Orlando’s theme parks are full of Halloween entertainment. From the very scary at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights to the kid’s fun at SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular, there’s something for everyone.

At Disney’s Magic Kingdom, you’ll find Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party already in full swing. The annual, separate ticket event allows guests an opportunity to dress up in their costumes and trick-or-treat alongside favorite Disney Characters and Villains.

The Villians Mix and Mingle show has been restyled for this year and now features Dr. Facilier, the voodoo doctor from Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” movie. The main musical number for this highly choreographed show is “Friends on the Other Side” from the same movie. The song offers up visual highlights like black-light effects and illuminations. As in the past, the show is followed by a fun meet-and-greet with the Disney Villains.

This year’s event at Magic Kingdom also offers a new trick-or-treat zone, Br’er Rabbit’s Laughin’ Place Candy Patch. The new candy patch area is located adjacent to Splash Mountain in Frontierland and replaces the former Alice & Mad Hatter’s Treat Trail that was formerly located in the old Mickey’s Toontown Fair.

For information on discount Disney tickets and discount Orlando family vacation packages, please visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/.

London is preparing for another Royal celebration - this time, Disney style.

The Walt Disney Co. has announced that its popular character Rapunzel will become the 10th official Disney Princess at a high-profile celebration at Kensington Palace in London on October 2, 2011.

Rapunzel will join Disney’s illustrious royal court and stand alongside the other recognized princesses - Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Snow White and Tiana. Celebrities and little princesses from around the world will be invited to participate in a royal celebration that will include a special party and a procession through Hyde Park.

The star of Disney’s animated hit movie, Tangled, Rapunzel will eventually marry her true love Flynn Rider in a short Disney animation special to be broadcast on the Disney Channel in spring 2012. Tangled has already become one of the Top Ten biggest-grossing Disney movies of all time - surpassing Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Cars and Toy Story 2.

Once officially recognized as a member of the Disney Princess court, Rapunzel will get her own Disney Princess line of products and she will appear at Disney parks wearing the royal tiara that was stolen by Flynn in the Tangled movie.

For additional information about Disney World parks and discount Orlando vacation packages, visit http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/ or http://www.westgatereservations.com/.

The birds are back. Or at least they will be this summer.

According to Walt Disney World Resort, the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disney’s Magic Kingdom is being revamped and updated since a small fire closed the attraction back in January.

One of the original Magic Kingdom attractions, the revised Enchanted Tiki Room will re-open this summer at the Orlando theme park. The show, featuring dozens of animatronic singing tropical birds, will revert back to a version similar to the original show.

Freshly revamped, the long-awaited re-opening of Disney’s Star Tours attraction is scheduled for Friday, May 20, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Guests will enjoy a variety of all new scenes, in a vivid 3-D adventure full of surprises.  And with 54 different combinations of scenes, there will be plenty of reason for Star Wars fans to ride the motion simulated attraction again and again. The film length for each ride is 4 minutes and 20 seconds and range from launch scenes with Darth Vader using the Force to a pod race on Tatooine to high intensity, dramatic endings.

Each ride sequence is filled with Star Wars characters, from the most popular to some of the most obscure. In addition, each ride will have one passenger singled out, on the screen, as a rebel spy. For added fun, in the security area of the refurbished queue, a robot called G290 will scan luggage and interact with guests. Meanwhile, G240 will be scanning humans so guests will see a thermal-scan version of themselves on screen.

One of the benefits of an Orlando vacation is the opportunity to step away from the crowds at Disney and take a short drive over to either coast. Whether you choose to go east to the Atlantic Ocean or west to the Gulf of Mexico, a Florida beach is easy to find.

Head east to Jetty Park near Port Canaveral and Disney fans can enjoy more than a day at the beach. They can also catch an up-close glimpse at Disney’s amazing and massive new cruise ship, the Disney Dream as it departs or arrives from Port Canaveral.

The sheer size of the ship is awe-inspiring as it passes closely by the Jetty Park shoreline. Beach goers might even hear the ship’s horn playing “When You Wish Upon a Star” or enjoy watching a band of playful dolphins leading the ship through the channel. Of course, the same area is a great spot for watching rocket launches from nearby Kennedy Space Center, as well as enjoying fishing and swimming.

Jetty Park offers a beautiful and sandy beach area with year-round lifeguards, a fishing pier and a refreshment center. There is a cost of $10 per day for parking.

For more information on discount Orlando and central Florida vacation packages, visit www.Orlandothemeparkvacations.com or www.westgatereservations.com.

Mickey and Minnie aren’t the only stars you’ll find at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney has announced its lineup of actors for the annual Star Wars Weekends celebration on May 20-22, May 27-29, June 3-5 and June 10-12.The always popular Star Wars sessions are included with regular theme park admission. This year’s events also feature the long anticipated re-opening of Disney’s Star Tours attraction and its newly enhanced 3-D effects, beginning May 20.

The first of four Star Wars weekends will include guest stars Anthony Daniels who played C-3PO in the Star Wars films and Dave Filoni, the supervising director of the animated television series, The Clone Wars. Daniels also returns the following weekend, May 27-29, along with Bruce Spence (Tion Medon) and Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex of “Clone Wars”).

On June 3-5 Star Wars aficionados can greet guests Ray Park (Darth Maul), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) and Matt Lanter (Anakin from “Clone Wars”). And the final weekend, June 10-12, offers Park with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Tom Kane (Yoda from “Clone Wars”).

Of course, Star Wars Weekends always include the usual suspects, ranging from Storm Troopers and Jedi Knights to Darth Vader. In all, Star Wars buffs can have their photo taken with nearly 60 Star Wars characters.

For more information about Star Wars Weekends and other special Disney events, go to www.Orlandothemeparkvacations.com or www.westgatereservations.com.

Prepare for a variety of fun opportunities in Orlando this weekend, including lots of music around Orlando’s theme parks.

At Universal Orlando’s Hard Rock Hotel, you can listen to the rock band, The Smithereens performing as part of the monthly Velvet Sessions concert series. The concert in the hotel’s lobby area also features free food and drink beginning at 6:30 pm prior to the music kicking in at 8:30 pm. For details,  visit www.velvetsessions.com.

At Epcot, there’s still time to enjoy the annual International Flower & Garden Festival. Musical guest Paul Revere and the Raiders are set to perform three shows per day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 pm. The concerts are part of regular Epcot theme park admission.

Although he won’t be singing, famed animal expert Jack Hanna will be hosting live shows at SeaWorld Orlando on Friday, Saturday and Sunday inside the Nautilus Theater at 1:15 and 3:15 p.m.

Meanwhile, tickets go on sale this Sunday for Disney’s always popular two-night Christian music celebratiob, Night of Joy. The separate ticket event at Magic Kingdom will be held Sept. 9-10, 2011.

Featured performers scheduled for Night of Joy include Group 1 Crew, Francesca Battistelli, Sidewalk Prophets, Jeremy Camp, Skillet, Matthew West, Disciple and Newsboys on Sept. 9.

The Sept. 10 event will include musical guests TobyMac, Jars of Clay, MercyMe, Marvin Sapp, VaShawn Mitchell, Sanctus Real, Chris August and Kutless. For details, go to www.nightofjoy.com.

No matter how many times you visit Walt Disney World® Resort it seems there’s always something new to learn. Whether you are a first-time guest or a hard core fanatic, there’s plenty of tips to be discovered across Disney’s four major theme parks, two water parks and dozens of resorts, restaurants and shopping options.  That’s why a good place to start is with a Disney guidebook and one of the most complete is the newly updated version of “The Complete Walt Disney World 2011″ by Julie and Mike Neal.

Filled with colorful photography (a whopping 530 photos), the new edition book offers help for families wherever they go at Disney World. In addition to the fabulous photos, you’ll also find trip planning ideas, descriptions, maps, schedules, ride advice and much more.

Uncover tips on how children get picked for in-park activities. Learn where to find your favorite Disney Characters. Be in the know regarding ride height requirements. Discover unique Disney resort swimming pool features. It’s all in the guidebook now available in bookstores and online.

For discount tickets to Disney World and discount Orlando vacation packages, go to http://www.westgatereservations.com/.

M-i-c-k-e-y  M-o-u-s-e!

Disney World just made it a little easier for guests to meet its most famous resident! You can now obtain a FastPass to “skip the line” and meet Mickey Mouse at his new meet-and-greet area within Magic Kingdom.

FastPass for Mickey Mouse will work just like the express tickets for other Magic Kingdom attractions like Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. Simply print out a ticket indicating a time frame to come back to the attraction and skip the normal queue line, if you choose.

While Mickey’s previous home in Mickey’s ToonTown Fair has been closed for construction of a new and expanded Fantasyland, you can now find him in the Town Square Theater formerly known as Town Square Exhibition Hall.

The theater, located near the front of the park, features a turn-of-the-century look with posters promoting Mickey as a magician and star attraction.

After four decades, a popular Disney World tradition is coming to an end this spring.

Disney has announced that the last of its annual Grad Night celebrations at Magic Kingdom will take place April 29-30 and May 6-7. This separate ticket event is designed for high school seniors across the country to come celebrate with music, dancing, rides and long lasting memories.

Live performances have long been a focal point of the event, and participating musical guests have included the likes of Britney Spears, Miami Sound Machine, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, and others. This year’s final event is set to feature live performances by Taio, Pete Wentz and 3OH!3.

The Grad Night event first started at Disney World in 1972 and has been held continuously at the Magic Kingdom ever since other than a move to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2009.

The musical acts scheduled to appear at the 2011 and final version of Grad Nite are Pete Wentz, Taio Cruz, and 3OH!3.

A similar event for high-school seniors called Grad Bash, will continue to be held at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks in Orlando. This spring’s Universal Grad Bash events are scheduled for April 15 & 30 as well as May 6-7. Musical guests are Jason Derulo, B.o.B., Pitbull and DJ Khaled.