Gadlinks for Tuesday 8.4.09

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Welcome to this Tuesday’s installment of Gadlinks. What weird, wondrous and wacky tales did we dig up from the travel world today? Read on to find out:

  • Like Rollercoasters? Maybe it’s time you booked a ticket to Shanghai, where China’s largest amusement park is set to open its gates next week. That looks like quite a wooden coaster! [Via Jaunted]
  • Looking to be inspired? This plan by two dozen homeless men in Poland to build and sail a ship around the world is an absolutely amazing story. [Via The NYT]
  • We shouldn’t forget that some of our country’s best beaches aren’t on the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans – they’re on the Great Lakes. How about this list of Seven Michigan Lake Towns to get you started? They forgot my favorite, South Haven. [Via Intelligent Traveler]
  • Sometimes, despite our best efforts to get “off the beaten trail” we end up in what is otherwise known as the dreaded tourist trap. Don’t fret, Esquire has a Five-Minute Guide to American Tourist Traps like the Grand Canyon, Disneyland and Yellowstone. The hordes of tourists are still there, but you’ll have the upper hand. [Via World Hum]

More Gadlinks HERE.

Fun to get more expensive at Disney World

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Prices are about to go up at Disney World, but the company is keeping the increases reasonable. Theme park multi-day admission prices will increase by 2.5 percent to 5.3 percent, depending on the nature of the passes. In 2006, when the economy was strong, the park hiked prices 16 percent.

The money has to come from somewhere. Hotel bookings are down 7 percent for Disney’s domestic parks this quarter, and the discounts used to bring more people in the door are hitting the company’s bottom line, as well. Park attendance was up last quarter, but revenue fell 9 percent, thanks to aggressive hotel room pricing.

What’s this all mean? Disney CEO Bob Iger doesn’t expect the economy to recover anytime soon, so he’s got to keep Mickey’s pockets full. He does make the point, however, that a $79 ticket to the Orlando park compares favorably to sporting events, ski lift tickets and other forms of entertainment – not a bad point.

Sign the petition to open travel to Cuba

by Brenda Yun on


Americans today have the right to travel to any country in the world except Cuba. Recently, the OpenCuba.org campaign, which gives people a way to petition U.S. leaders to end the 50-year Cuba travel ban and give all Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba, has been creating some buzz on the web because of the positive developments happening on Capitol Hill regarding lifting travel restrictions to Cuba.

159 Congressmen and 29 Senators recently sponsored the bipartisan Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, which seeks to open up travel to Cuba for all U.S. citizens. The opportunity to end the 50-year ban hangs in the balance. Each of us can take part in the movement to give Americans the right to travel wherever they choose by signing the petition.
The momentum behind this issue is growing. A recent poll shows that 67% of Americans favor allowing all Americans to travel to Cuba. Cuban American groups such as the Cuban American Alliance and the Cuban American Commission for Family Rights have also endorsed the initiatives sparked by OpenCuba.org. Over 50,000 people have already visited OpenCuba.org to make their opinion heard.

To seize the moment and join the growing number of OpenCuba.org supporters in urging U.S. leaders to give all Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba, visit http://www.OpenCuba.org, and encourage others to do so as well.

Americans have long had the freedom to travel almost anywhere in the world, and should continue to exercise this freedom wherever possible. This ability to travel and the resulting exchange of ideas between people from different countries can be a powerful force for positive change.

For information on my own travels to Cuba earlier this year, check out my Cuba Libre series HERE.

JetBlue, United jump on Twitter for cheap tix

by Tom Johansmeyer on

JetBlue and United Airlines are pushing the first taste of cheap fares out on Twitter. They hope to use what USA Today calls the “uber-trendy form of messaging” to push seats on flights that may have vacant seats prior to wheels-up. After deals appear, they don’t always stick around long. JetBlue’s first “Cheep” (a variation on “tweet”) offered a $9 one-way fare from JFK to Nantucket. The model that’s emerging puts JetBlue’s fare tweets out on Monday mornings and offers around eight hours to act on them.

United Airlines has had its “twares” in action since May, and the element of surprise is a factor. The discounts can be released without warning, and there’s no discernable schedule. The deals can live for as little as two hours, forcing Twitter-using travelers to act fast.

Five ways to protect yourself when getting bumped from a flight

by Tom Johansmeyer on

It’s hard enough to cope with the risks of volunteering to give up your seat on an airline, but what happens when you get bumped? More than 63,000 passengers were booted from flights last year, despite the fact that they had tickets. Airlines are cutting routes in an effort to save some money, and this is leaving some passengers at the gate.

Nonetheless, you have rights, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is taking them seriously. It just nailed Delta with $375,000 in fines, though half of that could be forgiven if the airline improves how it handles oversold flights. You may remember, I dealt with this situation while traveling to the Gadling meet-up in Chicago a few months ago.

So, you’re about to get bumped … or you’ve been booted already. Here are five factors to keep in mind:

1. The airline has to start by asking for volunteers: if your travel plans are not extremely flexible, keep your mouth shut; you don’t want to get wrapped up in the drama of waiting and possibly missing your next flight.

2. Wait for big money: some airlines will work the numbers up slowly, starting with a voucher for $100. But, others will amp it up to $400 right away (Delta does this). At the $400 threshold, the airline‘s advantage goes away, so don’t hold out for more.

3. Delayed for double: if you are bumped to a flight that gets you home between one and two hours later than your original time, you’re entitled to the price of a one-way ticked, up to $400, in cash. If it takes longer than that, the amount goes to $800.

4. Be careful with vouchers: they may feel like cash, but they can come with restrictions, leaving you with less value for your sacrifice (willing or not).

5. Don’t expect the royal treatment: policies vary, but there are no government requirements that an airline feed you and put you in a hotel room for the night, even if it’s their fault. But, you do have room to negotiate, especially if the airline doesn’t look bad. If it’s the airline’s fault, you can use that to your advantage.