Today's travel intel
As This Just In anticipated a month ago, a Harry Potter theme park will be opened by Universal Studios in Florida in 2009. Hip, hip, hurray!
Nickelodeon said today that it's teaming up with Marriott in creating new kid-friendly family resort brand. It'll take about a dozen years to build about 20 properties, each with a water park. The first resort, a 650-room property in San Diego, will be open within a couple of years. Of course, Nickelodeon already offers Nick Hotels via Holiday Inn.
Tomorrow, the Operation Spy experience debuts at the International Spy Museum in downtown Washington, D.C. Participants ages 12 and older assume the role of U.S. Intelligence officers on an intrigue-filled international mission. The exhibit combines live-action, video characters, special effects, and hands-on activities to simulate what it's like to be a spy. Sounds pretty neat. Be sure to book your timed tickets in advance. Details here.
Ireland price break: $800 per person, air/hotel/car for six nights. Last-minute planners may find that vacation packages offer a way of cutting some of the costs of a trip to Ireland--where Guinness now goes for $7 and Dublin hotel rooms are reaching $400 a night because of the watery value of the dollar. Dooley Vacations is offering a vacation package, starting at $800 per person for travel during peak-season--a savings of about 20 percent off the cost of buying the airfare, hotel and rental car separately. The package includes round-trip airfare on FlyGlobespan from New York or Boston to Knock, Ireland, a six-night stay at multi-room inns, and car rental with unlimited mileage. Book by June 8. For details, call 877/331-9301 or click here.
Starting today, it's easier to plan and take a Segway tour. As editor Erik Torkells noted when he recently took such a tour in Bermuda, Segways are those electric scooter-like contraptions that you move by shifting your weight." (Fun fact: Most of the world's 23,500 Segways are used for tourism.) Starting today, Segway tours are conveniently listed on a single webpage -- here. Editor's note: Per the comment below, "Actually, that link for tours on a Segway only shows those tours certified as "SegwayAuthorized Tours" by Segway, Inc. To see a list of all tours featuring the Segway PT worldwide (almost 200 so far!), visit www.SegwayGuidedTours.com next."