Reserved Mardi Gras Parade Viewing Area.

If you would like to book this package follow this link to the Universal Florida Resident Package page.

Nickelodeon Suites Resort
Finally Nickelodeon Suites is also offering a special for Florida Residents. With your Florida ID you can become a member of the Florida Residents Club that gives you some great benefits to this fun resort. Between now and March 27, 2010, Florida residents can get the following:
• Rates starting at $129 per night for a two-bedroom KidSuite, Sunday to Thursday.
• Rates starting at $159 per night for a two-bedroom KidSuite, Friday and Saturday.
• $20 resort credit per day for food and entertainment on property.
• 10% off food and beverages during your entire stay.
• Extra 10% off a private Slimeing.
• 10% off 4D Experience films
• Early check-in at 2:10 p.m.

After March 27 these features will change a bit, so for all the details, check out the Nickelodeon Suites Florida Resident Package page or a call 1-877-642-5111.

So take off that winter jacket, store the boots in the closet and let’s see if we can get spring to come a little early this year. Until next time, enjoy the savings.

• Christopher Ollendorf is just your average Orlando guy who loves the theme parks. He has worked in the retail field for most of his life but spent 15 years of that time working for Walt Disney World. At Disney, he worked in entertainment, guest services, retail management, front desk and training. He’s had extensive experience selling theme park tickets.

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