Articles

Jason Cochran

Article / Money and Fees

Disney's Lightning Lane Is a Scam. Why Do People Keep Buying It?

Disney's Lightning Lane paid line system has some fatal flaws, and guests are exposing them online. If more people refused to pay for Genie+, the problems would resolve.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Now JetBlue Has Hiked Bag Fees, Too—Quietly and by a Lot

Yesterday we told you that American Airlines decided to spring another fee hike for checked baggage on travelers.Well, airlines tend to raise fees in packs. JetBlue has also surprised…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Hornblower in Chapter 11: American Queen Shuts Down, More Tourism Icons at Risk

The United States lost one of its only overnight cruise companies today.On Feb. 12, Frommer's reported that many of the most powerful travel sellers in the U.S. had suspended sales of…

Article / Passportable

Find Out How Your Airport Will Spend Its Share of $1 Billion in White House Grants

Late last week, the Biden administration announced that it will earmark nearly $1 billion—$970 million to be precise—to make major improvements at 114 airports across the United…

Article / Passportable

Flights to Ireland Plus a Car for a Week for Just $599! How Is It Possible?

Frommer's has been around since 1957, so we've seen quite a few things change in travel—and not all of them for the better. (Can we just admit that airline deregulation did not…

Article / Air Travel

Is Your Airport Hiding Big Uber and Lyft Fees from You?

Frommer's finds that most airports aren't disclosing mandatory Uber and Lyft surcharges to passengers—and neither are the rideshare apps. In this shell game of fee disclosure,…

Article / Slideshows

Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas: What You'll Pay, What to Pack at Royal Caribbean's Private Island

Cruise ships have competed for years to come up with the wildest new onboard thrills. But with the newly invigorated CocoCay , Royal Caribbean has accelerated the entertainment arms…

Article / Slideshows

Look Inside Evermore Orlando Resort, Disney World's New Billion-Dollar Place to Stay

When the Villas of Grand Cypress, located beside Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, closed for redevelopment in late 2019, regular visitors to Central Florida despaired about the…

Article / Arts and Culture

All About the Scottish Castle from "The Traitors," Peacock's Whodunit Delight

Peacock's guilty pleasure was shot in a Scottish mansion built with profits from the drug trade and Worcestershire sauce. 

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Rash of Violent Muggings Plagues Cape Town's Landmark Table Mountain

What can a city do when its most photographed tourism icon gets the reputation as a no-go area?That's the quandary facing Cape Town, South Africa, one of the most beautiful cities in…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Lyft Is Charging Customers Extra Fees but Hiding How Much

A warning for travelers who rely on rideshare company Lyft: The company is quietly hiding the true amount it takes in extra fees that are added to your base fare. A recent ride I took…

Article / Passportable

New Apple Update Allows Travelers to Finally Stream from iPhones or iPads to Hotel TVs

There are some 136 million iPhone users in the United States, yet most televisions in hotels and on cruise ships are not configured to allow guests to stream from Apple devices.Android…

Article / Slideshows

Brightline Miami to Orlando Review: Take the Train to Disney

It had its naysayers early on, but when Brightline kicked off service between Miami and Orlando in September 2022, the train delivered a major gift to Florida. Brightline in Florida is…

Article / Cruise

Icon of the Seas Doesn't Have Enough Lifeboats—on Purpose

Royal Caribbean's mighty new cruise ship reserves lifeboats for paying customers. So how would the remainder of its 7,960 passengers escape?

Article / Passportable

Turkey Drops Visa Requirement for North Americans, Granting Free Entry

In a flash of good news that got lost in the shuffle of holiday celebrations and grim headlines, one of the most exciting destinations in Europe has decided to stop charging Americans…

Article / Slideshows

Celebrity Ascent Review: How Is the Celebrity Cruises Formula Holding Up?

Celebrity Cruises' newest ship, the Celebrity Ascent , entered service at the end of 2023, bound for Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings through its first winter season, then…

Article / Passportable

Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral Sets a Reopening Date

UPDATE, December 12: Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris is on track to reopen to the public on December 8, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron announced exactly one year before that…

Article / Hotels

Dave Karger, Movie Awards Mainstay, on His Favorite Hotels Around the World

One of TV's most reliable entertainment experts picks four hotels where you'll feel like a star.

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

As Most Travel Companies Slash Point Value, Southwest Airlines Does Flyers a Favor

Almost a year ago, Frommer's warned readers that big corporations were preparing to reduce the value of loyalty points and frequent flyer miles.Since then, we've seen the predicted…

Article / Slideshows

Walt Disney's Los Angeles: The Most Complete Tour Online

Walt Disney was a child of the Midwest, but he never found true success until he settled in California. For 43 years, from 1923 to his death in 1966, Los Angeles was Disney's home…

Article / Slideshows

Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing Review: What It's Like to Sail This Classic Journey

For North Americans, there aren't many journeys more mythic than a transatlantic crossing on an ocean liner. After all, the modern societies of both Canada and the United States…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

Disney Just Raised Prices on a List of Things—by More Than Twice the Inflation Rate

Dwindling cash reserves, huge corporate acquisitions to pay off, crazy costs to lift the Disney+ streaming service off the ground, boardroom battles . . . the Walt Disney Company sure…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

California Bans Deceptive Resort Fees: See What's Affected and When

The resort fee dam is breaking.California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a new law, SB 478, that reins in the practice of slipping extra fees into travelers' bills.While some media…

Article / Arthur Frommer Online

No ETIAS Authorization Fee to Enter Europe in 2024 After All: More Delays

Proving that Americans aren't the only ones who have difficulties getting their border entry procedures in working order, Europeans have had to postpone introduction of their European…

Article / Passportable

Norwegian Cruise Line to Add Solo Cabins to All of Its Ships by January

Norwegian Cruise Line, which led the cruise industry by designing special cabins for people traveling on their own starting in 2010, has announced that as of January 4, 2024, all of…