This week on Trip On A Deal, the top 10 new theme park attractions of the year.
Plus, how is the swine flu scare affecting your travel?
Should you take that flight or cruise?
And wait a second, is that a bus stop?
The most unusual stops around the world.
That and more on this week's Trip On A Deal.
Today, Trip On A Deal is brought to you by End Now Productions.
Visit them for your webcast and online video needs at endnow.com.
Hello and welcome to Trip On A Deal.
I'm Lee.
And I'm John.
Now, if the travel industry wasn't pummeled enough with the economy, the current swine
flu scare could be part of a one-two punch.
USA Today reports there have been noticeable slowdowns in travel to and from Mexico.
But as of now, the rest of the travel industry seems to be maintaining.
Airlines recently assured the public their cabins are environmentally safe and they are
prepared for influenza outbreaks.
But what about your cruise?
Cruise Line International Association, which includes most of the big lines, recently announced
what they call enhanced screening protocols.
That basically means everyone is going to be given a questionnaire and examine and if
you exhibit any flu-like symptoms, you'll be asked to leave.
You can see the entire announcement at cruising.org.
TripSo.com suggests you may want to consider buying insurance if you have a cruise in your
future because so far, the cruise lines haven't said they'll reimburse you if they cancel your
cruise due to flu-like symptoms.
Now, come on.
That is not right.
Right?
They're going to kick you off.
You're sick and they're not going to reimburse you.
Guys, come on.
Get with the program.
That's a bad day.
Yeah.
Now, one man's swine flu could be another man's opportunity.
If you feel relatively immune or just plain lucky, there are some great deals to get you
down to Mexico.
CheapCaribbean.com is offering not only 50% to 70% off, but their operators are so busy
handling flu inquiries, they will lop off an extra 50 bucks to every online reservation
when you use the code ONLINE50.
You know, it's not entirely outrageous to think of travel to Mexico right now.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lifted its recommendation that U.S. citizens
avoid non-essential travel to Mexico as do the U.S. State Department.
And there are places in Mexico that have had no evidence of swine flu like Cancun.
SpiritVacations.com offered 50% off trips to Cancun and FunJet.com slashing vacation
rates as much as 55%.
Now, if you want to leave your sombrero in the closet for the time being, you might want
to take the family to a good old American theme park.
The LATimes.com offers a list of the top 10 new theme park ride attractions for 2009.
This is a great list.
Some are shows like The Campy Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Musical, it's a show
at Universal Studios Hollywood, or The American Idol Experience at Disney and Orlando.
Some are traditional coasters at Six Flags in Lake George, New York.
They feature a 19-story rocket called Gatsquatch that hurls riders at 4 and a half Gs.
Now, we can bigfoot have a rocket.
I don't know.
I don't think it's G.D.
Anyway.
The prowler at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City is an $8 million half-mile ride through the
forest.
She sounds kind of pleasant.
And it claims Ireland in Cincinnati with Diamondback is a $22 million extravaganza with stadium-like
seating and a mile-long track.
That thing.
That's awesome.
Now, there are some that we're really thrilled about trying.
SeaWorld Orlando.
They're opening a suspended coaster where you lie down, face down, not only do you soar
through the air, but you splash through a lagoon.
It's called Manzah.
You know, I need to be sitting that way around.
I'll be front and center.
You'll be on this one, Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Hold on, hold on.
Say that again.
Rip Ride Rocket.
I love that.
It's supposedly the world's highest vertical lift coaster, and it has a digital jukebox
at your seat so you can pick your own soundtrack.
That's fun.
What would your coaster song be?
I don't know, but it would start with a letter.
And finally, the picture of the week.
We always encourage you here at Trip and the Deal to take some public transportation on
your vacation whenever possible.
It's a more local experience.
You save some money, and if you're really lucky, you can come across some pretty unusual
architecture.
Check out this.
They're beautiful bus stops.
We found it.
Tuxel.com.
Something really sweet like these fruit from Japan, and some are groovy like these swoopy
stops in Spain.
Those are cool.
Who are these?
This is English.
They're pretty with a lot of flowers.
I wonder if that lady just waits there and talks to you, huh?
There's a lot of furniture.
Maybe she lives there.
She does.
Yeah.
And some just try to make your stay a bit more comfy.
There's a swing.
Hey, if you time it, maybe you can jump right onto the bus.
There's this air-conditioned stop.
And this.
If you wait in this hammock, you may just want the bus to pass you right by.
And there's no mistaking what this one's for.
And if you want to get more information about any of the stories we featured today, we have
all the links at triponadio.com.
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Thanks for watching, and tune in next week so you can triponadio.
