Thursday, April 28, 2011

Star Tours Reopens on May 20th 2011

On May 20, 2011, the power of the Force and the magic of Disney combine once again to create an unforgettable new Star Wars experience in Star Tours - The Adventures Continue - in 3-D! This deep-space flight simulator features light-speed travel to galaxies, far, far away.

Join the Rebellion

Climb in to the Starspeeder 1000 with old friends C-3PO and R2-D2, along with new additions Star Tours Pilot "Ace" AC-38 and Spokesbot Aly San San. When you board, several different journeys await. You might take flight in a Tatooine podrace or weave through the city planet of Coruscant. You could find yourself on the run from Boba Fett or meeting Princess Leia. You'll never know which characters and worlds you will encounter.

But, Beware! Darth Vader could attempt to create a disturbance in the Force. A showdown may be inevitable.

Hopefully, the Force will be with you!

To purchase tickets to Disney's Hollywood Studios visit our website at http://www.kgstickets.com/.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Remodeled Lego store at Downtown Disney reopens!

The newly remodeled Lego Imagination Center reopened yesterday. The store is much larger and features many new Disney Lego sculptures..



As you can see above, a large model of Maleficent in her dragon form is on the east side of the store. A very brave Lego man on horseback is ready to fight. Let’s start with a video showing some of the highlights before we go into the detailed photos.

Just on the other side of Maleficent is a play area. It’s about the same as it was before but on the other side of the store. The slide and clubhouse are gone, but there’s still a track to race your creations with wheels.

Facing the lake, and Brickly the Sea Serpant (who will be getting spruced up soon but isn’t leaving) is a model of Buzz and Woody from Toy Story, blasting off.

Snow White gives Dopey a kiss on the head as their furry friends stand by.

The rest of the dwarves are near by, working at their mine.

Most of the inside of the store is the same as before, but with much more space. The inside is lacking large sculptures except for this one of Woody. But Buzz is supposed to join him tomorrow and a full-size Lightning McQueen from Cars will be arriving soon.

This room is a new addition. Lego classes and birthday parties will be held in here.

This display showcases some Lego store exclusives.

Yes, kids can still custom build their own Lego figures.

The virtual reality screen is still available. When you hold certain Lego boxes up, it shows what the model looks like put together. You can move it around to see all sides and watch as it comes to life.

This popular wall of colored Legos is still available.

Photos compliments of Orlando Attractions Magazine.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Treasure Tavern Named "Best Live Show" in Central Florida!

ORLANDO, Fla. (April 1, 2011) - The Orlando Sentinel has named Treasure Tavern as the "Best Live Show" in Central Florida through its annual Best Bets competition.


The newspaper asked its readers to vote in dozens of categories. Over 5,000 people cast a ballot in the contest and Treasure Tavern came in as the reader's choice in the Best Live Show category, topping such shows as Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil.

"We are impressed the readers chose Treasure Tavern as the show is still relatively new in the marketplace," says Imre Baross, vice president and general manager of Pirate's Dinner Adventure. "However, there is nothing else like Treasure Tavern in Central Florida, where you combine songs, comedy and entertainment acts from across the globe."

Treasure Tavern has repeatedly been praised in the media since opening in June 2010, being compared to the Ed Sullivan Show by Orlando Magazine, and being named as a reason for locals to visit the tourism corridor by the Orlando Weekly.

In addition, Treasure Tavern's sister show, Pirate's Dinner Adventure, was named the best dinner show in Central Florida.

Treasure Tavern is owned and operated by Odien, Inc., a partnership of Ramon and Antonio Riba and the parent company of Pirate's Dinner Adventure. Renowned for 15 years in the dinner theater industry for exemplary service, facilities and first-class entertainment, Pirate's Dinner Adventure and Treasure Tavern are located one block from world famous International Drive.

To purchase Treasure Tavern tickets or any other Central Florida tickets, please visit our website at KGSTickets.com.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Best Dinner Show in Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. (April 1, 2011) - The Orlando Sentinel has named Pirate's Dinner Adventure as the "Best Dinner Show" in Central Florida through its annual Best Bets competition.
The newspaper asked its readers to vote in dozens of categories. Over 5,000 people cast a ballot in the contest and Pirate's came in as the reader's choice in the Best Dinner Show category.

"For 15 years, we've thrilled locals and tourists with our special show and it is fantastic that the readers of the Orlando Sentinel recognize what we have believed - that we are the best dinner show in Central Florida," says Imre Baross, vice president and general manager of Pirate's Dinner Adventure. "The Sentinel's readers can rest assured that we will not take this recognition lightly and will be showcasing new twists and turns to make our show even better."

The Sentinel designation dovetails a similar recognition in September, when the readers of Florida Monthly Magazine named Pirate's Dinner Adventure the best dinner show/theater in the state.

In addition, Pirate's sister show, Treasure Tavern, was named the best live show in Central Florida.

About Pirate's Dinner Adventure

Pirate's Dinner Adventure is owned and operated by Odien, Inc. and is the creation of artistic directors and brothers, Ramon and Antonio Riba of Spain. The main theater is comprised of tiered seating for 800 guests and the venue is available for private group events and functions. Renowned for 15 years in the dinner theater industry for exemplary service, facilities and first-class entertainment, the Orlando venue is located one block from world famous International Drive. This venue is the prototype for brand expansion. A second Pirate's Dinner Adventure opened in December 2005 in Buena Park, California; they are now celebrating their 5 year anniversary.

To purchase Pirates Dinner Show tickets or any other Central Florida attraction tickets, please visit our website at KGSTickets.com.

Monday, April 11, 2011

NASA's 2nd Annual Lunabotics Mining Competition

The Lunabotics Mining Competition is a university-level competition designed to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). NASA will directly benefit from the competition by encouraging the development of innovative lunar excavation concepts from universities which may result in clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual lunar excavation device or payload. The challenge is for students to design and build a remote controlled or autonomous excavator, called a lunabot, that can collect and deposit a minimum of 10 kilograms of lunar simulant within 15 minutes. The complexities of the challenge include the abrasive characteristics of the lunar simulant, the weight and size limitations of the lunabot, and the ability to control the lunabot from a remote control center.


The Lunabotics Mining Competition is included in the Kennedy Space Center general admission ticket.  To puchase Kennedy Space Center tickets or any other Central Florida attraction tickets, please visit click here.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Amazing Photos! Infrared Images of Elephants at Night

Infrared (IR) photography is a valuable tool in examining the thermoregulation systems of animals.

In these images, taken at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay each color represents a different temperature, so we can see what parts or areas of animals and their environments are cooler, or warmer, than others.

That helps us to learn about how animals regulate their body temperature.


Elephants don’t sweat or pant the way that many mammals do. They are “heat-storers,” whose core body temperatures can rise as much as 11 degrees Farenheit in a day.
What do these Infrared photos show us?

By watching how our elephants shed excess heat into the environment at night, and how they cool-down by trunk-bathing, dusting, shade-seeking, swimming, or ear-flapping during the day, we’re gaining valuable insight into this important aspect of mammalian behavior and biology.


What are the long-term plans for the use of these photos?

With our research collaborators, Dr. Esther Finegan and her graduate students from the University of Guelph (Ontario), we currently have several research projects at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay well underway with elephants, rhinos, and hippos, which should soon yield important scientific publications. In addition to increasing our knowledge of these species, there may be insights pertinent to zoo exhibit design and animal management strategies.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

1,000 and Counting!

Around SeaWorld Orlando, this loggerhead sea turtles is known as "Mr. 1,000."


He was brought to SeaWorld in September 2010 by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society of Brevard County after he was found in the wild, suffering from "lockjaw." When he arrived at SeaWorld, he weighed only 72 lbs. Now, after months of hands-on care and TLC by SeaWorld's experts, he weighs over 100 lbs and on March 11 was returned to the waters off Cape Canaveral National Seashore to once again tackle life in the wild.


He's the 1,000 sea turtle to be returned to the wild by the team of turtle experts at SeaWorld Orlando.

Since SeaWorld Orlando's sea turtle rescue program began in 1980, more than 1,530 sea turtles have been cared for by the park's vets and animal team. Each sea turtle was rescued by the staff or brought to the park due to cold stress, injuries from nets, fishing line and hooks, ingestion of trash such as plastic bags, boat strikes, natural causes and most recently, oil contamination.


The team's success rate in caring for turtles with such a wide variety of injuries is amazingly high: 68% of the turtles brought to SeaWorld in the past 30 years have been returned to the wild.

What should you do if you find an injured, orphaned or ill animal?

First, don’t approach the animal – be safe and keep your distance. Next, contact your local wildlife agency and be prepared to detail the animal’s exact location and its condition.

In Florida, contact FWC, 24/7, at 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922). In other states contact your local wildlife agency.

SeaWorld is a global leader in the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles. The park’s Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Team is in on call 365 days a year, 24 hours a day to care for all kinds of marine animals including sea turtles -- like "Mr. 1,000" -- dolphins, manatees and whales.