Teachers save big on theme park tickets, hotels

It’s been a long school year and hard-working teachers have earned some fun as school lets out and summer kicks off.

Teachers planning upcoming Memorial Day weekend getaways or summer vacations can use their school IDs to get free entry at several Orlando theme parks and attractions, and save on lodging at Walt Disney World. The cheap room rates are just in time to explore the Disney’s new Pandora: The World of Avatar, opening May 27.

I’m dying to visit the new 12-acre attraction inside Animal Kingdom, which is based on James Cameron’s blockbuster movie. It has floating mountain ranges, glow-in-thedark plants and is inhabited by the mythical Na’vi aliens. Keeping with the movie’s theme, the new biosphere emphasizes nature, ecology and conservation.

The Avatar Flight of Passage ride whisks visitors above Pandora in 3D splendor, and the Na’vi River Journey (think Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom) lets visitors take a boat ride down the darkened river through the bio-luminescent rain forest.

Ready to go? Here are the deals.

Disney Springs: Teacher Appreciation rates kick off May 22 for all U.S. teachers, including preschool, daycare and college, and support staff at seven resorts in the former Downtown Disney retail, dining and entertainment center. Nightly rates at the resorts in Lake Buena Vista start at $72 at Wyndham Garden Resort or the Best Western; $75 at B Resort & Spa ; $95 at Holiday Inn Orlando; $125 at Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace; and $135 at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton. The resorts also provide free shuttles to and from Disney theme parks, among other amenities. Provide school ID at check-in. There are some black-out dates. Go to SunSentinel.com/ DisneySprings to book the deals. Offers run through Sept. 30.

Orlando Employee Discounts: Use your Florida teacher ID on this travel website to save on gate prices for the whole family at all Disney theme and water parks, Universal Orlando, Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Gatorland. There also are discounts on hotels, Cirque du Soleil, dinner shows and dining, too.

Go to OrlandoEmployeeDiscounts.com for the deals.

SeaWorld Orlando: Get unlimited free entry with a SeaWorld Florida Teacher Card. The offer is open to all active and certified K-12 Florida teachers who register with ID.me using their Department of Education number. Private school teachers can bring to the front gate a letter from the principal on official letterhead stating that you are a teacher along with a pay stub and Florida identification.

Go to SunSentinel.com/ SeaWorld for the deal. The

offer ends on Aug. 31.

Kennedy Space Center: Visit the new Astronaut Hall of Fame or take a behind-thescenes bus tour of NASA operational facilities. Florida teachers can get an Education Study Pass, which can be used to plan field trips. Present a teacher ID or principal letter on school letterhead at the will call window.

Go to SunSentinel.com/ KennedySpaceCenter for the deal.

Legoland Florida: I’ve mentioned this offer before but it’s worth repeating. Florida teachers get a free oneyear pass to the 150-acre Winter Park attraction, which includes a water park, as well as free entry to the Orlando Eye, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life Aquarium. Bring a copy of a valid Florida photo ID, a pay stub and professional or temporary Florida Department of Education teaching certificate to the ticket window to get the pass. Read about eligibility requirements at the link below.

Go to SunSentinel.com/ Legoland for the deal.