Universal Islands of Adventure

Here are some great pictures I took when I was at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure back in November of 2011.  It's such a fun place.  With all the different themes of the islands, the construction of buildings and attractions -- it's literally so much eye candy.

This restaurant has a great Moroccan theme.  I'm not sure what it sold but I find it very charming.

You walk past the entrance and you walk into a Hollywood-like setting.  This looks like a market in the Middle East.

The streets of each island is like walking into a separate theme park and it's so colorful.  This was the entrance to Seuss Landing.

I loved the book and was disappointed that this eatery was closed when I visited.

This was the entrance to the ride.

This Circus McGurkus Cafe is so much fun inside.  The food is okay but the decor was amazing. However, it was too dark for me take any good pictures.

You'd think this was an entrance to a ride but actually it holds Mythos Restaurant in the Lost Continent Island

This is the entrance to the Poseidon's Fury attraction.

The River Adventure water ride is always so popular.

I loved this ride, Pteranadon Flyer, you are essentially gliding and the ride last less than 30 seconds but it's ridiculously thrilling.

The final splash at Jurassic Park River Adventure.

The entrance to Toon Lagoon.

The final fall at Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls.

a street in Toon Lagoon

The entrance to Bilge Rat Barges

A Bilge Rat Barge ride

A visit to Universal Studios is always fun.  If you want to know about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I wrote a hub about it here.

How to Fly First Class -- Cheap!

I like to get a good bargain when I travel, who doesn’t? Now that the airlines have reduced their capacity so that there are fewer flights, the airplane seems more congested than ever. But there are ways to still enjoy a free first class or business class upgrade inexpensively.

Travel on Saturday to get an inexpensive upgrade to Business or First Class. Saturday flights are slow travel days and that’s basically because there are no businesspeople flying. It’s usually the businesspeople who accumulate a lot of frequent flyer miles and often get an upgrade to First Class as a reward. But on Saturday, they are home enjoying a late day, and It’s those Saturday flights when first class upgrades are available for a ridiculous price. I flew from Cancun to Atlanta on AirTran and upgraded to Business Class for only $69 for a 1 ½ hour trip. That seat would have cost five times that much if I had bought in advance. What did I get for that $69? A much roomier, cushier seat, alcoholic drinks and really good snacks. By the time I got to Atlanta, I was very happy all the way through customs. If your flight is two hours or longer with some airlines, you even get a meal. Granted, it might cost you more than $69, but that Business/First Class seat again would have cost you five times as much as your coach fare.

Avoid the Baggage Fees

Also, do you have at least two bags that you need to check in? Then it might be a good buy to pay extra for the first class upgrade. For most airlines, a first class seat entitles you to two free bags. Currently most airlines charge $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second bag. If you buy a first class upgrade at $100, then that upgrade helped you to save $60 on your bags or if you want to look at it another way, that first class seat only cost you an extra $40. Also, if your trip consists of a connection, it might be worthwhile to pay a first class upgrade on one part of the trip so that you still get your bags free.

Use one frequent flyer membership for the whole family so you can accumulate miles faster and get benefits. If you are a family of four, it doesn’t make sense to have four frequent flyer numbers if three of you don’t travel as much. Consolidate all your frequent flyer miles on one membership so that you attain an elite level and get a free upgrade faster. As an elite member you are usually allowed to have one free companion accorded the same benefits as the elite member.

Choose the frequent flyer program that has the airlines that you fly frequently in order to attain a level to get free upgrades. If most of your flying is done on United, Lufthansa, and US Airways then use the Star Alliance Program. If you fly on American Airlines and British Airways then be a member of the One World Program.

Check and see whether it’s inexpensive to buy the miles so that you can get your upgrade sooner. Depending on how many miles you have already accumulated, buying miles might be cheaper than buying that Business/First Class seat.

Two Days in Portland, Oregon

I thought Portland was going to be like Seattle, only smaller. I was wrong. Portland is quirky, relaxed, ecologically conscious, and earnest. People are friendly but not overly so. Bike lanes abound and are used regularly and not as some kind of highway decoration. Cars stop for pedestrians -- that was a shock for me. I'm used to letting cars get their way, but in Portland, they have considerately waited for me while I considerately waited for them, until I figured out that they wouldn't drive until I walked across and our mutual consideration would create a traffic standstill. You see many Portlanders carrying their aluminum bottles filled with water or some other beverage. Portland has an Oldtown, a Chinatown, as well as other ethnic neighborhoods, and many computer venture capitalists that have escaped California.

So what did I do in Portland, well I only had 48 hours so I chose the things that Portland was famous for: gardens, beer, and chocolate. Well, Portland should be known for them. Portland has the finest Japanese Garden outside of Japan as well as the largest Chinese Classical Garden based on the gardens of Suzhou. In addition they have a beautiful terraced rose garden where over 400 different varieties of roses grow. After all that nature, you can imbibe a byproduct of nature. Beer. Portland has a lively microbrewery scene and you can visit many pubs that have their own brands and they are not all expensive. After a meal and some suds you should also check out several gourmet chocolate shops that can be found in this small city. I'll write individual reviews of the above but I would rather have you experience Portland, Oregon itself. There's more than enough to do in the city for a weekend, and even more to do if you take advantage of the recreations that can be found outside of Portland. So for those of you who haven't thought of Portland as a destination. Consider putting it on your list.

Airline layoffs mean more waiting for you

Continental lays off 3000 workers! United cuts 1400 from its payroll! US Airways lays off 600. American Airlines reduces workforce by 1600!

It's a trying time to be a customer service agent but it will be even more trying for you the passenger. If you're the type of passenger who thinks CSAs are equivalent to the gatekeeper from hell, you're probably happy that there will be less of us to hassle you and you can always use the kiosk to check-in. However, you're checking in and the kiosk says "Unable to process, please see an Agent" Then what? Yes, you can call your travel agent, but what if the office is closed when the problem occurs. Or what if you bought your ticket from Orbitz or Cheaptickets or Travelocity? You will have to go to the dreaded "Full Service Line" and the line is meandering around the terminal...and you have to start boarding in 15 minutes.

Yes, things do go wrong and it's that time that you realize how much the airline industry has downsized when there's only one of us and 500 of you waiting on line.

Please realize when you're on that line that we will do the best we can to fix your ticket. When you're in line and in a panic because you don't want to miss your flight and the agent is just talking on the phone while a passenger is standing in front of her, we're not calling our mother-- we're calling our support desk. We can only service one passenger at a time and some problems take longer than others. It's not that we don't care but we do feel the huge anxiety emanating from all of you but we can only help one passenger at a time.

So what can you do. Here are some tips:

1. Check-in online at the airline website. Things usually go well and most likely you just have to go to the gate when you arrive at the airport (unless you have to check-in a bag). If it does not go well online, then call the 800 number for customer service of your airline to see if you can clear it up before you go to the airport. Please don't forget to print your boarding pass.
2. When you come to the airport know at least three things: your full name as stated on your ticket, your connection city or destination, and what time you are supposed to leave. You would be surprised at how many idiots (I'm sorry but I have to think that) who come up to me to check in and don't know where they are going or what time. People, there are many flights at different times to different cities, we need all three above information to locate your ticket. If you have a 6-digit confirmation number or locator number or itinerary number, it makes things that much easier for us.
3. Bring the credit card that you used to buy the ticket, sometimes we can use that to locate your itinerary.
4. If you do have a problem with your ticket, get to the airport early so that you have extra time to wait for a CSA and extra time for the CSA to resolve your issue and still make your flight.
5. Bring the customer service number of your ticketing service, you might need it. Then while you are waiting in line you can give Expedia or Priceline a call to see if they can resolve your issue.
6. If you found out at the airport that you have a problem when you tried to check in at the kiosk and you only have 15 minutes until you board your flight, then consider the possibility that you might not make it to the flight and try to be flexible and open to the options to resolve your problem.
7. Have patience and bring some bottled water and some snacks to tide you over while you are waiting. We really do appreciate your patience and we will give you as much time as needed to solve your issue.
8. Problems are usually a technical issue so don't get mad at us, we're trying to help you get to where you want to go and we will do what we can to help you.

Travel light and cheap

Leisure travelers pack way too much and inevitably they run across the excess baggage fees. Then they look at me and get mad and ask..."When did you start charging for baggage?"..."How much?!"..."That's ridiculous! I paid so much for this ticket!"...then you take your huge bags off the scale and start taking pieces out to keep the bag under 50 pounds and muttering under your breath. Understand, that it is not my fault, I'm following our baggage policy, be glad that I gave you a chance to take the stuff out so that you don't have to pay the overweight baggage fee.

You only travel once a year, but seriously, if you are traveling for a week or two weeks you don't need to pack your entire wardrobe. There are things called laundromats and hotels do have laundry services. The rest of your wardrobe is probably wishfully thinking about an experience that you hope will happen. You're thinking you'll meet Handsome Rich Dude or Cute Rich Girl who'll grab you by the hand and bring you to his/her yacht/mansion with pool/beachside house and dance until dawn at a hip club and you'll want to impress with your CLOTHES(?).

Now I hate to tell you this but the chances of meeting Handsome Rich Dude or Cute Rich Girl in coach is somewhat nil. They'll be hanging out at the First Class Lounge. And no they won't let you in exchange for some frequent flyer miles.

Or perhaps you are packing for any kind of emergency or situation. Let's say you're headed to Cancun but you're afraid that your plane might have to crash land in the Yucatan jungle. In that case you definitely want to make sure that you're not without the safari suit you bought from Banana Republic. Well, chances are if you do crash land in the Yucatan, everybody's suitcases are going to be flung every which way and your chances of finding your own suitcase is the same as...crash landing in the Yucatan. Besides, knowing Banana Republic they probably do have a store in the jungles of the Yucatan and you can buy there.

Checking-in luggage of unusual size can create a hassle for you and might delay your flight or even cause a change in your travel itinerary. This usually happens when passengers check in with things like cross-country skis or pole vaults. Checking in with something too big or too long may mean that you can't get it on the plane because the baggage bins are too small and may cause you to be rerouted and go through a connection because the checked-in item needs to be stowed on a bigger airplane.

Also, don't pack anything fragile in your suitcase. The underbelly of a plane is like a football field. Taking off and landing, and any turbulence during a flight makes the baggage area inside a plane similar to an electric mixer. The fine wine that you packed with your clothes will only be enjoyed by sucking it through your shirt.

The other thing that I see when I check people in for their flight is that their carry-on bag is heavy. Try to keep the weight of your carry-on bag manageable. You might hurt yourself or the passenger sitting underneath when you lift your bag and can't quite reach the overhead bin. Now you might be thinking to yourself that the flight attendant should do this and they could; but don't forget that the flight attendant is there for safety reasons and is not supposed to be your porter, in addition the flight attendant will not want to take the risk of hurting him/herself and go on disability because you packed a very heavy bag. Most airlines have a maximum weight of 40 pounds for carry-on and believe me, that's heavy.

In all seriousness, it would probably be easier for your to pack less and choose your travel clothes wisely. But here are some tips for you so that checking in and air travel will be a much smoother process.

1. Pack light. If you check in more than two bags, the excess bag charges will be very costly.
2. It costs less to check in two bags each under 50 pounds than one overweight bag. Be sure to carry an extra duffel bag or large tote bag so that you have something to put your excess clothes in.
3. Keep your carry-on bag light so that you don't strain anything when you lift the bag on or off the overhead bin. If it's over 20 pounds put it in under the seat in front of you.
4. If you bought a lot of stuff during your vacation, check and see if it's cheaper to send your clothes home and pack your new stuff instead of paying the excess baggage fee. If you are traveling with more than one person coordinate so that each traveler is using their baggage allowance effectively.
5. Don't check in an expensive or fragile item as baggage. You run the very real risk of having it broken or the baggage lost and the compensation that you are entitled to might not be as much as the value of the item.
6. Don't check in something that is irreplaceable because you run the risk of losing the bag. If you were shopping and found the perfect wedding dress for your wedding, don't pack it in your check-in bag, pack it with your carry-on. It saves a lot of heartache.
7. The day before you leave, check your airline website and check whether the stuff you are checking in is allowed on your plane.
8. Your carry-on bag shouldn't be too big, again check with your airline website to make sure that your carry-on bag dimensions are allowed as carry-on.
9. Pack your liquids over 3 ounces with your check-in bags.
10. Prepay your bag on your airline website it might be cheaper.