Things To Do In SW Florida

Adam Van Brimmer | (TNS) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

SAVANNAH, Ga. — For years, the face of travel in this antebellum town tended to be sun-kissed pink and slightly sweaty, peering from the open-air window of a fully loaded tourist trolley.

Not anymore.

The luxury traveler is an increasing presence in Savannah, and the more discerning visitors are spurring rapid expansion of high-end hotels. The fourth such property to open in the last six years began operations last month, and two more luxury offerings, including a Ritz-Carlton, are in development.

Demand is high: the occupancy rate for Savannah’s luxury hotels topped 77% in 2023, higher than the upscale, mid-price, economy and even budget segments. The average rate was $265.71, and revenue per available room, a key industry metric, eclipsed $200.

Room rates at the city’s three premier properties — the J.W. Marriott Plant Riverside District, the Perry Lane Hotel and the Hotel Bardo, with a combined 700-plus rooms — often top $400 a night. read more

The parent company to Norwegian Cruise Line announced Monday a major order for eight new ships among its three brands as well as the construction of a pier to allow its cruise ships to dock instead of tender to its private Bahamas island for the first time.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said it was planning to bring on four new ships for NCL, two new ships for upper premium brand Oceania Cruises and two ships for luxury brand Regent Seven Seas, all to be built at Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and debut during a 10-year run from 2026-2036.

The NCL ships would be the largest ever built for the line at around 200,000 gross tons and capacity of about 5,000 guests. They won’t arrive until after the final delivery of its Prima-Plus class ships expected between 2025-2028, the larger sister ships to the Norwegian Prima and Viva that debuted in the last couple of years. The four ships from the unnamed class of vessel would arrive in 2030, 2032, 2034 and 2036.

The new class for Oceania Cruises, which in 2023 debuted its first new ship in more than a decade — the Oceania Allura — will also be the largest ever built for the line at 86,000 gross tons and a capacity of 1,450 guests. They’re expected in 2027 and 2029. read more

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Only about 1 in 8 adults know when they’ll be eligible for full retirement benefits through Social Security, according to the Nationwide Retirement Institute 2023 Social Security Survey. And compared to 2014, fewer people age 50 and up now know whether they may be eligible for Social Security benefits based on an ex-spouse’s record (they may) or if Social Security may offer benefits for their spouse or children (also yes).

For a program that’s been around for nearly 90 years, there’s still a lot of confusion about how it works. Here are some of the Social Security topics financial pros find are often misunderstood.

Working might mean a smaller Social Security check

If you claim Social Security before you hit full retirement age (66 to 67, depending on when you were born) and you’re still earning income, you’ll lose some of your Social Security benefits if your earnings go over a certain threshold. read more

The solar eclipse has ended here in Central Florida.

The area experienced a partial eclipse on Monday, with about 58 percent of the sun being obscured by the moon – and that happened at 3:03 p.m.

At 1:46 p.m., for most areas around Central Florida, the moon’s passing in front of the sun started to be visible – but only with special glasses. It is very important to not look directly at the sun without special equipment, as permanent eye damage could occur in seconds.

The eclipse ended here at 4:17 p.m.

You can watch a replay of the eclipse below on this YouTube live stream from the Orlando Science Center.

A large swath of the middle part of the nation got to see a total eclipse of the sun, weather permitting.

You can watch a replay of NASA TV’s coverage of the total eclipse below.

 

A federal appeals court granted The Walt Disney Co. a two-month delay Monday in its still-pending legal battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis and state officials.

Disney settled separate lawsuits in state court last month and asked for a 60-day delay in filing its opening brief in federal court to “facilitate” further negotiations.

As of late, both sides have said they want to work together on economic development as Disney plans to invest billions of dollars into its theme parks over the next decade.

Disney and DeSantis officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

The lawsuits stemmed from a state law that changed the makeup of the decades-old Reedy Creek Improvement District, the governing board that oversees fire protection and other government services for Disney World. That law gave DeSantis the ability to appoint the district’s five board members and changed Reedy Creek’s name to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

Disney filed the federal lawsuit against DeSantis and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in April 2023, accusing them of engaging in political retaliation because the company opposed legislation known by critics as the “don’t say gay” bill. That law limited classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation. read more