On the day before hitting the Academy Awards red carpet and picking up a best picture Oscar, the young stars of “Slumdog Millionaire” spent Saturday afternoon taking in rides and attractions at Universal Studios Hollywood, including the Simpsons Ride.

Pictured from left to right: Tanay Hemant Chheda (middle Jamal), Madhur Mittal (older Salim), Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala (middle Salim), Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (Young Jamal), Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar (middle Latika).

Photo: Universal Studios Hollywood

For more info on visiting Universal Studios Hollywood or Orlando, call 866-972-6244 X 729

Denise Lorentzen is an Universal Parks and Resort specialist!!

Adventures by Disney has put together unique Disney Differences on some of their 2009 tour packages.  You can book an “Adult Only” itinerary options or a new Signature Trip to South Africa or Northern California. 

Below are just some highlights of the differences that you can take part in on select 2009 Adventures by Disney itineraries:

Traveling Without Kids

Our vacations are created to be enjoyed by everyone. So as an added Disney Difference, you can find select departure dates that are exclusively for Guests 18 years and older. Daily activities for these trips may vary.

The Advantages of Our New Signature Trips

When you book one of our Signature Trips to South Africa or Northern California, available on select departure dates, you will enjoy additional special elements for an even more extraordinary vacation experience.

Safari to South Africa – Cape Town, The Garden Route and Kapama Game Reserve
July 6 & 27, September 14 & December 15

• VIP meet & greet at aircraft and luxury sedan transfer
• Upgraded accommodations to the luxurious Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town’s lively Waterfront area
• Upgraded accommodations to the beautiful Main Lodge in Kapama Game Reserve
• Exclusive VIP gift in-room amenity
• VIP memento gift from the Gold of Africa Museum’s exquisite gift shop
• Special entertainment from the Township Boys Choir in addition to the Cape Minstrels at the Castle of Good Hope exclusive dinner
• Exclusive “African Skies” themed dinner with dance entertainment
• Exclusive “Sundowner” dinner experience at the Knysna Elephant Park
• Exclusive Catch & Release Fishing for Junior Adventurers at Kapama Game Reserve
• All included dinners feature complimentary wine and beer

Golden Path to Yosemite – San Francisco and Yosemite
June 14

• Upgraded accommodations to the lovely St. Regis hotel in San Francisco
• Upgraded accommodations to the magnificent Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite
• Exclusive rock climbing class at the Yosemite Mountaineering School
• Exclusive professionally guided camera walk of Yosemite Valley
• Exclusive VIP gifts in-room amenity
• All included dinners feature complimentary wine and beer

 For more info on an Adventures by Disney trip, call Denise at 866-972-6244 X 729

Enjoying a Disney Cruise Line® vacation will soon be easier than ever if you are traveling with infants and toddlers. Thanks to a cruise industry-first service, you will be able to have baby supplies, including diapers, baby food, infant formula and specialty travel items delivered directly to your staterooms!

Beginning March 15, anyone preparing to sail on Disney Cruise Line with little ones will have access to an online service that allows them to order baby supplies in advance of their cruise and have them delivered to their stateroom. The new service is exclusive for Disney Cruise Line Guests and provided by Babies Travel Lite, an online retailer offering more than 1,000 brand-name baby products.

The new delivery service is just one of the many products and services available to those traveling with children under three. Guests also have access to a host of onboard services to facilitate traveling with toddlers in tow:

• Diaper Genie units, cribs and playpens are available complimentary upon request from the stateroom host/hostess for use during the cruise.
• Bottle warmers, bottle sanitizers and strollers are available complimentary at Guest Services for use during the cruise.
• At Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, wagons are available to facilitate navigating the island’s sandy beaches.
• Baby supplies are available for purchase on the ships.

These amenities are the perfect complement to Disney’s infant-care center at sea, Flounder’s Reef Nursery. The nursery features an “under the sea” soft play area themed to Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” where children twelve weeks to thirty-six months can enjoy themselves under the watchful eyes of trained Disney caregivers. Mickey Mouse or another Disney pal may swing by for a surprise visit involving fun and games!

Also for infants and toddlers to enjoy is Mickey’s Splash Zone, a water playground inspired by The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Disney’s “Fantasia.” This extension to Mickey’s Pool features star- and moon-shaped interactive fountains, soft play surface and whimsical splash zones, creating an inviting environment for children not yet toilet trained and in swim diapers.

Families sailing on seven-night cruises can enjoy some “together” time with their little ones during Family Time Sessions at Flounder’s Reef Nursery. Families have the opportunity to explore the nursery and meet the team of counselors who supervise the children.

Also on seven-night cruises, you can enjoy Toddler Time at Disney’s Oceaneer Club and at Mickey’s Splash Zone. Families can join their little ones and explore the world together as they participate in musical games and fine motor skill exercises led by Disney’s youth activities counselors.

A leader in the family cruise segment, Disney Cruise Line delivers a cruise experience that every member of the family feels was created for their own individual vacation needs and wants.

If you would like to book a cruise on the Disney cruise lines, call Denise at 866-972-6244 X 729

With all the thrills and suspense that have made it a television and pop culture phenomenon, “American Idol” has come to Walt Disney World® Resort in a groundbreaking, new attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™.

The American Idol Experience* captures the energy and excitement of the TV series, with some Guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios auditioning to take the spotlight onstage, while fellow Guests cheer them on from the audience and vote for their favorite singer with instant results.

The attraction, which opened on Feb. 14, 2009, was developed by Walt Disney Imagineering in conjunction with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and 19 TV Ltd. It is based on the smash-hit television show “American Idol” – produced by 19 TV Ltd. and FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) – and is designed to immerse park Guests into the authentic feel of a live television production.

Each show takes place in a 1,000 seat, indoor theater that features the neon signs and a multi-layered backdrop inspired by the actual “American Idol” set in California. Building on its hallmark of attention to detail, Walt Disney Imagineering worked with the Hollywood set designer who designed the actual TV show set for “American Idol.”

The newly designed venue is the most technologically advanced theater found at Walt Disney World Resort.

Designed to reflect the best and brightest elements of the TV show, The American Idol Experience includes an audition process open to Disney’s Hollywood Studios Guests 14 and older (audition slots are limited and interested Guests are encouraged to arrive early). These Guests perform live in front of a Disney’s Hollywood Studios casting director for the opportunity to be cast in one of the preliminary Theme Park shows that same day.

If a Guest shows that special “star quality” during the multi-step audition process, they move on to performance training with a vocal coach, hair and make-up. Then, it’s showtime for the singers in front of an audience comprised of Theme Park Guests, plus a panel of three expert judges.

Performers with the highest votes during the preliminary shows will return for a high-energy, grand finale show that same evening. After their encore performances, the big moment arrives. It’s a super-charged, eye-popping scene as the audience votes are tallied, the other performers drop off, music builds and the spotlight shines down, amid a blizzard of confetti, on the day’s top singer.

In addition to their new-found Theme Park fame, the top vote-getter will receive The American Idol Experience Dream Ticket, which allows an eligible holder to schedule a front-of-the-line audition to a future regional audition for the “American Idol” television show.

The American Idol Experience is the newest attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The showbiz-inspired Theme Park immerses Guests in the glamour of show business with thrilling attractions, Broadway-style shows, world-class atmosphere entertainment and interactive film, music, television and radio production facilities.

* AMERICAN IDOL® is a registered trademark of 19 TV Ltd. and FremantleMedia North America, Inc

One of the most beloved attractions at the Disneyland® Resort, “it’s a small world” has reopened with exciting new enhancements. With the premiere of a new “Spirit of America” scene, new musical enhancements and a new look for some of the attraction’s familiar child dolls, “it’s a small world” will once again take Guests of all ages on “the happiest cruise that ever sailed.”

This classic attraction has been renovated and enhanced while retaining the world-renowned charm that holds such a special place in the hearts of Disneyland Resort guests. The “it’s a small world” journey continues to celebrate children of the world and their message of harmony and friendship. And now, for the first time, Guests will be able to find some of the child dolls dressed as their favorite Disney Characters, in the countries where their stories take place. For example, dolls dressed in Aladdin and Jasmine costumes play in the Middle East scene, and a doll dressed as Alice from “Alice in Wonderland” appears in the Great Britain scene.

For more info on going to Disneyland, call Denise Lorentzen at 866-972-6244 X 729

A year after fire destroyed a four-acre section of the Universal Studios Hollywood movie back lot, the theme park plans to reopen the New York Streets sets just in time for the summer crowds.

The re-created sets will include a rebuilt Courthouse Square and Brownstone Street as well as a new London Street set and locations representing a gas station, a firehouse and a glass-and-steel modern-urban cityscape.

The completed sets will be featured on the theme park’s studio tour starting in midsummer. Additional sets planned for 2010 remain under construction.

Beginning June 1, the soundstage for “The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien” will also become part of the studio tour.