Universal Studios Bringing Back "The Walking Dead"

Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort debut all new terrifying mazes inspired by Season 3 of the television series "The Walking Dead" at this year's Halloween Horror Nights events, beginning Sept. 20. The real maze experiences will place "Halloween Horror Nights" guests at the heart of the show's once impenetrable prison, the West Georgia Correctional Facility, now overrun by hordes of flesh-eating walkers. The mazes will send guests cowering through the walker-infested wilderness that surrounds the prison and into the town of Woodbury where gruesome secrets are concealed. Universal Orlando is also dedicating its entire "Halloween Horror Nights" street experience to "The Walking Dead," making this the first time ever that all of the scare zones throughout the park will be themed after a hit television series. Guests brave enough to walk the streets of Universal Studios Florida will encounter iconic scenes from all three seasons of the hit show, including the perilous city of Atlanta and Hershel's dismal barn and fleets of blood-thirsty walkers who are hungry for their next victim.

Universal Studios' "Halloween Horror Nights" events have a more than 20 year history of creating horrifying Halloween experiences that are consistently rated the nation's best. The events on each coast feature highly themed, disturbingly real, haunted mazes based on everything from films to nightmares, and streets filled with hundreds of specially trained "scare actors."

Delta Adding Seattle to London Flights

Delta Airlines announced that it is launching a non-stop daily service between Seattle and Heathrown airports beginning in March 2014. The route will be operated by a 210-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft featuring 35 full flat-bed seats in business, 32 seats in premium economy and 143 economy seats. The outgoing flight departs Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at 6:40 p.m. and arrives at London Heathrow at 12:05 p.m. the following day. The return service leaves Heathrow at 12:20 p.m. and arrives at Seattle at 2:40 p.m. on the same day.

Currently, only British Airways flies on the non-stop Seattle to London route with a daily service which code shares with joint business partner American Airlines. Tickets for the route, which begins on March 29 (March 30 for the return service), will be available to purchase from July 27.

Contact a Professional Travel Agent today to book your Europe vacation!

Venice Now Available on Google Street View

It has taken six years, but the secrets of Venice's watery back alleys have finally been added to Google Street View. Google was unable to take their camera car to some of the narrow and winding back streets of Venice. Instead they used physically fit technicians to walk Venice's alleys wearing a backpack-mounted camera. In April two sturdy Google employees were each sent carrying a 4ft tall, 40lb backpack and camera which resembles an insect's eye and sticks above the wearer's head. The cameras' 15-angle lenses takes a picture every 2.5 seconds which can be merged into a 360degree view.

Google has already added the Antarctic, the inside of the White House and the Great Barrier Reef (underwater) to Street View, which was launched in 2007, but a spokesman said Venice was considered a feather in its cap. Google has previously used a tricycle-mounted camera to shoot inside parks and a trolley to get inside museums, but both methods were no good at scaling the steps over the bridges crossing Venice's canals. The backpack device, known as the trekker, has been used on Grand Canyon hiking paths in the US, the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai and inside the Alhambra palace in southern Spain.

The images from Venice should be online by the end of the year, said Evans. Google is also planning to snap Venice from a boat as the vessel plies the city's canals, a service which has been dubbed "Google gondola".

US Airways Baggage Delivery Service

US Airways now gives their customers the ability to skip the line at baggage claim with Bags VIP delivery service. This service delivers bags to a passengers home, hotel or office. Travelers can schedule and pay for Bags VIP delivery up to one hour prior to their scheduled departure by visiting maketraveleasier.com/usairways. Once scheduled, customers need only to drop the bags off at the airport, pay any applicable baggage fees and they will be delivered within four to six hours of arrival. Bags VIP delivery service is offered in all domestic locations the airline serves. The airline also offers customers the Track Your Bag tool on usairways.com. Track Your Bag allows travelers to follow their bags from check-in to landing from their smart phone, tablet or laptop. Any passenger connected to the Internet can now view real-time information on the bag's status, including when the bag is checked in, on a plane, and off a plane, with US Airways' Track Your Bag tool.

Royal Caribbean Getting Viewing Pods on Some Ships

The 'North Star', a jewel-shaped, glass capsule will lift cruise passengers 91 meters above sea level before swinging out over the sea for this first-of-its-kind guest experience.  Crane supplier MacGregor is going to provide Royal Caribbean International's first Quantum-class ship, Quantum of the Seas, with the viewing pod. This will be a first for cruise ships. Fourteen guests and one crew member can be accommodated in the 7.1-ton viewing gondola, which will be fitted with a stabilizing system designed to provide a comfortable ride for guests. MacGregor, the crane supplier said "All crane movements will be smooth and immediate, with step less speed control, essential for this type of guest experience. It is also important that the experience is as quiet as possible, so the main power pack will be rubber-suspended to minimize vibrations and noise transmission; the crane housing will also be isolated to minimize noise. Given the vessel's cruising areas, the system is fitted with an air-type cooler to keep the crane's hydraulic oil at a moderate temperature even in very hot ambient conditions, which ensures a long oil life and reliable crane performance." 

The 16-deck, 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas ship is currently under construction at German shipyard, Meyer Werft and is scheduled to cross from Southampton to New York in autumn 2014. The vessel is then expected to depart New York from her Cape Liberty homeport for 7 to 12-night itineraries during the winter 2014-15 season. Quantum-class sister ship Anthem of the Seas is expected to debut in spring 2015. 

Contact a Cruise Specialist today to book your next cruise vacation!

Best 4th of July Fireworks Displays

Original Article: Travelers Today
By: Katie McFadden

July 4th 2013 is almost here and that can only mean one thing: Fireworks! Nothing completes an Independence Day celebration like a spectacular fireworks show. Luckily, exciting displays are set off across the United States for the holiday and chances are there's one near you.  Travel Zoo released a list of some of the biggest and best fireworks displays around the country.

New York City
NYC has one of the biggest, most spectacular sky shows every year. This year, more than 40,000 fireworks will light up the skies over the Hudson River. The show, sponsored by Macy's, will start at around 8 p.m. and will be televised for those who can't be there. There will also be special performances by Usher, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Mariah Carey and more.

Boston
Boston holds another impressive show. The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is in its 40th year. This annual free concert at the DCR Hatch Shell in Beacon Hill will feature Susan Tedeschi, Ellis Hall, Howie Day and Ayla Brown. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

Washington, D.C.
Nothing is more patriotic than watching fireworks in the nation's capitol. Fireworks will be launched from the Reflecting Pool area of the National Mall at 9:17 p.m. and will be visible from various locations around D.C. and parts of northern Virginia.  

Philadelphia After you grab a cheese steak, check out the Grand Finale Fireworks at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The display tops off a day of parties and concerts featuring The Roots, John Mayer, Neo, Jill Scott, J. Cole, Grace Potter, Ben Taylor and Demi Lovato.

Chicago
Head to the popular Navy Pier throughout the week to catch a display over Lake Michigan on July 3 and July 4 at 9:30 p.m. or on July 6 at 10:15 p.m. The downtown area gets overcrowded, so consider heading a bit father south or to Evanston to get a lakefront view.

Addison
Near Dallas, the appropriately named Kaboom Town show is just like anything else in Texas--big. The show starts around 9:30 p.m. in the Dallas suburb and it shouldn't be missed.

Nashville
In the heart of country, visitors and locals can check out At The Lawn at Riverfront Park, a show of more than 25,000 fireworks that are set to live music by the Nashville Symphony at 9:50 p.m.

San Francisco
Don't miss the show over the Bay in front of Pier 39. The show kicks off at 9:30 p.m. and viewers can get a glimpse from Coit Tower, the Cannery and Ghirardelli Square.

Seattle The Lake Union 4th of July fireworks have been held for more than 60 years, but they're still terrific. This year's show starts at 10:15 p.m. at Gas Works Park in the Wallingford neighborhood. Boaters will be able to access the south end of Lake Union to get a waterfront view.  

Original article can be found here.