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Disney's Star Wars Weekends strike back

By Dewayne Bevil , Orlando Sentinel — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:45:00 EDT

When you see Imperial Stormtroopers standing guard above the turnstiles at Disney's Hollywood Studios , you have to know it's not just another day at the theme park. It's time for the 12 t h edition of Star Wars Weekends and, assuming you're not a rebel spy and allowed in the gate, you're about to see the intermingling of two pop-culture titans, Disney and Star Wars. Here are five must-see elements of the event, which runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 10.

Santa Barbara is known for luxury, but it can be done cheaply with some advance planning

By Gary A. Warner, The Orange County Register (MCT) — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:52:00 EDT

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — If you believe the glossy travel magazines, Santa Barbara drips money, and any visitor had better be ready to have their wallet leak all over the place, too. Touted as "the American Riviera," it's up there with Palm Beach, the Hamptons and Martha's Vineyard as playgrounds for that top 1 percent that the Occupy Wall Street protesters are talking about.

Dominican Republic's north coast to get new cruise port in 2014

By Arlene Satchell, South Florida Sun Sentinel — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:13:00 EDT

New Amber Cove cruise facility to open in 2014

Miami-based Carnival Corp. & plc and partners broke ground this week on its $65 million Amber Cove Cruise Center in the Dominican Republic ’s Bay of Maimon near Puerto Plata in the country’s North Coast.

Ohio scenic byway: Wild and big in Appalachia

By Bob Downing, Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT

CUMBERLAND, Ohio — Mountain bikers can enjoy hidden lakes and rolling terrain where coal was once mined at the Wilds in east-central Ohio.

Celebrity chef Cat Cora christens Oceania Riviera

By Richard Tribou , Orlando Sentinel — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:28:00 EDT

It may not be Greece, but on the other side of the Mediterranean, someone is saying Opa! That's because celebrity chef Cat Cora just christened the new Oceania Riviera.

5 cool places on the North Carolina coast you won't find anywhere else

By John Bordsen, The Charlotte Observer (MCT) — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:02:00 EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — OK, you walked in the ocean and got sand in your picnic snacks. Now what?

Taking the Kids -- to SeaWorld Orlando

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Media Services — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:55:00 EDT

I can't stop thinking about Grandma.

Deal Watch: Kids stay free and 40 percent off Dominican Republic all-inclusive resort Advertorial

Special to VacationStarter.com — Fri, 4 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts is offering up to 40 percent off its all-inclusive La Romana resort in the Dominican Republic with a kids-stay-free offer.

Cuban casas particulares turn home into a business

By Mimi Whitefield, The Miami Herald (MCT) — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:39:00 EDT

SANTIAGO, Cuba — Norma Arias Puente has been learning the hospitality business for more than a decade from a perch overlooking this city's Parque Cespedes and the Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion with its statue of a trumpeting archangel.

South Carolina's Folly Beach offers low-pressure, Lowcountry fun

By John Bordsen, The Charlotte Observer (MCT) — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:46:00 EDT

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Charleston may have a reputation for expensive (and often starched) elegance, but there are options for vacationers who want to kick back at a low-pressure Lowcountry beach. Welcome to Folly Beach.