January 2012 – Issue 39  

              Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend presented by CIGNA

January 5-8, 2012     

Imagine a weekend of runs where every mile is filled with Disney fun at the 2012 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend presented by CIGNA on January 5-8, 2012. Join us for a weekend of races that are magical as they are memorable, from Disney’s Health & Fitness Expo where they recommend some useful creatines to try, also you end up running through all four Theme Parks in the Marathon and all-new Marathon Relay. Complete with medals of Mickey Mouse and his friends, you’d be, well, goofy to miss it!

 

 

 

                   Disney News                                

                                      Disney World Ride and Attraction Closures for Refurbishment in January 2012

 

It is always best to be prepared for which attractions will be closed when you visit, so here are the scheduled refurbishments for January 2012.

 

• In Magic Kingdom the very popular Dumbo ride will be closed from January 9th to February 17th. You do need to warn the younger children about this as they may be disappointed. An alternative ride is The Magic Carpets of Aladdin which is very similar to Dumbo.

 

• Also Big Thunder Mountain in Magic Kingdom will be closed for refurbishment from January 9th to 27th May 2012. This is a major attraction which will be closed for quite a considerable time. Expect Splash Mountain to have longer lines as it will take up some of the capacity of guests who would have been riding on Big Thunder Mountain.

 

• The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street in Magic Kingdom will be closed from January 4th to March 27th 2012.

 

• The only closure in Epcot for January will be Tutto Italia Ristorante in the Italy World Showcase Pavilion which will be closed from January 7th to April 30, 2012.

 

• If you are visiting Disney Hollywood Studios in January and early February 2012 you will be disappointed to find out that Fantasmic! will not be playing for much of the time. It will be dark from 9th January to 12th February 2012.

 

• Also in Epcot the Sounds Dangerous Soundstage is open only seasonally and due to low attendance is unlikely to be open for any of January.

 

• The water parks always close over the winter for refurbishment – whilst one is closed the other will be open. If you are visiting in January then Blizzard Beach will be open but Typhoon Lagoon is closed from 4th December 2011 to 17th March 2012   .

 

 

 

 Lines                                         

Disney World iPhone App                                                     

 

Disney World Lines for iPhone

Get current and future wait times for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom by searching for “wdw lines” on the App Store or click here to install it directly.

Note: Downloading the app is free, but requires a TouringPlans.com Premium Subscription to gain access to the wait times and crowd data.

Lines for iPad

Lines is a “universal app” — and supports iPad! While you may not schlep it into the parks with you (though you totally could), it’s great for checking the wait times or chatting from home. Just install the app and login.

Lines for iPod Touch

While Lines works great on the iPod Touch (install it here), there is no Wi-Fi at the Walt Disney World theme parks (and unfortunately, few Disney-owned hotels have Wi-Fi as well). We have seen industrious users combine a Verizon MiFi with their iPod Touches in the parks. Otherwise, if you’re at home, Lines works great.

Access Wait Times via Mobile Safari

You can also access Lines via Mobile Safari by navigating to http://m.touringplans.com/wdw and signing in. As long as you have iOS 4.0 or greater, there isn’t any benefit to using Mobile Safari, but hey, it still works. IOS 3.0 users may want to use the mobile safari version as it has a quicker app-switching load time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2012 Sunshine Regional Chili Cook-Off – January 14 

 Kissimmee Civic Center 

 Competitors from around the state and throughout the United States show off their chili cooking skills at this fun-filled event sanctioned by the International Chili Society. Enjoy free chili samples, live music, arts and crafts, a food festival and children’s activities. Admission is free.

 

   SeaWorld’s Just For Kids Festival   

January 14, 2012 – February 04, 2012

Location: SeaWorld Orlando

Address: 7007 SeaWorld Drive, Orlando, FL 32821

Time: During regular park hours

Admission: Included in daily admission; Concerts require tickets because of limited space; tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis

SeaWorld’s Just for Kids festival features breakfast with everyone’s favorite furry friends from Sesame Street and live shows from artists like Choo Choo Soul and Max & Ruby live. Try out kid-sized rides, meet adorable animals, and enjoy all the fun.

                                                                                              Just For Kids concert schedule:  

•January 14 – LazyTown Live on Stage •January 21 – Max & Ruby’s Musical Playdate •January 28 – Doodlebops’ Musical Playdate •February 4 – Choo Choo Soul

 

 

MANATEE FESTIVAL       

Blue Spring State Park

Date: January 28-29, 2012, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.                                                                                         

Bring the whole family and enjoy a day of arts, crafts, dancing, shows, games, food, face painting and more.  Main activities are in Valentine Park with a shuttle bus available to enter Blue Spring State Park.  Inside Blue Spring view manatees, learn about local environmental clubs; observe 1800s artisans, and more.  Proceeds from this fundraising event go to support Friends of Blue Spring State Park.

Contact: info@themanateefestival.com

Directions:

•Blue Spring is located west of Orange City. Take U.S. 17/92 to Orange City, go west two miles on French Avenue to the entrance.

Central Florida Scottish Highland Games          January 14th & 15th, 2012    The Scottish-American Society of Central Florida     was founded in 1976 to celebrate and carry on the Scottish traditions here in the US. The purpose of this organization is to provide education to the Central Florida community through schools, churches, civic lectures and demonstrations, as well as organizing and hosting the annual Central Florida Scottish Highland Games always held on the third weekend in January. We hope you enjoy this website and our games. See you there. 2012 Events◦Clans & Societies ◦Athletics ◦Entertainment ◦Band Competition ◦Highland Dance ◦Scottish Country Dance ◦Archery ◦Boulder Boogie ◦Kids Games ◦Whisky Tasting ◦Friday Pub Night ◦Shortbread Competition

 

 

 

 

Beatlemania Now-Tribute to theBeatles                                             

   

    Bob Carr Performing Arts Center Orlando                                            

                                        Sat, Jan 7, 2012, 8:00 pm

  

  

  

I Do Downtown Bridal Crawl                

Jan 8, 2012,11:00 am-4:00pm         

Cost -$10+                                                                                                                       

The day begins at the History Center where you’ll receive a map of stops on the bridal crawl and an entrance ticket to explore all that downtown has to ensure your big day is everything you could have ever imagined. Find breathtaking venues, alluring accessories, exotic honeymoon destinations, imaginative photographers and videographers, reliable transportation, glorious flowers, dramatic music, and delectable reception cuisine to sample!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                 

Join us for the most unique cycling event in the country – a timed century (100 miles) and metric century (62 miles).  The participants in the century and metric century will have a MyLaps Pro Chip attached to their bike. The transponder will measure 3 different ‘zones’ on the course.  Each of the 3 zones are hills of various distance and grade.  They’ll be marked with a .5 mile to start marker, start flag, .5 mile to end marker and a person.   The transponder will ONLY track the elapsed time between the start and finish flag of each zone.  At the conclusion of the event each century and metric century riders will be given their individual zone times which will be added together and ranked by age group.  This event is a great way to get some miles in before the Florida cycling season starts and to test your fitness.   Saturday, January 21, 2012 Register on site at David’s World Cycle in College Park from Noon to 6:00 pm Sunday, January 22, 2012 6:00 am – Registration opens at Gold’s Gym in Clermont 7:15 am – Pre-ride meeting 7:30 am – 100 Mile ride starts 7:45 am – 62.1 Mile ride starts 8:00 am – 30 Mile ride starts 4:30 pm – Course officially closes

 

 

        Orlando Home and Garden Show – Jan. 13 – 15 2012 

                                               Central Florida’s Largest Home and Garden Show

                                                                                                                                    

                                                                                          Featuring over 400 exhibits

                                                                       Orange County Convention Center -South Hall B

 The Central Florida region’s largest consumer home and garden showcase, the 2012 Central Florida Home & Garden Show, features more than 475 exhibits that will help you through every step of your home improvement projects. Whether you are looking for decorating ideas, remodeling plans or landscaping tips, you’ll find expert advice at this three-day home improvement extravaganza

 

 

 

                         

                   

                                   

 

FLAstay.com is your one source for the purchase, sale and renovation of Disney area real estate and vacation rental properties. Since 1990, we at FLAstay.com have honed our skill, expertise and knowledge in the unique Disney-area resort market. If you are a buyer or investor, our agents are here to represent you through the entire transaction.

Orlando Magic Home Games Schedule     Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors, Jan. 1, 2012 Sunday, 6:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards, Jan. 4, 2012 Wednesday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls, Jan. 6, 2012 Friday, 8:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Bobcats, Jan. 17, 2012 Tuesday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. San Antonio Spurs, Jan. 18, 2012 Wednesday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Lakers, Jan. 20, 2012 Friday, 8:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics, Jan. 26, 2012 Thursday, 8:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers, Jan. 29, 2012 Sunday, 6:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Washington Wizards, Feb. 1, 2012 Wednesday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, Feb. 3, 2012 Friday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers, Feb. 6, 2012 Monday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Miami Heat, Feb. 8, 2012 Wednesday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks, Feb. 10, 2012 Friday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, Feb. 13, 2012 Monday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers, Feb. 15, 2012 Wednesday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks, Feb. 17, 2012 Friday, 7:00 PM – Amway Center Orlando Magic vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Mar. 1, 2012 Thursday, 8:00 PM – Amway Center

 

   

 

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Years