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Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Unlocked Magic Emerges as the Lowest-Priced Source for Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Tickets
Families can now access discount Disney World tickets and Universal Orlando ticket deals through Unlocked Magic, backed by top-rated Disney travel experts. ORLANDO, FLORIDA / ACCESS Newswire / July 15, 2025 / As families look for smart ways to stretch their budgets in today's economy, Unlocked Magic is reshaping how travelers purchase theme park tickets - offering up to 10% off standard gate prices for Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, with no subscriptions or hidden fees. Powered by two of the most trusted brands in Disney travel - DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market - Unlocked Magic combines unbeatable pricing with a reputation for reliability built over more than a decade serving Disney vacationers. "We saw the need for a simplified, trustworthy platform that helps guests save on one of the biggest expenses of their trip: tickets," said Nick Cotton, CEO of Keyholder Vacations, the parent company of Unlocked Magic. "We've brought together the trusted backing of DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market to offer the best prices on park admission - without requiring guests to jump through hoops." Unlocked Magic is also receiving widespread recognition from top voices in the Disney community, including: the leading trip-planning resource used by millions of Disney guests annuallyMolly McCormack of Mammoth Club, known for her honest, in-park reviews and planning adviceWDWNT (Walt Disney World News Today), one of the most-followed independent Disney news platformsWDW Magic, a long-standing and trusted source for Disney news and park updates In addition to standard theme park admission, Unlocked Magic offers discounted tickets for a variety of experiences, including: Walt Disney World - One Park Per Day, Park Hopper, and Park Hopper Plus optionsUniversal Orlando - Base and Park-to-Park ticket options, including Epic UniverseSeasonal and After-Hours Events - including Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and Jollywood Nights, all available with limited-time savings With a growing base of 5-star reviews and repeat customers, Unlocked Magic is quickly becoming a go-to resource for travelers seeking both value and peace of mind - especially as demand for fall and holiday travel to Orlando continues to rise. For families looking to book smart and save more, Unlocked Magic delivers trusted savings without compromise. To learn more or explore ticket options, visit: About Unlocked MagicUnlocked Magic is a trusted ticketing platform offering up to 10% off Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme park tickets. Powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market - two leaders in Disney vacation planning - the platform delivers verified savings, exceptional customer service, and a simple, transparent ticket-buying experience. Endorsed by top voices in the industry, Unlocked Magic is helping families travel smarter. Related Video SOURCE: Unlocked Magic press release
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Universal Horror Unleashed picks Chicago for second site
ORLANDO, Fla. - A Universal Horror Unleashed attraction will open in Chicago, the company announced Thursday, although its first foray into year-round horror isn't scheduled to open in Las Vegas until August. "We're bringing the full force of horror and thrills to a whole new audience in a whole new place," Universal Orlando posted on social media. Unleashed is a product of Orlando-based Universal Destinations & Experiences, a division of Comcast NBCUniversal. It will be Universal's first location in the Midwest. The company has been exploring new markets. Beyond Las Vegas, Universal is building a kids-oriented theme park near Dallas, which is set to open in 2026, and is planning a theme park in England. The Chicago expansion also is an extension of Universal's long-running horror brand. Universal Studios invented the film genre in the 1930s with movies based on Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and other creatures. Universal Studios Florida theme park is preparing its 34th edition of Halloween Horror Nights, an after-hours fright fest that has grown to include Universal Studios Hollywood park in California as well as theme parks in Singapore and Japan. The monsters roam their own land called Dark Universe in the Epic Universe theme park, which opened in Orlando in May. The Chicago venue will be on Chicago Avenue at the former Tribune Distribution Center near Bally's Casino. "We're excited to bring this bold concept to life in Chicago, a city known for its vibrant culture," Page Thompson, president of new ventures at Universal Destinations & Experiences, said in a news release. "We're grateful for the city's support as we convert this dormant site into a unique attraction that showcases our storytelling expertise and ability to deliver mind-blowing experiences that shatter guest expectations." Themes for the new Unleashed mazes, expected to debut in 2027, were not announced. The Las Vegas location will open with four haunted mazes. ____________ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
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Travel + Leisure
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
Epic Universe Has a Restaurant Honoring Pan-Asian Cuisine With Food, Decor, and Hidden Motifs
There's one lone dragon making a huge roar at Universal Orlando Resort's new theme park Epic Universe, the first American theme park to open in 24 years on May 22. While there's an entire world dedicated to the mythical creature at How to Train Your Dragon - Isle of Berk, across the in Celestial Park section is a mega-sized statue of another dragon, greeting visitors into the pan-Asian restaurant The Blue Dragon. 'We definitely wanted to pay respect to the cultures,' Robert Martinez, Jr., Universal Orlando Resort's director of culinary and executive chef told Travel + Leisure about the full-service restaurant located near the park's Universal Helio Grand Hotel, A Loews Hotel. 'We didn't want to recreate our own twist, but have pan-Asian influence, touching on different areas of Asia.' To do so, the menu includes chicken khao soi and peanut shrimp noodles inspired by Thailand, tonkotsu ramen by Japan, double fried chicken wings by Korea. There are even more nuanced Chinese dishes, like dan dan noodles and wonton in chili oil highlighting southwestern flavors of Sichuan, beef noodles from the western province of Xi'an, and dim sum from the Guangdong region. Also on tap are snowflake potstickers, fused together with a lace crust just like I'd seen in Taiwan. Adding even more inclusion, the traditional mapu tofu recipe with pork was instead switched out for tofu to provide a vegan option, the chef explained. 'What's great about Universal and our culinary team is that we're so diverse,' he said, noting that many of the team's chefs are of Asian heritage. 'A lot of us working out the recipes was asking them, 'Does this bring you home? Is this how your mother or grandmother would make it?'" To double down on the authenticity, the food was tested in team member dining locations with an even broader audience. 'More team members that are more diverse and absolutely have their own twist and would say, 'You know, and my family does it this way,' as they made adjustments to get the flavors just right. 'The only dish that we did put our own little twist on it was the moon cakes,' he said, referring to the Chinese sweet treat traditionally filled with red bean paste. "In our case, we have delicious passionfruit cheesecake, with a little mango jelly in the middle.' The change, he said, comes from a place of love and kept guest preferences in mind. On top of the food itself, the serving style is also thoughtfully executed. 'We have a special place in our heart when it comes to Asian cuisine—it's how we like to eat,' he said, explaining that it's not just about the dishes, but about the communal style of dining too. 'Things come out as they get made, allowing for the cultural environment of sharing and eating with your family at the table, which is very much associated with Asian culture. So it's not just the flavors, it's the experience.' Indeed, from the moment I stepped into the restaurant, I squealed with delights seeing the neon street signs, so reminiscent of my Asian travels, with one of too-cute cartoons of soup dumplings getting snatched up by chopsticks and another featuring shapes of foods I recognized from Taiwanese night markets. My favorite piece of decor—perhaps in all of Epic Universe—was the happy noodle cat over in the restaurant's Tiger Bar. It's a combination of two Asian traditions: a beckoning cat, believed to usher in good luck and fortune, and the slurping of noodles, which is considered a polite way to show you're enjoying your food. The main dining room stunned with a traditional red pagoda under a faux night sky that Rodriguez described as a 'golden garden with lanterns moving up and down, so that you're literally dining under the stars with music that has an upbeat kick.' To the left was a separate room, with place settings and tableware that gave me an instant nostalgic feel of the Asian restaurants I grew up going to both in California and Taiwan. The room had traditional screen doors and it wasn't until Rodriguez clued me in that I noticed art was of Celestial Park's skyline but in the style of traditional Asian illustrations—a little Easter egg hidden for those in the know. Another unique aspect Adam Rivest, Universal Creative vice president of creative management and branding, told T+L is The Blue Dragon's full tea service. 'It's nothing normally offered in a theme park,' he said. 'But it's so awesome in the middle of the day to go sit and have a relaxing Asian-inspired tea.' After all, Epic Universe's dedication to offering a diverse range of true dining experience can be proven in pure numbers: it has just 11 rides but 30 dining establishments, which show a 'crossroads for all cultures,' Rivest said. Whether that's French-inspired fare at Café L'air De La Sirène, Nordic eats at Mead Hall, or barbecue at The Oak & Star Tavern, it's all about getting the dishes just right. 'We didn't want to make it anything that was going to disrespect the cultures,' Rodriguez said. 'We want to hit you in the heart with authenticity in a way that show we're really trying to pay respect.'
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lainey Wilson Talks ‘Laredo,' the Kind of Familiar New Song That Comes Along ‘Once in a Lullaby'
'Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.' Indeed, Lainey Wilson is flying high above Texas in her current single, 'Somewhere Over Laredo,' playing off the most iconic melodic interval in the best-known song from The Wizard of Oz, the Judy Garland movie that spawned the 'Kansas' dialogue. That melodic hook is a one-octave jump that launches the chorus of 'Over the Rainbow'; that element makes its way into the opening of Lainey's 'Laredo' chorus, which also rhymes with the original. More from Billboard Debbie Harry on Image Expectations in Music: 'I Wanted to Work' Wallows Recall Morrissey Walking Out of Their Show: 'That's the Perfect Morrissey Story' Bob Vylan Axed From Radar, Kave Fest After Glastonbury Backlash 'If you say 'somewhere over the rainbow' fast 10 times, it kind of sounds like 'somewhere over Laredo,' ' Lainey notes. 'That struck me as a perfect fit.' Songwriter Andy Albert ('Thinking 'Bout You,' 'Good Girl') had a similar thought when the idea appeared seemingly out of nowhere in 2024. 'I loved how hard the rhyme was and how perfect it was with the original,' Albert recalls. 'I was just like, 'There could be something really cool here if we unpack this story.' ' Albert sat on 'Laredo' for a bit, waiting for the right situation to present itself. Oddly enough, that moment came while in line for the VelociCoaster at Universal Orlando. Albert and songwriter Trannie Anderson ('Heart Like a Truck,' 'It Won't Be Long') visited the theme park on Aug. 24 when they had a morning to kill between performances during a two-night songwriter show booked at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and they threw out song ideas during the long wait for the ride. Albert pitched the 'Laredo' concept, and they decided to work on it when they returned to Nashville, with Lainey in mind as a potential suitor. Anderson sat at the piano when they started, playing a melancholy progression that established the tone. They mapped out the essential parts of the chorus melody, carefully diverting from the original after mimicking the 'Some-where' octave jump. 'We were really intentional about trying to make sure we were off the melody the rest of the song,' Albert says. An essential change from 'Rainbow' came with the 'Laredo' chorus' second chord — Anderson moved from the tonic to a flatted seventh instead of the familiar minor third — and it forced the melody down a different path. With the basics of the chorus set, they shifted to the opening verse, using a plane to put the protagonist in the clouds above Laredo. Originally, they planned for her to travel from Dallas to California, but a quick search of Google Maps suggested that flight path wouldn't go near the Texas border. So they started the flight in Houston for realism. Traveling over Laredo stirred memories of a rodeo cowboy from the character's past — the writers cast the couple as 'Lone Star-crossed lovers' — and the chorus embraced the woman's honky-tonk path in the setup line, deftly referencing Alan Jackson in her 'chasin' this neon rainbow' wordplay. In short order, Lainey brought the 'Heart Wranglers' — her term for her writing partnership with Anderson and (no relation) Dallas Wilson ('Heart Like a Truck,' 'Can't Have Mine') — on the road during the Country's Cool Again Tour. After writing a couple of songs earlier in the trip, they found themselves sitting outside Lainey's bus at the Adams Center in Missoula, Mont., on Sept. 15, staring at the mountains and the wild Montana skies. 'I just knew I needed to show her this idea in that moment,' Anderson remembers. 'I didn't have an instrument on me, so I just sang the beginnings of this song a cappella and kept a beat on the side of my folding chair.' Lainey was sold. They tweaked the first two stanzas and wrote a second verse that captures the loneliness that accompanies life while traveling, a scenario that was central to Dorothy's character in Oz. ''Laredo' isn't just a place — it is a feeling,' Lainey explains. 'It speaks to anyone who has ever looked back or remembered something and let that memory shape who they are. It also connects to all of those [small American] towns and people who are just trying to find their way home.' For the bridge, Lainey wanted to slide in a few more 'Rainbow' references — the bluebirds that fly in that song were transformed into blackbirds in 'Laredo,' and they repurposed the 'once in a lullaby' line from the original. 'She loved the thought of using the 'once in a lullaby,' ' Anderson says. 'And I really wanted to use the 'blackbirds' line because that just felt so spot-on with Texas. I grew up in Texas, and there are blackbirds freaking everywhere.' Dallas sang on the piano/vocal work tape, which Lainey, Anderson and tour mate Zach Top first heard on a private plane somewhere over Idaho. Lainey tried recording 'Laredo' several times with producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Miranda Lambert), but had trouble getting the vibe right. 'It took the scenic route,' she says. 'I'm talking about back roads and all. It kicked off its boots and stayed awhile. We cut it a few times, we rearranged it, we lived with it, but just kept chasing the feeling that we knew that we needed to have.' Over the ensuing months, Anderson's publisher — Sony Music Publishing, which controls the 'Rainbow' copyright — gave its blessing to the new use of the classic, with original composers Harold Arlen and E.Y. 'Yip' Harburg credited as 'Laredo' co-writers. Meanwhile, while rehearsing in Copenhagen on March 12, Lainey and her band found the right direction and nailed it when they returned to Nashville. Fiddler Sav Madigan slipped in another 'Rainbow' reference in the studio, applying the two-note verse melody as an instrumental enhancement to the 'Laredo' bridge. Clever as the octave jump may be, that twist is also difficult — the original is so iconic that it's tough not to break into the 'Rainbow' melody in the chorus. 'It's not easy,' Albert says. 'It took me a lot of practicing before I was confident singing it at a writers round.' 'When I get to that 'some-where' note,' Lainey adds, 'I catch myself thinking again — just like I've done with [the long note in] 'Heart Like a Truck' — 'Why in the world do I keep doing this to myself?' But honestly, that note is just part of what makes the song what it is, vocally. It wasn't about the technical side of things. It was all about putting myself into that emotional place of the song.' 'Laredo' is one of five new tracks planned for the deluxe version of her Whirlwind album, due Aug. 22, and Broken Bow released it to radio via PlayMPE on May 22, employing subtle scarecrow imagery in the accompany artwork. Whether it reminds listeners of Dorothy — or of the recent Oz-derived movie, Wicked, or simply connects to fan experiences with distance and loneliness — 'Laredo' tugs effectively at some difficult emotions. It's already at No. 24 after five weeks on the Country Airplay chart dated July 5. 'It is my job as a storyteller to write music for everybody,' Lainey says. 'And I feel like this song has something to offer everybody.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Universal Studios UK 'unlike anything in Britain' as new ride details unveiled
The new theme park could have rides taller than any in Europe - eclipsing even the rollercoasters at Universal's Orlando resort The Universal Studios theme park to be built in the will be "unlike anything that exists in the UK", the company has said. The new park, planned for Kempston Hardwick in Bedfordshire, could feature the tallest rides in Europe - with height limits reaching up to 115m. That's taller than anything the company's theme parks in Orlando have. And while details of the movies the rides will be based on are still under wraps, the reams of planning documents published today have revealed a few tantalising details. Universal's theme parks, the documents say, are "very different to a typical amusement park and are unlike anything that currently exists in the UK" Universal "takes guests to places that typically exist only in their imagination. To do this, [Universal] uses cutting-edge technology and partners with beloved storytellers to create fully immersive experiences where the attractions, placemaking, food, merchandise and costumes all work together." Guests will arrive at the park's entrance plaza, which will include restaurants and shops - similar to the "CityWalk" area of Universal Orlando. The plaza and its entertainment venues will be accessible to the general public, even if they haven't bought a ticket to the park. Once through the park's large archway, paying guests will find "adrenaline-pumping coasters", "mind-blowing spectaculars" and will "come face-to-face with incredible creatures, heroes, and villains". Guests will be able to "experience beloved stories and exhilarating adventures in immersive new ways." And the rides themselves will pair "innovation and technology" allowing guests to "be fully immersed in different lands." Universal's parks in the US and other countries have themed lands based on Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, the Simpsons and Nintendo - though it's not been confirmed if any of those franchises will feature at the UK park. Universal hopes to secure planning permission in time for a 2031 opening date. Other plans outlined in the documents include enough car parking space for 7,000 cars, as well as improved car and rail links to the site. The resort, set to be among the most advanced in Europe, is expected to pump £50 billion into the economy and bring as many as 28,000 jobs during construction and operation. The Mirror revealed in February that negotiations for the resort - to open near Bedford - were in the final stages. Nearly 20,000 jobs will be created during the six-year construction period, with a further 8,000 new jobs across the hospitality and creative industries when it opens in 2031.
