CitySurfing Orlando

If you missed the annual Disney Christmas Parade broadcast on ABC yesterday, you missed a great performance by a very pregnant Mariah Carey singing her hit, “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, we’ve got a clip of that performance to share with you today:

Tags: Disney Christmas Parade, Magic Kingdom, Mariah Carey

We at CitySurfing Orlando thank you for discovering us and for returning to read us time and time again.

We hope that wherever you are, you are having a wonderful day with family, friends and loved ones.

Stay safe through the holidays and may Santa bring you all that you desire.

The above photo was taken at the Osborne Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole display.

Tags: Disney Hollywood Studios, Merry Christmas, Osborne Lights

Still don’t have plans for New Year’s Eve? Well here is a list of all the fun events happening next Friday around Orlando.

Whether you want to go nightclubbing or want something a little more family friendly, there are so many ways to ring in 2011:

Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort – $35 to $75
$35 gets you general admission, party favors and a champagne toast at midnight. A VIP ticket costs $75 and includes a private upstairs area with seating with limited viewing for Epcot fireworks with guaranteed seating and coffee, tea or hot chocolate with dessert bar and a premium bar. 21 and up to attend.

Beebs & Her Money Makers, Kaleigh Baker and Cadillac Recipe at The Social – $10 advance / $15 day of
Rock in 2011 with live music from the above bands, female body painting, free champagne toast at midnight. Must be 21 and up.

Blue Martini Orlando New Year’s Eve Celebration – $40 in advance / $50 day of
The evening includes select open bar from 8-11pm, complementary hors d’oeuvres and desserts, a balloon drop at midnight and live entertainment from C’Nergy.

Celebration Weekend at Celebration Town Center – Free
This family-friendly event features live music including a special reunion show from VonRay, and fireworks at midnight.

Classic Albums Live: Saturday Night Fever at Hard Rock Live – $27.50 Gen. Admission Floor / $50 Reserved Balcony
Dance to the soundtrack of the 70s at this NYE event, featuring a 70s costume contest with grand prize of VIP seats and dinner to Earth, Wind & Fire on May 3. Show is all ages.

DisneyQuest at Downtown Disney – $39 in advance/$45 day of
Includes access to all DisneyQuest attractions and video games, a DJ Dance Party with a New Year’s Eve countdown, party favors and a coupon for a personal pizza and soda at FoodQuest. Runs from 8pm to 1am. Tickets available online or at DisneyQuest box office.

Downtown Countdown New Year’s Eve Bash at Firestone Live in downtown Orlando – $20 regular / $40 VIP
Jam to the sounds of DJ Nasty and D-Strong. First 102 people 21 and over are free. 18 and over welcome.

Dragon Room NYE Party in downtown Orlando – $25 to $35
Open bar until midnight for first 100 tickets at $25 and until 2am for first 100 tickets sold at $35. VIP tables start at $250. All prices include party favors, champagne toast and a balloon drop. Click link above to get $5 off with code word DRAGON.

James Bond New Year’s Party: Dress To Kill at The Enzian Theater – $25 on up
Come dressed as your favorite James bond character and enjoy a DJ spinning until 2am. Bond classic Thunderball will be playing outside at Eden Bar.

Brantley Gilbert at The Plaza Theatre – $20
Georgia country artist Brantley Gilbert headlines The Plaza Theatre’s NYE bash, which starts at 9pm.

La Nouba New Year’s Eve at Downtown Disney – $67 to $133
New Year’s Eve performances of Cirque du Soliel’s La Nouba include a  limited edition commemorative La Nouba trading pin.

Bret Michaels at Universal CityWalk – $99 for annual passholders / $119.99 regular
Enjoy a live concert from Poison frontman and reality TV star Bret Michaels as you club hop and nosh on a gourmet buffet. The evening is capped off with midnight fireworks.

New Year’s Eve Party on Church Street in downtown Orlando – $39 to $99
Several of the popular bars and clubs on Church Street are banding together for this party. $39 cover includes entry to Antigua, Big Belly Brewery, Chiller’s and Latitudes. $59 cover also includes unlimited domestics, wells and frozen drinks. Upgrade to the $79 Gold Package for the addition of unlimited imports, calls and shots. The top line $99 Platinum Package has all the above plus unlimited premium, super premium and Red Bull drinks. The Platinum price also includes a $25 gift certificate to use in any of the clubs.

New Year’s Eve Party at VAiN Nightclub in downtown Orlando – $25 to $75
Hosted by Joey Fatone (Dancing With the Stars; N’Sync) the party features DJ Barry Carew, A-Rock and J. Moreno spinning. $25 gets you in, $50 gets you open premium bar until midnight and $75 gets you open premium bar all night. All packages include hor d’oeurves, champagne toast at midnight, commemorative photo and more.

Old Town New Year’s Eve in Kissimmee – Free
Ring in 2011 with the weekly car show, along with live music courtesy of Reunion. Fun for the family!

101.1 WJRR Presents Big Friggin Eve with The Supervillains at House of Blues – $10.11 in advance / $13.11 day of
Celebrate the new year with the reggae sounds of Orlando’s The Supervillians.

Orlando Brewing New Year’s Eve – Free
Enjoy live entertainment by John Q at this microbrewery/pub.

SeaWorld New Year’s Eve – Free with Park Admission
Enjoy the normal shows and attractions, along with a special fountain and fireworks show at midnight.

Tabu NYE Party with Power 95.3FM in downtown Orlando – $20 women / $30 men
DJs Richie Rich, Nailz and MC Lil’ Shawn will be spinning hip-hop, reggae and more. Prices include free party favors, drink specials and a champagne toast at midnight. Must be 18 and up.

Ultra Nate at The Parliament House – $20
The dance diva headlines the festivities at this gay resort and entertainment complex. Room specials are available, too.

Wall St Plaza New Year’s Eve in downtown Orlando – $20 in advance / $25 day of / $100 Resolution Package
Regular admission tickets get you into the block party with 9 venues, DJs, a light show and other surprises at midnight. The Resolution Package throws in a tented lounge, open bar from 10pm to 2am, champagne toast at midnight, a 2am breakfast bar and more. Must be 21 and up.

Walt Disney World New Year’s Eve Events – Free with Park Admission
Three of the parks have events to ring in 2011. Magic Kingdom has Fantasy in the Sky fireworks at 11:50pm and is open until 2am. Epcot has a special 11:40pm showing of “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” and is open until 1am. Disney Hollywood Studios has a 10pm showing of “Fantasmic!” followed by “Lights,Camera, Happy New Year fireworks” starring Mulch, Sweat and Shears at 11:55pm.

Whiskey Basin at The Barn in Sanford – $20
Enjoy live country music and all-you-can-drink specials from 9pm on.

Tags: bars, CityWalk, downtown, family friendly events, fireworks, New Year's Eve, nightclubs, SeaWorld, theme parks, Universal Orlando, Walt Disney World

One of my favorite holiday displays at Walt Disney World was always the Lights of Winter arch that straddled the walkway that connected the two sections of Epcot.

It was programmed so the lights changed colors and danced to the holiday music being played. It was so pretty and always got me into the spirit. Sometimes I would just perch myself under it on one of the planter ledges and watch for 20 or 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, 2008 was the last year that WDW decided to install the display. Disney officials stated in 2009 the park was retiring the Lights of Winter because the technology to operate the attraction was obsolete.

So in memory of a truly magical holiday display, here’s a photo of the Epcot holiday arch. I took it during the last year that Walt Disney World had the Lights of Winter up.

I was in Future World, looking towards the World Showcase. At the very end, you can see the bottom of the Christmas tree at the entrance to the World Showcase.

Hopefully we’ll get to see this beautiful display again during a future holiday season. After all, Disney Imagineers should be capable of creating a comparable display that is more up-to-date technology-wise.

Tags: Christmas lights, Epcot, holiday arch, holiday display, Lights of Winter, Walt Disney World

I’ve seen snow Santas and sand Santas but the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotel has a Santa sculpture I’ve never seen before – a life-size chocolate Santa.

The entire display, complete with armchair, fireplace and Christmas tree, is made from 1,200 pounds of chocolate.

According to the hotel, their world-champion executive pastry chef, Laurent Branlard, used 880 pounds of dark chocolate, 132 pounds of milk chocolate, 154 pounds of white chocolate and 120 pounds of cocoa butter.

They also say this amazing creation contains almost 3,000,000 calories. Something tells me Weight Watchers would not approve.

Not sure what they’re going to do with the sculpture when the holidays are over, but I sure hope they have the air conditioning cranked up to prevent it from melting in the meantime.

[Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin]

Tags: chocolate, display, holiday decorations, luxury hotel, Santa, sculpture, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin