Halloween meets the sea every weekend in October during SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular. This family-friendly event immerses guests in an underwater “fantasea” with trick-or-treating, whimsical pumpkin fish, sea-themed arts and crafts, and up-close animal encounters.

SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular takes place from 12 p.m. to park close every weekend, October 1-30. Like all special events at SeaWorld, Halloween Spooktacular is included with park admission.

Spooktacular Highlights Include:

• Waves of Trick-or-Treat Fun – Costumed youngsters can trick-or-treat for ghoulish goodies.  Each sea-themed, trick-or-treat station features an assortment of candy favorites including Tootsie Roll and SunRype Fruit To Go, just to name a few.
• Penelope’s Garden Party – This dynamic “underwater” environment comes to life each weekend with a live DJ, animal interactions, a variety of craft opportunities, bubbles floating overhead and whimsical sea-themed characters.
• Sesame Street’s Countdown to Halloween – Celebrate a Spooktacular Halloween at SeaWorld with The Count, Elmo, Abby, and the rest of everyone’s Sesame Street friends!  The Count is feeling lonely this Halloween, and it’s up to you and the loveable monsters from Sesame Street to get him into the Halloween spirit.  Batty bats and spooky skeletons join the fun in a song filled stage show that invites you and your family to dance, play and sing along.
• Spooktacular Dance Party – Children join Princess Penelope and her under-the-sea friends for a Spooktacular Dance Party where they can participate in line-dancing favorites as clouds of bubbles fill the evening air. The party will kick off at the Village Square in the front of the park every event night one hour before park closing.

Spectacular Spooky Add-Ons available at SeaWorldOrlando.com:

• Dine With Shamu Halloween Spooktacular Brunch – Guests can celebrate with an immersive and memorable brunch experience at Dine With Shamu. They will enjoy seasonal items and reserved tables that bring them up close to majestic killer whales.  There also are some Halloween surprises including a family photo in a decorative frame and a free cookie decorating kit. Prices begin at $28 plus tax for adults and $16 plus tax for kids. Pass Members receive a 10% discount.
• Meet and Greet with Cookie Monster at SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular- Meet Cookie Monster from Sesame Street during SeaWorld Orlando’s Halloween Spooktacular. For just $19 per person, guests can meet the character at SeaFire Grill and enjoy his favorite treat: a cookie! Plus, every guest receives a printed photo of their meet-and-greet to take home. Pass Members receive a 10% discount.
• Reserved Seating: Sesame Street’s Countdown to Halloween- Enjoy a reserved seat at a showtime of your choice for Sesame Street’s Countdown to Halloween show at SeaWorld Orlando. Priced at $19 per person, guarantee a seat for a showtime of your choice.

An enduring Disney Parks classic, the Main Street Electrical Parade, will take its shimmering farewell trip through Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Florida.

Since making its Florida premiere in 1977, the parade has become one of the most beloved entertainment spectacles anywhere. Watching the Main Street Electrical Parade has to become a rite of passage with parents and grandparents eager to share the nostalgic experience with their children. Families will have one more chance to see the parade and share this special memory, on select nights, before it departs.

Parade Heads to Disneyland in California

The vibrant parade, a perennial favorite with Disney guests, will next travel cross-country to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, Calif., for a limited engagement beginning early next year.

Brought to light in the early 1970s, the original Main Street Electrical Parade helped establish a Disney Parks reputation for innovative, trend-setting live entertainment. As lights go down along the parade route, the parade brings a variety of beloved Disney animated feature films to life through three-dimensional floats covered with approximately half a million colorful LED twinkling lights. The parade’s iconic musical theme, the electrically synthesized “Baroque Hoedown,” is interwoven with favorite Disney themes. It all adds to the unique upbeat excitement of the procession.

Some of the parade’s most impressive scenes are the 23-foot-tall Clock Tower over Cinderella’s Ball, complete with elegant ballroom dancers in light-covered costumes; the smoke-breathing, tail-wagging Pete’s Dragon; and the 108-foot-long red, white and blue flag finale. Other characters who make appearances include Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and, of course, Mickey Mouse.

 

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival by the Numbers

The longer-than-ever party will feature global and specialty cuisine, refreshing new beverages and three live concerts nightly.

The 62-day festival at Disney’s Epcot theme park will showcase 30 global marketplaces including four new Future World marketplaces featuring fresh culinary concepts to pair with select wines, beers, cocktails and other beverages. ABC’s Emmy Award-winning lifestyle series, “The Chew,” will broadcast from the festival for the second year and will participate in one of the new Future World festival marketplaces, The Chew Collective. The festival is believed to be the largest food and wine event of its kind in the world.

62 Days of Delicious Fun To Celebrate

Here are some fun facts about the festival celebration:

• Now 62 days long, the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival began in 1996 with a first run of 30 days
• 30 global marketplaces will include new offerings like The Chew Collective in Future World’s Next Eats festival area and Islands of the Caribbean along the World Showcase Promenade
• Producers of ABC’s “The Chew” will tape 5 episodes of the show before 5 festival guest audiences numbering in the hundreds for each show
• The 21st festival will feature 32 new marketplace dishes and 49 (as of right now) new cocktails, beers, wines and ciders
• In 1998, 200 domestic and international wines were poured at the festival. This year, at marketplaces and premium events, more than 300 domestic and international wines will be offered
• More than 50 wineries and more than 35 breweries from around the world, including local craft beer operations, will be represented at festival marketplaces

• 3 Rockin’ Burger Block Parties and 6 Party for the Senses grand tastings will take place at World Showplace during the festival run. In all, the festival will feature 204 premium events ranging from Signature Dinners and Food & Wine Pairings to Beverage Boot Camps and Festival Events in World Showcase pavilions
• Guest chefs and Disney chefs numbering 250 will present culinary demonstrations and will cook for festival events
• Celebrity chefs and visiting culinarians from 10 countries and 26 U.S. states will participate in the festival at culinary demos, book signings, and special tasting events and dinners.
• Nearly 400 culinary demos, beverage and interactive seminars will take place during the 62-day festival
• During Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak festival scavenger hunt, guests can help Remy scour the park for the ingredients to make his signature dish, ratatouille. Along the way, they’ll find 12 Remy statuettes hidden in each of 11 countries of the World Showcase and at the African Outpost location. Guests can redeem the 12 stickers they’ve collected for one of 6 special pins at Select merchandise locations
• More than 375 hours of scheduled seminars will take place at the Festival Center for the 62 days of the festival.  These include culinary demos and beverage seminars, the new Mix It, Make It, Celebrate It! interactive events, plus more
• 186 Eat to the Beat concerts will be performed; 8 musical acts will appear for the first time at this year’s festival featuring entertainment ranging from rock and soul to funk and blues

• More than 1,200 fireworks will explode each night over World Showcase Lagoon in IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth nightime spectacular
• Chase is the festival’s presenting sponsor for the 5^th year; its Chase Lounge at the American Adventure Pavilion is open exclusively to Chase cardholders and offers an inviting place to relax and recharge
• More than 225,000,000 festival dishes were served during last year’s 53-day festival
• 100,000-plus desserts, including the Hard Soda Floats at Desserts & Champagne Marketplace, are expected to be served
• In 1997, during the festival’s second year, festival planners introduced the first Grand Tasting culinary extravaganza; in 2002, the event was renamed and moved to World Showplace as Party for the Senses, now featuring up to 50 food and beverage stations and, in 2016, new and different themed entertainment for each event.

The nation’s best Halloween event, Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, is now open at Universal Orlando Resort, with more event nights than ever before. You won’t stand a Chance, as the twisted right-hand woman of Halloween Horror Nights legend Jack the Clown steps into the spotlight as the star of this surreal world of horror.

Nightmares come to life in nine disturbingly-real haunted houses based on some of the most terrifying legends in pop culture. Guests will:

• Become the next doomed residents of Murder House, tortured performers in the disturbing and twisted Freak Show, and victims of the otherworldly, death-dealing Hotel from FX’s groundbreaking anthology “American Horror Story”
• Desperately try to escape Leatherface’s lethal chain saw in “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”
• See, hear, feel – and even smell – every iconic levitating, head-spinning, vomit-wrenching, skin-crawling moment from “The Exorcist”
• Fight to survive the return of masked killer Michael Myers in “Halloween II”
• Fend off packs of flesh-hungry walkers in instantly-recognizable scenes from Seasons 1 through 6 of AMC’s “The Walking Dead”
• Encounter the evil ancient spirit of the dark shadow of Saint Nicholas in “Krampus”
• Step inside the twisted minds behind the nation’s best Halloween event in three haunted houses based on original stories – Lunatics Playground 3D: You Won’t Stand A Chance, Ghost Town: The Curse of Lightning Gulch, and Tomb of the Ancients

And there’s even more horror lurking in the streets of Universal Studios Florida, with five unique scare zones and two live stage shows.

Guests can witness a whole new generation of psychological horror with a brand-new, cutting-edge entertainment experience – The Repository. A blend of custom virtual reality technology, real-life characters, incredible immersive storytelling and intensely-themed environments, this exclusive experience will terrify, thrill and amaze like never before. Halloween Horror Nights admission is also required.

Halloween Horror Nights is the ultimate Halloween event, spanning both coasts at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.  For more than 20 years, guests from around the world have visited Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando and Hollywood to become victims inside their own horror film as they encounter movie-quality haunted houses, hundreds of menacing “scareactors” and outrageous live shows.

The Magic Kingdom is the Happiest Place on Earth. The wonderful food throughout the Magic Kingdom is one of the reasons that everyone has a smile on their face.  There are so many wonderful desserts and sweet treats that can be found in the Magic Kingdom.  Here are five of my favorite Magic Kingdom sweet treats:

# 5 Dole Whip at Aloha Isle: Pineapple Dole Whip is an extremely popular dessert. The line can get really long in the summer, but this cool treat is worth the wait.

#4 Funnel Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream at Sleepy Hollow: Who doesn’t love a funnel cake?  Adding strawberries and whipped cream just takes this familiar favorite to the next level.

#3 Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich: Everyone is familiar with the Mickey ice cream bar.  Instead of the ice cream bar, I recommend trying the Mickey ice cream sandwich on your next trip to the Magic Kingdom.  This cookies n cream ice cream sandwich is delicious!

#2 Cinnamon Roll from Gaston’s Tavern: These extra large cinnamon rolls are served warm.  They are ooey gooey and hit the spot for anyone with a sweet tooth.

#1 Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake at Be Our Guest Restaurant: Normally, I am a huge chocolate lover.  These strawberry cupcakes made me rethink my favorite dessert.  Go ahead and try the grey stuff but you should also eat this cupcake!! The cupcake has a vanilla sponge, cream cheese icing, and a strawberry mousse filling that brings it all together.  The foodie in me just smiles every time I eat one of these beauties!!

Written by Shante Carson — Shante is a Disney Expert with tons of first hand experience at Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, and Disneyland.  Whether on land or see Shante can make your vacation magical!  Shante is ready to help you plan your Disney vacation. Book your next vacation with Shante at 252-917-0497 or shante@destinationsinflorida.com.

Slide, Surf and Drop into Fall at Gaylord Palms Orlando with Fun, Frights and a Whiskey Under Glass Night

Gaylord Palms Orlando Resort invites guests to experience the spooky happenings of the Halloween season Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October. Beginning September 30, guests can scurry over to Gaylord Palms for a ghoulishly good time. From costume contests and a zombie scavenger hunt to a pool party hosted by Dracula himself, there’s fun and frights for every member of the family!

Goblins and Giggles Getaway Weekends activities include:

• The Zany Zombie Chase – Zombies have gotten loose inside of our harvest-clad gardens and must be found. Dare to find all ten zombies and enter to win a Grand Prize.
• Monster Mash Bash and Costume Contest, featuring “The Runaway Witch” – Show off your monster dance moves and compete in a costume contest with terror-ific prizes. Plus, NEW this year, sing along with a young witch and vampire as they explore the tricks and treats of the season – included in Goblins & Giggles Getaway Weekends rate.
• BOO-tiful Arts & Crafts – Kids of all ages can create their own monster-pieces to don during the Monster Mash Bash – included in Goblins & Giggles Getaway Weekends rate.
• Splish Slash Pool Party – Join Dracula poolside for some ghoulishly fun games.
• Plus! It’s about to drop at Gaylord Palms Resort as we introduce new additions to our Cypress Springs Family Fun Water Park in October. Choose a slide, Miami or Tampa, and compete with your friends down the Tamiami Twister racing slides, fall through the floor of our new Florida Free Fall drop slide and go against the flow surfing the Wake Zone on the double FlowRider!
• Poolside Moonlight Movie – Scary movies beneath the stars at Cypress Springs Family Fun Water Park.
• Trick or Treat Atrium Expedition – Explore the entire resort while trick or treating with stops throughout to get some deliciously spooky treats – included in Goblins & Giggles Getaway Weekends rate.
• Fantastical Face Painting – scary or sweet, our face painter will transform your face for the fun Halloween activities!

Whiskey Event for the Grown Ups

Getting in the spirit of the season isn’t exclusive to Halloween or kids. Join us October 6 as we spend an evening with Heather Greene, a world-leading spirit expert, for a whiskey training and book-signing under our 4.5 acre glass-enclosed atrium. Learn the history of whiskey, sample distinct varieties and discover optimal food pairings. After the training, enjoy a whiskey social with specially-designed tastings – from all of the food and beverage experiences Gaylord Palms Resort has to offer – paired with selections from the top whiskey distillers in the country.

Is experiencing a Tibetan outpost, visiting Mt. Everest or catching a glimpse of a Yeti on your bucket list? Don’t have the time or budget to go to Tibet? Guess what! You don’t have to go far to experience all three! Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a ride that lets you encounter all of the above!

Constructed of 38 miles of rebar, 5,000 ton of steel, 10,000 tons of concrete and taking 3 years to build, Expedition Everest opened in Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2006.Disney’s Imagineers spent years researching and visiting Nepal, Tibet to create a very realistic ride.

The queue for Expedition Everest includes visits thru Himalayan Escapes travel agency, a Tibetan temple garden, an expedition equipment outpost room and a Yeti museum. Disney Imagineers traveled multiple times to Nepal to collect over 8,000 artifacts to create a realistic setting. The queue totally feels like you are a traveler to Nepal who is getting ready to climb Mt. Everest and find the mysterious Yeti!

Your encounter with Mt. Everest and the Yeti begins with you boarding a train in the town of Serka Zong. Then the train takes you through a Tibetan temple and continues through the snowy Himalayans to the top of Mt. Everest. But the train tracks have been destroyed! Mmm. .wonder who destroyed them!?

This is when the ride gets good! To get back to Serka Zong, the train goes backward taking you, twisting and turning back through Mt. Everest! Look close because the Yeti is waiting for you in the mountain!

Expedition Everest is one of the best roller coasters! The theming for the ride is so realistic. Disney Imagineers did an amazing job creating an amazing Everest Experience! So if you can’t make it to Tibet, go to Disney’s Animal Kingdom and take a thrilling train ride through Mt. Everest! Look close and you will even see a Yeti!

While thousands of excited Harry Potter fans arrive early each morning at Universal Orlando to embark on their magical adventure, nothing compares to experiencing the magic of Nighttime at Hogsmeade.  

When night falls on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a bit of extra magic takes place as the park comes to life.  Not only is Hogsmeade beautiful at night, but the crowds also start to dwindle in the quaint and intimate shops, the heat of the day is gone, and shorter wait times allow for more magical merriment.

After a long day, enjoy a butter beer at Three Broomsticks or take your time finding the perfect wand at Ollivanders, Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.!  With fewer visitors trying to crowd in the smallish store, you can truly enjoy the unique interactive experience of seeing a wand choose a wizard.  

Continue your shopping at Honeydukes to fill up a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans™… who knows what tasty (or not so tasty) flavors you’ll discover!  Take your time picking out the perfect souvenir in the Wizarding World at Dirvish and Banges or Fitch’s Emporium.  Sneakoscopes, Spectrespecs, Omnioculars, Quidditch Gear, Broomsticks, School Uniforms and much more are there for the avid Harry Potter fan.

An extra incentive for visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at night is that you can peer into the many animated shop windows throughout Hogsmeade Village without the glare of the sun during the day. As a result, you can spot dazzling visuals like a golden snitch flying around, something that is almost impossible to see during the daytime!

While most of the excited Harry Potter fans are showing up when the park opens in the morning, the real magic comes alive within the Wizarding World at night.  You may find yourself wondering if you are really just in a theme park or if you have somehow transported to another time and place. If you truly want to get lost in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Nighttime at Hogsmeade will immerse you and leave you with magical memories for years to come.