Gone are the days when wine tasting was confined to local wineries or national borders. Today's consumers crave authentic wine experiences in the land where it's cultivated. In Europe, where the wine economy is predominantly export-driven, tasting rooms tend to be family-operated. That means there may be just one person serving visitors, and appointments are…
Underplanning In Disney's drive to increase profit centers, the company has changed its basic theme park experience. Now every visitor must plan somewhat or pay a price. To eat at the best sit-down restaurants or enjoy a character meal, you must make reservations 60 days in advance or else face a lack of availability.…
When it comes to many of the world's wonders that weren't on maps for a while—the citadel of Machu Picchu, the tombs of Luxor, the Delta Sky Club lounge at DFW—the secret is definitely out, and those landmarks have the crowds to prove it.
If travelers are going for that eureka moment that comes with…
The Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, for those who are unfamiliar, shares its campus with its namesake Universal Studios, where movies and TV are made, and the grounds are scattered up the side of the mountain behind the Hollywood sign in the middle of the Los Angeles area. Everything you've just seen is packed into a cramped…
If you lived in 18th-century London and something went wrong with your body, after you died a famous scientist named John Hunter might show up to rummage through your corpse, snip out the afflicted organ, and sink it in a jar of preservative so that budding physicians could learn from the specimen. Back in…
If you've lived in America in the last 25 years and care at all about the entertainment world, then Dave Karger has likely spent a lot of time on your TV screen. One of the country's most reliable, level-headed, and accurate experts on the Hollywood awards season horse race, Karger is also an entertainment journalist and…
Ask any theme park aficionado to list all the things you can do during a day at Walt Disney World near Orlando, and you'll hear the resort's inventory rattled off as easily as the alphabet: four theme parks, two water-slide parks, a huge shopping district, a sports center, and more than 20 resort hotels. Not…
Demonstrators try to break through the blockade created by police officers to enter the city at Piazzale Roma, opposing the charge for tourists to enter the city on April 25, 2024 in Venice, Italy. Today Venice authorities launched a pilot program charging visitors a 5-euro entry fee in the hope that it will discourage at…
You might have seen some breathless proclamation this week about Walt Disney World's newly announced freebie. "Guests staying at Disney World’s resort hotels to get free water park entry," USA Today trumpeted. Yeah, about that. There's a huge catch that will keep most vacationers from being able to use the offer. It's true that Disney…
At this point, complaining that Disney World is a money pit is a little like complaining Las Vegas has dice. We know, we know. But as long as vacation sellers come up with new ways for vacationers to roll snake eyes and lose, we'll keep reporting them. Walt Disney World in Orlando, home of the…