Legoland Florida officials present plans for new theme park

Central Florida will be home to the world’s largest Legoland by the end of 2011, Merlin Entertainments Group said Thursday.

The park, which is planned for the former site of Cypress Gardens, is expected to include between 40 and 50 main attractions. In addition to Lego’s signature attractions — such as kid-powered rides and giant Lego brick models — some of Cypress Gardens’ top draws are expected to stick around. The historical gardens will stay intact, according to Nick Varney, Merlin’s chief executive officer.

Merlin said it plans to keep the popular Splash Island Waterpark operating, although it will be a separate, ticketed admission. Cypress Gardens’ water ski shows and one of its two wooden roller coasters will probably be integrated into the new Legoland as well, Varney said.

 

Halloween Horror Nights 2010 tickets and prices

Halloween Horror Nights Universal Studios

The country’s premier Halloween event has announced the 2010 dates and ticket prices, so get ready, horror fans — Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights celebrates 20 years of fear in 2010. This is THE event for horror aficionados and it is rumored to be better than ever. It’s not for the faint of heart and definitely not for younger children (stay tuned for a blog post about Disney’s Not-So-Scary Halloween event, coming soon), but if you want excellent haunted houses, creepy atmosphere and monsters galore, it is definitely the event for you. Get your tickets sooner rather than later, especially if you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night or close to Halloween itself — Halloween Horror Nights sells out early for high-capacity dates and will be crowded with both tourists and locals, who often buy Frequent Fear and Frequent Fear Plus passes so they can hit the houses once a week during the 24-week run.

Halloween Horror Nights is not included in your regular Universal Orlando ticket price, though you can get a Stay and Scream add on for slightly less than the regular HHN pass costs. HHN is a special event with its own tickets, starting at $74.99 base. Express Pass access is also available and it’s highly recommended — on weekend nights, you can find yourself waiting upwards of 90 minutes per house, and with an anticipated TEN houses this year, that’s a lot of line time. The HHN Express Pass is available for an additional fee, which ranges from $39.99 to a whopping $79.99 for high-demand nights (like the Saturday of Halloween weekend).

A great way to go is to take advantage of Universal Orlando’s Gory Getaway packages. Starting at $299 per person, this deal gets you:

* 3-Night accommodations at a Universal Partner Hotel
* 2-Day Base Ticket to both Universal Orlando theme parks – one theme park, per day
* Early Park Admission to Islands of Adventure before the rest of the general public
* 1-Night admission to Halloween Horror Nights
* Access to live entertainment venues at Universal CityWalk®
* One 5”x7” souvenir photograph

You can upgrade to an on-site hotel for an additional fee. For more information, go to the Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights tickets page.

There are discounts available for Florida residents and Universal Annual Pass holders, with savings of up for $40 per ticket, making this option — if you have it — very worthwhile. For those of us without those kinds of options, though, it’s time to open the wallet wide. Think of it this way — you can practice your screaming as you pay for the tickets.

Halloween Horror Nights 2010 will run on the following dates:
September 24, 25, 30
October 1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 20-24, 27-31, 2010

Disney raises prices

As of Thursday, August 6, 2010 — enjoying the magic of a Walt Disney World theme park is going to make a bigger dent in your wallet. The theme park giant has raised ticket prices across the board, despite a still-precarious economy and their own recent trend of offering discounted packages and perks. From today, a one-day, one-park pass for all guests 10 and up will cost $82, up from $79. It’s $74 for a one-day, one-park for kids aged 3-9 — luckily, it’s still free for kids under 3 years old. Multi-day passes and annual passes are also getting a price increase — here’s the breakdown, from the Walt Disney World blog itself:

Days On Ticket	Base Ticket: Ages 10-up	Base Ticket: Ages 3-9	Optional Add-On: Park Hopper	Optional Add-On: Water Park Fun & More	Optional Add-On: No Expiration
10 Days	$262 ($26.20/day)	$239 ($23.90/day)	$54	$54 (10 visits)	$213
9 Days	$257 ($28.56/day)	$234 ($26.00/day)	$54	$54 (9 visits)	$208
8 Days	$252 ($31.50/day)	$229 ($28.63/day)	$54	$54 (8 visits)	$182
7 Days	$247 ($35.29/day)	$224 ($32.00/day)	$54	$54 (7 visits)	$142
6 Days	$242 ($40.33/day)	$219 ($36.50/day)	$54	$54 (6 visits)	$106
5 Days	$237 ($47.40/day)	$214 ($42.80/day)	$54	$54 (5 visits)	$95
4 Days	$232 ($58.00/day)	$209 ($52.25/day)	$54	$54 (4 visits)	$67
3 Days	$224 ($74.67/day)	$202 ($67.33/day)	$54	$54 (3 visits)	$28
2 Days	$162 ($81.00/day)	$146 ($73.00/day)	$54	$54 (2 visits)	$22
1 Day	$82	$74	$54	$54 (2 visits)	n/a

Ticket	Ages 10-up	Ages 3-9
Annual Pass	$499	$450
Premium Annual Pass	$629	$567

Competing parks like Sea World and Universal Studios Orlando have not yet announced a similar increase in their prices. Let’s hope they stay that way.

	Walt Disney World Tickets from $72.69
	Walt Disney 2 day hopper tickets from $194.00

New Restaurant in EPCOT!

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria

That’s an artist’s depiction of the new retaurant set to open in the Italy pavilion of EPCOT Center. Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria will open in August 2010. The restaurant will seat 300 and feature a family-friendly menu (details below) based on resturant creator Nick Valenti’s travels in Southern Italy and his success with the similalry-named Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria in New York City. The Via Napoli will feature pizzas cooked in one of three wood-burning ovens (ensuring dry baking that makes for the perfect crust). Each oven is named after real, active volcanos in Italy — Etna (located on the island of Sicily), Vesuvius (8 miles east and Naples and famous for destroying Pompeii in 79 AD), and Stromboli (a small volcanic island off the coast of Sicily).

The menu is mouth-watering. Here it is, courtesy of The official Disney Parks website:

Appetizers: Sicilian eggplant with olives and raisins; salad of lettuce, fagiolini (string beans), fennel and tomatoes; arancini (fried saffron risotto balls) with meat ragù, mozzarella and pomodoro sauce; corn-crusted fried calamari; minestrone with basil pesto; shared antipasti plate (arancini, mozzarella, calamari, portobella mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini and carciofi [artichokes])

Main course salads: Manzo (filet of beef) with greens, red onion, gorgonzola, apple and cucumber with a red wine-mustard vinaigrette; chopped salad with lemon chicken, greens, cantaloupe, cucumber, red pepper, green beans, onions, almonds and pasta crisps with honey-citrus vinaigrette; calamari with arugula, carrots and fennel with orange vinaigrette.

Pastas: candele (long, tube-shaped pasta) with sausage ragù; linguine with seafood; malfadine (ribbon pasta) with guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon) and pomodoro sauce; lasagna verde.

Piatti alla Parmigiana: (dishes topped with Parmesan and mozzarella gratinée): veal, chicken and eggplant.

Wood-fired pizzas: made with caputo flour imported from Southern Italy, San Marzano tomatoes, handmade mozzarella and water from a local spring just like in Italy’s Campania region – 10-inch, 20-inch or 1/2 meter to share: a dozen choices will be available, from pizza Margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil to carciofi pizza with artichoke, potato, pecorino cheese, prosciutto and cantaloupe.

Sweets: tiramisù, zeppole di ricotta (ricotta cheese-fried dough, whipped cream and chocolate sauce); apple cake with almond sorbetti; gelatie; and vanilla gelato with almond cookies and amarena cherries.

Rider Switch Program

You have finally arrived at the Walt Disney World® Resort! There you are standing in front of that thrill ride you have been waiting your whole vacation for…and realize that someone in your party is not tall enough to ride. What do you do?

Your family may have run into this same situation during your last visit. For example if you have five members in your group, Mom, Dad, a ten year old son, six year old daughter and three year old son. Your ten year old is now tall enough to ride everything so he was not a problem; not so for your six and three year olds.

At the Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain attraction in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park. The height requirement is 44 inches or taller. Everyone in your family could ride except the three year old, so use Disney’s Rider Switch Program.

What is Rider Switch? It is a great feature for families or traveling parties to use when you have a wide variety of ages and heights for some of the more thrill seeking rides.

Here’s how it works:

1. Locate a Disney Cast Member, there will always be one stationed at the beginning of the queue.
2. Explain to the Cast Member that you need to do a Rider Switch.
3. Next, you will be asked who is riding first (ex: Husband and Son).
4. The Cast Member will hand a ticket to another member of the party which looks similar to a FASTPASS® ticket.
5. Our daughter, three year old son and I were asked to step out of the line and wait for the rest of our party.
6. Once my husband and son returned, my daughter and I entered the FASTPASS® line to go straight to the ride without waiting in the regular queue again.

Rider Switch is a great advantage to use for any thrill rides where the waits can get hours long. This way the complete party or family only wait in the long lines once and everyone gets to ride. We also used Rider Switch for Rockin’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith (height requirement: 48 inches) at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™.

Not sure if a particular ride has Rider Switch? Just ask a Cast Member, they are always ready to help!  Talk

Disney on a budget

A vacation in Walt Disney World is all kinds of fun, but it can also cost all kinds of money. There’s the cost of the vacation itself (hotel, travel costs), tickets to the parks, meals, endless souvenirs, sunscreen, and snacks, to name but a few. But there are some free ways to entertain yourself in the Happiest Place on Earth too. Here are a five fun ways to spend part of the day or all of it, without dipping into your rapidly-thinning wallet.

Disney Quest

1. Downtown Disney — as long as you can trust yourself to window shop and you avoid the tempting treats and restaurants, it’s actually very easy to while away some pleasant and cost-free hours wandering Downtown Disney. The Westside is more modern and more varied. You can find everything from candy bars to designer sunglasses and clothes, so window shopping is a must. There is also House of Blues, where live shows featuring top artists are a nearly daily occurrence and fans have been known to haunt the stage door in the hope of grabbing a photo and an autograph during daytime sound checks. Check out the other side of things at Disney Marketplace (once known as Disney Village). The shops here are more Disney-focused, notably the massive World of Disney. There is also a Lego store complete with huge, intricate Lego sculptures outside where you can feel free to touch and poke and take pictures. Inside the store are tables full of those iconic plastic bricks, where customers of all ages are encouraged to build and play.

Floridian Walt Disney World

2. Disney Hotels — Disney theming extends much father than just the theme parks. The Walt Disney World Resort includes 19 hotels, all beautifully decorated and well worth their own visits. This is especially true during the holiday season, when some of the hotels even offer special tours of the more spectacular sites. Take the monorail to the Magic Kingdom hotels, like the Polynesian or the Grand Floridian, or take a walk to the EPCOT resorts like the Boardwalk or The Yacht Club. The Animal Kingdom Lodge even has its own Savannah views, with animals that live specifically on the hotel’s property. A short walk from Downtown Disney is Hotel Row and are even more hotels whose grounds also offer a lovely way to while away from time. All the hotels — both Disney property and the Hotel Row properties (including The Royal Plaza and the Hilton — check out the turtles in the Hilton’s pond!) There are shops and restaurants in all of the hotels, so take your time and explore.

3. Boats and Monorails — The Disney Water transportation and monorails cost nothing to ride, though once you arrive at the parks you’ll need tickets to go inside, and while the rides are short, they can be pleasant and relaxing. The monorail in particular can be a great respite on boiling hot days; it’s always cool and comfortable inside the monorail! You can even request to ride in the front car along with the driver and you’ll receive your own pin when you’re done!

4. The Boardwalk — A short walk from EPCOT or just a Disney bus ride away is the Boardwalk, a line of shops and restaurants modeled after the classic East Coast boardwalks. It’s a quarter of a mile long and is on the border of Crescent Lake, one of the many man-mad lakes at the Walt Disney World Resort. The Boardwalk offers food, drinks, shopping and entertainment. It’s a great place to wander and people watch, and things definitely heat up at night with street performers, street vendors and entertainment. A lot of it is free, so take a walk on the Boardwalk and enjoy the sights.

5. Celebration — Take a Disney shuttle from the theme parks to Celebration, the planned community just minutes from the parks themselves and home to approximately 8000 lucky (and definitely upper-upper middle class and higher) home owners. Celebration has small-town atmosphere and a quaint downtown area that includes some great restaurants, interesting shops and a movie theater. There’s also the romantic and lovely Celebration Hotel, with a charming lobby reminiscent of early 20th century inns. Check out the piano bar, too.

Star Wars Weekends

Mark your calendar! Star Wars Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios starts Friday, May 21st and continues every weekend through June 13th. Will you be there? Click the event link and make plans to show your allegiance!

Come immerse yourself in the power of the Force during Star Wars™ Weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 21–June 13, 2010. Here, you’ll find an entire saga’s worth of characters and more celebrities than ever before on hand for autographs, pictures, motorcades, Q&A sessions and more, including the Jedi Training Academy for your Padawans.

Weekend 1 Featured Celebrities (May 21 – 23)
- Temuera Morrison (“Jango Fett”)
- Daniel Logan (“Boba Fett” – Episode II)
- Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Captain Rex in Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Characters:
Jedi Mickey • Leia Minnie • Vader Goofy • Stormtrooper Donald • Ahsoka • Anakin • Queen Amidala • Aurra Sing • Boba Fett • Cantina Band • Chewbacca • Clonetroopers • Darth Maul • Darth Vader •Ewoks • Gamorrean Guard •Jango Fett • Jawas • Kit Fisto • Mace Windu • Princess Leia • Luke Skywalker • R2-D2 • Shaak Ti • Stormtroopers • Tusken Raiders • Zam Wesell • And more!

Appearances and entertainment subject to change without notice.

For the latest information on Star Wars™ Weekends, please visit www.disneyworld.com/starwars.

Plus, Call Upon the Force!
Call (407) 827-2799 and choose from either the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force to hear a special message from a Star Wars character inviting you to be a part of this special event!

This event is included with admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Disney World for Toddlers

Thinking about heading to the Walt Disney World® Resort, but not sure what would be available for your toddler?  The Walt Disney World® Resort has much to offer for visitors under 3 years old.  Starting with free admission, there are also several attractions, shows, etc. available to young dreamers ready for their introduction to the most magical place on earth.

The Magic Kingdom® Park offers a variety of options.  Fantasyland® is a virtual paradise – with an abundance of rides to delight both young and old.  The railroad provides a nice, relaxing tour of the park and there are a variety of shows exciting enough to maintain interest.  There are also parades and an outstanding castle show.  Add to that the chance to meet a variety of characters – including Mickey Mouse himself!

Epcot® offers one of the most exciting experiences – a large aquarium with Nemo as your guide!  Beginning with a ride in a clamshell, young guests will be amazed by the variety and color of marine-life.  The journey ends in one of the largest aquariums in the country.  Educational (and still fun!) rides are abundant in The Land Pavilion as well as in the Mexico and Norway Pavilions in the World Showcase. There are multiple shows throughout Epcot® as well as several Kidcot stations where crafts and other activities take place.  At the Epcot® Character Spot, there is another chance to meet Disney favorites Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ showcases the great tradition of Disney entertainment with a plethora of enchanting and entertaining shows – including Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage™, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage.  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure is a fun playground to play on.  The Block Party Bash® Parade is unique in that it stops several times and breaks into a giant dance party!  There is also a spectacular show that runs a couple of times a week called Fantasmic!.  It is intense but highly enjoyable, and of course, the good mouse wins!  Toddlers and children have a chance to meet their favorite Playhouse Disney® characters as well as Buzz and Woody from the Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story films.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park is simply put a wildlife experience like no other.  Part zoo, part adventure, Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Theme Park provides an escape to Africa, Asia, and even the pre-historic.  Jump on the Kilimanjaro Safaris® Expedition as early as possible and to get incredible views of the animals in action and to beat the crowd.  There are a couple of walking trails available where Guests can bird watch, check out a variety of reptiles, and see several gorgeous tigers.  Ride the rails to Rafiki’s Planet Watch® Land and not only will Jimney Cricket, Rafiki, and Pocahontas be available for photos, but a petting zoo awaits young visitors!  The DinoLand U.S.A.® Area provides all guests with the chance to ride dinosaur themed rides and for toddlers and little ones to enjoy some prehistoric fun.

The Walt Disney World® Resort accommodates families with young children beyond the attractions.  Baby Care Centers in all four Disney Theme Parks offer private rooms with rocking chairs for nursing mothers, diaper-changing rooms and rooms with highchairs. Diapers, formula, baby food and teethers are available for purchase.  Dining locations offer children’s menus, crayons and coloring books.  Length-of-stay stroller rentals are available for Guests who don’t want to bring their own.

The resort hotels of the Walt Disney World® Resort offer plenty of things for your little ones as well. Childcare is available (for additional fee) and to help in packing, port-a-cribs and bedrails may be available upon request.  Each of the resorts provides a pool as well as playgrounds (in select resorts).  Highchairs may be available for request in Disney’s Deluxe Villas Resorts.  When staying at a Disney Resort, it’s a short trip back to the room for a nap before returning to the Park to watch fireworks at night!

The Walt Disney World® Resort offers such a variety of activities for all generations – including guests 3 and under. Imagine the excitement and enchantment achieved through shared experience that awaits your entire family!  Come enjoy the Magic through the wondrous eyes of a child!

Grand Opening Of The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter At Universal Orlando Resort Set For June 18

Harry Potter World

Universal Orlando Also Unveils Details for the Highly Anticipated New Attraction: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

One of the most widely anticipated theme park entertainment experiences ever created – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort – is set for a public grand opening on June 18.

Today, Universal Orlando Resort also revealed details about what is expected to be one the most exciting theme park experiences ever created:  Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. It will be one of three themed attractions within The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the heart of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This all new adventure combines a powerful storyline with spectacular new technology so effectively that guests will be completely immersed in the experience.

And as they live their adventure, guests will feel things no one has ever felt inside a theme park attraction, move in ways no one has ever moved, experience film like no one else ever has, explore vast sets punctuated by amazing special effects – and have an adventure only possible in Harry Potter’s world.

The new attraction lies deep within Hogwarts castle, a majestic structure that towers over The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - the only place in the world where the wonder, excitement and adventure of the Harry Potter books and films comes to life.

The Adventure

Imagine…

…meeting Harry, Ron and Hermione as if they were in person

…soaring over Hogwarts castle with Harry

…being swept into a Quidditch match

…feeling the chilling effect of a Dementor

…exploring your favorite places inside Hogwarts castle

…living adventures you’ve only been able to imagine – until now.

The Story

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey draws you into the excitement and chaos of Harry’s life.  As you venture through Hogwarts castle, you meet Harry, Ron and Hermione who convince you to skip a planned lecture and follow them. Upon taking their advice, you travel by Floo powder, and begin the adventure as you soar over Hogwarts, narrowly escape a dragon attack, have a close encounter with the Whomping Willow, get pulled into a Quidditch match and more.

“Guests will experience firsthand a completely new adventure featuring the iconic characters, amazing creatures and recognizable locations they’ve only read in the books or seen in the films,” said Thierry Coup, creative director for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The Location

The Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey experience starts as soon as you walk through the gates of Hogwarts.  Within the towering Hogwarts castle, you explore a truly magical place. You journey through iconic locations taken from the films and take in the extraordinary detail of each scene.  They include:

Dumbledore’s office: Here, you meet the Headmaster as he welcomes you to Hogwarts

Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom: Where you first meet Harry, Ron and Hermione

Gryffindor common room: You meet three additional characters who prepare you for your journey

Room of Requirement: Here, with hundreds of floating candles above, you take your seat on an enchanted bench and begin the Forbidden Journey

Other locations: In addition, guests will pass through the Dungeon passageway and hallways of Hogwarts where they will have the chance to see hundreds of wizard portraits from the films, including several magical talking portraits created exclusively for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including the four founders of Hogwarts. Guests will even get a glimpse of the Sorting Hat.

The Innovation

This is more than just an attraction and it is unlike any theme park experience ever created.  It’s a revolutionary, 360-degree theme park experience and first-ever combination of live-action, advanced robotic technology and innovative filmmaking – specially designed and developed for this brand-new adventure.

“We have created an entirely new way to place our guests into the heart of one of the most compelling stories of our time,” said Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative.  “What we have done will forever change the theme park attraction experience.”

The attraction’s newly created ride system envelops guests in filmed action scenes and moves those scenes with them as they travel through the ride, allowing more time in the center of the adventure and with their favorite characters.  This fusion of robotic technology and filmed scenes has never been achieved until now.  In some cases, technology had to be invented to achieve the highest level of guest experience.   The combination of pioneering, state-of-the-art technology, innovative filmmaking and surprises around every corner make this attraction the embodiment of the Harry Potter book and film series-and the future of theme park entertainment.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Quick Facts

Storyline: As you venture through Hogwarts, you meet Harry, Ron and Hermione, who convince you to skip a planned lecture and follow them.  Upon taking their advice you travel by Floo powder, and begin your adventure as you soar over Hogwarts, narrowly escape a dragon attack, have a close encounter with the Whomping Willow, get pulled into a Quidditch match and more.

First-ever combination of advanced robotic ride system technology with innovative, immersive filmmaking

Award-winning composer John Williams oversaw the creation of the attraction’s score

The queue includes the following Harry Potter book and film elements: Headmaster Dumbledore’s office, Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Gryffindor common room, Room of Requirement, and the greenhouse; talking portraits including the Fat Lady and the never-before-seen four founders: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw; the Sorting Hat, the One-Eyed Witch statue and the Mirror of Erised

Duration of ride: The full attraction experience, including the queue, takes about an hour

Number of scenes in the attraction: 12

Characters (featuring Harry Potter film talent): Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid and Draco Malfoy

You may also catch a glimpse of Fred and George Weasley, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom

For the latest news about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, visit www.UniversalOrlando.com.

Universal Orlando Resort

There are many ways to enjoy your Orlando vacation – but there is only one Universal Orlando Resort.  It is a completely separate destination featuring two theme parks, three magnificently themed on-site hotels and a nighttime entertainment complex.  It’s the only Orlando destination where you are not just entertained – you are part of the most exhilarating entertainment ever created.  You can soar above Hogwarts with Harry Potter, swing above the streets with Spider-Man, battle aliens alongside Agent J, and help Shrek save Princess Fiona in Shrek 4-D.   You can be courageous, be outrageous – and be extraordinary.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

Harry Potter continues to be a global phenomenon.  The series of books by author J.K. Rowling has been translated into 68 languages with more than 400 million copies sold in over 200 territories around the world.  The films, produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, have grossed more than $5.4 billion at the box office worldwide, making Harry Potter the largest-grossing film franchise in history.

Attendance down at Universal Orlando

Universal reporting sharply lower profits for the first three months of the year

In anticipation of Harry Potter’s debut, Universal has been selling Potter-themed vacation packages, restructuring purchase options for 3-and 4-day stays and raised ticket prices.

In order to recoup some debt, Universal eliminated the  promotional offer of a 7-day pass and added a 3-day pass.

Potter vacation packages include breakfast at the Three Broomsticks Restaurant, early admission to the Wizarding World, and a grand opening ticket.

The advertising campaign for it’s highly acclaimed Wizarding World of Harry Potter soon to open at it’s Islands of Adventure theme-park is putting a strain on Universal’s low cash reserves.

Raking in some $19 million in revenues during the 1st quarter of 2010,  this number represents only 44% during the same time last year. That’s not much to boast about after deducting  amortization, depreciation, taxes and debt interest.

Universal’s exorbitant expense during the Super Bowl commercial advertising campaign has set Universal back by $3 million.

Anticipating the draw of  huge crowds, Universal believes that the expense was well worth the investment for the June 18 debut of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

First quarter attendance to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios sank 10% albeit there were gains in guest spending representing 3-month revenues of $163 million.

After restructuring dept of $1.6 million in 2009, Universal is hoping to refinance at lower interest rates while the credit-market appears strong.

	Universal Orlando 1 day Base Ticket - Our Price from $68.50 The Universal Orlando Resort Base Ticket offers a full day of fun and excitement at either Universal Studios Florida or Universal’s Islands of Adventure
	1 day / 1 park Eat and Play Combo Ticket - Our Price from $84.50 Enjoy 1 day admission to either Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure, PLUS receive UNLIMITED food and soft drinks
	Universal Studios Flex Ticket - Our Price from $227.95 Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Wet ‘n Wild , Aquatica, and Busch Gardens have joined together to bring you the Orlando FlexTicket™, the ultimate access to excitement and savings. All at a Special Discount Ticket Price.