Travels With Jane

Tuesday deal: Disney lodging

Even the Main Mouse must be having a rough time. Disney Resorts in Orlando are offering some of the steepest discounts we've ever seen. For the price of a four-night package in one of Disney's Value Resorts (those would be the motel-like All-Star resorts), you get seven nights.

The skinny:

• Book by Dec. 20
• Travel between Jan 4-April 4 or April 19-June 27
• Get seven nights in a standard room for a family of four, plus four seven-day theme park tickets (two adult, one  junior, one child)
• Total cost: $1,271
• Travel between Jan. 1 and March 29 and get a $200 Disney gift card
• Limited availability (but you knew that)

If you're a Florida resident, seven days may be more time than you're up for. For us, there are a host of other options, including:

• $54 rate at select Disney Value Resorts for visits Jan. 1-15 and Jan. 19-Feb. 12, plus discounted rates at other Disney resorts
• Play 4 Days pass (4 parks, 4 days, one park per day) for $160 plus tax

Don't like those deals? Don't give up. A number of non-Disney resorts (including some that are on Disney property, so you still get free transportation) are offering deals. Those include:

• Book by Nov. 15 and travel by Dec. 19 to get an $80 rate at Westgate Lakes Universal or $123 per night at the very cool Nickodeon Family Suites; book through Expedia
• The newly renovated Regal Sun Resort is offering 30 percent off it's regular rates; it is on Disney property close to Downtown Disney but isn't owned by Disney
• Pay for four nights and get the fifth night free at the Orlando World Center Marriott through May 3

There are plenty more deals out there; you only need to hunt around. It's worth checking out the official tourism website, which offers many more values.

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PHOTO: Alan Solomon / Chicago Tribune

On Space Coast, frontiers always await

For most of us, here at NASA's 50th annivesary, space exploration is simply part of a modern technological age. Shuttles take off; rockets deliver probes; the Hubble telescope transmits eye-popping images and then flutters into silence.

A visit to Kennedy Space Center, where I've been late this week, is reminder that exploration is so much more.

  For 11-year-old Gavin Bender of Pennsylvania, his KSC tour was a celebration of bravery; "being an astronaut is about more than just being famous.'' For his dad, David, the films and exhibits were a reminder of how much can be accomplished through commitment and perseverence. For retiree Carol Hall of North Carolina, standing at L39 in the rare sight of two shuttles on the launch pad, it was a wistful reminder of her own unfulfilled dreams of space travel. And for 12-year-old Roche Pretorius of Maitland on his 5th or 6th visit, who wants to become an astronaut, it was perhaps a glimpse of the future.

Exhibits at KSC are compact, sometimes seeming even small -- until you really look at them. Then you may find yourself immersed in the story of how 400,000 people took America to the moon, how robots prepare the way for manned space flights, how an astronaut feels at blast-off.

The newest exhibit centers on images from the troubled Hubble Telescope. Nearly all of us have seen the images, read the stories. But it wasn't until I studied them in this exhibit that I was struck with the wonder of what that time-traveler really does. Sitting at 350 miles above the earth, the Hubble reaches back millenia -- up to 10 billion years -- and brings home to us images of colliding stars, swirling nebulae and billions of galaxies that are no more. It has confirmed black holes and billions of stars and even more galaxies...and left us with questions and hopes, ambitions and perhaps, even fears. It reminds us that out of chaos eventually comes order -- a comfort in these uncertain times.

Frank Cippolina, Hubble project manager, attended the exhibit's opening, and we had a chance to chat. Because of Hubble, he said, "We've discovered who we are in this tiny planet...how significant, or insignificant, are we to exist in this huge galaxy.''

It's a useful perspective at a time when our country, it often seems, is mired in self-absorbtion and greed and worry. And glorious, at least for me, to be inspired to travel so much farther.   

What do you think about space exploration? Should we continue? Comment below.

Go cheap (or free!) in Orlando

  Heading up to the parks? Get there before the end of the month and you can take advantage of Orlando's own Restaurant Month, with three-course pre-fixe dinners for $19 or $29. Among the 50 restaurants participating are Emeril's Tchoup Chop, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, Oceanaire, Bice, Graze Orlando and Flemings Prime Steakhouse.

Spending a long weekend? Stay two nights, get the third free as part of Orlando's Endless Summer Promotion, good through Nov. 15. See a list of participating hotels.

If you can wait until 2009, you can get into Disney parks in Florida or California on your birthday for free. (Don't pass out.) Visitors will have to show valid identification and proof of birth date to qualify. See the details;  and register your birthday visit in advance.

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AP Photo

Coming soon: New Miami hotel

The last time a new MIami hotel project opened early was just about...never. Yet in December, the Epic will open five months early.

The reason, said execs on a morning hard-hat tour of the downtown tower: As construction in South Florida has slowed, labor has become more readily available. So instead of opening to guests in  May 2009, the hotel will open Dec. 15 and begin taking guests Jan. 1. Starting rate: $399.

If you remember the old Dupont hotel downtown, you know the location: on the Miami River, near the mouth, on the "downtown'' side of the Brickell Bridge. That riverfront location gives it something no other hotel in town offers: 800 feet of marina suitable for water-tour pick-ups, speed boats and your 100-foot-yacht. (It's not designed for permanent tie-ups but for guests.)

On this morning's tour, we were able to see a standard guest room: 425 square feet plus balcony, muted earth tones in sophisticated styling, and a spa-style bathroom with separate water closet, rainshower head in the spacious shower, separate tub and a "window'' into the bedroom. (Execs swear the window shade is a blackout so you won't bother your partner; if you stay there, let us know how it works.)

Though it's not the cheeriest time in the economy to be opening up a hotel, Kimpton COO Niki Leondakis said they're expecting marketing efforts in Europe and South America and the chain's specialty in small-group meetings will pay off.

The 411-room Epic is Kimpton's first property in Miami. (The company briefly managed the Mayfair in the Grove.) If you don't know Kimpton, you'll want to check them out. Based in the Northwest, Kimpton opened the country's first boutique hotels 27 years ago; though many are still out west, three are in New York. Along with hip styling, distinctive personality and (generally) smaller size hotels, Kimpton offers friendly touches like a nightly wine hour, pet-friendly service (they'll deliver a goldfish to your room if you're feeling lonely), and free or at-cost access to those basics you often forget, like tweezers, contact solution and nail polish remover -- exactly the items I nearly always forget.

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Photo courtesy of Kimpton.

Fewer flights to Tallahassee

Getting to FSU and FAMU games is getting even harder -- and right in the middle of football season. Not to mention trying to do face-to-face business with the State of Florida.

As of Oct. 1, Delta is eliminating its direct flights from MIA and FLL to Tallahassee, leaving American Airlines as the sole carrier offering nonstop service from South Florida (from Miami) to the state capital.

"We've made a strategy change and opted to route passengers through our hubs rather than offering point-to-point service,'' said Delta spokesperson Susan Elliott. High fuel prices played a role in the decision, she said.

The tip-off came from reader Andy Kay of Aventura, who discovered the change when trying to make holiday reservations for his daughter, an FSU student. ''Is any other airline planning on filling the gap? How is AA going to meet the demand of business, student and government travelers to our state capital with just 2 flights from only Miami?,'' he asks.

AA says no, it's planning to keep service as it is. And officials at MIA say they know of no plans by other airlines to start up service.

Meanwhile, Delta fliers will now connect in Atlanta, then come back south. Delta's cheapest routing -- we found it priced at $197 from Fort Lauderdale -- requires a stop in Atlanta, then Philadelphia, before arriving in Tallahassee. From Miami, $165 will buy you a seat -- via an AA flight to New York's La Guardia, then a Delta flight through Atlanta.

Not sure how that's going to save on fuel.

Where to travel on the cheap

   Though the dollar appears to be making a comeback, the world beyond our borders is still pretty pricey. So where can an American get a value?

   Hostelworld points out that backpackers -- invariably focused on traveling on the cheap -- usually catch on to emerging destinations before those with more cashflow. Their picks for îîthe next hot destinations,'' drawn from booking trends at their website:

• 1. Essouria, Morocco
• 2. Aswan, Egypt
• 3. Bratislava, Slovakia
• 4. Kyoto, Japan
• 5. Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
• 6. Livingstone, Zambia
• 7. Cascais, Portugal
• 8. Zagreb, Croatia
• 9. Xi'an, China
• 10. Amman, Jordan

   Still looking around? Cheapoair says these are the cheapest air options for international travel through the fall. (Of course, they may not be the cheapest from Miami!)

• 1. Nassau, Bahamas
• 2. Kingston, Jamaica
• 3. Mexico City, Mexico
• 4. Montego Bay, Jamaica
• 5. Guatemala City, Guatemala
• 6. Panama City, Panama
• 7. San Jose Cabo, Mexico
• 8. Quito, Ecuador
• 9. Caracas, Venezuela
• 10. San Jose, Costa Rica
• 11. London, England
• 12. Paris, France
• 13. Hong Kong, China
• 14. Manila, Philippines
• 15. Tel Aviv, Israel
• 16. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• 17. Papeete, French Polynesia
• 18. Sydney, Australia
• 19. Tokyo, Japan
• 20. Johannesburg, South Africa
• 21. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

As for all that stuff about everyone taking "staycations'' at home, poppycock, say the latest trend surveys. While more Floridians did travel in-state this year than last, according to tourism officials, only about 9 percent of Americans are planning "staycations'' in the next six months, says the Travel Industry of America.

Apparently we've got cabin fever, says Expedia Travel Trendwatch. While some airfares skyrocketed, others dropped. And the number of travelers heading abroad is estimated to grow nearly 3% this summer, according to AAA.

Got a recommendation on a value destination? Share it; just hit Comment below.

Fay is all wet

Fay's legacy is mostly rain and flooding. (How it is that the weather experts can say we're getting 2-5 inches of rain when nearly everyone's pool has gained 10 is beyond me, but....) A few streets were flooded this a.m., but they're the low patches that back up in any story.

Otherwise, Miami seems mostly fine. Not even my avocadoes came off the tree. And the Keys report an all-OK as well.

Several cruise ships have rerouted to avoid rough seas, according to the Associated Press.

MIAMI (AP) - Two cruise ship operators have modified some sailing itineraries to avoid Tropical Storm Fay.

Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Corp. say that because of the wind and sea conditions created by Tropical Storm ay they will not be able to use the port of Key West on Tuesday.

Carnival said it would also not sail toward Mexico to avoid rossing the path of the storm.

Royal Caribbean said it would not visit Key West on Tuesday and hat one ship would reverse its ports of call to avoid the storm.

When this happens, some passenger always complains...and often, those complaints end up in my mailbox.

Last year, a passenger wrote to me and several other travel editors around the country complaining that his ship had missed the port that was most important to him. I wrote back one of those long and proper e-mails explaining that all cruise contracts of carriage include information that allows the cruise line to alter the itinerary as needed, and that avoiding an impending hurricane certainly seemed like a good reason to invoke that clause.

Another editor was more pointed. "Would you have preferred to die in the storm?''

More updates for Florida visitors

The storm may be upon us, but plenty of the folks who scurry to put our press releases are sending them our way. Some updates:

• For real-time traffic updates in foul weather, dial 511. That reminder comes from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which operates the free service in weather fair and nasty. It offers updates on Florida's interstates and the Florida Turnpike.


• Miami's Vizcaya Gardens is closed, reopens on Wednesday.


• Miami Art Museum (MAM) is closed Tuesday, reopens Wednesday.


• In Fort Myers, the Ford & Edison Winter Estates closed early today (Monday) and will be closed Tuesday. For Wednesday opening hours, call 239-334-7419 on Wednesday.


• In Panama City Beach, the Grand Lagoon Nationa fishing tournament is still set for this week, but with some schedule changes due to current weather forecasts. Fishing days will take place Thurs. Aug. 21 - Sun. Aug. 24, as originally scheduled. Pre-event festivities, originally slated for Wed. Aug. 20, have been moved to Thurs., Aug. 21 following reports on Tropical Storm Fay.

Air Tran issues hurricane policy

The press releases have started rolling in. We'll be posting them as they show up. Here's the latest from AirTran:

AirTran Airways Customers Affected by Tropical Storm Fay May Change Travel Plans Without Penalty

    ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Based on the current forecasts for Tropical Storm Fay by the National Hurricane Center, AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), is offering passengers with flights booked to/from Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Miami, Sarasota/Bradenton, Tampa or West Palm Beach, Florida, today after 5:00 pm EDT or at any time on Tuesday, August 19, to change their travel to an earlier flight today or to move to another date through August 23, 2008, based on space availability without change fees or fare adjustments. 

    Passengers holding reservations for travel to/from these Florida destinations scheduled August 18 and 19, 2008, should check www.airtran.com under "Flight Status" for updates or call 1-800-AIRTRAN (247-8726).

When a hurricane is coming

I had planned to blog about all kinds of subjects today...good and evil airline personnel, the moral dilemma around visit countries with aggressive military policies and poor human rights records (Russia), even my review of last month's Baltic cruise.

But it's hurricane season in this part of the world, and so we turn our attention to the approaching storm.

No storm is to be taken lightly. Fay has already caused several deaths in Hispanola, the island that is home to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Yet as hurricanes go, this one is expected to be a lesser than greater event. When you've been through wonkers like Hurricane Andrew, a Category 1 storm seems manageable. Right now we've only got a drizzle here in Miami, and I'm hoping my biggest personal threat is an overflowing pool.

But that doesn't mean you can go mindless...especially if you're traveling.

Here are a few tips:

• The Florida Keys, which admirably takes a proactive approach to alerting visitors about storm threats, is already evacuating its tourists. Read more on the Keys.
• If you're slated to travel to South Florida -- or any place in Florida likely to be affected today or tomorrow -- call your airline, then your hotel and then check your travel insurance policy. Few travel insurance policies offer much help until a storm actually hits, but many hotels and airlines offer relief. (Partly it's a matter of good will, and partly, it's because the flights can't always get in anyway, and the hotels want to let their own staffs go home.)
• If you're slated to travel out of South Florida in the next two days, the same advice applies. If your airline can't fly, they aren't going to expect you on the plane. But you want to check to be sure.

Throughout today and tomorrow, you can follow the storm, airport closings and other related information at MiamiHerald.com.

Here in the Travel section, we'll be pretty busy rethinking next week's Travel section. It's about Florida. But I'll update my blog as travel-relate alerts bccome available.