Driver Javier Palacio helps guests leaving Disney's All-Star Resort with their bags. (Joe Burbank, Orlando Sentinel)

Five years after starting its airport shuttle-and-luggage service, Walt Disney World has finally signed up Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier at Orlando International Airport.

By the middle of next month, Disney says, nearly all of its hotel guests flying home on Southwest will be able to check in for their flights and drop off their bags before leaving the resort. The remote check-in service is a key component of Disney’s Magical Express, which also includes free bus transportation between Orlando International and Disney’s on-property hotels.

The Southwest deal is a boon for Disney and its Magical Express service, which, since launching in May 2005, has helped the resort claim an even larger share of its guests’ vacation spending by eliminating their need to rent a car and reducing the number of trips taken off Disney property during their stays. Southwest carries nearly one-fourth of all passengers at OIA — more than 7.6 million people last year — and the Dallas-based low-cost carrier caters heavily to the leisure travelers who visit theme parks.

While Southwest customers staying at Disney hotels have always been able to ride the Magical Express shuttles to the airport, they previously had to carry their luggage with them and check in for their flights themselves once they arrived at OIA. Now they no longer have to worry about such airport hassles — potentially freeing them to spend a few extra hours spending money on Disney property before departing for home.

“Not only has their departure pattern changed, but their departure attitude has changed,” said Steve Schreiber, general manager of the 5,544-room Disney’s All-Star Resort, where Disney and Southwest have been testing the service since October. “Your luggage is not the fun part of your vacation. When it’s taken care of for you, it’s totally off your mind, and those last few hours now become an extension of your vacation, instead of a burden trying to manage luggage.”

Disney’s Magical Express ferried about 2.2 million passengers to and from OIA last year. Disney estimates that, once Southwest is fully incorporated into the program, about 75 percent of Magical Express riders will use the remote check-in service, up from only about 45 percent of riders in 2007.

Disney has been trying to strike a deal with Southwest for several years, but an agreement was slowed by hurdles such as incompatible computer systems. Southwest also had expressed concerns that the volume of its traffic — the airline has said it expects at least 25 percent of its Orlando passengers would use the Disney service — could overwhelm Magical Express.

Last June, the two companies launched a pilot program to test the service at the 2,880-room Disney’s Pop Century Resort, a sprawling budget resort. The test was then expanded to the All-Star Resort, Disney World’s largest hotel.

Schreiber said Disney had to add employees to handle the extra baggage. Otherwise, he said, the testing proved “a very smooth, seamless progression.”

Disney began expanding the service to Southwest passengers staying at its other hotels earlier this month, adding as many as three resorts a week. The rollout will conclude next week.

At that point, only two hotels will not be included: the 761-room Disney’s Old Key West Resort and the 2,112-room Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. Disney says it is in the midst of expanding the luggage drop-off facilities at Old Key West and that it is considering similar changes at Caribbean Beach.

Jason Garcia can be reached at 407-420-5414 or jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com.

Caramel deLite cookies are paired with a natural fruit filling in this over-the-top dessert.

Girl Scout cookies as we know them today got their start from someone thinking outside the box. In fact, the first treats didn’t even come in boxes. In 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouting in the United States, the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Okla., baked cookies and sold them in the school cafeteria as a service project, according to the Web site girlscouts .org. The rest is Thin Mint history. In the same entrepreneurial spirit as the Muskogee Scouts, in 2003, we challenged a Disney pastry chef to think outside the box to create a gourmet dessert using Girl Scout cookies as ingredients. The result was this yummy Coconut Pineapple Caramel deLite Dome inspired by Caramel deLites. Girl Scouts are currently taking cookie orders for 2010, perhaps this recipe will inspire you get creative with the cookies you buy this year.

COCONUT PINEAPPLE CARAMEL DELITE DOME
Yield: 12 servings.

4 boxes Caramel deLite cookies
Coconut pineapple filling:
3 cups coconut milk
1 cup water
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups pineapples, diced and cooked
1 tablespoon brown sugar for pineapples
1/2 cup shredded coconut, toasted

1. In a saucepan, cook the diced pineapples with the brown sugar for about 3 minutes. Set aside to completely cool.
2. To prepare coconut pineapple filling, using a medium-size stainless-steel pot, combine coconut milk, sugar and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water in a separate bowl. As soon as the coconut milk boils, stir in the dissolved cornstarch and stir vigorously until the mixture thickens and boils for the second time. Add the cooked pineapples in the mixture and then set aside the filling to cool in room temperature.
3. Toast shredded coconut in a 325 F oven for about 7 minutes or more until you get a golden brown color. Set aside to cool.
4. To assemble the dome, prepare 10-inch-by-3 1/2-inch-deep metal bowl, by lining the inside with plastic wrap. Place 1 layer of Caramel deLite Cookies (about 24 pieces or 1 1/2 boxes) on the bottom of the bowl, the top of the cookies facing down. Start from the center of the bowl and work your way up the sides of the bowl. Go all the way to the top. Use cookies cut in half for the top, so that you can get a straight edge on the top. This is to ensure a straight edge when the dome is inverted for the finished cake.
5. Place a third of the slightly cooled filling over the cookies and sprinkle a layer of roughly chopped Caramel deLite cookies ( about 10 pieces) over it. Spread the rest of the filling over the middle cookie layer evenly and lay one layer of Caramel deLite Cookies (about 20 pieces) with the chocolate side up. This will serve as the bottom of the cake when inverted. Place the bowl in the refrigerator and let it set for an hour.
6. To unmold, lay a 10-inch cakeboard on the top of the bowl and gently invert the dome. Remove the plastic wrap. Cover the bottom edge of the dome with toasted coconut and serve.
Recipe note: This recipe was not tested in the Orlando Sentinel test kitchen.

Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas move from the Cinderella Castle stage to the hub stage in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World on Dec. 6 during their performance in the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. (Photo by Mark Ashman/Walt Disney World)

My family joined thousands of e-Ticketholders Sunday morning on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom waiting to be assigned to sections around the circular stage in front of Cinderella Castle for the Jonas Brothers’ performance at the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade.

We inched forward to Casey’s Corner, where groups of 100 were given location instructions. We were directed to Section 5, which was in between the Cinderella Castle stage and the back of the hub stage the “flash mob” would surround. At first, it seemed as if we were in a location where the kids would have difficulty really seeing Nick, Joe and Kevin — which, of course, was the reason for our pre-dawn trek down to Walt Disney World. Plus, we weren’t given kerchiefs, which seemed to be a sign the cameras wouldn’t be scanning us closely because we wouldn’t be near the musical act. But, hey, what could we do?

As we began to learn the choreography, we realized that we actually were in an ideal location because the brothers would start their song on the Cinderella Castle stage nearby, run past us and head up to the hub stage in front of us. That meant we were to be, in effect, a concert audience facing the castle (with no need for the kerchiefs) before turning around to join the dance by the “flash mob.”

We practiced the dance steps for three hours, while the rest of audience was loaded in, dancers rehearsed on stage, camera angles were set and audience sweeps were taped. Three hours is a long time for adults to wait, let alone kids. To be sure, there was the frequent query “Is it time yet?” from both my kids, breaks to play games on the iPods and snacks to keep the sugar levels even, but once Nick, Joe and Kevin took the stage, they were really excited. The brothers performed “Summertime Anthem” multiple times to get all the takes needed for the television production.

At an arena concert, my fans would never be as close to Jonas Brothers as they were Sunday. And parents like us would spend a lot more than time to attend, too. It was a long day, but worth it because I know the kids will remember the excitement and fun of doing something special. The waiting will be forgotten, and we’ll sign up for tickets to the taping next year.

Experience what it was like to be in our spot at the Jonas Brothers performance in the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade taping on the video below. Check back Tuesday for a collection of photos from the three days of filming.

Kris Allen (2nd from left) performs Dec. 3 at Magic Kingdom for the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade taping. (Walt Disney World photo)

Filming for the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade began today at Walt Disney World with Kris Allen (American Idol) and Yanni. Folks who weren’t able to get reserved tickets for Thursday might not be unhappy after all.

Yanni and the Yanni Voices gave a beautiful performance of “O Holy Night” in front of the Cinderella Castle stage, but judging from fan comments, he wasn’t one of their hoped-for performers.

Kris Allen sang “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” on a stage constructed at the castle hub area, and Nick Cannon was spotted at various locations in the Magic Kingdom taping “man on the street” segments. Both were warmly received.

The Goodyear Blimp flew above Magic Kingdom capturing overhead coverage of the park and performances for the ABC special that airs on Christmas morning.

Taping is scheduled to continue Friday morning with the large-scale production number. You must have separate tickets for the taping that begins before the Magic Kingdom opens to the public. For the first time in recent years audience members will learn simple choreography and be part of the show. I can’t wait to see that!

The annual Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade (renamed this year from the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade) is taped at both U.S. theme parks. The segments from Disneyland are usually filmed first in November. Like us, Disney fans in Anaheim, Calif., love to speculate about who will be performing.

But, unfortunately, they are at a disadvantage because not only does Disneyland not announce its talent ahead of time, it also doesn’t reveal when the tapings will take place, according to The Orange County Register’s Web site. 

That’s quite different from Walt Disney World, where free admission and parking is offered in exchange for participants committing to a four-hour shift in the audience. Disney World tickets usually are snapped up within hours, but at least we have a shot at being involved.

Both parks stress that the tapings involve a lot of downtime for the audience members and there is no guarantee of a celebrity sighting, but Disneyland officials apparently consider the television production to be disruptive to guests who are not interested in the taping.

Who could resist Budderball in 'Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws'? (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment photo)

The puppies of Air Bud, Disney’s popular Golden retriever, return today in Santa Buddies: The Legend of Santa Paws. Even though this a direct-to-DVD movie, it has been eagerly anticipated at our house.

This is the fourth adventure of the Buddies — Budderball, B-Dawg, Rosebud, Buddha and Mudbud. Disney describes it this way: “When Puppy Paws, the fun-loving son of Santa Paws, gets tired of the North Pole, he finds Budderball on Santa’s naughty list and figures he’s just the dog to show him how to be an ordinary pup. But when the magical Christmas Icicle starts to melt and the world begins to forget the true meaning of the season, it’s up to Puppy Paws and his newfound Buddies to save Christmas.”

Watching the Buddies movies with my children is fun on many levels. C and L laugh and laugh at the puppies’ antics, which makes me chuckle at their silliness. I have always been partial to Golden retrievers, so staring at the cute puppies is no chore, unlike some kids’ movies I have willingly endured. And C and L always seem to have a renewed interest and kindness for our Golden, Sunshine, after watching Air Bud and the pups.

Last year, three of the Buddies made an appearance at the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade to promote their movie, Space Buddies. See how adorable they were in their spacesuits here. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a return visit this year.

A tip: Disney Movie Rewards members can collect two free plush Buddies with the purchase of Santa Buddies and Snow White on DVD. Carrying cases for the pups can be purchased, and something tells me Santa will be putting those under our tree.

To see four movie clips, play games, take a poll and more, visit the Santa Buddies site here.

Dancers back up the cast of the Broadway version of 'Mary Poppins' at the 2008 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade taping. This year, audience members with reserved tickets will participate in a large-scale production number. (Walt Disney World photo)

Disney World began doling out tickets to the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade taping this afternoon to those who applied online in October. If you were chosen, you will receive an email for each day you have the option to attend. Select your time to be in the audience, register and print the tickets. There are two times on each day — Dec. 3, 4 and 5.

For the 7 a.m. shift on Friday, audience members will become part of a production number. These ticketholders will be taught simple dance steps during rehearsals before filming begins. For those that love to dance and are enthusiastic, what a fun opportunity! Involving the audience as more than spectators is a new element in the taping this year.

If you don’t receive an e-mail confirmation, you can still enter the Magic Kingdom as a paying guest during regular hours on filming days and probably see some of the action. Be aware that you might not get up close without a reserved tickets. Regardless, this is an actual television production, which means songs are sung multiple times and individual floats are sent down Main Street over and over again to get the correct camera angle. You most likely will spend more time waiting than viewing the events, and you shouldn’t expect to see a seamless concert or parade. 

Phineas and Ferb make their debut at Disneyland for the 2009 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. (Disney Parks photo)

Disneyland taped its segments of the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade — renamed from Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade — over the weekend. Those Anaheim film crews always seem to get in the holiday spirit before their Orlando counterparts!

Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb made their first-ever appearance in person in the parade, the Disney Parks Blog reports. But whatcha doing without Isabella and Candace? Let’s hope the pair’s warm welcome will lead to meet-and-greets in the parks because they certainly would be popular.

Ryan Seacrest was at Disneyland to co-host the annual parade. Stevie Wonder sang “That’s What Christmas Means to Me”; Demi Lovato sang “Wonderful Christmas Time”; and Anika Noni Rose performed in a musical production inspired by “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!” Cheryl Burke and Tony Dovolani (Dancing with the Stars) and Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) also make appearances in the show that airs Dec. 25. The Disney Parks Blog has posted photos here, here and here.

The parade taping at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom takes place Dec. 3, 4 and 5. Pre-registration for reserved spots in the audience has closed, but the park is open regular hours for paying guests so you can still catch a glimpse of the filming. No word on which celebrities will be taping, but past celebrities have included Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and Jessica Simpson.

See a Disneyland guest’s view of Demi Lovato’s performance:

Full-flavored sauce from Disney's Polynesian Resort

Spicy peanut sauces are a staple of Asian menus. Balanced and full-flavored, they complement a variety of meat and rice dishes.
This recipe fills that bill with a luscious, full-flavored liquid from Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian resort. The sauce gets a flavor kick from the addition of Thai curry paste, which is sold in Indian and Asian markets, some gourmet stores and the ethnic-foods section of larger supermarkets. The thick paste is an intense blend of ghee (clarified butter), curry powder, vinegar and other seasonings.

Peanut Sauce From Peanut Sauce Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Resort

Yield: 2 quarts.

1 ounce garlic in oil

1 teaspoon Thai curry paste

16 ounces soy sauce

1 1/4 pounds sugar

14 ounces peanut butter

1 ounce fresh ginger, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped green onions and peanuts for garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, lightly saute garlic in a small amount of oil. Stir in curry paste. Add soy sauce and bring to a simmer.

2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and continue to stir. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Remove from heat and chill.

4. Serve in bowls for dipping garnished with chopped green onions and peanuts.

More than 600 performers fill Main Street USA to support the cast of Broadway's 'Mary Poppins' in a large-scale production number seen in the 2008 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. Photo by Kristin Ford/Orlando Sentinel.

Pre-registration for tickets to be in the audience for the 2009 Walt Disney World Christmas Parade taping closed within hours of it being publicized Friday. Unfortunately, this is not unusual. For the past few years, the tickets have been snapped up almost as soon as they were released.

The good news, however, is that even if you didn’t sign up in time, you likely still will be able to see some of the performances, if that is your goal. The Magic Kingdom has regular hours on Dec. 3, 4 and 5, so if you pay your way or have an annual pass, you can enter the park. Some segments are taped before the official opening, and the reserved tickets are required for those.

But the TV production takes most of the day, so you won’t be able to miss the crowds and activity on Main Street USA. Patience is key, though, because to get a closer vantage point, you might need to wait for others to give up their spots. Another alternative is to enjoy the rest of the park, which seems to be less crowded on taping days.

Miley Cyrus performs in the Magic Kingdom while taping a segment of the 2008 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade. Photo courtesy Walt Disney World.

UPDATE: Pre-registration for tickets to be in the audience for the 2009 Walt Disney World Christmas Parade taping closed within hours of it being publicized Friday. (Read More)

You can pre-register now for tickets to be in the audience for the 2009 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade taping in the Magic Kingdom. Production is the first weekend of December as it has been in the past, but this year a third day has been added. Concert performances on the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage will be filmed on Thursday, Dec. 3 and Friday, Dec. 4. The parade itself will be taped on Saturday, Dec. 5.

To pre-register, click here. Participants will be selected from this group and notified in a separate email how to obtain their actual tickets. Tickets include free parking and admission into the Magic Kingdom for the day; participants are asked to commit to a four-hour shift in the audience. Families may request up to 8 tickets. Registration ends at 12 a.m. Pacific Time on Dec. 2, but tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

A word of warning: This is an actual television production, which means that songs are sung multiple times and individual floats are sent down Main Street over and over again to get the correct camera angle. That means you most likely will spend more time waiting than viewing the events, and you shouldn’t expect to see a seamless concert or parade. Still, it can be an interesting experience.

Read about my family’s day at the 2008 parade taping here and see video of Miley Cyrus singing here. A selection of photos from the two production days last year can be viewed here.