Still looking for New Year's Eve plans?

Why not rock 2010 out with Bret Michaels? Universal Orlando City Walk has a special New Year's Eve celebration with the reality TV rock star himself. The party goes from 8pm to 2am, and it's a great way to ring in the New Year.

It's not a cheap night, though -- ticket prices are $139.99 (you can save $5 if you're an American Express card member) but they include quite a bit:

• Bret Michaels concert


• All-you-can-eat gourmet fare, including filet mignon, jumbo shrimp, and a wide variety of decadent desserts


• Admission to 7 different City Walk clubs


• Midnight champagne and confetti

The full menu is quite impressive, featuring several of City Walk's finest restaurants:

• Chef Carving Stations serving Mediterranean Holiday Chicken Roulade & Roasted Filet Mignon wrapped in Applewood Smoked Bacon Served with Red Wine Sauce and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes


• Seafood Station: Jumbo Shrimp and Crab Claws served with fresh lemons, cocktail sauce and sauce Louie


• Mixed Field Green Salad with seasonal toppings


• International and domestic Cheese Display with Fruit, Gourmet Crackers and breads


• Lobster Garganelli In a Brown Butter, Sage and Walnut Sauce


• Jalapeno Poppers with a cool Ranch Dip


• Mini Rueben Sandwiches


• Chicken Wellingtons with a Bordelaise Sauce


• Elaborate Display of Miniature Pastries, Cakes, Pies and Tortes


• Pat O' Briens®: Jammin Jambalaya served in a giant Jambalaya Pan


• Bob Marley's Jerk Pit: Jamaican Beef and Veggie Patties served with yucca fries and topped with chipotle ketchup


• Latin Quarter™: Whole Cuban Roasted Pork Loin served with onion Mojo and Cuban bread


• Jimmy Buffet's® Margaritaville®: Cheeseburger in Paradise Station


• CityWalk® Wing Station: Jerk Wings, Pat O'Brien Bloody Mary Wings and Teriyaki Wings with blue cheese dip and carrot & celery sticks

The food is nearly worth the price of admission; it's a big ticket bargain, if you can swing the price.

Book now at Universal's website -- tickets are still available for the celebration.

Getting ready for the New Year? There's still time left to see the holiday beauty.

Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios lights up the holiday night.

As 2010 comes to a close, there is still time left to see the theme parks in all their holiday glory. Whether your park of choice is Universal Studios (daily Macy's Grinchmas parade), Islands of Adventure (Hogwarts for the holidays? Yes please!), Sea World Orlando (Nightly snowfalls and special holiday shows), or all the glorious Walt Disney World Resort celebrations, don't let the holiday season end without one last visit. Check out the lights and the spectacle, marvel at the fireworks, cheer the parades and remember everything that made this year special. Don't forget to make your wishes for 2011 -- we can't wait to see what the new year has in store for Orlando and everyone who loves it!

Happy Holidays from OrlandoTastic!

It's Time! Help Sea World with their newest addition

Sea World's sweet killer whale calf -- born on October 9, 2010 -- is getting bigger every day and is finally in need of a name. The aquatic theme park is letting all its fans and guests help choose the right one for the little guy. Here are the choices:

Haruki -- Japenese for “shining brightly”
Makaio -- Hawaiian for “a gift of God”
Nico -- from teh Greek name "Nikos," which means “victory of the people”

You can vote via Sea World's Facebook page; the wining name will be announced January 4, 2011. You can get a look at the little guy (for now, he'll top the scalles at more than 10,000 pounds when fully grown) at Sea World Orlando in the viewing tank near Shamu Stadium. Here's a peek at what you might see during your visit:

Don't miss the snow for the holidays

Despite the unseasonable cold central Florida is currently experiencing, snow is never in the forecast. Unless someone makes the effort to create their own, that is. In Celebration, someone did.

Every night from now until the New Year, you can experience a true Americana Winter Wonderland. This is the 12th year that Celebration has pulled out all the holiday stops; the holiday party started just after Thanksgiving with a treelighting on November 27, 2010. Visitors have been enjoying a cool Yule ever since.

The event features a number of traditional wintertime entertainments, like ice skating, strolling Charles Dickens Carolers, photos with Santa, and horse drawn carriage rides. But the true spectacle of the event occurs when flakes of cold, sparkling snow flutter gently from the night sky. It happens four times every night, at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm.

Wander the town while the snow falls, enjoying your holiday shopping in a picturesque village amidst the twinkling fairy lights. Be sure to stop by one of the wonderful restaurants too, for some holiday treats and maybe a nice hot toddy or two!

Congratulations to the Peabody Orlando!

AOL online recently revealed their Best of Orlando 2010, and The Peabody Hotel was the winner!

For anyone who knows Orlando or has a taste for luxury hotels, that distinction should be no surprise. The Peabody has been a high-end staple for many years now, one of the first true bastions of luxury on International Drive. With the Peabody's 2010 multi-million dollar expansion, things have only gotten better. The hotel has added a new spa, two additional restaurants (including the exceptional Napa, a wine and food enthusiast's dream), stunningly appointed hotel rooms (which get my personal prize for most comfortable beds in Orlando), a grotto pool perfect for relaxing in the warm Florida sunshine, and the kind of style and decor touches expected of a hotel of this caliber. In a town rife with budget hotel rooms and ways to cut vacation budget corners, the Peabody is one place where your money would be well spent. Don't hesitate to treat yourself to the Peabody - it deserves a place on your Best Of list.

A beautiful EPCOT Holiday Tradition

For many WDW fans, there's no park dressed finer for the holidays than EPCOT. International decorations dot the park, making for a truly unique and festive backdrop for the winter holiday season. But it's after dark that the park truly shines, thanks to the Candlelight Processional.

This annual holiday event is held on special nights in December, at the American Gardens Theatre in World Showcase. Each evening, the story of Christmas is told by a celebrity narrator, while the music of a 50-piece orchestra and a professional mass choir swells in the background. Even non-religious guests enjoy the grandeur of the performance. December 2010 celebrity guests are (starting from this week):

12/07–12/09 — Jodi Benson
12/10–12/11 — Whoopi Goldberg
12/12–12/15 — Steven Curtis Chapman
12/16–12/18 — Thomas Gibson
12/19–12/21 — Trace Adkins
12/22–12/23 — Brad Garrett
12/24–12/27 — Edward James Olmos
12/28–12/30 — Marlee Matlin/Jack Jason



This event is hugely popular and seats fill early. Early attendance is a must or, if you prefer, you can book a special Candlelight Dinner Package, which includes your meal, guaranteed seating for the performance and a special seating area for the post-show fireworks. Choose from the following restaurants: Biergarten, Garden Grill, Rose & Crown, Le Cellier, Coral Reef, Nine Dragons, San Angel, Marrakesh, Teppan Edo & Tokyo Edo, Chefs de France and Tutto Italia. Dinner packages range from $46.99-$61.99 per adult and $15.99-$23.99 per child, plus park admission. For more information, call (407) WDW-DINE.