On Location: Beyond theme parks - Expedition Kissimmee spotlights fresh activities

PAX is on the ground this week in Central Florida to join the second annual Expedition Kissimmee - an exciting opportunity to connect with top destination partners and get an up-close look at the destination's latest developments.

The five-day program from Nov. 17-21 brings together just over 100 international media and buyers to experience various resorts and vacation homes, seasonal attractions, and the range of experiences agents can offer clients beyond the theme parks.

Margaritaville Resort Orlando is the home base for participants during the week, welcoming everyone with its tropical, laid-back island vibe and vacation state of mind atmosphere.

The week kicked off with a welcome block party (Nov. 17) at the Promenade at Sunset Walk, located steps from Margaritaville Resort Orlando and minutes from Walt Disney World, featuring a live band and food stations courtesy of The Wharf Restaurant as media and buyers mingled with the Experience Kissimmee team.

"We are so thrilled to have 18 different countries represented," DT Minich, president and CEO of Experience Kissimmee, told the group. "We're also so thrilled that so many of you took time out of your busy schedules to come and experience the best of Central Florida."

Minich noted that approximately 45 local partners would be available throughout the week, "dying to meet you and tell you all about their fantastic products."

Beyond the parks

Day two highlighted experiences outside the major theme parks, addressing how to differentiate a Kissimmee vacation and extend a client's length of stay.

The first stop was Wild Florida Adventure Park, located in Kenansville, near the Everglades and about 45 minutes from Kissimmee's main hotel corridor. Here, visitors can choose the adventure of their choice – ride on an airboat, walk, or drive through the safari park.

READ MORE: "We're in this market to stay": Kissimmee keeps faith in Canada despite U.S. slump

"We're kind of a hidden gem," shared tour guide, Sam Seevers, noting the park sits on Lake Cypress, technically the headwaters of the Everglades.

PAX joined Captain Jimmy for the airboat ride, gliding through water trails lined with tall water grass and floating lilies across Lake Cypress.

As the boat stopped and the riders eagerly watched for alligators (and yes, several were spotted), Captain Jimmy, who's been airboating most of his life, shared one of his unique wildlife encounters: "I grew up in Florida, always on lakes and stuff, but I've never seen an alligator jump out of the water like a dolphin until I came out here. I've probably seen it five times now."

The park is also home to 22 nesting bald eagles and offers giraffe feeding experiences. Airboat tours run year-round, one to two times per hour, and are commissionable (as are the other park adventures) with rates that vary based on agency agreements.

The Town of Celebration was next with a Spanish Cuban fusion lunch stop at the Columbia Restaurant. To work it off, the group was invited to explore the town with a walk or bike tour, and PAX joined the bike ride experience with Celebration Bike Rentals.

The leisurely ride took the group around Lake Evalyn where more wildlife, including alligators, were spotted – and then along a route into meticulously manicured neighborhoods with white picket fence homes, including mansions, so picture-perfect that it felt like being on a movie set.

The group's guide, a longtime Celebration resident, shared the town's connection to Walt Disney's original vision. 

In the 1960s, Disney came to Central Florida and bought about 27,000 acres of land – more than the size of Manhattan – with plans to build an experimental prototype community where people would live and work - not a theme park.

"Walt Disney's Epcot was the experimental prototype community, or city of tomorrow," he explained. "It was actually supposed to be an ultra futuristic city where people lived and worked, and you could visit and see what their lives were like."

Celebration represents the company's effort to realize that dream decades later as a nostalgic hometown with 1950’s America charm. The town broke ground in 1994, with the first residents moving in by 1996.

Bike rides range from 30 minutes to one hour and are commissionable, with rates that vary based on agency agreements.

Day two concluded with a private dinner - complete with a surprise visit from Guardians of the Galaxy’s Gamora and Star-Lord character impersonators - and a fireworks dessert party at EPCOT Theme Park.

Expedition Kissimmee participants were treated to prime seating with a perfect view of Luminous – The Symphony of Us presented at EPCOT's World Showcase Lagoon featuring a combination of fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects, and music.

And for the final evening activity - a ride on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for those participants who dared to join. The ride, introduced in 2022, is notable for its reverse launch and 360-degree rotating ride vehicles. PAX took the plunge, and it was a thrilling end to the day.

The week continues with tours of vacation homes at Reunion Resort & Golf Club, a stop at the Gaylord Palms Resort to check out the ICE! attraction featuring Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Running through to January 7, 2026, Gaylord Palms transforms into a winter wonderland with this year's theme bringing Rudolph and his misfit crew to life through ice sculptures, light shows, acrobatic performances, and family activities.  

Canadian visitation update

Back in July, when Minich visited Toronto for an appreciation event with Canadian partners – an event produced by VoX International (which represents the destination in Canada) – he told PAX that fall and winter would be the real test of how the political climate was affecting Canadian visitation.

"Later this fall, I think, will be a better indicator if we're going to see dramatic drops or not," he said then.

Now those months have passed. PAX will check in with Minich for an update on how visitation from Canada is doing, what the winter forecast looks like, and why Kissimmee continues to be committed to the Canadian market – watch for more updates.

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