More than 1.2 million pounds of turkey drumsticks are consumed every year in the four Walt Disney World theme parks.

I will be in Orlando for 3 weeks, do I have to have a ticket to the park to go to a restaurant?

Answer: Yes, theme park admission is required for all restaurants located inside the Disney Theme Parks.

The Epcot Flower & Garden Festival is kicking off in a few days and excitement is in the air!  There is a new sponsor the year for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, it's HGTV.  Besides this new sponsor, there are lots of new areas including the much awaited Pixar section with Buzz, Woody and Cars2.  We got a sneak peek of these topiaries a few weeks ago and they are incredible.  I can't wait to see them set up in the Epcot garden.

With the HGTV sponsor, there will be lots of celebrities on weekends and other experts seven days a week for the Epcot garden event. This section of workshops and talks is located next to Mission: Space in Future World.  There will be workshops and talks by a solid lineup of master gardeners, Walt Disney World horticulturists and a mix of TV and radio personalities, authors and educators.

Here are some more new additions for the Epcot Garden Festival:

• A roomier-than-ever Bambi’s Butterfly House

more than doubles in size this year in its new location along the Imagination Walkway by Innoventions West in Future World. It’s the first time the popular garden has expanded since its 2005 debut, and guests will see more butterflies than ever, Darden says.

• For the first time at Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden, favorite Disney Fairies will pose for photos and sign autographs throughout the day. Young fans who enter this whimsical garden also discover play structures for children ages 2-5.

• HGTV presents a Sustainable Beauty Garden with ideas for your own home garden.

• Rapunzel lets down her hair at Rapunzel’s Tower in the Tangled Magical Garden inspired by Walt Disney Pictures’ animated film, “Tangled,” located between the Germany and Italy pavilions.

• Flower Power

grows with new-to-the-festival pop acts. Melissa Manchester, March 25-27 (Don’t Cry Out Loud) and Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., April 8-10 (You Don’t Have to Be a Star) are set to light up America Gardens Theatre with their timeless tunes.

• A new Festival Special Weekend is slated for May when Disney*Pixar presents a Pixar Animation Studios celebration in conjunction with the upcoming “Cars 2” big-screen debut set for June 24.

The Epcot Garden festival is bigger and better than ever.  If you are planning a visit to Disney World from March 2-May 15, plan on spending a day at Epcot to see the Flower & Garden Festival.  This event is free with your paid admission into Epcot.  For more information or to book your Epcot Garden package to Disney World, contact our agents at 877-918-8941 or visit us online.

Tim and Allison are at Disney's Polynesian Resort for the latest edition of MousekeTIPS.  You will get a tour of this amazing Disney Deluxe Resort room, learn some of the latest discounts in Orlando, and even get a spotlight on a zipline tour.  Enjoy the latest edition of MousekeTIPS.

For more information about planning your Disney and Orlando vacation, contact our local experts.  We live where you're traveling!

Our latest contest is turning out to be quite a popular one.  Why?  Because everyone can win!  That is right.  You can win a Mickey Mouse ears, right from Walt Disney World.  How do I win these ears...you ask?  Easy, sign up as a Fan on our Facebook Page.  Then tell 9 of your friends about us.  When they sign up as a Fan, keep track of their names.  When you have 10 people (including yourself) signed up as our Fan, send us an email with everyone's names. That is it!  We will then mail you a Mickey Mouse ears.  Click here to go to our Facebook page to get started.

From the smallest victory to the greatest milestone, you can celebrate all of life’s accomplishments during your Disney World vacation.  I recently booked a few Disney World vacations for May for some of our repeat guests.  The big celebration for their vacation was graduation from High School.  This was the last big celebration for this family before their oldest child headed off to college.  It was a celebration for High School, but also a special vacation for the parents having their whole family together at Disney World.  You can celebrate any special milestone from a graduation, a new job, passing a special class, or even competing in a marathon.  At Disney World, you can celebrate any triumph!  For special triumphs, you can get a button at your Disney Resort or at Guest Services at the front entrance to any of the Disney Theme Parks to celebrate your milestone.

Here are some other suggestions to make your milestone even more magical:

• Congratulations Gift Basket
  Disney Florists can customize a gift basket for any personal triumph, whatever it may be. Such as a Disney Marathon-inspired basket, brimming with fresh fruit, high-energy fruit and nut mix, Power Bars®, Powerade® and a keepsake frame for the finish-line photo. 
• Dining to Mark Any Personal Triumph
  You can choose from a variety of Character Dining, Themed Dining or Signature Dining experiences to suit any mood or taste. A host of special customizations, such as personalized desserts, cakes and celebratory wines will be available in 2009 to mark the occasion.

Celebrate your special milestone this year at the Walt Disney World Resort.  Click here for more information about these special perks.

Disney considers a 1st visit to Walt Disney World as the ultimate celebration!  When you arrive to your Disney Resort, you will receive a special button that says, "1st Visit to Disney World".  You can wear this button during your entire vacation.  It is a fun goodie and a great souvenir to remember your trip.

Here are some suggestions to make your 1st visit to Disney World even more special:

• Character Dining
  From Mickey Mouse to Mary Poppins, you can experience unique Character dining experiences throughout the Disney Theme Parks. One of the most popular locations is Cinderella's Royal Table Restaurant, where the princess herself hosts a hearty breakfast or lunch.  For all of the Character Dining, be sure to make an Advanced Dining Reservation with your Disney World Specialist or by calling 407-WDW-DINE.  These reservations do book up early.
• First Visit Merchandise
  To commemorate a first visit to Walt Disney World® Resort, Disney presents essential vacation supplies for the entire family including autograph books and personalized Mickey ears.  At Downtown Disney Marketplace, you can even create your own design of Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears.
• Disney PhotoPass® Service – A family picture in front of Cinderella's Castle captures the splendor of Walt Disney World Resort, and is the perfect backdrop for a commemorative first family photo. Professional photographers will capture images of your Clients in the Magic Kingdom Park and other Disney Theme Parks which they can transform into personalized keepsakes with the magic of www.DisneyPhotoPass.com.  If you book a Magic Your Way Package with Destinations in Florida Travel, you receive a free 5 x 7 PhotoPass certificate.

These are some special ways to make your first vacation to Disney World more special.  Be sure to book your 1st Disney World vacation with us at Destinations in Florida Travel.  We specialize in 1st visits to Disney World and make the whole planning process easier.  Plus, our services are free.  For more information, visit our other benefits of booking with us.

The newest parade is more of a high energy street party at Magic Kingdom Park.  By far, this is one of the most popular additions to the Disney Parks this year.  It is already a favorite for Disney Cast Members and Florida locals!  The show runs several times a day on Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom.  The parade/show is called Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party.  You will see acrobatics, singing and lots and lots of dancing.  The whole family will "move it" to this new street party!  You will see your favorite Disney Characters and floats that look like presents.  For the show times, be sure to pick up a t Times Guide at the front entrance to Magic Kingdom.  For more information, contact one of our Disney World Specialists.

As a travel agent selling Disney World vacations, we have little moments everyday where we make a family happy by booking that favorite Character Breakfast or a child giggle with a phone call from a Disney Princess.  It is sometimes hard to pick a favorite magical moment, since we experience them daily.  Just yesterday, I realized my favorite magical moment is when a new discount Disney World discount is released.  I know that does not sound like a magical moment, but for me it is one of the best services our agency offers our guests.

At midnight on Sunday, March 30, a new discount package called Disney's Magic Your Way Packageplus Free Dining was released.  This discount package is available for guests traveling between August 16-October 3.  At midnight, most people are sleeping to get ready for the work week.  Not our agents at Destinations in Florida Travel.  All of our agents were up at midnight on Sunday to make sure our guests, that currently had a Disney World Package booked, were modified to this new discount promotion.  After the packages were changed to the new discount, we contacted every guest to let them know about their new discount price.  Most guests saved from $500-1000 on their package.

My magical moment was when I told these guests about their new discount price.  This new discount price is hundreds to thousands of dollars in savings for our guests.  Our guests did nothing to get this discount, but book with our company.  Imagine, getting an email or call from your travel agent telling you that your price just went down by $500-1000.  When I stop to think about it, how many companies would get up at midnight to help you?  How many companies would cut into their profit to help you save an extra $500-1000, even after you purchased an item?  I can truly say, I have never experienced this type of service in my personal life.  This makes me even more proud to work with such an incredible company that believes in going that extra mile for a guest, is just part of the daily services.

For more information about Disney's Magic Your Way Package plus Free Basic Dining, click here.  For more information about our company, Destinations in Florida Travel, click here.

Tinker Bell and friends from the new movie Disney’s Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure appear in elaborate topiary form in the new Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden at the annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World. More than 70 topiaries are available for viewing across Epcot during the 75-day festival. Other festival fun includes gardening seminars, Flower Power concerts, a butterfly conservatory and lots of children’s activities.  This festival is free with your paid admission into Epcot.

Don't miss Epcot's International Flower & Garden Festival from March 18-May 31. For more information, contact one of our Disney World Specialists.