If you love ocean life, you cannot visit Orlando without including a trip to Sea World on your itinerary. Orcas, dolphins, penguins and polar bears, among others, await you in this educational park with entertaining shows. For thrill-seekers, try the new coaster, Manta, that opened in May 2009 and allows guests to experience G forces in a one-of-a-kind ride position. All December long, guests can participate in The Polar Express Experience, a multi-sensory attraction that places you in the middle of the North Pole. Tickets to the park are $69.95 in 2009, and the park is open daily through December.
Visit the Gaylord Palms Resort to enter a world made entirely of ice. Visitors can don heavy parkas to tour the interactive wonderland, where they will find hand carved ice sculptures, holiday scenes and slides. More than 2 million pounds of ice are used in the display, and the temperature is a frigid nine degrees. Tickets are $18.99 for adults during the week and $23.99 on the weekends. Children ages 4 to 12 are always $9.99, and the exhibit is open throughout December.
Mickey Mouse is hosting a Christmas party in the Magic Kingdom, and you are invited. On select days in December, the park re-opens at 7 p.m. for a magical evening of holiday fun. Thousands of lights decorate Main Street, USA, and complimentary cookies and hot cocoa are served to guests. Activities include a Christmas parade, character greetings, holiday shows and snowfall on Main Street. Tickets are $59 for adults and $53 for children ages 3 to 9. Tickets are limited, so purchase them early.
If you'd like to experience the Disney holiday magic without the giant price tag, then take a tour of the Disney resorts. There is no admission fee and even parking is free. All of the resorts are beautifully decorated for the holidays with garlands, lights, massive trees and floral arrangements. Enjoy Christmas music from a string quartet in the lobby of the Grand Floridian and take in more rustic decor at the Wilderness Lodge.
If all of the holiday events leave you feeling like Scrooge, then check out the National Cheer and Dance Championships at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex. More than 400 squads from across the nation will compete for top honors. If football is more your style, watch 64 youth football teams battle it out in the Pop Warner Super Bowl. Always held during the first two weeks of December, in 2009 the event will take place from Dec. 7 to 11.
College football fans can attend the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 27 at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.
