Brendan Ross - Credit Wired.com

Would you spend an entire month flying to over 40 cities? Brendan Ross would. As a matter of fact that is exactly what he plans to do in the next 30 days.

Brendan is taking advantage of the Jet Blue unlimited pass, a promotion the airline company did a couple of weeks ago, where you could purchase a month worth of unlimited flying for a flat rate.

Brendan has plugged all his flights on an Excel spread sheet to make sure he can cover as many cities as he can possible visit on the month. Wired.com purchased the ticket for Brendan with two conditions: he must not leave the airport at any time during the following month (unless he is in the air flying) and he will blog the entire experience on Autopia, a Wired magazine blog.

I am looking forward reading Brendan’s experience with the long lines, flight delays and all the other nightmares associated with flying.

Dancing naked at the hotel

If you have already seen the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Rockefeller Center, then perhaps it is time to visit another attraction in New York that you haven’t seen yet: The High Line’s Standard hotel.

You see, people have been flocking the park next to the hotel to see hotel guests who for whatever reason, decide to dance naked in front of the hotel’s huge glass windows. Some times, they openly engage in sexual acts for the world to see.

According to the article posted in the New York Post, “thrill-seekers yesterday flocked to the Meatpacking District’s newly christened High Line urban paradise to catch a glimpse of the free skin show playing out in the massive windows at The Standard hotel, which straddles the park”

They even included some pictures to illustrate the story

 Wet and Wild

This year we decided to purchase the annual tickets to Wet and Wild. After doing some serious search on the internet, I was able to find this coupon, which lower the weekday annual pass at Wet and Wild from $49.00 to $40.00 per person. The coupon also have discount for daily passes, and it is good until December 31^st. 2009. You can download it here.

Wet and Wild is much smaller than any of the Disney water parks, and in my opinion, everything inside the park is much more expensive. Lockers cost you $8.00 to rent, and if you want to do water ski in the lake, you must pay extra for that too. The food it is expensive as well, although this is something I had expected.

Some of the most popular rides have long lines, while in the smaller rides the lines were short and they moved fast. The good thing about the park is that they allow food and drinks inside the park, as long as there are not in glass containers, so if you pack some sandwiches and some drinks you will save a lot of money.

In general my kids enjoyed the water park. We visited twice during the week.

Bongos Restaurant

One of the biggest disappointed this summer vacation was the dinner we had at Bongos Restaurant in Downtown Disney. Bongos is owned by the singer Gloria Stephan and her husband. They serve Cuban food and on the weekend they have live music at the restaurant. This was our second time having dinner there and I must say that it was a completely different experience compared to our previous visit to the restaurant.

To begin with, they assigned us a table on the second floor, right in the middle of all the traffic. People who were going to the restroom would pass by our table, and the waiters would also walk very closed to us when they were delivering food. I requested to the hostess to be moved, and although there were several empty tables, she refused to do it with the excuse that the table was assigned to us by another hostess downstairs and she couldn’t do anything about it. It had to go downstairs to talk to person who originally assigned the table for us in order to get another table.

The food took for ever to arrive, and when it finally did the meat was hard, and very salty. They also forgot to bring the black beans we had ordered, so we had to wait another 10 minutes for the beans to arrive while the food was getting cold.

The bill was around $75 for two people (only me and my wife went out to dinner that night. I gave the waiter the credit card, and when he returned with the credit card receipt to sign, they have charged $87.00. I thought they were including the tips in the bill, but it turned out that the waiter had made a mistake and he had overcharged us. He asked for my credit card again to cancel the charges and issue a new one, but at this point I just told him to leave it like that and to keep the difference from the original bill as his tips.

I was really disappointed with the service and the food. The first time we visited Bongos was in the middle of the week and it wasn’t that busy, so perhaps that is the reason we got a much better service that this time around.

Disney Boardwalk

Although every year we spend a week in Orlando for one reason or another we have never been in Disney Boardwalk, so this year we decided to spend an evening visiting the stores and walking around the resort. We had a very pleasant time. The resort and surrounding areas is very beautiful. At night it lights up and the reflection of the lights in the water makes the place feel magical.  The place have several restaurants and even a nigh club for adults only. It is much more quiet than Downtown Disney, but still a good place to walk by the water and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.

Ponce de Leon State Spring Park

Every year, we pick one State Park to visit during our stay in Orlando. This year we went to Ponce de Leon Spring Park. The park is build around a natural spring that pours 72 degree water into a natural swimming pool. Compared to Blue Spring Park, this park is much more smaller and less beautiful, but the kids definitely enjoyed jumping in the cold water.

There is so much to do in Orlando besides the parks that it will take more than a week to see everything. At one point we considered visiting Gator Land, but we ran out of time. We also thought about doing the indoor skydiving, but later on discarded it and decided to go to Old Town instead. I am glad we did, because the kids had a blast riding the go carts over and over again.

In general, we had a great time, and especially my children got to share some fun times with their cousins. In total there were about 30 family members in Orlando this year.

I will reproduce the entire post here. You can read the original at Andy Azula site

Dear Delta:

I am a frequent-flyer with Platinum status on Delta. And one of your biggest fans.

I’m also the guy in those UPS Whiteboard commercials on TV. And I’m not just the actor. I’m also am the creative director at the ad agency who creates the advertising for UPS.

On June 18th I flew Delta for the last time. As of now, I cannot imagine ever stepping foot on another Delta airplane.

Because on June 18th, things went wrong. Very, very wrong.

On that morning, my wife and two children (7 year old twins), got up at 4 am in order to catch the first flight from our home in Richmond, VA to Atlanta. It was a business trip mixed in with a family vacation. You see, my parents live in Atlanta and my children hadn’t seen their grandparents for quite some time. As you can imagine, we were all very excited.

The sequence of events that occurred for the next 13 hours, and then resumed again the next day, is almost too hard to explain.

In fact, as type this, my heart is racing once again.

You see, our flight was delayed due to a mechanical problem on our plane. Over the course of the next 13 hours we sat in the terminal at Richmond as flight after flight after flight all departed on time to Atlanta. Except, of course, ours. An entire airplane full of people - all of whom had gotten up early to catch the first flight of the day - watched helplessly as every other plane departed incident-free.

And since our bags were on the plane (we had all already been seated, before we were asked to de-board) we couldn’t even get our luggage off the plane and go home. Also, we kept being told our plane was almost fixed.

I took the initiative at noon to book us on the 5pm flight to Atlanta. I called Delta (five times in fact - you can check) to confirm and re-reconfirm again. I was continually reassured that my family had guaranteed seats on that 5pm flight. I was, in fact, on the phone with you as the Delta employees at the gate refused to give us our seats - on a flight we had already been confirmed on. And I never even heard an “I’m sorry.”

Consequently, I missed a few things in Atlanta: The Direct Marketing Association’s conference - of which I was the guest speaker. It was a paid event and the DMA was understandably shocked, mortified and embarrassed by the situation. They had to offer refunds to all their attendees.

I also missed my Wall Street Journal interview.

I also missed my meeting.

But much worse than all that, was what happened to my family.

I really wish some one could hear the crying and see the stress on my children’s face, as they ask why we couldn’t go see grandma and grandpa. And why we couldn’t just go home. I wish you could have heard the phone calls as all of us cried as we spoke with my parents. As my parents, who were also crying, tried to console their grandchildren. My children kept on asking why the airline was doing this to them. They kept asking what is was they did wrong.

We finally got our bags back after our 7am flight was officially and blessedly canceled.

At 6pm.

We were NEVER even offered as much as food vouchers for breakfast, lunch or dinner - all of which were purchased at the airport, as our flight continued to be pushed back and back. And we were not alone. But at least we could spend the evening in our home.

Again, we never even heard an apology.

The flight the next morning, was of course, delayed. Those passengers, who hadn’t been through what the rest of us had, could not understand our collective stress and tears when our gate was changed and then we were delayed. It was a short delay, one that until now, I wouldn’t have even given a second thought about. But the stress lasted much longer. I had to promise my children that I would not make them fly on an airplane anytime soon. They used to LOVE to fly. They simply cannot understand why things are so unfair.

Since returning on June 21st, I have flown 5 round trip flights to Las Vegas, Atlanta and New York. None of those flights have been on Delta.

I am now prepping my travels for the next three months, which include multiple flights to Los Angeles, St Louis, New York, Orlando, London, Berlin, Singapore and Shanghai.

In fact, I am literally flying MORE than I ever have in my life!

But until I receive some sort of apology, I will continue to adjust my schedule to avoid Delta. My coordinator and travel agent know not to book me on any Delta flights for the time being.

This is a fixable problem. This is about principle? Yes. It’s about my belief in customer service. It’s about working with business partners who respect each other. I really believe that. Which is why, until June 18th, I had been one of your biggest cheerleaders.

In the end, it wasn’t the actual circumstance that has caused me to avoid your airline. It is the complete and utter lack of compassion.

Regrettably,

Andy Azula
UPS Whiteboard Actor
SVP/ Creative Director - The Martin Agency

Since most airlines began charging passenger for their luggage, many of us have become experts in packing every thing we need in our carry-on bags.

I’ve seen people with obviously over-packed carry on luggage trying to push them in to the overhead compartments, only to discover that no matter how hard they push, the bag won’t fit in it.

 Perhaps this last resource to avoid paying for the luggage fees will soon come to an end.

 There is a bill in congress that will put limitation on the type and size of carry on luggage. It is called the ‘Securing Cabin Baggage Act’ (H.R 2870) and it was introduced early this year by Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D) of Illinois

Among other things, this bill stipulates that ” each passenger may bring only one carry-on bag and one personal item.

The dimensions of each, when loaded, shall not exceed 56 centimeters in length by 45 centimeters in height by 25 centimeters in width (rounded to 22 inches by 18 inches (17.75) by 10 inches (9.85)).

The only exception to the rule will be a child safety seat for a child passenger; assistive devices for disabled passengers, including wheelchairs, canes, and crutches; and musical instruments.

As you can imagine, the airlines are very happy with this bill. If it passes, the bill will give them the tool to prohibit passenger from carrying any luggage that doesn’t fall within the size or shape permitted, thus forcing them to check them in and paying the fee.

I would like to ask Rep. Lipnski how this bill will improve our security. Perhaps I will send him an email and ask him this question. You should too, and you can contact him here

Here is the song for you.

Air New Zealand just came out with a very clever idea that will make all its passengers watch the safety instruction video without even blinking once. The video shows the crew going over the safety demonstration, wearing nothing but body paint. The video itself is not explicit and no nudity is shown, however the camera angle is positioned in such a way that keeps you guessing what is behind all that body paint.

In case you want to see it, here is the video:

It worked out great. I took two days off from work (Monday and Tuesday) and the conference was held from Wednesday through Friday. While I was on the conference, my wife was relaxing by the pool or shopping at the outlet stores nearby.

West Gate Resort

First I want to write a little bit about West Gate Resort, where we spent our first two nights thanks to the free accommodations I got.

There is nothing spectacular about the resort. I mean, it definitely beats any hotel, but there are plenty of other resorts in the Orlando area that have much more amenities, bigger swimming pools and more stuff to keep the kids occupied. I browsed through their daily activities program and nothing caught my attention (nor it would have probably caught my kid’s attention either).

Another issue with West Gate Resort is parking. If you come back to the resort after 9:00 PM, forget about parking next to your apartment building. Most likely you will have to park at the entrance, and then wait for the free resort shuttle to take you back to your room. This happened to us on both nights.

The rooms are nice. We stayed in a two bedrooms unit. The master bedroom had a nice Jacuzzi and the room was spacious. The bed was comfortable and in general the room was well kept. The kitchen had everything you need to cook, which will help you save money if you are traveling with the whole family for several days

The resort offers wireless internet connection through a third party. They charge $9.99 for 24 hours access, but they also offer other packages for more days. The connection on my room (we were on building 1200, 4^th floor) was terrible or none existing at times. I called the provider’s tech support line twice and all they did was take my name and number with the promised that someone will call me back. They never did. I know that West Gate does not sell the wireless service directly, but they should make sure that the service is reliable at least, since you are paying for it. I finally gave up trying to connect to the internet from my room.

The best part of the resort is its location. International Drive, where Universal Studios and other attractions are located is only a couple of miles away.  There are also plenty of restaurants and shopping centers nearby.

We had an issue with the room key; which kept deactivating itself and locking us out. Apparently it was something with their computer system. After my third trip to the front desk I was not happy, but they finally figured out what was wrong and fixed.

In general, if you want a place to rest after you come from the parks, then West Gate Resort can be it. The resort is conveniently located and the rooms are clean and spacious (at least the two bedroom unit). On the other hand, if you are looking for a resort with lots of activities, huge swimming pools and more amenities, I would look someplace else.

Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa.

From Wednesday through Friday we stayed at Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa. The hotel is beautiful, clean and very well kept. But perhaps the best attribute of the hotel is its location. Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa is practically within walking distance of Downtown Disney, and only a couple of miles from all the Disney parks.

Most of the rooms (not sure if all of them) have a small balcony, enough to sit two people. This is a nice addition since you can see Disney’s fireworks every night at 10:00 PM. from your balcony as long as your room is facing the right direction.

The hotel offers you both free and valet parking (valet costing as much as $14.00 per day) Downstairs it has a small coffee shop, the spa, a couple of computers connected to the internet, a small arcade and the gym which is free to use to all hotel guests.

I always expect to pay higher prices for certain things when I am staying at a hotel, but I think Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa really crossed the line when it comes to things like coffee, doughnuts and even a slice of bread. A price for a small (12 oz) cup of regular black coffee is $3.75. A single slice of white bread is $1.00, while a plain bagel is almost $4.00 (cream cheese is extra) The same thing for doughnuts. People were complaining right and left about the prices to the poor cashier girl (these items were sold at the small coffee shop downstairs). She kept apologizing and letting them know she only worked there and she was not the one who set the prices. At one point I felt sorry for her for having to face so many disgruntled customers. 

Internet access charges are also higher compared to other hotels in the area ($14.00 per day). I must add that the majorities of hotels in the Kissimmee/Orlando area now offer free wi-fi, yet a few hotels and especially resorts, still charge you for the service. If you are an AT&T customer, you are in luck, as AT&T has an agreement with the hotel to provide internet access, so all you have to do is log in with your AT&T account user name and password and the wireless access will be free.

My wife went to check the spa, but came back to the room disappointed. According to her, all their services cost almost double of what she usually pays for them at home.

The room was nice and clean. The bathroom had a good size, although we stayed at a handicap accessible room (there was not other room ready when we checked in). My only complain was the beds. For some reason they were really small and two people barely fit in one of them. The last night we decided to sleep in separate beds, so we could sleep through the night without waking up every time the other one moved in bed.

The hotel pool was nice, large and not overcrowded. As everything else, the drinks at the pool bar are overpriced. I think I paid $13.00 plus tips for a piña colada for my wife. I didn’t mind too much because it tasted really good.

Overall, the hotel is great, and the location is perfect. Staffs are courteous, professional and willing to help you with any trouble you might have. The bartender working at the lobby’s bar is very friendly and chatty.

I would definitely recommend this hotel to couples, who want to enjoy the night life in Downtown Disney or nearby areas.

Unfortunately, what our body wants and what our wallets can afford not always go hand in hand. So what do you do when you need a brake, but can afford a vacation?

Use one day of the weekend and take a mini vacation without having to leave town.

Here are some of things you can do to get away from everything, and they won’t cost you much, plus they can really help you relax and recharge your batteries.

 Grab your camera

Most of us have a digital camera that we use to take pictures of our kids, family reunions, etc. The thing is that most people don’t even think about using their camera to take pictures of their surroundings.  As a matter of fact, because we are so busy going from one place to another, most of us don’t even notice our surroundings. So grab your camera, go to a park, a nature reserve, the beach, a lake, even downtown and start taking pictures of all the interesting things that you find. You will be surprise how many new things you will discover even in places where you have been thousand of times before. For some reason, when you go to a place with the sole purpose of taking pictures, you look at things in a completely different way. For example, you might see a weird looking tree that resembles a statue, or how different a building looks when you look at it from certain angle. Snap away, and don’t worry about the technical stuff, simple try to be creative about your picture, and soon you’ll find yourself immerse in your picture taking quest and you’ll forget about work and everything else that stress you out.

Cook out.

Having a BBQ on the beach or a park can be fun. You can really enjoy a day out in the outdoors if you are surrounded by family and friends. If you have a family, put the kids in the car, grab some charcoal, a bag of hamburger, some hamburger buns and head to the nearest park or beach. You can also invite a couple of friends or other family members. You will be surprise what a great time you can have with a simple barbeque and good company.

Go camping

When was the last time you went camping? Most of us loved to camp out when we were kids. Remember the campfire, the sky full of stars at night, the excitement of sleeping in the middle of nowhere? Almost every town in America has a place where you can go camping for less than $20 a night. Go ahead, relive those memories from long gone days, and if you have children, create new memories for them. They’ll never forget the experience.

 Visit a local attraction.

I bet you that there is at least one attraction in your city that you have never been to. It can be a water park, a museum, a gallery. Any place nearby that you have been thinking about going but put it in the back burner because you knew it was right there and you could go anytime you wanted. Well perhaps spending several hours at a local attraction is what you needed to relax and have a good time.

Spend a night at a local hotel

The idea of renting a room in a hotel located only a couple of miles away from you home sounds silly, but if you have never done try it. I am sure you’ll be able to find a local hotel or motel for a very reasonable price. Mi wife and I do this whenever we can. We send the kids to spend the night with the grandparents and just go and rent a room in a local hotel. Because we can focus our attention in ourselves, we have a very relaxing time, especially if after checking in, we go out to the movies or a restaurant to grab a quick bite.

Those are only some suggestions, but if you are really creative, you can have a mini vacation almost every weekend, and it won’t cost you much. After all, fun doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive.

Following my own advice, I decided to send a letter to West Gage Resorts corporate offices to complain about what happened when I went to their sales presentation.

I sent two identical letters, one to the company owner, Mr. David Siegel and another to Mr. James Gissy, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales. To my surprise, 3 days after I’ve sent the letter, I received a call from Michele Colaci, Sr. Director of Specialty Marketing.

Michelle was very professional, and I could tell she had a genuine intention of make things right. For once, she immediately acknowledged that I was grossly misled with the information I’ve received. She also explained to me that it was a third party vendor the one responsible for the marketing material I had received, but after my letter she send out a memo to all third party vendor informing them that West Gate would now allows this type of misleading practice to go on.

Michelle offered me a two night stay at their resort and two ticket to any Orlando park free of charge to compensate me for all the troubles, which I accepted.

In two weeks, I’ll be in Orlando enjoying the free accommodations and tickets.

This goes to show you once more, that a letter is a powerful tool if you send it to the right person, so don’t give up on your complains. I must also comment West Gate Resorts for making things right.