Jul 27th, 2011 at 8:00AM:
About 12 hours before STS-135 was set to blast off for low Earth orbit, my friend Rob and I were driving toward Titusville, Florida with a car full of camping supplies and our fingers crossed. The weather was foul, and the chances of a launch were just 30 percent. But we were in Central Florida to see a blast off, and so to the Space Coast we were headed. ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Orlando posts
The Final Shuttle Launch and the Future of the Space Coast
Jul 27th, 2011 at 8:00AM:
About 12 hours before STS-135 was set to blast off for low Earth orbit, my friend Rob and I were driving toward Titusville, Florida with a car full of camping supplies and our fingers crossed. The weather was foul, and the chances of a launch were just 30 percent. But we were in Central Florida to see a blast off, and so to the Space Coast we were headed. ...Fourth of July travel deals from Viator
Jun 27th, 2011 at 12:15PM: Sometimes the best things come to those who wait. If you're looking for some last minute Independence Day deals, our pals at Viator have pulled together a list of Fourth of July bargains to help travelers get the most out of their three-day weekend. From New York to Oahu, below are some suggestions that will have you seeing red, white and blue without spending a whole lot of green.
New York: ...Win a legendary golf outing from Hilton HHonors
May 9th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Are you a golf fan looking for an epic escape with your buddies this year? Than you'll definitely want to enter the Legendary Golf Getaway contest from Hilton HHonors, which could send you and seven of your closest friends, on a once in a lifetime golf outing.
The contest, which launched last week, will award one lucky winner a fantastic prize that will take them, along with their guests, to ...Another London eye-like wheel attraction is coming, this one to Florida
Mar 8th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
Just a few days ago it was Las Vegas getting a London Eye-like Ferris wheel & amusement park. Now, add Orlando to that list as a Madame Tussauds wax museum and a 425-foot Orlando Eye observation wheel will be part of a new tourist complex in central Florida.
At 425 feet, the Orlando Eye wheel will be almost as high as the 443-foot tall London Eye and be part of a sprawling dining, ...SeaWorld prepares to put trainers back in the water with killer whales
Feb 26th, 2011 at 9:00AM: A year after the fatal accident involving trainer Dawn Brancheau, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment has announced that they are preparing to put trainers back in the water during their killer whale shows. Trainers have not been permitted in the water since the incident involving their largest orca named Tilikum.
SeaWorld will not give an exact date of when in-water performances will resume, ...Spring Break deals: Fares up overall, best deals can be found to Florida, Europe
Feb 24th, 2011 at 9:30AM:
The folks over at Bing Travel have been studying up on 2011 Spring Break airfare, and we hate to break it to you, but they've found that the average airfare cost is up more than 10 percent over last year, to $489. But the airfare increase doesn't have to stop the beach party. If you choose wisely, there are still plenty of Spring Break deals to be had.
Bing's Spring Break Travel Forecast ...Disney vacations: Why we go
Jan 24th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
Walt Disney World is the most visited resort in the world. Other Disney resorts and Disney cruises remain huge destinations worldwide. Yet, a Disney vacation is also maligned by many people.
Believe me, I've heard all the negatives: It's overly programmed; it's pedestrian; it's gimmicky; it's hot and miserable (or cold and miserable, as the case may be).
And as a journalist who covers ...New Pixar Pals parade disappoints many Disney World fans
Jan 18th, 2011 at 8:30AM:
Walt Disney World debuted a new parade - Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun! - at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Sunday. The new parade features characters from Pixar films Up! and Ratatouille that have never appeared in a Disney parade before.
New stuff at Disney is frequently met with breathless wonder by the many fans of all things Disney out there. But when it comes to this parade, reaction ...Top 10 travel spots in the United States
Jan 17th, 2011 at 1:30PM: So, Orbitz noted when we like to travel ... but where do we go? The top 10 destinations in the country were mostly predictable, with big tourist-magnet cities dominating the list. There were a few surprises, according to the information supplied by Orbitz: Boston, for example, didn't make the list, after having ranked ninth in 2009. Los Angeles, fifth in 2009, also fell off in 2010. New Orleans ...Universal Orlando announces Mardi Gras concert lineup
Jan 17th, 2011 at 8:30AM:
Thirty Seconds to Mars, Ne-Yo and Blake Shelton are among the headliners just announced for Universal Orlando's Mardi Gras this spring.
The 2011 Mardi Gras celebration happens on weekend nights Feb. 12 through April 23 at the Universal Studios Florida theme park in Orlando, Florida.
Here's the concert lineup:
Feb. 12: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
Feb. 19: The ...Harry Potter park serves up 1 millionth Butterbeer
Jan 6th, 2011 at 4:30PM:
It's not just a beverage, it's an experience. That's the word from Universal Orlando Resort, which said today that the company has sold 1 million Butterbeers in its Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
The creamy-smooth concoction is a favorite drink in the Harry Potter books and movies, and it's also a favorite at the theme park, where guests will wait in ride-sized lines to buy a cup. Last ...Why you shouldn't worry about Donald Duck groping you at Disney World
Jan 4th, 2011 at 1:30PM: The case against Donald Duck is moving forward. A federal judge has ruled that a Pennsylvania woman's lawsuit against Walt Disney World can proceed.
April Magolon says that an actor costumed as Donald Duck at Epcot touched her breast and then joked about it in May 2008.
The Donald Duck groping case ruling allows Magolon's civil lawsuit to proceed in Pennsylvania. Disney had wanted it moved ...Universal ride that caught fire will be closed for weeks
Jan 3rd, 2011 at 2:00PM: Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls water ride will be closed for several weeks following a fire at Islands of Adventure on Saturday night.
The Universal Orlando ride will be closed to repair the damage, and to undergo seasonal maintenance, according to Universal. Ripsaw Falls had already been scheduled to be closed for maintenance in a couple of weeks.
About 5:30 Saturday evening, the ride and ...Disney photo privacy questions raised by new 'Let the Memories Begin' campaign
Jan 3rd, 2011 at 11:30AM:
Walt Disney World and Disneyland are inviting guests to share their Disney Parks memories in the form of photos, video and stories submitted to a Disney Web site as part of a 2011 marketing campaign called "Let the Memories Begin." Videos shot by Disney visitors are being used in TV commercials for the theme parks.
And a key component of the new marketing campaign starts early this year, ...Disney World says goodbye to Block Party Bash
Jan 2nd, 2011 at 10:00AM:
New Year's Day is a day of beginnings, but it marked the end for a Disney World parade. The Block Party Bash ended its run at Disney's Hollywood Studios on January 1.
The Block Party Bash was a rolling parade that stopped for a "street party" a couple of times along the parade route. It featured characters from DisneyPixar movies including Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and The Incredibles.
...Fire erupts at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure
Jan 1st, 2011 at 7:59PM: A ride - a water ride, of all things - caught fire at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure on New Year's Day, causing the evacuation of a section of the theme park.
The fire happened around 5:30 p.m., according to Central Florida News 13. No injuries have been reported.
Universal Orlando officials evacuted the ride, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, as well as the surrounding Toon Lagoon ...Chilean miners are going to Walt Disney World
Dec 28th, 2010 at 9:00AM:
"Esteban Rojas, you've just survived 69 days trapped 2,300 feet underground. What are you going to do next?"
"I'm going to Disney Worldl!"
OK, so maybe that's not quite the way it happened, but the 33 Chilean miners who survived underground after a mine collapse this year are being treated to a Walt Disney World vacation in 2011.
Disney has confirmed that the miners and their ...Another fatal Disney bus accident
Dec 27th, 2010 at 11:30AM:
There's word this morning that a tourist has been killed at Walt Disney World. The 69-year-old Massachusetts man was in the parking lot at the Port Orleans Resort when he stepped into the path of a Disney bus.
It appears that the bus driver was not at fault and will not be charged. There were passengers on the bus at the time, and none of them were injured. This marks at least the ...Four amazing edible Christmas displays at Walt Disney World
Dec 21st, 2010 at 12:00PM: At holiday time, the pastry kitchens in and around Walt Disney World must kick into overdrive, churning out all the holiday desserts served in the restaurants and bakeries at the resort.
But beyond the cookies and cakes, Walt Disney World's ovens are filled with some important construction materials - hundreds and hundreds of house and roof tiles, all made out of gingerbread.
Here's a look ...Holy Land Experience theme park: Crucifixion, even on Christmas
Dec 20th, 2010 at 5:30PM: The new Noah's Ark theme park planned in Kentucky may be making headlines these days, but it's not the only U.S. park with a religious theme.
Central figures on the Orlando, Florida, theme park scene include Mickey Mouse, Shamu, Harry Potter, and Jesus Christ.
Just a few miles from Hogwart's Castle at Universal Orlando Resort lies the Holy Land Experience, a 15-acre theme park firmly rooted ...
