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Some of Major League Baseball’s marquee teams, including the reigning World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, will take on the Atlanta Braves at Walt Disney World during spring training in 2012.

The Cardinals and Yankees, as well as the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, make up the core of the Braves’ 18-game home schedule at Champion Stadium at ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Disney. The Cardinals face the Braves on March 19. The Yankees visit twice, Saturday March 10 and Wednesday March 28, and the New York Mets come in three times, March 9 and 23 and the spring home finale April 2. Finally, the Phillies will face the Braves on April 1.

The Braves report to the complex for two weeks of training in mid-February, then begin play March 3 against the Detroit Tigers, who return to Disney for a Saturday matchup on March 31. The recently renamed Miami Marlins will sport their new uniforms at Disney on March 22.

The schedule features three night games under the lights at Champion Stadium – the Washington Nationals on March 14 and the Houston Astros March 16 and 30.

Each Braves spring training game has a unique Disney feel with family-oriented fun, including in-game entertainment, Disney character appearances and on-field fan experiences.  And in what has become a Disney tradition, kids will again have the opportunity to run the bases after every game.

It’s a great time to be visiting the Orlando area and all you need to make the complete package is your own “home away from home,” a Florida Leisure Vacation Home! Our vacation homes are located just 10 minutes from the Wide World of Sports complex.

The 2012 Atlanta Braves Spring Training home schedule follows.

2012 Atlanta Braves Spring Training Home Schedule

*SS – denotes split squad

President Barack Obama is visiting Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom this Thursday 19th January and in his short time here, it is believed he will unveil a new policy for boosting tourism to the United States.  Cinderella Castle is the chosen backdrop sometime around mid-day and this event is sure to be many election year visits by the president to Florida.

Specifics of his tourism plan are hazy but there is one topic at the top of the political wish list for Central Florida tourism: visa reform. The tourism industry has been pushing Congress and Obama to make travel to the U.S. easier for visitors from emerging nations such as Brazil, India and China, while visitors from the UK and Europe are sure to hope for an easier entry to the country as well.

Blain Rethmeier, senior vice president of public affairs at the U.S. Travel Association said “We understand that he [Obama] is going to trumpet the value of travel generally and improve facilitation for international travel, especially from China and Brazil.”

A recent congressional appropriations bill gave the U.S. secretary of state authority to develop a pilot program using videoconference technology to conduct visa interviews for leisure and business travelers. Such video conferences would be high on Disney’s priority list, as they would likely cut the overall expense of coming to Orlando to see the Mouse.

A congressional aide, not authorized to speak on the record, said Capitol Hill expects the White House to make permanent a program called Global Entry, which cuts down clearance times at U.S. Customs checkpoints for “pre-approved, low-risk travelers” arriving in this country.

Air Force One is expected to land at Orlando International Airport late-morning Thursday, with the president’s motorcade taking him directly to Disney World. He is expected to leave Central Florida less than three hours later.

Disney is bracing for heavy security around the Magic Kingdom and has canceled extra hours in the park for guests staying in its hotels, pushed back the start time of a daily parade to move it further away from Obama’s visit, and prohibited employees from using entrance passes for the day. It has also imposed parking restrictions at a nearby hotel, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which will be used as a staging area for news media.

At the same time, Disney has extended operating hours and added entertainment at its three other parks in hopes of steering guests away from the Magic Kingdom. Resort workers have also distributed in-room letters to people staying in Disney hotels, advising them of the changes.

Mid-January is one of the slowest periods of the year for Disney World and the region’s other theme parks but there are still likely to be tens of thousands of tourists in the Magic Kingdom when Obama delivers his speech. We’ll keep you informed…

Jenna Morasca (left) and Ethan Zohn (right), both former winners of the CBS reality series “Survivor” and competitors on “The Amazing Race,” high-five Mickey Mouse as they take a training run Jan. 6, 2012 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The real-life couple will join thousands of athletes from around the world tomorrow to run the annual Walt Disney World Half Marathon. They are running to raise awareness to the “Survivor Stand Up 2 Cancer” project. Part of the “runDisney” series of events, the half marathon is part of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend currently taking place at the Florida vacation resort.

Edie Falco was at Disney’s Hollywood Studios earlier today as she met up with a certain Donald Duck.

Falco is now known for her winning Emmys role of  “Nurse Jackie,” but to many folks, she’ll always be best known for her role as Carmelo Soprano on the HBO series “The Sopranos.” She visited Walt Disney World over the holiday weekend and like many stars she stopped to take a few photos with some characters.

To celebrate Walt Disney’s 110 birthday, we’re running a sweepstakes to celebrate our partnership with Walt Disney World and the Vacation Rental Home Connection. We’re offering you a chance to win  2 FREE tickets to any Walt Disney World theme park.

The sweepstakes started last week and will close tonight at 9pm 5th December 2011. All you have to do to enter and to stand a chance of winning the tickets is click “LIKE” on our Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure page and then submit your details on the entry form. It couldn’t be simpler. DO IT NOW!

The winner will be announced on our YouTube.com/FloridaLeisure video channel. Be lucky!

Today marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of Walt Disney. A man who helped change the world for the better and who has brought much joy to millions and millions of people around the world.

Try to imagine a world without Walt Disney if you can. A world without his brand of magic, whimsy, and optimism. Walt Disney transformed the entertainment industry, into what we know today and he pioneered the fields of animation, and found new ways to teach, and educate.

Walt was also an innovator and the possessor of one of the most unique imaginations the world has ever known. Today, some forty five years after his death, we still continue to grasp his ideas, and his creations, remembering him for everything he’s done for us.

Walter Elias Disney was born on December 5, 1901 in Chicago Illinois, to his father, Elias Disney, an Irish-Canadian, and his mother, Flora Call Disney, who was of German-American descent. Walt was one of five children, four boys and a girl. He died on December 15, 1966.

Here are some of our favorite Walt Disney quotations:

“I am interested in entertaining people, in bringing pleasure, particularly laughter, to others, rather than being concerned with ‘expressing’ myself with obscure creative impressions.”

“We are not trying to entertain the critics. I’ll take my chances with the public.”

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

“Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

Happy Birthday Walt … entrepreneur, entertainer, film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, international icon, and philanthropist!



During the holidays, Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park is transformed into an international celebration of Yuletide traditions filled with festive decorations and live entertainment. From Holidays Around The World to Candlelight Processional, you can delight in the sights and sounds of the season.

The Candlelight Processional is a special holiday event held nightly at the America Gardens Theatre as part of Holidays Around The World. The event retells the stirring story of Christmas with a special celebrity narrator  accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and a mass choir.

The Candlelight Processional is a terrific way to get in the Christmas spirit and to share the magic of the season with your family and friends. The event has become an essential family tradition for many Guests — once you experience it, you may be inspired to share it every year with the ones you love.

Academy award-winning actress Mira Sorvino returns to Walt Disney World Resort Nov. 25-27, 2011, to kick off the event. Sorvino is among a dozen celebrities, ranging from contemporary Christian and country music artists to a soap opera legend and award-winning actor, who will take the stage for the joyous retelling of the Christmas story. They join a 50-piece orchestra and mass choir at Epcot America Gardens Theatre for performances at 5, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. most nights. The lineup (artists subject to change):

Nov. 25-27: Mira Sorvino
Nov. 28-Dec. 1: Michael W. Smith
Dec. 2-3: Geena Davis
Dec. 4-6: Edward James Olmos (guest shows at 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. only)
Dec. 7-9: Isabella Rossellini
Dec. 10-12: Neil Patrick Harris
Dec. 13-15: Lorraine Bracco
Dec. 16-18: Chita Rivera
Dec. 19-21: Trace Adkins
Dec. 22-24: Susan Lucci
Dec. 25-27: Blair Underwood
Dec. 28-30: Marlee Matlin

Over the weekend we had the pleasure of attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. The party is a special event held each winter on select nights and the purchase of an additional event admission ticket is required to attend. This festive celebration is filled with live entertainment, spectacular fireworks and an oh-so-jolly holiday parade.

It;s a chance to celebrate the magic of the season in the holiday wonderland of Magic Kingdom theme park and gather with loved ones for a festive sight- and sound-filled special event that is sure to make you merry!

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party features:

• The enchanted Castle Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle
• Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade, complete with a special appearance by Santa Claus himself
• An exclusive holiday fireworks extravaganza — Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season
• Live entertainment featuring Disney Characters
• Meet and greet opportunities throughout Magic Kingdom theme park with some of your favorite Disney Characters
• Complimentary cookies and hot cocoa
• A magical snow fall on Main Street, U.S.A.
• Many of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions

The party is also a wonderful opportunity to be at Magic Kingdom when the crowds are a little quieter and getting on rides is a little easier. One of the highlights of our evening out was being able to ride Buzz Lightyear and become a “Galactic Hero”… here’s me getting my badge…

Tickets are available from www.FloridaLeisure.com and the remaining event nights are as follows:

November: 27, 29, 30, 2011
December: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 2011
Event time: 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

More photos are at Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure and here’s some video:

This weekend sees the 36th Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney. This vibrant event showcases fine art, food and entertainment and has become a classic event on the Orlando calendar. There’s some amazing artwork from over 150 award winning artists and new this year is a very special festival showcasing the stunning work of some of the Disney artists at Pleasure Island.

Apart from signature artists there’s a lot to see and do and all the family will have a great time wandering around the Downtown Disney area. There’s plenty of interactive areas as well as a chance to learn how to illustrate a Disney character, see some fabulous street painting as well as pose for a picture with a performer from Cirque Du Soleil’s “La Nouba.”

Of course, no art festival would be complete without a little competition and this year there are several categories for artists to compete in including Best of Show. Other categories that guest judges Professor John Dishman, Bonny Lhotka and Sally Viskochil will be deciding will be clay, digital art, drawing, printmaking & graphics, glass, jewelry, leather, fiber & paper, mixed media & collage, painting, photography, sculpture, watercolor and wood. More than $50,000 in prize money will be at stake and the Best of Show will win $5,000.

Other highlights of the festival include the Festival of Disney Masters, the Michaels Design Team showing you how to create some amazing art, D-Street and the House of Blues Folk Art Festival. Make sure you get along to Downtown Disney …

More photo’s at Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure and here’s some video to get you in the mood…

Construction at Fantasyland inside the Magic Kingdom theme park continues at a rapid pace. The new and expanded area  is scheduled to open in phases, starting next fall, 2012. Here’s some timelapse video showing you the progress so far…