After the Herculean growth of four parks in five years (from Florida’s Animal Kingdom in 1998 to France’s Studios Park in 2002), Disney took a breather. This fall, the Mouse roars back to life.
InsertArt(2044470)EPCOT CONTINUES its transition from Utopia to thrill park by replacing the future-fixated Horizons exhibit with the astronaut caper Mission: SPACE, which reportedly cost over $45 million. Meanwhile, California Adventure readies the long-awaited Anaheim version of the popular Tower of Terror for a spring ribbon-cutting. But the most staggering addition may prove to be Expedition Everest, a yeti-themed roller coaster—with icy blasts of air, 80-foot drops, and cars that reverse direction—now rising at Animal Kingdom (estimated cost: $100 million) for a 2006 opening. At 200 feet, it will be the tallest “mountain” in Florida.
Canadian authorities decreed that all Canadian passport photos must show a “neutral expression…with the mouth closed”—meaning no smiling, frowning, glaring, or grimacing. Don’t say “cheese.” Just think it.
QUEER EYE FOR THE GREAT BUY
Having launched its gay microsite in the summer of 2002, Orbitz is now starting the first gay travel-rewards program (free to join): Travelers get a $350 credit toward airfare when they book an all-gay Atlantis or Olivia vacation costing $2,000 or more, up to 50 percent off gay cruises in general, special savings at gay-friendly hotels, as well as discounts at bars and nightclubs. They’re simply the best gay travel deals anywhere. Jeff Marsh, Orbitz’s director of marketing strategy, calls the endeavor a “no-brainer”—gay customers, he points out, are twice as likely to book on Orbitz as other customers. Check it out at .
WIPE OUT THE SUN
Behold: moist towelettes with sunblock! They don’t explode in your luggage, and they’re also less oily than lotion—so you feel less like a basted turkey. One drawback: They’re also decidedly less sexy—though SPF 30 Spwipes made a cameo in the Baywatch reunion movie (5” by 8” wipes for face and arms, $7.95 for 10; 8” by 10” sheets for all the skin you show at the beach, $5.48 for five; or at Wal-Mart). Rival SunSwipe ups the ante with vitamins A, E, and D, plus it comes in SPF 30 and SPF 45, but is available only in a one-size-wipes-all 12” by 12” sheet in a resealable pouch. The company claims you can squeeze several sessions out of each wipe ($8.85 for four, ; $17.50 for 12, ).
Copyright © 2003 Newsweek Budget Travel, Inc.