The first women-led cruise
There's an old seafaring superstition that women are bad luck at sea. But next year, 27 women at Celebrity Cruises will set sail on a trip on the Celebrity Edge that seeks to make history and prove a larger point about women working in the cruise industry. The March 8 trip — International Women's Day — will be led by an all-woman bridge and officer team. Capt. Kate McCue, who became the first female American cruise ship captain in 2015, has been referring to the bunch as "Ocean's 27." While the March 8 cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will be full of celebrations of women — exhibitions of art by women, a film series featuring work by female directors, themed trivia and panel discussions — men will be more than welcome, Celebrity CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said (celebritycruises.com).
Washington Post
'Juice jacking' overhyped
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office published an advisory on Nov. 8 warning travelers of "juice jacking," or the practice of stealing information from or installing malware on phones plugged into public USB charging stations at airports, hotels and other locations. While the practice is not unheard of, the website Tech Crunch was later told by the DA's office it had "no cases" of the practice on its books. A cyber security expert based in Manchester, England, also tweeted in response to the Tech Crunch story that he hadn't seen any evidence of malware "being used in the wild on these things." Another said he'd seen proof-of-concept attacks but nothing in the public sphere. For those worried about "juice jacking," carrying your own phone cord and a portable charger means you won't have to make yourself a potential target.
Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
MSP checkpoint is back
Security officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport have reopened an underused but strategic skyway checkpoint. The Transportation Security Administration had shuttered the checkpoint linking the InterContinental Hotel to Terminal 1 due to low passenger volume. The change outraged airport officials who had faced intense criticism for long security lines this summer. "The checkpoint is a tremendous convenience for guests of the MSP InterContinental Hotel and an alternate Terminal 1 entrance point for all fliers with only carry-on bags," said Brian Ryks, executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission. "We are pleased the TSA is willing to partner with us to reopen the checkpoint and ensure it becomes a reliable screening option." The entrance will be open from 4:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily.
Liz sawyer and Janet Moore
Legoland drops 'Star Wars'
Just as the Death Star exploded into stardust in "Return of the Jedi," the popular "Star Wars" attractions at Legoland theme parks in California and Florida will also soon evaporate. Jan. 6 is the last day visitors will be able to tour Star Wars Miniland, an extensive outdoor collection of more than 2,000 Lego brick models inspired by the "Star Wars" film canon. Legoland will also no longer produce Star Wars Days, two weekends of themed events in June that drew thousands of costumed enthusiasts. Star Wars Miniland, hand-constructed from more than 1.5 million Lego bricks, will be removed to make way for what Lego officials say is an unnamed future attraction. Disney opened its own Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge lands at its Anaheim, Calif., and Orlando theme parks this year.
San Diego Union-Tribune
