Things To Do In SW Florida

In late 2019, stay-at-home dad Jeff Perera started selling fresh bagels out of his Winter Garden home, turning his interest in baking the New York-style bagels he and his wife loved — but couldn’t find in Central Florida — into a small business.

Back then, he baked a maximum of about 13 dozen a day, but the business soon expanded, with the first Jeff’s Bagel Run store opening in Ocoee in 2021 and other locations following, the most recent in Clermont earlier this month. That Lake County store baked 142 dozen bagels on its opening day.

Jeff’s Bagel Run now has seven locations, eight others in development — including stores in North Carolina and Texas — and recently inked a deal to add 30 more locations across South Florida. The first of of those shops will debut in Boca Raton, Coconut Creek, and Pembroke Pines later this year.

Despite the growth, the company is still committed to selling top-notch bagels with flavors ranging from garlic bread and cinnamon sugar to salted caramel and white pizza, said Catriona Harris, the store’s vice president of marketing. read more

Disneyland workers and managers both declared victory after union members voted to accept a “historic” pay raise for ride operators, store clerks, ticket takers and other employees following a bruising four-month fight that narrowly avoided a strike at the Anaheim theme park.

Master Services Council, which represents 14,000 Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney employees from four unions, announced late on Monday, July 29 its members had voted to accept a new contract that provides a 31% pay raise over the next three years.

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ALSO SEE: Disneyland’s 27 unions and who they represent — See the list

Both Disney and the unions called the agreement “historic” for Disneyland cast members, Disney parlance for workers.

“We are pleased that our cast members approved the new agreements, which, along with all we offer as part of our employment experience, demonstrate how much we value and respect them and our profound commitment to their overall well-being,” according to Disneyland officials. read more

Spirit Airlines’ passengers are in for a surprise: The discount South Florida-based carrier announced Tuesday it intends to move into the upscale travel market with a new menu of premium seating designed to help the airline return to profitability.

Starting next month, the company, which is headquartered in Dania Beach and is the leading airline in passengers carried at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, said it will roll out a four-part fare schedule that in many instances will wrap free snacks, free checked bags and even free Wi-Fi into the ticket price. The new program effectively ends the airline’s exclusive reliance on a rock-bottom fare scheme that forced passengers to buy ancillary services a la carte, although the bare-bones ticket option will remain as one of the fare categories.

“We listened to our Guests and are excited to deliver what they want: choices for an elevated experience and provide unparalleled value,” CEO and president Ted Christie said in a statement issued by Spirit early Tuesday. read more

Disney Cruise Line will be sending its new ship Disney Destiny to Port Everglades instead of Port Canaveral when it debuts in 2025.

The sister ship to Disney Wish and Disney Treasure, both of which call Port Canaveral home, will sail from the South Florida port starting in late 2025 after the line takes delivery from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenberg, Germany, where construction began on the ship earlier this year.

DCL announced the first details about the ship Tuesday as part of a three-day reveal event on the Disney Parks Blog for the 144,000-gross-ton, 4,000-passenger vessel. Exact itineraries and when people can book them will be announced later this week.

Among the spaces coming to the ship will be a dining venue themed to “The Lion King” and a dessert shop themed to “The Incredibles,” leaning into the heroic side of the ship’s overall theme.

“For the Disney Destiny, we will introduce brand-new cruise experiences inspired by the legends and legacies of some of Disney’s most iconic heroes and villains,” said Sharon Siskie, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Cruise Line. The spaces promise to pull from Disney, Pixar and Marvel movies. read more

As we slide into August and the back-to-school season, Central Florida theme park and attractions are offering ticket discounts. Some are straight-up BOGO; some feature “edu-tainment.”

Here are a few of the more notable offerings plus a friendly reminder to check out the fine print, especially when it comes to ticket expirations, parking and black-out dates.

Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens

What: Kids get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket through Aug. 31. This deal includes access to animal exhibits and the splash pad.

How much: An adult ticket is $23.95 to $25.95, depending on date. (Child tickets are normally $17.95 to $19.95.)

Fine print: The Sanford zoo considers “child” to be ages 3 to 12. Two-year-olds and younger get in free. This offer is available only at the gate. It’s a one free kid per adult ticket sale.

More info: centralfloridazoo.org

Wonderworks Orlando

What: Back 2 School Bash deal, running Aug. 2-11, with access to its interactive exhibits and attractions such as the Space Discovery Zone, Extreme Weather Zone and Imagination Lab. read more