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Summer Vacation Ideas Close to Home

Caribbbean Cruise

- Summer capacity ebbs and flows, but this year lots of ships -- especially big ones -- heading to the Caribbean from South Florida, most notably Norwegian Getaway and MSC Divina
- 7 night cruises in July from $429 per person from South Florida / Cruise from Galveston for 7 nights in August from $289
- Hard to beat those prices for what's essentially an "inclusive" vacation
- Many offers also include onboard credit or other extras
- Check out our cruise search on SimonTravels.com. Prices do fluctuate but there's a lot of availability so chances are you can find these deals or something very similar
New attractions in Florida's Theme Parks
- WWoHP Diagon Alley expansion opens July 8, will let muggles explore the Wizard's shopping district in London, tour the vaults of Gringott's bank and ride the Hogsmeade express between Hogsmeade and London and actually travel between the 2 Harry Potter areas in each park. Also at Universal, the Cabana Bay Beach Resort -- the new moderate hotel -- is fully open including rooms, family suites and the lazy river at the pool.
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is now open in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The jewel in the crown of the New Fantasyland expansion, it's been getting mostly positive reviews. Also at Walt DIsney World, Harambe Nights events are happening every Saturday night through August 9 at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Private event includes a cocktail reception, a special telling of The Lion King story featuring a live band and celebrity narrator and a dinner buffet after the show. It's in the new custom-built theater in the Harambe section of the park; old theater in Camp Minnie Mickey has been removed to make way for the new Avatar Land called Pandora coming in 2017.
- Busch Gardens in Tampa will debut the Falcon's Fury 335-foot drop tower ride later this summer, but the reimagined Panatopia area of the park is already open,  which turned Timbuktu into a colorful oasis.

Road Trip to a National Park
- The Great Smokey Mountains, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon National Park are at the top of most peoples' lists
- There's a great unofficial site - us-parks.com -- that will help you plan a drive that hits several national parks in a specific region of the country. They're all customizable trips and can be done in as little as 7 days.
- Somewhat lesser known national parks like Acadia in Maine and Hot Springs in Arkansas are also great add-ons to a trip where you might be visiting family or other attractions in a region
Lake Tahoe
- Nesstled in Northern Nevada just a quick drive from Reno, Lake Tahoe is most recognized for its' premier ski resorts
- But it's a summer hot spot as well known for all kinds of outdoor recreation and a laid-back vibe
- Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe offers a full roster of summer activities including Hiking, a zip line, a ropes course, gondola rides and a "fun run" up the mountain
- Squaw Valley in Northern Lake Tahe offers many of the same activities plus Geocaching, tennis, swimming and more 
- Boat rentals, water skiing and parasailing on the lake
- Cool Weather throughout the summer, highs in the 80s or less, lows in the 50s most of the summer
What's Trending News Briefs
New All-Business Class Airline to Fly from Newark to Paris
- La Compagnie will offer 74 business class seats on it's Boenig 757-200 aircraft. Yes, they'll just have 1 aircraft. Bacup with Iceland Air
- Tickets priced between $1800-$4600 which are competitive
- Uphill battle -- Eos, MAXjet, Sliverjet and L'Avion all tried similar business models about 10 years ago and failed
- Perhaps the reduced competition and limited capacity of the modern airline industry will finally allow this type of service to prosperRenivated Delta Flight Museum opens in Atlanta- 68,000-square-foot museum is housed in old Delta hangers that date to the 1940s- traces Delta's history from crop-dusting and air mail service to its first passenger flight from Dallas to Jackson, Mississippi, on June 17, 1929.- Features Delta's first Douglas DC-3 and its first Boeing 767 jet.- Tickets cost $12 for adults and $9 for seniors and $6 for children over 5
- Open every day except Wednesday
- Not in the terminal, so don't plan on visiting during your layover
Intercontintental Debuts new EVEN hotel Brand
- EVEN is a new brand of "Wellness" hotels from the company that owns Holiday Inns
- Designed to compete with Courtyard by Marriott and HyattPlace, EVEN hotels feature state-of the art gym, in-room fitness gear, and a dining facility serving healthy food.
- All non-smoking rooms
- Intercontinental says EVEN will help travelers maintain their healthy lifestyle on the road and encourage healthy choices while traveling- in-room training zone has a balance ball, yoga mat, and other fitness equipment.
- Free wi-fi but no free breakfast 
- First one opened in Norwalk Conneticut, Rockville MD coming later this summer and 3 locations in New York City next year