Summer Travels: Off to Disney World✨
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Episode 117 Description
🚗 Hitting the road for a summer trip? ✈️ Hear the latest on the crowds at the U.S. National Park sand how Covid has impacted the biggest travel season. 🏞️ Curious about how Mickey Mouse is staying safe? Correspondent Terri Peters shares what it is like to visit Walt Disney World this summer. 📰 From the headlines: The GOAT and an upside down beetle. ✅ And test your Disney knowledge in today’s Trivia on the Ten! 🧐
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TRANSCRIPT:
Various Voices 0:00
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Bethany Van Delft 00:06
I'm Bethany Van Delft and this is The Ten News where we get the lowdown on what's up in the world.
Bethany Van Delft 00:13
It's Tuesday, August 3.
Bethany Van Delft 00:15
Summer vacations are heating up. So whether you're planning on hitting the road or having a staycation we'll give you an update on all things summer travel. Let's dive in.
Bethany Van Delft 00:36
What's your dream vacation? Is it a trip to the beach? A cabin in the mountains. How about a trip to the city, or maybe it's a sleep over at a friend's house, or even a backyard camping adventure with your family. If your dream vacation requires travel, let's be honest. Travel during the pandemic has been tough. Yep. COVID has hit the travel industry hard. Last summer flights were canceled, seats stayed empty and camps were closed.
Sound Bite
Bummer.
Bethany Van Delft
This year, more people felt optimistic about traveling. Though the biggest trends in vacationing this year look different from summers past. Instead of going to the big city or a swanky resort, families are traveling within driving distance and opting for the great outdoors.
Bethany Van Delft 01:34
The National Parks, especially, have seen a surge of visitors this year, with long lines and overcrowding.
For international destinations, some countries have even opened their borders this summer. Last week, England, Scotland, and Wales announced that people from the U.S. and EU who are vaccinated do not need to quarantine. As for the United States, because of the dangers of the Delta variant--a contagious strain of the virus spreading around the world--officials have extended its border closings for many travelers from countries around the globe, including from neighbors Canada and Mexico.
Sound Bite 02:14
Oh man.
Bethany Van Delft 02:16
Whether your family is planning on outdoor adventure or just spending time together close to home, enjoy the time together and enjoy your trip.
Bethany Van Delft 02:26
But through this, some places look a bit different now that they reopen their doors to visitors. Our correspondent Terri Peters is here with an update on the ultimate summer vacation destination.
Terri Peters 02:45
It's summertime. And for lots of families that means a trip to Walt Disney World. If it's been a while since you visited the most magical place on Earth. You're probably curious what things are like there because of Coronavirus.
First let's talk masks. While masks are optional in outdoor areas for vaccinated guests. Disney asks that you continue to wear a mask if you haven't received a COVID-19 vaccine. And as of July 30th, everyone is again required to wear a mascot indoor locations, like in ride queues, shops and resorts and on Walt Disney World transportation like the monorail, or buses.
Sound Bite
I just wanted to tell you how much we appreciate it.
Terri Peters
Wearing masks can be tough in Florida where it gets pretty hot. So you'll want to take breaks where you can. My family's favorite way to take a breather is to eat a meal inside an air conditioned restaurant.
Terri Peters 03:51
And while we're on the topic of food, if you were hoping to combine eating with a character Meet and Greet, only a few restaurants will let you do that right now. And it looks a little bit different. Instead of visiting your table for autographs and photos, characters now move around tables for socially distant photo ops. So be sure to ask your parents to check and make a reservation in advance and get those selfie arms ready.
Sadly, hugging Mickey Mouse is off limits right now. But you will see character cavalcades, mini parades with vehicles transporting characters and other socially distanced character experiences. Parades are also still on hold due to the pandemic. But fireworks are back at Magic Kingdom and Epcot. So be sure to plan some time to experience those spectacular nighttime show.
Terri Peters 05:00
Your family should also be prepared to wait in lines for rides and attractions: Unless Walt Disney World brings back their FastPass+ system, the only way to ride Space Mountain or Slinky Dog Dash is the old fashioned way. If there’s a grown up in your group who gets grumpy waiting in lines, do what my family does: Grab a cold drink to rehydrate while you wait, and find something fun to do to make the time go faster. We love the Heads Up? app because there’s even Disney-themed cards to use in your guessing game.
And make sure your adults keep their phones handy, and keep their cool as they may need to spend some time getting used to new measures like mobile ordering at quick service restaurants and mobile check-in for dining reservations.
As a journalist who covers theme parks quite often, my family has been back in Walt Disney World’s parks since they reopened. And, my biggest advice is to have fun! A Disney trip may look a bit different right now, but Walt Disney World is doing a great job keeping guests safe. Plan to go slow, take breaks from the heat and keep an eye out for magical moments, because there will be plenty, pandemic or not!
Bethany Van Delft 06:18
Those are some great vacation tips, Terri. It's clearly a whole new world out there.
Bethany Van Delft 06:27
Now let's see what else is going on. In Tokyo, Simone Biles considered the greatest gymnast in history has withdrawn from the individual all-round finals of the Summer Olympics to focus on her mental health. As one of the world's most high profile athletes, she faces incredible pressure, which has only increased because of the pandemic. As she wrote on Facebook, “I truly do feel that I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times.” After stepping back, Biles has decided to participate in the remainder of the Olympic events. Biles is the second star athlete to leave a famous competition to prioritize their mental health recently, tennis star Naomi Osaka also withdrew from the French Open in May.
Sound Bite
I did not know that.
Bethany Van Delft 07:20
And in animal news, scientists have discovered a beetle that can walk upside down on the surface of the water. Well, it might sound like something straight out of Stranger Things. Researchers say there's an air bubble attached to its belly that they think may help the bug perform its underwater acrobatics.
Sound Bite
Wow.
Bethany Van Delft
Gamers and donut fans can rejoice. Krispy Kreme is leveling up its donut options with a special order of X-box themed donuts. They're only available in August and UK stores. So unfortunately, the special donut release may be just as tough to get as a new X-box console.
Bethany Van Delft 08:04
And back to travel. UNESCO, the organization that protects important buildings, monuments and places around the world has named 9 New World Heritage Sites, joining places like Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal, or destinations like the 866 mile long trans-Iranian Railway, a historic part of the city of Madrid, Spain, a temple in India and a lighthouse in France. It's a big honor to be added to this list and it includes financial support and expert help with preserving the sights. Looks like I've added a few more places to my bucket list. Let's go.
And now for your…
Sound Bite 08:48
What? What's the big idea? Trivia on the Ten.
Bethany Van Delft 08:53
A Disney vacation might be a dream come true. After all, it's the home of princes and princesses heroes and villains and more. But Disneyland in Anaheim California is also home to a particular kind of animal. And no, it's not Donald Duck. What animal lives there?
Bethany Van Delft 09:14
Is it A) Cats, B) A flock of parrots OR C) A herd of hippopotamuses
Bethany Van Delft 09:26
Did you guess it? The answer is A, cats.
Bethany Van Delft 09:33
Disneyland is full of tourists riding on roller coasters and your favorite movie characters posing for photos. When everybody's gone home, a group of about 100 cats come out to play.
Bethany Van Delft 09:48
These kiddies are the Park’s pest control squad. They patrol the park looking for mice and other tasty snacks. And this situation everyone gets to live happily ever after. The cats get a home, the staff care for them, and the furry felines get free food. The cats even have a fan club - there are social media accounts and a website dedicated to these cool cats!
Bethany Van Delft 10:16
Time's up, but before we go, we have a quick note for the grownups.
Thanks for listening to The Ten News. Look out for new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and extras on Saturdays. You can go deeper into today's stories by visiting TheTenNews.com. The Ten News is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is busy becoming the Disneyland cats number one super fans and includes Kate Hale, Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto and Andrew Hall. Terri Peters contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.
I'm Bethany Van Delft. And thanks for listening to The Ten News.
I want to Disneyland cats to make house calls. We have a couple of snacks running around our house waiting for them.
Sources for this episode:
https://www.ustravel.org/research/monthly-travel-recovery-data-report
https://news.airbnb.com/2021-travel-report/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/national-parks-overcrowding-yellowstone-yosemite/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2021/07/21/us-mexico-canada-border-reopening-travel-restrictions-through-august/8034057002/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/#drawer-card-myDisneyExperienceApp
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/heads-up/id623592465
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/sports/olympics/simone-biles-mental-health.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/28/simone-biles-withdraws-all-around-final-tokyo-olympics/
https://www.npr.org/sections/tokyo-olympics-live-updates/2021/07/27/1021182711/simone-biles-tokyo-olympics-gymnastics-pressure
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/28/sports/simone-biles-self-care.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/27/world/asia/naomi-osaka-olympics-loss.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/26/science/upside-down-water-beetle.html
https://www.ign.com/articles/xbox-getting-official-doughnut-uk?utm_source=twitter
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/unesco-world-heritage-list-2021/index.html
https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/article/While-the-crowds-are-away-Disneyland-s-cats-15726421.php
