Only with Southwest Airlines Vacations can you find a deal like this on your Orlando vacation package. Check out our exclusive offers below, then simply select your choices within the booking process to automatically receive your savings!

1. FLY – Start with FRIENDS FLY FREE for your flights:

FLY FREE: Every second person flies FREE when you book a flight + hotel package to Orlando! Book 5/22 – 6/21/09 | Travel 6/1 – 10/30/09 (Blackout dates: 6/29 – 7/6/09. Valid for travel Monday – Thursday.) Five-day advance purchase required. Additional taxes, fees, and exclusions apply.

2. STAY – Choose from four incredible hotel offers:

Offer 1: FREE Disney Dining Plan FREE Disney Dining Plan PLUS save an extra $100 at the Walt Disney World® Resort Book 5/22 – 6/21/09 | Travel 8/16 – 10/3/09 Learn More Offer 2: Buy one night, get one FREE at six hotels shown below Book 5/22 – 6/21/09 | Travel 6/1 – 10/30/09 Five-day advance purchase required. Blackout dates apply. Sheraton Vistana Villages Learn More Sheraton Safari Hotel & Suites Learn More Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort Learn More Best Western Lakeside Learn More Quality Inn Plaza Learn More Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista Learn More Offer 3: Summer Savings at the Walt Disney World® Resort Save up to 39% at the Walt Disney World® Resort Book 5/22 – 6/6/09 | Travel 6/7 – 8/8/09 Five-day advance purchase required. Learn More Offer 4: Save up to 30% at Universal Orlando® Resort Universal Orlando® Resort Book 5/22 – 6/21/09 | Travel 6/1 – 10/30/09 (blackout dates 6/29 – 7/6/09) Five-day advance purchase required. Learn More

3. PLAY – Add attraction tickets to experience the Walt Disney World® Resort or take advantage of this exclusive offer:

Buy one, get one FREE 2-Park Unlimited Admission Ticket. Valid for Universal Studios® AND Universal’s Islands of Adventure® theme parks. Book 5/22 – 6/21/09 | Travel 6/1 – 10/30/09 (blackout dates 6/29 – 7/6/09) Five-day advance purchase required. Learn More

4. DRIVE – Add a car and take advantage of these fantastic deals:

Friends DRIVE FREE plus get unbeatable rates. No cost to add an additional driver, a savings of $9.95 per person for a total savings of $69.95 for 7 days! Book 5/22 – 6/21/09 | Travel 6/1 – 10/30/09 Learn More Book a fullsize car rental for a midsize price. Only valid on rentals of five or more days. Book 5/22 – 6/21/09 | Travel 5/27 – 10/30/09 Learn More

Need assistance? Call us at 1-800-243-8372.

Customized vacation packages include:

• Roundtrip flight via Southwest Airlines® into Orlando, FL
• Hotel accommodations & hotel taxes
• Rapid Rewards® credit on flight portion
• 24-hour traveler assistance

With the global recession still weighing down on consumer spending and travel, Universal Orlando on Tuesday introduced new promotional packages that include protections for travelers who get laid off before they leave on vacation.

Under Universal’s “Vacation Stimulus Offer,” travelers who book a three-nights-or-longer package through Universal Parks and Resorts Vacations will get free travel insurance that entitles them to a full refund if they are forced to cancel their trip because of job loss.

Guests must book their vacations by June 30, for travel through Oct. 8.

Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said it is the first time Orlando’s No. 2 theme-park resort has offered complimentary travel insurance as part of a vacation deal. It is also the first time the resort, which has long sold travel insurance, has included involuntary job-loss coverage.

Such protection has become an increasingly common tactic for companies struggling to encourage consumer spending amid the worst recession in decades. The concept has been popularized by Hyundai and other carmakers, and time-share developers this spring persuaded the Florida Legislature to let them sell similar policies.

A spokeswoman said Walt Disney World sells travel insurance that includes job-loss coverage, though she said Disney does not offer the insurance for free in any discount package. A spokesman for SeaWorld Orlando said the resort gives full refunds to guests who cancel for any reason, provided they booked their packages directly through SeaWorld and that they cancel at least 72 hours in advance.

For the rest of Jason Garcia’s article…please go to the Orlando Sentinel