Orlando’s theme parks are talking with public officials about how they might re-open. My Future of Travel blog for May 21 looks at Disney and Universal Studios, as well as a tourism recovery plan for France, a plan to restore Windstar Cruises and a fascinating report on the cleanliness of airplane air. FLORIDA THEME PARKS GEARING UP Disney Springs at Walt Disney World in Florida opened on Wednesday. Universal Orlando has opened up its retail distrct, as well. No one is saying just yet when the main parks will open, but it looks like that day is approaching. Top officials Read more
Florida
A lenswear company called Lensbest has released a new, data-driven list of the best places in the world to watch a sunset. As someone who tries to watch a sunset whenever he can (okay, I’m a romantic), I got a kick out of this. The company surveyed travel journalists (myself included) around the globe and came up with the top 100. Santorini, Greece, was the most nominated place to view a sunset worldwide, followed by the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Mykonos Greece, giving two podium spots to the country that gave us the first Olympics. Some 600 global locations Read more
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – Workers with neon yellow and Florida orange vests scurry past the dark blue seats before stopping to consult blueprints. Hammers clang off hard metal under the sun of a warm February day, and the beeps from the trucks and construction vehicles is a constant din. If you walked past the Blue Jays spring training stadium in this Instagram-worthy seaside town west of Tampa, you’d be forgiven if you thought the facility was some time away from completion. Outside the stadium, which has been given a $102 million US renovation/expansion and re-christened as TD Ballpark, a visitor early Read more
This just came in on Friday afternoon: Disney is offering 20-25% off for some tickets for Canadians. With Canadian visits down in Florida the last year or two, the state has been struggling to lure folks from north of the border. They recently launched a program that offers substantial discounts to Canadians who buy various packages. And now comes the Disney deal. For Walt Disney World in Florida, Canadian residents can save 20% on advance purchase of 4-Day or longer Magic Your Way Tickets until Feb. 10, 2018. For Disneyland in California, Canadians save 25% on advance prrchase of 3-Day Read more
THIS ITEM ORIGINALLY APPEARED JAN. 11 on POSTMEDIA AND SUN MEDIA SITES IN CANADA. The loonie remains in the doldrums. But winter’s getting you down and you’re dying to hit your favourite U.S. getaway spot. Lucky for us, there are still some great American destinations that aren’t too expensive. There also are ways to save on visits to cities and places you might think of as outside your budget. Here are some suggestions. ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER This is a favourite area for Blue Jays fans, as the Jays play their spring training games in nearby Dunedin. Dunedin is a great spot Read more
