The information below is for your use to help in planning your vacation. 

Disney World Tickets
Large discounts are hard to find (discounts on Orlando's other theme parks are easier come by). Still, if you plan ahead, you can save a few bucks.

Here are some strategies to stretch your ticket buying dollar:

Buy only what you yourself will use. Unlike earlier tickets, they are now linked to you finger prints so you can not pass them around or sell them. You will be the only one able to use it!

* Buy before you go. Check ticket prices from Authorized discount sellers such as the one on top of this page.

* Plan your vacation days before you buy, so you don't buy a pass with more (or fewer) days admission than you'll actually use.

* Don't buy more ticket than you need. If you're not going to be visiting one of Disney's waterparks or Pleasure Island and only want tickets to the theme parks, don't let them sell you the more expensive Park Hopper Plus or Ultimate Park Hopper passes when a regular pass will do just fine.

* If you'll be making several visits that year, or an extended visit of longer than a week's park hopping, consider buying an annual pass instead of a park hopper. (Annual Passholders are eligible for some special perks and discounts beyond park admission -- for current programs check the Walt Disney World website or ask at Guest Services.)


If you fit into any of several select groups, you may be eligible for other programs offering even better deals:

* US Military. Active duty, retired military, and DOD employees are often eligible for discounts (sometimes even free tickets, with deep discounts for family members, during Disney Armed Forces Salutes.) Before you go, check with your local base MWR.

* AAA Members. Discounts are often available to members of AAA on multi-day passes, but you have to buy them at a participating AAA office. Discounts may vary by region. Check with

* AAA for prices and eligibility. Conventioneers. If you are attending a convention in Orlando you may be eligible for discounts or unusual pass combination options through that convention. Check with your convention's promoter or travel agency or at the tourist information desk in the convention center.

* Canadians. Canadians have sometimes been offered at par or discount deals in Canadian dollars through Canadian Disney Stores -- worth a visit before you leave Canada.

* Florida Residents. Disney offers Florida resident discounts on annual passes and sometimes offers special deals such as discounted "Play 4 Days" passes in the off seasons. Check the Florida Residents area of the Walt Disney World website for programs and details. (Proof of Florida residency required).

* Employees of Corporations Sponsoring Disney Attractions. If you work for Coke, GM, Fedex, or another company that sponsors a Disney attraction, or a company that contracts with Disney, see your Human Resources Department before you go and ask about any current programs.

* Disney Employees. Of course, if you work at Walt Disney World you know about their programs already. 

Scams?

You may also see advertising for ticket sellers offering deep discount, or even free, tickets. Such deals are possible but always involve spending hours listening to a timeshare presentation and a hard sell before you can get them. It's fine if you want to spend the time, but if a deal looks too good to be true be sure to find out up front what the catch is so you know what you're getting into.

Latest Disney Tickets

Creating a custom ticket is easy, just choose the number of days wanted on a base ticket (that allows a visit to one theme park each day) and then select from a menu of ticket options that includes: Park Hopper Option, Magic Plus Pack Option, No Expiration Option, "Magic Your Way" Premium Pass or Advance Purchase Savings.



Ticket Glossary

One-Day - Valid for admission to one park only Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, or Disney's Animal Kingdom.

The one-day ticket does not allow park-hopping or use of the Disney transportation system.

Base Ticket - Admits guest to one theme park per day's use. Park choices are: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Park Hopper - This option added to your ticket can be used at all theme parks Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, or Disney's Animal Kingdom – on the same day and also includes use of the Disney transportation system. It is available for either two, three, four, five, six or seven days. .

Magic Plus Pack - This option entitles guest to a specified number of visits (between 2 and 5) to a choice of entertainment and recreation venues. Choices are Disney's Blizzard Beach water park, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park, DisneyQuest, Pleasure Island, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Premium Ticket - This option combines the benefits of Park Hopper and Magic Plus Pack options. Advance Purchase Premium Ticket reflects savings available if ticket option is purchased prior to arrival at Walt Disney World Resort.

No Expiration - Add this one-time fee so that unused admissions on a ticket have no expiration date. All tickets expire 14 days after first use unless the No Expiration option is purchased.

Annual Pass - The holder of this pass enjoys the following benefits:

* Admission to all four theme parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom.

* Admission to more than one park on the same day.

* Use of Disney transportation system.

* Free parking on Disney property.

* Qualify for Walt Disney World discounts, such as reduced rates at select Disney resorts.

* Special newsletter just for pass holders.

* Discounted renewal rate if purchased within one month of expiration.

Premium Annual Pass - This pass offers the same benefits as the Annual Pass above, plus these added benefits:

* Admission to the water parks.
* Admission to Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.
* Admission to DisneyQuest.

A photo ID must be presented for purchase of either annual pass and may be required for future use of the pass. The pass expires one year after it is purchased and the expired pass must be presented to receive renewal discount. Florida residents receive special price.

A little Off the beaten path

OK, so you've been to Orlando a hundred times and you think you've done it all. You've visited the mouse, seen the whale and rode the movies. While those places are fun, you might be looking for something a little different the next time you come to O-town. Something you haven't done before -- maybe even something strange or weird. And as odd as the attraction may be, it has to be undeniably fun. Guilty pleasure: tourist-style.
Well, you're in luck, because Orlando just happens to have some truly great, hokey tourist attractions. Your next trip might be the right time to let your inhibitions slide and try something you might not usually do. Here are a few places a little off the beaten path for those who come to Orlando for the theme parks, but stay for something a little different.


Wonder Works
Walk into Wonder Works and you'll think your world has been turned upside down --literally. The most striking feature of this structure is the way the building appears to have been uprooted and then landed on its head. Even walking into the lobby you see stairs coming from the ceiling! Or is it the floor?

Once you get past your initial disorientation, there are lots of great things for families to do. Wonder Works tries to combine science with entertainment. There are more than a hundred exhibits for kids young and old to get their hands on.

Guests can feel what it's like to be standing in the middle of an earthquake or brave the winds of a hurricane. If that doesn't give you enough gray hairs, look into the future as a computer ages your appearance decades from now.
Virtual reality is a reality at Wonder Works. There are exhibits that put you right in the middle of the action. Guests use their flight skills at Shuttle Landers to take the controls of a spacecraft and land it somewhat safely on an airstrip. Then you can put your engineering skills to work as you design your own roller coaster and ride it at the WonderCoaster.
And when you're tired from your day of fun, take a rest on a bed that features 3,500 sharp nails rising up from under you. Maybe you'll discover the benefits of acupuncture.
DETAILS: This is a half-day event. Wonder Works is all indoors, for a good rainy-day activity: adults, $18.95; seniors and children, $12.95.
Wonder Works
Pointe Orlando
9067 International Drive
407-351-8800
www.wonderworksonline.com

Gatorland
Old Florida at its finest. After all, who doesn't want to see people wrestle gators?
Gatorland boasts that it was Central Florida's first major attraction and has plenty of history to back it up. What started out as a small alligator pit in Owen Godwin's back yard in the 1930s has turned into a 110-acre "Alligator Capital of the World." Get chummy with hundreds of alligators and reptiles as you take a gander from the boardwalk or observation tower overlooking the wildlife refuge.

But it's not just watching gators sunning themselves at Gatorland. There are shows, too. Gator wrestling is a popular draw. One of the brave employees faces certain peril as he enters the ring to wrestle an alligator and gives the audience quick biology lessons peppered with hokey one-liners.
After the show, visitors can take part in some amateur gator wrestling and have their picture taken on the back of one of the alligators for a $10 fee. Don't worry parents; the alligator's snouts are taped shut. Later you can see the Jumperoo Show featuring the same people who were wrestling gators 45 minutes ago. Spectators gather round a dock where hungry gators wait in the water while employees put raw chicken on the end of an oversized fishing pole. Out of nowhere, the gators lunge upward for their lunch, snatching it off the poles.
A train takes guests around the park to get the lay of Gatorland. Kids will also enjoy Alligator Alley's kid-friendly exhibits and play areas.
DETAILS: Plan to spend half a day: adults, $19.95; children, $12.95. Look on the web site for a $2.50-off coupon for each adult ticket.
Gatorland

14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail
800-393-JAWS (5297)
www.gatorland.com

Carle's works in Orlando
"Polar bear, polar bear, what do you hear?"
I hear that Eric Carle's work is coming to the Orlando Museum of Art for the summer, May 13 through Aug. 13.
Thirty-five year's worth of Carle's works -- including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? have set a standard in children's fiction artwork. Forty colorful creations from his works will be on display at the museum for its third children's picture-book art exhibition.
Carle creates the photos by hand-painting tissue paper with vibrant colors, then cutting and layering them to form the images in the books. He has said in interviews the colors are a compulsive answer to growing up in gray and brown Germany in the Second World War.
The Orlando Museum of Art
2416 N. Mills Ave., Orlando Loch Haven Park
Adults, $8; seniors and college students, $7; students $5; children under 5 and OMA members, free.
407-896-4231
www.omart.org

SkyVenture
If you ever wanted to know what it was like to skydive, but without the risks that come with plummeting 10,000 feet, check out SkyVenture.
SkyVenture is a large wind tunnel that lets you experience the thrill of skydiving without jumping from a plane. It's skydiving with training wheels. Five 200-horsepower fans generate winds of up to 150 miles an hour in the tunnel. It gives you the feel of a freefall experience without the risk of actually freefalling.

After you sign all the necessary waivers, you suit up for your experience. Then the instructors show you all the necessary safety information you'll need while in the tunnel. Once all the preliminary activities are completed, you're ready to soar. As you enter the tunnel, you go in as part of a group of 12. Each person will get two turns inside the tunnel; more advanced fliers get additional turns. Novices take their turns learning the basics, and instructors help to guide your body for optimal aerodynamics. And as you become more experienced, you can do more in the wind tunnel. There are a number of tricks and flips instructors can teach for those who are more seasoned.
Huge Plexiglas walls enclose the wind tunnel so the rest of your flight team can watch as you take your turn with destiny. Your less daring family members can watch from the other side in the observation area.
And it's not just for adults. People as young as 3 years old have taken to the sky tunnel. Ten-year-old thrill seeker Ryan Clarke on vacation from England loved the experience, saying his SkyVenture adventure rivaled riding The Hulk roller coaster at Universal Studios. He was "a little nervous" at first. But once he completed his flight, he said, "it was just amazing."
DETAILS: Including training, suiting up, and skydiving, the experience lasts about an hour: adults, $39.95; children, $35.95.
SkyVenture
6805 Visitors Circle
(Across from Wet And Wild)
800-SKYFUN1 (800-759-3861)
www.skyventureorlando.com