Disneyland hotel workers stage walkout

by Melanie Nayer on

Seems there’s a little tension the land of make believe…

While guests escape to Neverland, hotel staffers are escaping into the great outdoors in Disneyland.

Nearly 200 workers from the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier Hotel in Anaheim, Calif., staged a walkout on Friday to protest unfair working conditions. The housekeeping staff claims the room renovations, made earlier this year, made it more difficult to clean the rooms.

The Disneyland Hotel has 969 rooms and the Paradise Pier Hotel has 468 rooms – both hotels are located in the Downtown Disney District and include everything from pools to playgrounds.

But the fun doesn’t stop there…

Last Sunday 75 workers walked out of their jobs claiming unfair workloads forcing other members of Disney staff to fill in. The Sunday walkout ended peacefully with all staffers going back to the jobs.

Holiday travel to fall 2.5 percent

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The airports may not be as crowded at Christmas this year. The Air Transport Association of America expects holiday flight traffic to fall 2.5 percent from 2008. The holiday period is measured as December 17, 2009 through January 6, 2010. The busiest days in the sky are most likely to be the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday after Christmas.

Don’t expect to have plenty of legroom, though. Part of the decline stems from the fact that airlines have cut flights, so fewer people may be jockeying for fewer seats, leaving you just as cramped as usual. Both the dip in the number of passengers and in the number of flights is a direct result of a recession that has had a magnified effect on the travel market this year.

Last week, Delta, American and United all came out and said that they’re seeing an increase in demand — and from those high-value corporate clients that keep the planes in the air.

Two climbers missing, one dead on Mt. Hood

by Kraig Becker on

It was a long and tragic weekend on Oregon’s Mt. Hood, where search and rescue teams combed the area searching for three missing climbers. That search turned tragic on Saturday when one of the climbers was found dead high on the mountain, while his two companions remain missing as of this writing.

On Friday, 26-year old Luke T. Gullberg, Kattie Nolan, 29, and Anthony Vietti, 24, set off to climb the 11,249 foot Mt. Hood, which is a popular mountaineering destination in all seasons, although obviously more challenging in the winter months, when deep snow and unpredictable weather can cause all kinds of problems. The three climbers were due back at 2 PM that afternoon, but when they didn’t arrive by Saturday, the search teams went into action.

Gulberg’s body was discovered on the Reid Glacier at about 9000 feet, along with some climbing gear, but no trace of Nolan or Vietti was discovered. The recovery team said they found a digital camera in Gulberg’s pack, which gave clues to the location of the missing climbers, but due to bad weather, heavy snow, and avalanche conditions, finding them won’t be an easy task. That task will be made all the more difficult by an incomplete climbing registration form and conflicting reports on the route they were taking to the summit.

The search is expected to continue today, with a National Guard and Coast Guard helicopter reporting to the area. The Coast Guard aircraft comes equipped with thermal imaging that should prove helpful to SAR teams, despite the adverse weather conditions. Search teams remain hopeful that Nolan and Vietti will still be found alive.

Tour Honolulu via the Marathon course

by Brenda Yun on

The Honolulu Marathon is being held this morning here on Oahu — and it’s a beautiful day in paradise. Taking a tour of the Honolulu Marathon course basically gives you a comprehensive idea of Honolulu’s best sights.

The marathon begins on Ala Moana Boulevard, which in Hawaiian means “path by the ocean.” The actual starting line is located in beautiful Ala Moana Beach Park, a peaceful recreation area with over 100 acres of green park, sandy beach, swimming and surfing spots.

The second mile of the course runs through downtown along Honolulu Harbor and the historic Aloha Tower, which was once the tallest building when it was erected back in 1926 and is now the main port for Honolulu’s cruise ships. The course turns directions in Chinatown and then passes Iolani Palace, which is the only royal palace in the United States.

At the fourth mile, runners pass by Ala Moana Center, a huge, open-air mall with more than 250 stores and restaurants, and then racers make their way along Kalakaua Avenue through lively Waikiki. Kalakaua Avenue is full of historic sights and sounds, such as the Sheraton Moana Surfrider (Waikiki’s oldest hotel, built in 1901), Waikiki Beach (marked by the iconic statue of Duke Kahanamoku), and the International Marketplace.

Runners pass the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Shell (an outdoor stage area), and Diamond Head (the gorgeous volcanic crater popular with hikers). Near the halfway point, marathoners will run along the Kalanianaole Highway, one of the island’s most scenic byways, heading east toward Koko Head, another volcanic crater. Runners near the popular snorkel spot, Hanauma Bay before heading back along the highway, running along Kahala Avenue (the famed road with oceanfront homes owned by the island’s and nation’s elite) toward the Diamond Head and the finish line. The race finishes in Kapiolani Park, next to the Waikiki Aquarium.

The Honolulu Marathon course is a great introduction to this tropical city of delights. Maybe instead of running it, you can take your time and enjoy the sights at a slower tourist’s pace. Enjoy!

Photo of the Day (12.12.2009)

by Brenda Yun on


Riding a ferry anywhere in the world is simply one of the most pleasant experiences in the world, and this photo pretty much sums up why. This particular ferry is the 4:20 to Bremerton on the Puget Sound. The water is as still as glass, and the sky a glowing orange. There’s such peace, such tranquility, in this shot. Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” is one of my favorite poems, and in it he writes, “Others will enter the gates of the ferry, and cross from shore to shore.” The ferry is a perfect metaphor for the common experience of life itself. How beautiful that metaphor — and life — is.

Today’s photo comes to us from Andy Bokanev, a Seattle native with an amazing array of travel photography. If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!