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Fall is one of the most fun times in Orlando’s theme parks.

This year, Orlando’s theme parks are working hard to get the right balance between ensuring guest safety and spooktacular Halloween fun in Orlando.

Even with the new rules being enforced to protect guests from COVID-19, there is still plenty of fall fun to enjoy!

Here’s our round up.

Scary Good Times at Universal Orlando

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights are one of our favourite events.  Like many people we were sad to hear they won’t be running this year.

Universal have introduced plenty of “scary good” fun to occupy us though!

There are two heart-pounding haunted houses in Universal Studios:

Virtual lines are in place for both attractions to enable social distancing. Both haunted houses are included with normal admission to Universal Studios Florida or Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

You can take your kids (age 12 or younger) trick-or-treating in Islands of Adventure. Grab a free trick-or-treat bag, then look out for pumpkin stickers marking participating retail stores.

There’s also a fun Scarecrow Stalk. Find all 13 custom-crafted scarecrows and skeletons on this all-new scavenger hunt to receive a candy sampler bag, while supplies last.

Costumes aren’t essential, but they are encouraged.  Dressing up is a good way to have Halloween fun in Orlando.

Even better for Florida residents, if you buy a day you can visit every day through to December 24th for free!

 

Halloween fun at DisneyWorld Orlando

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party isn’t happening this year either.  However there are still plenty of special treats to enjoy.

The Boo-To-You parade, fireworks, stage shows and character meet-and-greets cannot take place this year because of social distancing rules.

Nevertheless, Disney has ensured that your little ones can still see their favourite Disney characters and enjoy the magic of the season. Magic Kingdom has introduced mini cavalcades that happen at various times throughout the day.  It’s actually really nice to enjoy a more laid-back park experience without the crowds.

There are plenty of special autumnal food treats to enjoy too. How about the Pumpkin Spiced Waffle Sundaes at Sleepy Hollow? Or the Pumpkin Spice Milkshake at Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies?

Disney is inviting all guests to embrace the spirit of the season by wearing Halloween costumes when visiting between September 15 and October 31, 2020.  While costume masks aren’t allowed for anyone over the age of 14, all guests are required to wear approved face coverings during their visit.

Taste of Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.  We’re pleased to say it’s still going ahead, albeit in a scaled back way.

Disney is inviting guests to sip, savour and stroll around the park.  There will be twenty participating marketplaces at this year’s Taste of Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Kids can follow Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak Scavenger Hunt. You will need to purchase a map and then explore the World Showcase to help Remy collect ingredients for his signature dish.  Along the way pick up  stickers from select Festival merchandise locations.  At the end of the hunt claim your prize at Disney Traders.

The event is included in your Epcot admission.  Remember to use the Disney Park Pass reservation system in order to enter the park.

What Halloween fun is happening at SeaWorld?

You can read more about what’s happening elsewhere in Central Florida on our blog: read about this year’s Spooktacular at SeaWorld here.

Ready to book your own Halloween fun in Orlando’s theme parks?

Check out our vacation homes near Disney World & Universal Orlando:

Browse our homes

Tim Justynski KSG

I like to work with people who share my ideas about delivering excellent customer service in order to ensure long-term success.

One business that certainly operates with this ethos is Kissimmee Guest Services, a local events business. I partner with KSG so I can offer guests discounted rates on theme park tickets.

But what makes KSG’s service so special?

“Park tickets are expensive and it can quickly get confusing,” explains Tim Justynski, KSG’s Director of Business Relations. “We aim to give personal service that ensures the customer has exactly what they need. We don’t oversell – none of our staff works on commission. That way we can ensure everyone gets the tickets they need – and only what they need.”

KSG sells tickets for all of the main attractions in and around Orlando plus many other smaller attractions. All of the tickets they sell are discounted.

“Whatever you want to do, we are going to be able to offer you a discount on the gate price,” says Tim.

The company is so confident about the prices it can offer that it gives all its customers a low price guarantee. Tim explains: “If customers can find the tickets on sale cheaper anywhere else then we will refund the difference in price. We are very confident about our low prices. We even offer this refund up to seven days after the customer has used them – we’re that confident we have the best deals.”

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“The only time we’ll be beaten is if there is something not right about the deal,” says Tim. some companies in Orlando that offer huge discounts on park tickets but these are usually in exchange for attending some kind of sales pitch. Tim does offer a warning about thinking you’re going to get a deal with an offer like this: “If you are offered very cheap park tickets then be wary. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is. Some local timeshare operators will offer discounted park tickets in exchange for attending one of their timeshare presentations.  Even if you are happy to spend three or four hours of your vacation at a timeshare presentation, you need to be prepared for some high pressure selling. You will get the tickets eventually, but be prepared.”

It’s a far cry from KSG’s customer-centric approach. Tim says: “We’ll organise for your tickets to be delivered to your vacation home if you like or you can stop by and collect your tickets from our office where you can also pick up some brochures and additional advice from our team.”

The advice the KSG team offers ranges from which tickets offer the best deals, through traffic tips, to the best times to see particular attractions. This personal service and the care and attention they give to every customer is probably the most important reason the Ellis Exclusive Villas team are so pleased to work with KSG.

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Another advantage is the company’s convenient location. The KSG office in Celebration is the only third-party ticket service on Disney property. The team are rightly proud of this fact. The Celebration location is also incredibly convenient for all our homes in Davenport – not just the homes in Kissimmee.

“We’re are just down World Drive, just off the Interstate so we can be easily reached by any Ellis Exclusive Villas guest,” says Tim. “Your homes are in either Kissimmee or Davenport and you can call in to our offices from either location on your way to the parks. We’re really close to Disney and just another ten or fifteen minutes away from Universal or SeaWorld.”

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I think the service the KSG team offer is really top notch and the fact that it is backed up by their low price guarantee means that sourcing our guests’ tickets through them is a no-brainer.
From my point of view, it’s nice to know that we share the same values about building a successful business through keeping guests happy.

As Tim says: “A happy guest is more likely to come back to us and to recommend us to their family and friends. That’s good for us. But, most importantly, we want the guests to get the vacation they want.”

We couldn’t agree with you more Tim.

To speak with Tim or his team, please contact them direct or via me on the usual numbers.  For more information, see our attractions tickets page.

Those of you who read this blog regularly will know I am a huge fan of Epcot and I can’t think of a nicer introduction to the festive season than Holidays Around the World at Epcot.  It runs 1 – 30 December, at Epcot, Disney World and features a candlelight processional, dining experiences, the obligatory firework spectacular and treats and traditions from around the world.

For the little ones, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party runs on selected dates throughout December (1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 18) at Magic Kingdom, Disney World.  It does require a separate admission ticket as well as your normal park ticket through, which is worth booking in advance – as always, you can book tickets through Ellis Exclusive Villas.

For something completely different, but totally awe-inspiring and totally Florida, how about witnessing a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral?  There are two this month: Atlas V- Orb-4 Rocket launch on 3 December and Falcon 9 – SpaceX CRS 9 Rocket Launch on 9 December. The Kennedy Space Centre also has a ‘Holidays in Space’ exhibit running from 19 December until 3 January.

On 4 December downtown Orlando begins its holiday celebrations as the lights get turned on.  The Holiday Lights celebration takes place at Lake Eola Amphitheatre, Orlando.

I’m really excited about one of the latest launches at Disney Springs: on 15 December a new Disney Chocolatier or ‘Ganachery’ opens.  Designed to celebrate the most beautiful product in the world, it’s the perfect excuse to stock up with some mouth-watering chocolate treats just in time for Christmas!

That’s assuming you didn’t pick up enough chocolate at the Lakeridge Winery’s Wine & Chocolate Festival the previous weekend, 12 & 13 December, at the Lakeridge Winery, Clermont.  As well as tours and tastings over the weekend, there will be performances by local bands and local crafters displaying their wares.

After all that chocolate why not head on over to this year’s Light up UCF?   It’s running throughout the month, Florida University’s CFE Arena, Orlando.  There’s lots going on besides the ice rink, so you really need to check out the online calendar for details of all the events that are running over the 50 nights of wintery wonderland magic.

Talking about a little bit of magic, The Nutcracker returns to Orlando Ballet 17 – 20 December.  You can purchase tickets for the performances at Orlando Ballet, Dr Phillips Centre for the Performing Arts, Orlando through Ellis Exclusive Villas’ ticket service.

My final pre-Christmas tip to really get you in the mood for Christmas is to make a visit to Celebration.  This town is picture perfect all year round, but throughout December it is just a little bit more special with nightly snowfalls at 6, 7, 8 and 9pm, photos with Santa, strolling Holiday carollers, and an Ice Rink.  The perfect warm-up (or should that be cool-up?) to Christmas.

At the end of the month, there’s just time to squeeze in one more unmissable event: the Orlando Citrus Parade on 30th December.

You can find additional details of events listed on our new events page on our website.

Has this whetted your appetite for a Florida Christmas 2016?  We are already taking bookings for the 2016 Holiday period – so now’s a great time to beat the post-Christmas rush and book yourself somewhere lovely for 2016.  Call me on  (from the USA): 321 710 8779 or (from the UK): 0333 332 1411

Autumn is traditionally a time of plenty and of harvest celebration and there is no better place to celebrate and give thanks than at Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival, held every Fall at Disney World’s Epcot Center in Florida.

My mouth waters at the mere thought of it!

It is my favourite event at any of Central Florida’s theme parks.  This year’s festival began on 25th September but there is still time to sample its delights – it runs until November 16th.

Wish I was there!

My family are enjoying the delights of the festival as we speak and I only wish I was there with them!

I’m afraid to say that their reporting back from the show left a little to be desired however… their top tip was the fact they paid $10 for a Guinness!

However, I can heartily recommend the Greek stall – the food there is amazing and worth the trip alone!

The French section do amazing iced cocktails – wow – they are good.

And, best of all, this year also sees the return of the Scottish food stand.  And, yes, last time we were there we all enjoyed the haggis, neeps and tatties.  Fantastic!

Truly there is a wealth of choice and you’d have difficulty eating your whole way around the world – although the Orlando Sentinel has had a go at it for you!

What you need to know

Mid-week is a great time to go.  This festival also attracts a lot of locals so the weekends can get busy.

Most Epcot International Food & Wine Festival events are included with admission to the Park, but several experiences do require a separate admission fee.  This includes the food and refreshment samples, entry into Premium Experiences and entry into Cultural Dining Opportunities.

However, the Eat to the Beat concerts are included with the normal price of admission.  There are still some great acts from the 80s and 90s due to play including Tiffany on the 24th and 25th of October, Boyz II Men on November 2nd and 4th, Maxi Priest on 13th  and 14th November and Chaka Khan on 15th and 16th November.  See the complete line-up here.

If you want to be seated near the stage then we do recommend getting there early – as much as an hour or more before the concert is scheduled to start.

Most food choices will set you back around $3 – $8 – so you won’t need an astronomical amount of spending money.

What to do before you go

A few simple steps to get the most from the festival:

Fancy the festival but can’t make it this year?  We are already taking bookings for September/ October 2016.  If you book for Fall 2016 with Ellis Exclusive Villas before the end of this year’s festival – 16th November – and quote the discount code EPCOT FOOD FEST we’ll give you a mouth-watering 10% discount off your booking.

Yum!