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Theme park and attraction news, rumors and videos.

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Special Gator celebration Saturday at Universal

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Universal Orlando Resort is inviting Gator fans to continue their celebration this Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 as it hosts the Gators National Championship Celebration Day with special savings and entertainment throughout the day. Universal will become Gator Country as they congratulate the National Champion University of Florida Gator football team.

The festivities will include:
• Appearances with special Gator guests.
• Special appearances and photo opportunities with the Florida Gator Cheerleaders and Gator mascots Albert and Alberta.
• A victory parade featuring members of the University of Florida Pride of the Sunshine Marching Band, Special Gator guests, cheerleaders, characters and more.
• A replay of last week’s electrifying BCS National Championship game inside Finnegan’s Bar & Grill
• Free Gator face painting from 10 a.m. to noon inside Islands of Adventure.

Gator fans wearing their orange and blue on Saturday can save $25 off their theme park ticket when purchased at any Universal Orlando theme park front gate ticket window.

For more information, visit universalorlando.com/gators

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Preview and Pre-order Volume 2, Issue 1 Today!

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Volume 2, Issue 1 of Orlando Attractions Magazine is now available for pre-order!

You can flip through and preview the entire issue here before you buy it.

Features included in this fun new issue are:

• Chill out in Orlando with ICE!
Holiday fun at the Gaylord Palms Resort.

• 21st Century Christmas
How Disney keeps its holidays up-to-date.

• A’Lure – The Call of the Ocean
A photo feature.

• Piano Man
Bob Jackson thrills audiences with his piano-playing antics.

• Disneyana
Disney fans have nothing but options when starting a collection.

• Behind the Scenes of Disney’s Ambassador Program
A 44-year tradition (started by Walt himself) offers fun – and a lot of work.
• A Taste of Winter Inside – No Matter the Forecast Outside
Icebar Orlando officially opens.

• RESTAURANT REPORT: T-Rex at Downtown Disney

• RESORT REPORT – Gaylord Palms Resort

…and much more!

So enjoy the free preview Volume 2, Issue 1 today and pre-order to be one of the first to receive it!

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Holiday happenings at Universal – Mannheim Steamroller to perform

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At Islands of Adventure, The Grinch and The Whos from Whoville will sing their hearts out about the true meaning of Christmas in the park’s special holiday Grinchmas show – featuring music specially created by holiday music sensation Mannheim Steamroller.

Just one park over, guests will line the streets of Universal Studios to see the larger than life Macy’s balloons and floats that make up the Macy’s Holiday Parade along with special performances by marching bands from across the country.

It’s the holidays at Universal – and Grinchmas, the Macy’s Holiday Parade and other special events will run from Dec. 6 through Jan. 1.

Universal will kick off the holiday season this year with live performances by Christmas music mega-sensation Mannheim Steamroller, who will perform two live concerts at Universal Studios on Saturday, Dece. 6. The Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling group will play songs created specifically for the resort’s original holiday stage show How the Grinch Stole Christmas, as well as brand-new music from their newly released album Christmasville. Founder Chip Davis will join Mannheim Steamroller in his only scheduled appearance of the holiday season.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Universal Orlando Resort for their holiday celebration,” said Chip Davis, founder of Mannheim Steamroller. “We are looking forward to performing some of our classic hits, as well as new material, for park guests.”

The concerts will take place at 6 and 8 p.m. in the New York area and are included in park admission to Universal Studios.

At Islands of Advenure, the popular Dr. Seuss book How the Grinch Stole Christmas is brought to life in Grinchmas, a live stage show featuring an original musical score by Mannheim Steamroller. During the show, six songs are performed by a live cast, including The Grinch and The Whos from Whoville. As a part of the Grinchmas celebration, guests will also have the opportunity to meet The Grinch.

Next door at Universal Studios, the world-renowned balloons and floats from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade return. Guests can experience the excitement of the New York City tradition as the Macy’s Holiday Parade cruises through the streets of the park. In addition to the parade, guests can enjoy performances by marching bands from across the country, a nightly Christmas tree lighting, as well as specially themed holiday shows including The Blues Brothers, Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone and Barney.

“With the heart-warming story of Grinchmas and the excitement of the Macy’s Holiday Parade, we have brought together two of the most beloved and compelling holiday experiences in our culture,” said Jim Timon, senior vice president of entertainment for Universal Orlando Resort.

The celebration continues at Universal Orlando’s three on-site hotels – Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort – all of which will glisten with holiday decorations. Hotel guests will be immersed in the spirit of the season with carolers, tree-lighting ceremonies, holiday movie presentations and special holiday menus.

For more information on Universal Orlando’s holiday celebration and special theme park savings and offers, guests can visit www.UniversalOrlando.com/Holidays.

Click Here for 2007 holiday photos from Universal Studios.
Click Here for 2007 holiday photos from Islands of Adventure.

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Islands of Adventure Photo Update for Aug. 29, 2008

As an annual passholder, I was invited by Universal to take part in a focus group yesterday. I can’t tell you what we discussed, but I can tell you it wasn’t anything really exciting. After the survey was over, I took a stroll around the park to take these pictures.

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Our focus group took place in the Navigator’s Club, a private meeting area above Confisco Grille. There’s a small sign for the club by the iron gates, but I never really noticed it before. [Read more…]

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Enchanted Oak Tavern Restaurant Leveled at Islands of Adventure

We previously speculated that the recently-announced addition of the Three Broomsticks restaurant to the under-construction Wizarding World of Harry Potter part of Islands of Adventure could be built inside the Enchanted Oak Tavern. Well, it’s painfully obvious that nothing will be going inside the Enchanted Oak Tavern as the entire building, giant face-adorned tree stump and all, is now completely gone:

BEFORE
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AFTER
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As you can see, there is now plenty of room for… something else! This may or may not be the future location of the Three Broomsticks restaurant, but they’re certainly making way for something. We’ll keep you updated as we find out more.

Big thanks to Orlando Attractions Magazine reader Chris for submitting the information and photos.

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Three Broomsticks to be a part of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

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As part of the building of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure, Universal held an online poll asking “Where would you most like to get a refreshment of snack in Hogsmead?” The winner was announced today, The Three Broomsticks, and it will be a part of the final world.

Early concept art of the restaurant can be seen above. It looks a lot like the recently closed Enchanted Oak Tavern inside to me, but there’s no official word of it becoming The Three Broomsticks.

The final vote in the poll went like this:
The Three Broomsticks 46.69 percent
Honeydukes 32.25 percent
The Hog’s Head 21.06 percent

Now they’ve added a new poll, “If you could order a drink at The Three Broomsticks, what would it be? Butterbeer or Pumpkin Juice” So far Butterbeer is winning. Visit www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter to vote.

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Universal Orlando announces July 4th happenings

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Universal Orlando is offering guests three ways to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.

Universal 360:
Universal 360: A Cinesphere Spectacular, is a high-tech lagoon show at Universal Studios featuring famous scenes from more than 100 Universal Pictures films. The show uses four-story-tall, 360-degree projection “cinespheres,” original music, outdoor speakers, lasers and pyrotechnic effects to place guests in the center of their favorite films. The Fourth of July Cinesphere show will also feature a special, high-tech, patriotic finale, complete with a dazzling fireworks display. The show begins at 10 p.m.
Fireworks will no longer be visible from CityWalk or Universal’s Islands of Adventure because of the development of new attractions underway across areas of the resort previously used to support fireworks displays.

Islands of Adventure:
Islands of Adventure will remain open extra hours on July 4. The park will be open until 11 p.m.

CityWalk:
A live band and street performers will perform at an All-American Barbecue Celebration at CityWalk from 5 to 9 p.m.

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Grinchmas Musical Video Posted

A sampling of the 30-minute Grinchmas Musical from Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando has been posted to our video page featuring 2 full songs and a scene.

You can download the video in the usual high-resolution formats here:
https://attractionsmagazine.com/video.php

Catch the full show in Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure during the 2007 holiday season!

For more photos from the show, visit our photo gallery.

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