Traveling can be a painful experience even if you’re someone who generally enjoys good health. In those ultra-cramped economy seats aboard airplanes, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’d call themselves comfortable. But, for those who suffer with chronic pain, the proposition of travel presents a myriad of extra concerns and challenges.

For some, their symptoms substantially restrict even their daily activities, so the notion of venturing outside their usual controllable environment seems almost impossible. These often-invisible afflictions can effectively incapacitate you or, at least, impede your ability to enjoy all kinds of things other people take for granted. But, with careful planning and some compensatory measures at the ready, travel isn’t necessarily off the table.

There are some things you can do to help ensure that your journey runs smoothly and minimize the discomfort of whatever mode of transportation you choose. And, while the change in your environment and routine that accompanies travel will undoubtedly challenge your body, you can do your best to prepare for likely eventualities. There may be nothing we can do about the pitch of airplane seating, but some things are still within our control.

Mentality

The first obstacle may be the lingering worry that you might experience a flare-up and find yourself unfit to travel when the departure date actually arrives, which could deter you from making plans in the first place. What if an attack comes on midtrip and you find yourself without your usual means of mitigating the symptoms? It will probably be necessary to remind yourself constantly of the benefits you’ll enjoy because of your trip — seeing friends or loved ones, experiencing new things or the singular enjoyment that comes from a change of scenery.

Planning ahead

If your budget allows, you may wish to purchase travel insurance with Cancel For Any Reason coverage, so that you can back out of your trip in case the worst-case scenario does occur. Be sure to look thoroughly into the terms of your policy, however, as some may not reimburse you 100% of your travel expenses.

Communication

If you’re traveling with companions, be transparent about your condition. The pressures of traveling, particularly in a group, can be compounded if other members of your party don’t realize that you’re in appreciable pain. With invisible ailments, it’s essential to communicate your needs and limitations to your group so that they are aware of and can accommodate your restrictions, or at least understand when you need to dip out of an activity and go rest in your room.

Reduce travel time

There are things you can do to help reduce the amount of time you spend on your travel journey, most of which involve some extra expense. You can minimize time spent standing in security screening queues by enrolling in TSA Precheck, which allows you to use a dedicated lane for expedited screening service. If possible, you’ll also want to opt for a direct flight to reduce time spent in transit and lugging your bags around multiple airports.

Pack light

Perhaps this one is intuitive (and it’s definitely easier said than done), but you’ll want to pack as lightly as possible. Hauling around a heavy suitcase can easily aggravate your chronic pain condition, and the walk between your car and the airport or hotel room can quite suddenly seem very arduous. Of course, ensure you’ve got a suitcase with wheels to make things easier. If possible, you could consider shipping bulky items directly to your destination. There are companies like Luggage Free, Send My Bag and Lugless that deliver directly to your accommodations.

Bring comfort items

Packing lightly can sometimes prove challenging given my next tip, which is that you pack items that keep you comfortable while both awake and asleep. If you need to stuff a special pillow, heating or cooling pads into a larger suitcase, by all means, do it. Perhaps you need to bring along certain food or snack items that help minimize inflammation. CBD products can be brought aboard airplanes as long as the THC content is no higher than 0.3% (and you are flying between states or countries where it’s legal).

Packing medications

It may be helpful to use a travel pill organizer so you don’t need to fumble through bottles buried inside your luggage and can bring only the amount of medication you need. If you’re on an international flight, however, you may need to bring the original bottles or copies of your prescriptions. Be sure to fill your prescriptions in advance of your trip and bring along an extra three days’ supply in case your flight gets delayed or canceled and you’re away from home longer than intended. To be on the safe side, you may want to bring along a record of your condition and a list of the medications you’re taking.

Prepare your carry-on

Be sure to pack your medications, water, snacks and pain management tools in your carry-on for easy access. In case your luggage gets mishandled, you don’t want to be caught without these things. That includes any NSAIDS or other analgesics you might need mid-flight or while navigating the airport. A good neck pillow and stick-on heating/cooling pads for tight muscles can prove indispensable during a flight. I also bring a supply of cold medications and supplements with me on every trip, as my pain becomes quite unbearable when I’m fighting any illness.

Wheelchair assistance

Airports are required to provide wheelchair or medical assistance to anyone who requests them, whether or not you typically use a wheelchair. Airlines recommend calling at least 48 hours in advance on your departure on either end of your trip to request a wheelchair or guided assistance, and you can also inform a gate attendant once you arrive. This also allows you to take advantage of early boarding, so that you don’t have to stand for extended periods of time as the masses try to board the plane ahead of you. For more in-depth information on these services, visit the U.S. Department of Transportation’s article on Wheelchair and Guided Assistance.

Flying in pain

Be sure to buy your ticket early so you have your choice of airplane seats, and opt for as much legroom and seat comfort as you can afford. Even if you can’t spring for First or Business class, scoring an aisle seat in Economy has its benefits, allowing you to stand up and stretch or move around more mid-flight. Even if you have to squeeze past seatmates to do so, be sure to get up and move a bit during the flight to reduce stiffness and improve circulation.

Throughout your travel journey, you’ll want to stay hydrated and eat as well as possible to keep your blood sugar levels stable and avoid inflammation-triggering foods (like most of the stuff that’s typically available on the go). This is definitely easier said than done when you’re having to dine at the airport, so keep some healthy snacks handy in your carry-on bag.

Go by train

If air travel comes with too many variables for you to be reasonably comfortable getting on a plane and flying, consider rail travel as a viable alternative. Going by train may take longer, but it comes with considerable perks, including ample legroom and often some stunning scenery along the way. You can also choose to book sleeper accommodations, which afford you more privacy, allow you more space to move around an allow you to lie down flat for maximum comfort.

Go by car

If you’re not going too far and will be driving to your destination, many of the above principles still apply. Keep medications and comfort items close at hand, stay hydrated and eat as healthily as possible, and make sure to take breaks roughly every hour so that you can get out, stretch and move around. You’ll also want to swap driving duties, if possible.

©2024 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

If you’ve lost track of how many people in your orbit have recently posted pictures of themselves at a Formula One race or Taylor Swift concert, chances are you’re not alone. According to new research from Collinson International Ltd., which owns Priority Pass and LoungeKey airport lounges around the world, sports and music tourism are growing at unprecedented rates and are forecast to represent a $1.5 trillion industry by 2032.

Sports tourism represents the overwhelming majority of that figure. Valued at $564.7 billion in 2023, it’s expected to skyrocket to $1.33 trillion in the next eight years. Music tourism, meanwhile, is projected to contribute an additional $13.8 billion, more than doubling its current valuation of $6.6 billion.

For the purposes of its report, published on July 29, Collinson defined travelers as anyone who flew to an event, whether internationally or within their own country. Of 8,537 surveyed travelers from 17 countries, more than four in five (83%) have flown to a sporting event while 71% have boarded a plane for a concert in the past three years, or plan to in the next 12 months.

Collinson used those results to model how the industry has expanded and may continue to do so — assuming linear growth in spite of history-making events such as Swift’s Eras Tour or the first Summer Olympics in eight years to allow in-person spectators, which are currently underway in Paris.

“People are placing high value on experiences over objects,” says Christopher Ross, president of Collinson International EMEA. “If you are going to a sports or music event, the experience does not just start when you walk into the stadium. It’s the planning, travel itself and excitement.”

About 83% of people traveling for events are heading to soccer matches, basketball games, the Olympics, F1 races or tennis tournaments — the five most popular sporting events in descending order. In a world where streaming networks have created easily accessible pathways to fandom, Ross says, “the ability to become a global fan has become much more of a reality.”

Soccer captured 69% of the survey’s sportsgoers, who said they’d recently traveled to a live match or had plans to do so in the next year. That includes those who were among the more than 1 million fans in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup but not those who plan to attend the next World Cup, in 2026.

Formula One, meanwhile, has been surging in popularity with younger generations ever since Netflix Inc. premiered its Drive to Survive docuseries, in 2019; a full 30% of F1 fans attributed their interest in the sport to the show. In 2023 the average race weekend had more than 270,000 in-person spectators, up from 195,000 in 2019.

It’s not just that more people are interested in the sport; ticket prices are also on the rise. Tickets for races in the U.K. this summer have reached £600 ($765) for prime “grandstand” seats, with general admission often costing more than £400 per person — up from about £300 just two years ago — prompting British driver Lewis Hamilton to publicly criticize the rising price tag.

To Ross’ point, those tickets are just one aspect of the sports tourism economy, which also includes hotel stays, restaurant meals, taxi rides, merchandise and other expenses. Collinson data show that 77% of travelers arrive one or two days before a concert or competition, and some 80% will stay one to three days after. Sports tourists spend the most, with 51% exceeding $500 per trip per person on flights and other expenses, not including the event tickets.

Take Las Vegas, which hosted an F1 Grand Prix race in November 2023. The event brought $1.5 billion in economic impact to the city, 50% more than the Super Bowl would raise just three months later. “It’s a younger demographic,” Ross says of F1 fans, who are among the most likely to add extra expenses to their sports trips. “It seems counterintuitive, because you would think they have less disposable income,” Ross adds.

That doesn’t diminish the effect of other events. The Paris Summer Olympics, while less of an international tourism juggernaut than expected, are still attracting enough tourists to send Airbnb bookings up 133% from the same period last year. International tourists have been expected to pay around $5,000 for hotel stays, airfare and event ticket costs. And sports fans, Collinson says, are willing to spend in airports too — which is of note to the company. Over half of sports fans, its research shows, spend $500 or more in the airport alone; those aged 25-34 are the highest spenders, with a third of them spending in excess of $1,000 while waiting for their flights to board.

On the music front, Collinson cites major events including Rock in Rio, Coachella and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour as tourism drivers. But the latter is an unprecedented anomaly. Swift fans have driven 45% year-over-year increases in airfare sales to destinations such as Milan and Munich during concert dates, according to United Airlines Holdings Inc., and the tour resulted in larger booking spikes for Paris’ top-tier hotels than even the Olympics.

For those in the hospitality industry, the question now is how to cash in on the trend. Marriott International used the Eras Tour as an opportunity to earn new members for its Bonvoy loyalty program, promising free tickets via raffles. By contrast Auberge Resorts Collection, which has 27 five-star resorts from Italy to Hawaii, is teaming with Mercedes-Benz to create a new concert series starting in October, with live performances so far featuring Kate Hudson, Maren Morris and LeAnn Rimes. At Tennessee’s iconic Blackberry Farm Resort, which has its own concert hall on-site, the events lineup includes performances by Kacey Musgraves, Emmylou and Friends, and Noah Kahan in the coming months, with general access tickets typically starting at $1,000 per person.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Ask a luxury-minded globetrotter to name their favorite hotel brands and chances are you’ll hear some combination of the following names: Four Seasons Resort & Club, Aman Resorts Group Ltd., Marriott International Inc.’s Luxury Collection and the Ritz Carlton Hotel Co. LLC, or Rosewood Hotels & Resorts LLC.

Now, Hilton Hotels Worldwide Holdings Inc. is doing its best to get on that list. Some loyalists would say it already belongs there — if only for its best-known Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts brands.

But even Hilton’s top brass concedes that the hotel behemoth’s reputation lies mainly with road warriors rather than luxury seekers. While Marriott has been busy expanding into luxury all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Ritz-Carlton yachts, Hilton has spent the past year focusing on new corporate-leaning brands, such as Tempo by Hilton.

“Here’s the irony — Hilton didn’t have a full category’s worth of luxury brands a few years ago,” says Dino Michael, senior vice president and global head of Hilton’s luxury brands. “But if you look back before today’s proliferation of luxury brands, Hilton was the international hotel brand,” he says, citing its prominence from the 1950s to 1970s. “We have legitimacy in this space, we just changed focus for a while.”

That’s what Hilton is aggressively pushing to change. The corporate hospitality giant has been on an acquisition and partnership spree to expand its luxury lifestyle portfolio. Its hope is not just to grow in a segment that’s sustained high demand since the pandemic, but to offer its most loyal clientele — 190 million Hilton Honors members, including lots of those road warriors — more enticing ways to spend their hard-earned points.

“We are going from 100 to 500 luxury hotels in 2024,” says Chris Silcock, president of global brands and commercial services. “That’s going to be phenomenal for our customers and will continue to feed our loyalty program —it’s a huge, huge year for us.”

Hundreds of luxury hotels in one year

Hilton’s concerted luxury push started in February 2024, when it signed an exclusive partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, a collection of 560 luxury boutique hotels in 90 countries. Most of those are now bookable with Hilton points — think a beachfront all-inclusive suite at Hermitage Bay in Antigua and Barbuda, a luxury farmhouse stay with mountain views at a Himalayan lodge, or a swanky terrace suite at Nobu Hotel in Marbella, Spain. If you’re booking in points, it’ll cost you: The all-inclusive Caribbean suite goes for 1.3 million points per night in mid-November.

Also in February, Hilton partnered with outdoorsy resort brand AutoCamp. By the time summer travel season rolled around, Hilton loyalists could book the brand’s customized Airstreams and luxury tents, which are set near U.S. national parks in such locations as Zion in Utah and Yosemite in California, from around 70,000 points per night.

Then came the acquisitions. In March, Hilton spent $210 million on Graduate Hotels, a collection of roughly three dozen stylish hotels strategically located near university campuses, which this year will add locations near Princeton and Auburn Universities. By acquiring the majority controlling interest in Andrew Zobler’s Sydell Group, it then added expansion rights to its boho-luxe NoMad brand, which Hilton envisions growing from one London flagship location to as many as 100 hotels around the world. (So far there is no firm pipeline of openings, Hilton confirmed.)

The NoMad deal is especially sweet. While most hotel conglomerates manage the properties in their portfolios without owning them outright, Hilton will do neither for NoMad; it will only offer real estate development services for the brand while keeping it in the mix for Hilton Honors members.

Rethinking legacy brands

Meanwhile, Hilton is trying to up the ante for Waldorf Astoria and Conrad as it rapidly expands both brands. Its latest Waldorf outposts are jaw-droppers: It opened 50 seafront villas and six restaurants on an ultra-secluded private island in the Seychelles in late January, all amid lush forests, lagoons and coral reefs. The Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, meanwhile, opened in 2019. It sprawls across three islands, with overwater villas perched above the Indian Ocean. Each has its own dressing room with a glass floor and infinity pool, plus access to the country’s largest spa.

Waldorf Astoria’s flagship New York location will reopen this year, too, after a highly complex redevelopment spanning several years. After that, it will open a Waldorf Astoria in London — it’s being built into Admiralty Arch, a landmark building that neighbors Buckingham Palace and was originally used by the British Navy. In total, 15 new Waldorf Astorias and Conrads are in the pipeline, all set to open by 2026.

The company’s efforts to further upscale these brands are already helping Hilton’s bottom line. In its Aug. 7 earnings call, it shared that revenue per available room climbed 7.5% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year earlier for the Waldorf Astoria brand, and 8.7% for its Conrad brand. Meanwhile, brands such as Hampton by Hilton, which is focused on more of an upper-midscale market, posted a 1.8% increase in that measure.

A growing, profitable segment

All this is happening at a time when major hotel brands outside of Marriott are playing a big game of luxury catch-up. Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC has acquired Six Senses Resorts & Spas and is bringing its top-notch Regent Hotels & Resorts to the U.S.; Hyatt Hotels Corp. has bought brands such as Alila and Miraval, plus Apple Leisure Group and Mr & Mrs Smith. But as of late, Hilton has been the most aggressive in its luxury pivot.

Silcock says it’s just a way to give his loyalists what they increasingly want. “Many of these customers may spend their traveling life staying in many of our other brands for business or for different occasions,” he says. “But they all like to dream of luxury. The more options we have to offer them, the better.”

Of notable importance are the 30 million new Hilton Honors members who joined the loyalty program in the last year, and who Silcock now needs to retain.

Despite Hilton’s extensive efforts, some experts say it still isn’t doing enough. Bjorn Hanson, adjunct professor at New York University’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, believes the new acquisitions and partnerships will help fill Hilton’s luxury hospitality portfolio, but not completely.

“Luxury did especially well during COVID, and now it continues to do especially well,” Hanson says, giving credence to Hilton’s strategic timing. But with no other sector of the hotel industry showing greater occupancy gains this year than these five-star stays, Hanson says Hilton is limited to few acquisition opportunities — a challenge, when what it really needs to be doing is buying up more brands with larger portfolios to flesh out its own portfolio.

Hanson gives credit, however, for Hilton rapidly doubling the number of its Waldorf Astoria locations to 30 — an average of one new location each year, the pandemic and supply crises notwithstanding — since announcing the start of the Waldorf Astoria Collection in 2006, branded after its flagship Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.

An uphill climb

Hanson isn’t the only one predicting an uphill climb for Hilton. Erich Joachimsthaler, branding expert and chief executive officer at strategic business reinvention firm Vivaldi Group, says that competing directly with Marriott —which has seven well established luxury brands — will require Hilton to better differentiate itself. If it wants to get there, Joachimsthaler says, it’ll need to be the one defining luxury.

“For Hilton to have any chance whatsoever, given they don’t have any scale in luxury right now, they must figure out these points of differences,” he says, noting that today’s luxury consumer isn’t merely seeking amenities that are available at any other brand.

Then again, Hilton’s top brass talks less about winning over market share than simply making its members happy. Take Michael’s obsession with opening a five-star hotel in Paris that his loyalists could book with points: He keeps it at the top of his priority list because Hilton Honors members have it at the top of theirs.

“The road warriors are staying with us because they want to accumulate their points to spend them somewhere they can celebrate and enjoy,” he says. “We know where the demand is.”

©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

NEW YORK (AP) — Small businesses along popular vacation destinations like boardwalks and piers in the U.S. say the number of tourists flocking to the waterfront is back to normal, meaning pre-2020 levels. But while the affluent are spending freely, lower-income vacationers are sticking to carefully planned-out budgets.

Sean Bailey, marketing manager of the SkyWheel observation wheel by the Myrtle Beach, S.C., Boardwalk and Promenade, said ticket sales for the 13-year-old attraction have exceeded 2019 levels since 2021, and so far this year are tracking slightly above 2023 levels.

Bailey has noticed that tourists buying the cheaper tickets – which increased from $18 to $21 this year — are planning ahead and buying online instead of walking up to the 200-foot attraction. A regular ride, or “flight,” on the SkyWheel, which has glass enclosed gondolas that seat up to six, takes 10 to 15 minutes.

On the other end of the spectrum, the costlier tickets have become more popular. There are $35 sunrise tickets and $109 VIP tickets which include up to four people and get the buyer a flight that lasts 30 minutes. SkyWheel also offers a $250 gender reveal package which includes a light show and a ride for up to six.

“People are looking for more enhanced experiences beyond just the regular flight,” Bailey said.

According to the U.S. Travel Association’s forecast, 2024 tourism volume is expected to top 2019’s numbers for the first time since the pandemic began, with 2.45 billion trips taken, up from 2.38 billion in 2023 and 2.40 billion in 2019.

Domestic tourism is rebounding faster than international tourism. U.S. domestic travel spending, which includes general travel spending and passenger fares, is expected to be $975.6 billion in 2024, 98% of 2019 levels. International travel spending of $153.9 billion is about 83% of 2019 levels. Both are adjusted for inflation, per the USTA.

Similar to the CEOs of large, consumer-focused companies, owners of small businesses say they see a divide in spending between affluent Americans, who have maintained their spending levels, and those in lower income brackets who are being more careful. Wall Street racked up double-digit gains last year and so far this year — even with some recent volatility — while wage increases have slowed and inflation remains a burden even though price pressures on consumers have eased.

At Navy Pier, which juts out into Lake Michigan in Chicago, Robin Harris, owner of Confidence Apparel, which sells clothing with affirmations on it, says foot traffic and sales are up this year compared with last year. She says customers are being more conscious about their spending, picking things they can wear more than once and choosing quality over quantity. Her top sellers are a $30 T-shirt in a variety of colors that says “Inhale confidence, exhale doubt,” and a $75 jacket with a recipe-like list of ingredients including “Love, kindness, courage and resilience.”

“(Customers) are starting to be a little bit more intentional about what they purchase instead of just purchasing anything and everything,” she said.

Elsewhere on Navy Pier, Robert Gomez owns Beat Kitchen Cantina, a Mexican concession stand, and Bar Sol, a full restaurant with a patio. He says sales at the concession stand are up 30% compared with last year, with customers content to spend $8 on a taco, up $1 from last year. Gomez expanded his more upscale restaurant Bar Sol and made other improvements so sales aren’t comparable.

Gomez also owns two live music venues that serve food, located away from the touristy areas. He said that while tourists on the Pier seem more than happy to pay $40 for an entrée at Bar Sol, those neighborhood restaurants, which mainly attract local Chicagoans, aren’t seeing the same level of spending.

“Tourists come in (to Bar Sol), expecting to spend too big, whereas a local patron is looking for better deals,” he said. “It’s much more price sensitive, it’s almost the other extreme. And so, it’s been a struggle for me with the neighborhood businesses in comparison.”

At Laura’s Fudge in Wildwood, N.J., which has been around since the 1920s, owner Dave Roach said sales of fudge, saltwater taffy and chocolate-covered turtles have risen each year since 2020. He said many customers, often families that have been going to the boardwalk for generations, save up all year to have money to spend at Wildwood.

“They know what it’s going to cost them, and they don’t mind spending the money,” he said.

Michelle Rutkowski, who owns Boardwalk Best and Five Mile Marketplace on the Wildwood, N.J., boardwalk, which sell beach goods and souvenirs, has seen business ebb and flow for decades since her family has had businesses there since the 1980s.

Rainy weekends slowed business in April and May. But things have picked up since, particularly once school ended in mid-June.

Rutkowski said she feels positive about sales momentum this year, with shoppers spending on souvenirs like keychains and magnets and T-shirts with the unofficial Wildwood, N.J., mascot, a seagull with a French fry in its mouth.

“People have allotted a reasonable budget for vacation, and they’re spending it,” she said. “Maybe this won’t be the year for back to 100% of that where it was, but definitely we are on that trajectory.”

So what do airlines offer passengers for the inconvenience?

All U.S. airlines are required to follow through on promises made in customer service plans and to refund travelers if their flights are canceled or “significantly delayed,” according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for delayed or canceled passengers,” federal transportation officials said. “If an airline has made a commitment to provide a particular service or compensation, then the Department can hold the airline accountable.”

However, airlines only have to adhere to their customer service plans when the delays and cancellations are “controllable” — such as for maintenance or crew problems, cabin cleaning, baggage loading, and fueling, according to federal transportation officials.

When flights are delayed or canceled because of the weather, disasters or air traffic control conditions, airlines do not have to honor any promises in their customer service plans.

Even if airlines don’t have to follow through on promises of meals and hotels during uncontrollable situations, they still have to follow federal rules surrounding refunds.

If a U.S. airline cancels a flight or significantly delays takeoff — regardless of the reason — airlines are required to refund ticketed passengers if they choose not to accept the alternative offered — such as rebooking on another flight — federal officials said. This includes passengers with nonrefundable tickets.

The DOT has not specifically defined what constitutes a “significant delay,” claiming it depends on the length of the delay, the length of the flight and the passenger’s specific circumstances. Federal transportation officials review delay-based refund claims on a case-by-case basis.

Other federally protected refunds include:

Class of Service Change: A customer is entitled to a refund if they are involuntarily moved to a lower class of service. For example, if the passenger purchased a first-class ticket and was downgraded to economy class due to an aircraft swap, the consumer is owed the difference in fares.

Optional Service Fees: A consumer is entitled to a refund of fees paid for an optional service — including baggage fees, seat upgrades or in-flight Wi-Fi — if they were unable to use the optional service because of a flight cancellation, delay or schedule change or if they were involuntarily denied boarding. If passengers purchase an optional service and the amenity does not work or is not available on the flight, they are also entitled to a refund, according to the U.S. DOT.

Baggage Fees: A passenger is entitled to a refund if the customer paid a baggage fee and their luggage was lost by the airline.

• Airlines may have different policies to determine when a bag is officially lost. Most airlines will declare a bag lost between five and fourteen days after the flight.

• If an airline unreasonably refuses to consider a bag lost after it has been missing for an “unreasonable period of time,” the airline could be subject to enforcement action by the DOT.

• Airlines are also responsible for repairing or reimbursing a passenger for damaged baggage and/or its contents when the damage occurs while the bag is under the airline’s control. When the damage to the bag cannot be repaired, airlines will negotiate a compensation amount based on the value of the bag and its depreciation.

• More information about baggage policies, what airlines can restrict from their policy and how much airlines owe customers for damaged and lost bags is available on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website.

So, if airlines have to honor their customer service plans, what does each company promise customers?

Southwest

If a flight is canceled and the airline could have prevented it, Southwest will:

• Rebook passenger on same airline at no additional cost.

• Provide meals, meal cash or meal vouchers for passengers waiting three hours or more for a new flight.

• Offer hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport for passengers affected by an overnight cancellation where the next available option isn’t until the next day.

• Give passengers a flight credit or travel voucher when the cancellation results in passengers waiting for a new flight three or more hours past their scheduled departure time.

If a flight is “significantly delayed” — which is determined on a case-by-case basis — passengers have essentially the same options as with cancellations.

“If you ask, we’ll give you a voucher for food at airport vendors who accept our vouchers,” Southwest officials stated. “If there’s no place to use the voucher or no vouchers available, we may honor reasonable requests for reimbursement of meal costs.”

Passengers stranded by extended overnight delays and cancellations also have to ask for hotel lodging and transportation — Southwest officials said the airline won’t announce it, but it will provide accommodations if the situation was caused by something officials “determined was within (the airline’s) control.”

To get reimbursed for meal, hotel and transportation expenses, passengers can fill out the form on Southwest’s website within one year of their flight.

Frontier

If a flight is canceled and the airline could have prevented it, or a flight is significantly delayed, Frontier will:

• Rebook the passenger on the same airline at no additional cost.

• Provide meals, meal cash or meal vouchers for passengers waiting three hours or more for a new flight.

American Airlines

If a flight is canceled and the airline could have prevented it, American Airlines will:

• Rebook the passenger on the same airline or another partner airline at no additional cost.

• Provide meals, meal cash or meal vouchers for passengers waiting three hours or more for a new flight.

• Offer hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport for passengers affected by an overnight cancellation where the next available option isn’t until the next day.

If a flight is “significantly delayed” – which is determined on a case-by-case basis – the options are essentially the same as with cancellations.

“If we can’t provide you with a voucher for an approved hotel, we’ll reimburse you for reasonable hotel costs,” American Airlines’ policy states. “If a hotel shuttle/third-party transportation service isn’t available, or we can’t provide you with a transportation voucher, we’ll reimburse you for reasonable transportation costs.”

The airline also has a policy for diverted flights, offering hotel accommodations, transportation and meal vouchers if a passenger’s flight is diverted to another city and they aren’t bordered to their final destination by 11:59 p.m.

“If the delay or cancellation is caused by events beyond our control (like weather), you are responsible for your own overnight accommodations, meals and incidental expenses,” airline officials stated. “If you decide not to fly because of a flight cancellation or a significant delay, you can request a refund for the remaining ticket value and related optional fees.”

If a passenger’s flight is delayed or canceled and they don’t accept American Airline’s alternative arrangements — or if none were available — the airline says it will refund the remaining ticket value and any optional fees.

“Beyond that, we have no further contractual obligation,” the airline stated in an online FAQ.

Delta

If a flight is canceled and the airline could have prevented it, Delta will:

• Rebook passengers on the same airline or another partner airline at no additional cost.

• Provide meals, meal cash or meal vouchers for passengers waiting three hours or more for a new flight.

• Offer hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport for passengers affected by an overnight cancellation where the next available option isn’t until the next day.

If a flight is “significantly delayed” – which is determined on a case-by-case basis – the options are essentially the same as with cancellations.

If passengers from the U.S. or Canada incur hotel, transportation and/or meal expenses because of a three or more-hour delay or a controllable cancellation, they can submit a reimbursement request using the Reimbursement Request form, according to Delta officials.

The airline said it is unable to provide meal vouchers, hotel accommodations and transportation for delays and cancellations caused by weather and air traffic control issues.

United

If a flight is canceled and the airline could have prevented it, United will:

• Rebook passengers on the same airline or another partner airline at no additional cost.

• Provide meals, meal cash or meal vouchers for passengers waiting three hours or more for a new flight.

• Offer hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport for passengers affected by an overnight cancellation where the next available option isn’t until the next day.

If a flight is “significantly delayed” — which is determined on a case-by-case basis — the options are essentially the same as with cancellations.

United offers refunds in cash, bank orders, bank checks and through electronic funds transfers. They can only give refunds in the form of a travel voucher with the passenger’s written agreement.

For international flights, United Airlines puts delayed and canceled flights into three different categories: flights delayed by two or more hours, flights delayed by five or more hours and flights delayed by at least eight hours or canceled altogether.

If a flight is delayed by at least two hours or a passenger is involuntarily denied boarding on a flight, the airline starts offering compensation, according to United’s Notice of Rights policy, including:

• Meals, meal cash or meal vouchers for passengers waiting three hours or more for a new flight.

• Hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport for passengers affected by an overnight cancelation where the next available option isn’t until the next day.

The airline says it may “limit or decline (passengers’) right to care if (the) provision of care would itself cause further delay.”

Once the delay hits five hours, passengers get to choose between two compensation options outlined in the airline’s policy.

• A refund for the full cost of the ticket for the parts of the flight not made and – if the flight “no longer serves any purpose in relation to your original travel plan” – the parts of the journey already flown. If the delay happens during a layover, United is also responsible for providing the earliest possible flight back to your home airport. Or,

• A rescheduled flight under “comparable transport conditions” to your final destination as soon as possible or at a later date that works better for passengers’ schedules. If United offers a flight to an airport nearby – but different than – your original destination, the airline is responsible for covering transportation to or near the original airport.

If the flight is delayed eight hours or canceled, United says passengers may be eligible for monetary compensation, flight vouchers or rewards points.

“To make way for this completely new frontier, the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island will be transformed into vast and rugged terrains for a rally race with some of the world’s most iconic racers,” a Disney news release read Monday in reference to the “Cars”  area, which will be considered part of Frontierland.

Tom Sawyer Island has been operating at Walt Disney World since 1973, about two years after the opening of Magic Kingdom. It was inspired by Mark Twain’s characters and stories and is accessed by log rafts.  It is surrounded by Rivers of America, home of the Liberty Belle riverboat attraction.

Disney: Liberty Belle’s move requires digging, divers, darkness

“We are thrilled to create this original Cars adventure and put our guests in the driver’s seat as we—quite literally—explore a new frontier in Frontierland,” Michael Hundgen, Walt Disney World portfolio executive producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in the release.

“Part of pioneering this new story includes tapping into the themes of exploration and adventure that inspire so many of us to keep propelling forward. Anytime we touch Magic Kingdom, we recognize the massive responsibility that exists to get it right and tell stories that connect with our guests,” he said.

The “Cars” attractions and Villains Land were announced during a D23 session late Saturday evening.

The area devoted to the Disney villains will be in the currently undeveloped area that has been dubbed “Beyond Big Thunder,” the land beyond the Frontierland roller coaster named Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Disney also confirmed Monday.

Disney World expansion plan includes villains land

Construction permits are being filed this week, Disney World said, and work will get into “high gear next year,” leaving time to “experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today,” the release reads.

The Magic Kingdom land has had other adjustments recently. The Splash Mountain ride was transformed into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which opened in June. The Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, a Magic Kingdom original attraction, has been shuttered in favor of a Disney Vacation Club lounge.

The “Cars” attraction will include a ride that represents a rally race that includes mountain trails, geysers and mudholes. A second attraction will be for “the youngest racers,” Disney said. A rendering released Monday shows animated characters and new structures on the island and what appears to be a walkway forming an entrance from the Haunted Mansion area. The Liberty Belle, which has also been at the park since 1973, is not represented in the image.

Few details are known about the Villains area, although Disney said it would include two attractions, shopping and dining.

“Walt Disney Imagineering is pushing creative boundaries to dark and mysterious levels to bring this new, first-of-its-kind land to life,” Monday’s news release said.  After public speculation by executives — presented as a blue-sky approach — about that land, the project was nicknamed “Beyond Big Thunder.”

Sky’s the limit: Orlando theme parks explore drones as entertainment

Other WDW additions announced at the D23 session include the “Disney Starlight” parade, debuting at Magic Kingdom next summer; The Tropical Americas area, replacing Dinoland with “Encanto” and “Indiana Jones”-themed rides at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2027; a new “Monsters, Inc.” land coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios; a new “Mandalorian” theme for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2026; and lounges at Epcot and Magic Kingdom in 2025.

Epcot’s Test Track is currently being remodeled with new scenes and exhibits. The updated exterior will “harken back to the original World of Motion pavilion design,” Monday’s news release said. The attraction is scheduled to reopen sometime next year.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

Epic: Universal Orlando details its next ‘Harry Potter’ land

Enterprise claims that I took a head restraint and a hat shelf from the car. This is entirely untrue and must be a mistake. The company sent photos of a car with a missing head restraint, but there wasn’t any identifying information, like a license plate or even the date that would prove it was the car we rented. Also, I returned the car at the end of July, and the claim is dated for September, which is more than a month after we returned the car.

How can I defend myself against this false claim?

— Josephine Donatelli, Scotch Plains, New Jersey

ANSWER: If you removed a head restraint and hat shelf from your rental vehicle, then you should have to pay for it. But was it your rental car?

Here’s the right way to handle a claim: First, Enterprise should have contacted you to let you know that some items were missing from your car and given you the opportunity to return them. If you didn’t, it should have sent you a bill — not charged your credit card. And the claim should have contained pictures of the car, the license plate, and an invoice for replacing the head restraint and hat shelf.

Instead, Enterprise charged you, then sent a claim with insufficient information to substantiate it. I think if you get an email from Enterprise or any other company, you should consider reading it. You might have had time to fight this claim if you had responded to the first message.

I would like to think that this was one of those “lost in translation” issues — just a big misunderstanding as a result of translating your claim from German into English.

I think your credit card dispute might have gone your way. Enterprise charged your card without permission, and it sent you insufficient evidence. But more importantly, the claim is implausible. What would you do with a head restraint and a hat shelf? Were you going to carry those on a plane with you and take them back to New Jersey?

I’m not taking sides here. If Enterprise could prove that the items disappeared while you rented the car, then you are responsible. But based on the documentation it provided you, it couldn’t.

What an odd case. You could have appealed this to one of the Enterprise executives whose contact information I publish on my customer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email might have encouraged the company to revisit your case and either furnish you with the information you needed or drop the case entirely.

I contacted Enterprise on your behalf. A representative called you and apologized for the erroneous bill. “He said they are returning my money, and (it) should be back to my bank within three to five business days,” you reported. “He told me to reach out to him when I want to rent from Enterprise again, and he will make sure I get credit for my trouble.”

Enterprise returned your $515, as promised.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.(c) 2024 Christopher ElliottDistributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Charters are ready to ferry seafaring gatherers to hotspots in the Gulf of Mexico, where bay scallops are plentiful — if one knows how to spot them properly. With a dark shell on top and a lighter side on the bottom, the mollusks blend in with the seagrass and make for a challenging treasure hunt for those who seek them out.

I joined Capt. Paul Cross and Lucas Ebert of Waterfront Adventures for a chartered trip out into the Gulf, where we stopped at a prime spot for collecting scallops.

“We call it an underwater Easter egg hunt. Any day on the boat is a great day. It’s fun, but it helps to have an activity to do. It just makes it that much better,” said Cross, who grew up in Crystal River. “Kids can do this. People of all ages can do it. There’s crystal-clear water and you get beautiful days on the Gulf.”

Though the experience proved more tedious than anticipated, we ultimately headed back to shore with plenty to eat.

Venturing out

Just after 10 a.m., our small group climbed aboard Cross’s boat powered by a zippy 175-horsepower Yamaha motor, allowing us to breeze through mangrove tunnels with ease while classic rock blasted on the stereo.

As we left the town behind and ventured into the Gulf, dozens of boats dotted the horizon with other families in search of those meaty morsels under the water. The bay scallop season is nearing its peak as harvesting is open through Sept. 24 in Levy, Citrus and Hernando counties with a daily limit of 2 gallons per person or 10 gallons per vessel.

We got a little briefing from Ebert, who explained “the art of scalloping” — and perhaps tempered our expectations.

“People find around 8-10 scallops, maybe 20 if they’re really good. It’s a hunt. You have to keep swimming,” he explained. “Maybe every 30-40 yards, you find one, dive down and put it in your bag. When you find one, you can’t look away because when you look back down, you won’t see them.”

He also detailed the dozens of blue eyes that adorn the edge of their shells and let us know that though scallops have the capacity to pinch fingers slightly, they will not hurt you.

Before we got started on our own hunt, Ebert dove down and immediately popped up with a pufferfish in hand, much to our delight. After a quick round of show and tell, the fish swam away from the boat to carry on with its day.

Searching for Easter eggs

Outfitted with masks, snorkels, fins and mesh bags to collect our catch, we jumped in the water while Ebert snorkeled off on his own to ensure we had enough to enjoy a full dinner rather than a light snack. Cross swam with our group closer to the boat, pointing out scallops as we went.

The first three in my bag were caught with an assist from our captain, which almost felt like cheating — but the exercise did help in knowing what to look for. I ventured off on my own for what could have been half an hour or more, not having any luck despite my best efforts to look. Some aquatic plants bear the same shape as a scallop’s shell, playing tricks on my eyes.

The frustration was elevating as I began to question my hunter-gatherer instincts. If I was depending on this exercise as a matter of survival, I would have needed to catch many more scallops than the measly three in my bag.

Even though I felt like throwing in the towel, I found a sandy spot where these underwater Easter eggs had less cover to hide. I spotted one, grabbed it and popped up with glee.

“Looks like we will be eating dinner after all!” exclaimed Cross from the boat with a hint of sarcasm. However, the comment did remind me of what was at stake: a nice, freshly caught meal straight from the sea.

While we were getting our feet wet with our beginners’ scalloping course, Ebert was doing the real work of foraging our aquatic meal. Ultimately, he managed to bag 96 in the same amount of time that I caught seven.

After a few hours in the sun, we gathered back on the boat with slices of watermelon to help rehydrate us after the long immersion in saltwater.

“Good job, team,” Cross remarked before gunning it back toward shore, black storm clouds gathering around us. It was an exhilarating ride back and we all got to relish the day’s accomplishment — more than 100 freshly caught scallops.

Catch of the day

Our catch of the day was quickly put to use as Ebert got to work, shucking more than a dozen scallops right on the boat. Freeing the white meat from the shells, he adorned them with lime juice, cilantro and his special seasoning.

We took turns trying scallops on the half-shell, like miniature oysters. The garnishes helped bring out their delicate, slightly sweet and smooth taste, while the dash of lime provided a needed zest. After swimming for hours, it felt like our hard work had paid off. Fortunately, this was just the beginning of our group’s culinary experience.

After cleaning up back on shore, we met at Waterfront Social, a dining destination on the shores of Kings Bay. Chef Olivia Plockelman took our pile of shucked scallops and made some magic happen with them in the kitchen, preparing them three ways.

The blackened scallops gave the morsels some zing, packing them with a mild spice and plenty of flavor. The fried scallops were perfect for dipping in tartar sauce or melted butter. In an exquisite and visually appealing preparation, the rest of the scallops were presented on the half shell, topped with marinated tomatoes, lemon garlic butter and bread crumbs.

Hungry after diving down to catch the very sustenance we were about to enjoy, we eagerly devoured the scallops, making quick work of the full plates. It was the perfect reward for the most delicious scavenger hunt I have ever had the pleasure of participating in.

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.

If you go

Waterfront Adventures has scalloping charters daily starting at $375 for a five-hour excursion with three people. The office is located at 525 NW 7th Ave. in Crystal River. For more information, call 352-651-5004 or visit swimmingwiththemanatees.com.

Restaurants that offer “catch and cook” specials include Plantation West 82, Peck’s Old Port Cove, Backwater Fins, Seafood Seller, Bayside Kraft Kitchen, Cracker’s Bar & Grill, The Boil Yard, Crab Plant, Shrimp Landing, Dan’s Clam Stand, Oysters of Crystal River, Wallace’s at the Greenhouse, Marguerita Grill, The Shed, Fish Tales and Nauti Time Seafood.

“This land will be home to the villains that you know and those that you loathe, which means ‘happily ever after’ … it may feel like just a distant dream,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, which include the company’s theme parks and Disney Cruise Line.

The announcement by D’Amaro was one of a slew of expansion plans at Disney parks worldwide revealed at a D23 fan club event in Anaheim, California. Among the developments: A “Monsters, Inc.” land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the first animatronic of Walt Disney himself and even more cruise ships.

The villains area is “going to be a fearless new vision for what a Disney experience can be,” he said near the end of the presentation, which lasted more than two hours and 45 minutes.

This bad-guy expansion land will feature two new attractions, which were not described Saturday evening, as well as dining and shopping, he said, without specifying where the villains area would be located. No timeframe for the villains construction was announced.

In other Magic Kingdom developments, the park will add two “Cars” attractions to its Frontierland as well as a new nighttime parade called “Disney Starlight.”

“We’re leaving Radiator Springs behind and we’re heading off to the wilderness,” D’Amaro said. One “Cars” ride will be a race rally across the frontier, and the second will be geared to young children. Construction will begin in 2025.

“This is going to bring some new energy to Frontierland,” he said, and delve into “what it means to explore the American wilderness.”

The new parade, set to debut next summer, will be led by the Blue Fairy from “Pinocchio” and include characters from films including “Encanto,” “Frozen,” “Peter Pan” and others.

The session was attended by 12,000 people at Anaheim’s Honda Center. It included a live orchestra on stage and, between announcements, performances by Meaghan Trainor, Rita Ora, Shaboozey, John Stamos, Pentatonix, Billy Crystal and the Deadpool character. Ke Huy Quan, who rose to fame as Short Round in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and grew up to win an Academy Award in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” had a stint as the guest conductor of the orchestra.

Disney Cruise Line orders 4 new ships, announces ‘Hercules’ show on Disney Destiny

The “Monsters, Inc.” land at Hollywood Studios will include a suspended roller coaster, a Disney parks first, that tours through the laugh factory. Construction starts next year, D’Amaro said.

Saturday’s session included updates on previously announced plans for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which will be home to attractions tied to “Encanto” and  the “Indiana Jones” films.

Construction on the replacement attractions for Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland will begin this fall, D’Amaro said, and they are all expected to debut in 2027. The area then will be known as Tropical Americas.

The Indiana Jones ride, set to take over the space of the current Dinosaur attraction, will be different from other Indy rides in Disney parks, Bruce Vaughn, chief creative officer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said Saturday.

“It takes place in an ancient Mayan temple that Indy has recently discovered, and he’s heard rumors about a mythical creature that lives deep within this temple,” he said.

Animal Kingdom visitors will cross from Discovery Island into Tropical Americas where they will see a new town named Pueblo Esperanza and the home of the “Encanto” attraction, Vaughn said.

In the ride based in the animated house of the Madrigal family, “Antonio has just received his special gift — the ability to communicate with animals — and his room has transformed into a rainforest,” Vaughn said.

These projects were announced last year but considered “in the works.” In a 2022 D23 session, executives teased about plans for “beyond Big Thunder,” the Frontierland roller coaster at Magic Kingdom. D’Amaro did not say Saturday if that area would be the location of the new “Cars” attractions.

Walt Disney Co. has pledged to spend $60 billion over 10 years on attractions worldwide. Industry watchers have speculated about moves at Walt Disney World as Universal Orlando’s expansion — Epic Universe theme park — is slated to open in 2025. Some experts have predicted a fifth theme park for Disney World, but there was no mention of a new park on Saturday.

In a quarterly earnings call with market analysts last week, Disney executives said its theme parks had seen “demand moderation” in recent months. The result was small revenue growth. They said that trend was expected to continue in the near term.

Disney Cruise Line orders 4 new ships, announces ‘Hercules’ show on Disney Destiny

Among the other Saturday announcements from Disney were:

• Disney Cruise Line will add four more ships beyond what had previously been announced, bringing the total to 13. Timeframe: between 2027 and 2031.

• The Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will get a new story tied to the theatrical release of “The Mandalorian and Grogu” movie in 2026.

• The revised version of Test Track will debut at Epcot in 2025.

• A Spaceship Earth lounge is planned for Epcot for next year. The previously announced pirate-themed tavern for Magic Kingdom also will open in 2025.

• The “Zootopia: Better Zoogether” show in the Tree of Life Theater at Animal Kingdom will arrive in winter 2025. The Tree of Life Theater currently is home to the “It’s Tough to Be a Bug!” 3-D film.

• At Disneyland, “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show will feature an animatronic version of Walt Disney. It will rotate with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.”

• Disney California Adventure is adding rides based on “Coco” and the second and third films of the “Avatar” series.

• DCA’s Avengers Campus will get two new attractions, Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab.

• Disney Adventure World in France will be home to a “Lion King” ride (art concepts show a log ride and drop) and a “Frozen” land.

• Shanghai Disneyland will be home to a Spider-Man themed “high-energy thrill coaster.”

D’Amaro assured the group that these plans were not in the blue-sky category.

“Plans are drawn. Dirt is moving,” he said. “I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you’re going to hear tonight.”

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro made the announcement at this year’s D23 expo held in California on Saturday along with news that a Broadway-style play based on “Hercules” was coming to Disney Destiny when it debuts out of Port Everglades next year. D’Amaro also teased the largest puppet ever to take the stage on a DCL ship for Disney Treasure’s new “Moana” show later this year.

The fleet expansion means DCL will grow to 13 ships by 2031, with all of the ships to be constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

The fleet currently stands at five ships with the original Disney Magic and Wonder that debuted in 1998 and 1999, followed by Disney Dream and Fantasy in 2011 and 2012 and then the first of the most recent class of ship, Disney Wish, which debuted out of Port Canaveral in 2022.

Next up is this year’s Disney Treasure, also coming to Port Canaveral, and then both the Singapore-bound Disney Adventure and Florida-bound Disney Destiny in 2025, which is the third Wish-class sister ship. A fourth Wish-class vessel will sail out of Japan starting in 2029 in a partnership with the Oriental Land Co. that runs Disney’s Japanese theme parks.

“So from two ships, we go to four, from four to five, from five to eight, and now we’re going all the way up to 13,” D’Amaro said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “The reason here is we have so many more stories to tell. We have such incredibly high demand. We know that the cruise ships are brand ambassadors for us, and we know that we can take these ships to parts of the world where we may not have a theme park or Disney experience for our fans to participate in.”

He noted the line’s success in recent sailings in Australia and New Zealand that quickly sold out, and so the global demand is ripe for DCL.

“We’re incredibly bullish on this business. It’s served us well financially. It’s served us well from a brand perspective, and served us well in terms of getting to our biggest fans around the world,” he said.

Disney World expansion plan includes villains land

He didn’t say whether Florida’s ports would be getting any of the new ships for certain, but Port Canaveral has been the first homeport for all of its five existing ships as well as sixth ship Disney Treasure while Port Everglades will get the seventh.

“We have set ourselves up pretty well to make sure that we have ports to accommodate all of these ships,” D’Amaro said. “I won’t give you any specifics there … but we’re going to use all of these ports, I think, in an intelligent way. … We’ve created these relationships for reasons. I’ll put it that way.”

Thomas Mazloum, president of the New Experiences Portfolio & Disney Signature Experiences which includes Disney Cruise Line, echoed his belief Florida would not be forgotten in the expansion.

“There’s no question we have a great global opportunity, but make no mistake, that includes still the U.S. where I believe we have significant opportunity to introduce our stories to our guests,” he said. “Everywhere in the U.S. but … I believe we have immense opportunities still out of Florida.”

That said, he’s keen to embrace an expanded global footprint for the line acting in many ways as the Disney brand vanguard.

“We have phenomenal parks around the world. That means in the U.S., but we have Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong. They’re wonderful parks. They are the best in class, but the globe is so big, and not every person can easily access a park depending where you live,” he said. “We know that for every person that walks into our parks on a global basis, there are eight or nine others that simply are too far away.”

He notes also that the line only has seasonal sailings in Europe, California and Galveston, Texas for now, so there’s room for growth.

“I think domestically, we are far from being where we should be, which now, with the expansion, gives us that opportunity,” he said.

No other details were revealed about the new ships, but D’Amaro said they would “be in the same ballpark” in terms of size. Right now, the Wish-class vessels and Disney Dream and Fantasy can hold about 4,000 passengers at maximum capacity while its original ships are smaller at about 2,700 max capacity.

Mazloum said Magic and Wonder, though smaller, still give great returns and rank high with guests. He said the deployment of Wonder, for instance, to Alaska each year is the right choice for the line in terms of guest satisfaction.

“We’re going to be very flexible on that, and I think you will see different sizes eventually emerging over the next decade plus, because we’re going to be very, very thoughtful — how we do this. Not every size fits everywhere,” he said.

Just like the Wish class, the new class of ships will be capable of running on liquefied natural gas, a cleaner-burning fuel that’s part of the transition as cruise lines attempt to lower their carbon footprint.

Mazloum, though, said the new ships will be designed to take on other fuels as they become available to get closer to the net-zero emission target.

“We are extremely focused on that. … We’ve looked at LNG as a transition. It’s another step in the right direction, and the future ships will have an immense amount of flexibility,” he said. “So one of the things you will see is that on all of our ships, including, by the way, the Wish class, we’ve built in and spent money on a lot of flexibility so that different types of fuels as they are being developed are going to be used.”

With a 2027 delivery date, the first steel could be cut in 2026, if Meyer Werft follows the same timeline of about 20 months construction as it has for past Disney ships. It’s built Dream, Fantasy and Wish and has Treasure near completion and Destiny in the works.

“We always place a premium of having the right partners with the right technological ability to help us,” Mazloum said pointing out the ships’ features such as the Broadway-caliber shows on board. “You can imagine the infrastructure in order to bring our stories to life on a ship, it requires an immense amount of technological advancement, and Meyer Werft was one of these strategic partners that has always delivered beautiful ships.”

Mazloum is giddy for the pace with which the line is rolling out new hardware having only just taken delivery of the line’s fifth ship, and first new ship in more than a decade, two years ago.

“We’re suddenly going to go to 13 ships. We’re going to launch eight ships in the next eight years,” he said. “That’s the proof in the pudding. We truly believe that the sky is the limit for us, and we think, honestly, the timing is perfect.”

New ‘Hercules’ show on Disney Destiny

Another big announcement at D23 was the third main-stage show coming to Disney Destiny when it debuts out of Port Everglades in November 2025.

“Disney Hercules” will be exclusive to the ship putting to stage the Greek gladiator popularized in the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1997 movie. The Broadway-style show “will stay true to the story and spirit of the film while showcasing a fresh, modern adaptation tailor-made for the stage,” according to a Disney press release.

The Muses will be the show storyteller, as they are in the film, and include songs from the film along with the theatrical debut of “Shooting Star.”

“The new musical arrangements will emphasize the iconic soundtrack’s pop and gospel influences, drawing on the production team’s extensive and diverse experience that ranges from theater to pop music,” the release said. “Guests can expect show-stopping musical numbers, incredible vocals, stunning visuals and immersive projection effects.”

It will join two other shows previously announced for the ship: “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular” and “Disney Seas the Adventure,” both of which have appeared on other ships in the fleet.

New look at ‘Disney The Tale of Moana’ on Disney Treasure

One final treat for the D23 crowd was a reveal of a rendering from the marquee show “Disney The Tale of Moana” on Disney Treasure when it debuts from Port Canaveral in December.

Just like in the film, the show has a climactic moment depicting Moana taking a final stand against Te Kā, “the fiery lava-wielding foe who will appear on stage as an incredible 15-foot-tall puppet, the largest puppet ever produced for a Disney Cruise Line Broadway-style show,” according to the release.

The scene promises a transformation of the Te Kā puppet into her true self, a stunning green goddess.

The show’s puppetry, which will also be used to show many of the characters from the film, is being developed by Jeff Conover and Michael Curry. Curry previously worked on Broadway’s “The Lion King.”

The “Moana” show joins Disney Treasure’s two other main stage productions, versions of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Disney Seas the Adventure.”