4 can't-miss trips for 2019
Wondering where on earth you should go in 2019? If you've got the means and the time to get away, we've come up with 4 trip ideas that are totally do-able in 2019. You won't find obscure destinations or suggestions to forage for your food on this list: these are trips anyone will enjoy in the year ahead.
Puerto Rico
Fourteen months after a category 4 hurricane devastated Puerto Rico, the island is (mostly) open and ready for your business. Simply choosing Puerto Rico as your vacation destination helps an economy and the families who rely on tourism dollars to continue to rebuild.
Making headlines in P.R. is the return of Lin-Manuel Miranda in the title role in the Puerto Rico production of Hamilton. It will run from January 8-27, 2019 at Teatro UPR. Even those who don’t see the show can support Miranda's Flamboyan Foundation: From now through February 28th, Marriott will be donating $1 for every room booked at four participating hotels on the island, including: San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino, AC Hotel by Marriott San Juan Condado, and St. Regis Bahia Resort. Marriott will also be donating $10 for every room booked at Dorado Beach, a Ritz Carlton Reserve.
Hotels, many rebuilt and re-opened are anxious for your business. El San Juan Hotel, one of Puerto Rico’s most iconic properties, re-opened in mid-December after closing last September following the impact of hurricane Maria. A newcomer to Puerto Rico is the Serafina Beach Hotel, the first new resort to open here after the storm.
Walt Disney World and Disneyland
2019 will be a big year for both Disney and Star Wars fans: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge will open at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. While the new land will open first at Disneyland Resort in California (Summer 2019), guests will have to wait until Fall 2019 to experience this new land at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World.
Two attractions and a restaurant are the focal points of the new land. On Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, guests will join a battle between the First Order and the Resistance. On Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, guests take control. At Oga’s Cantina, alcohol will be served – a first for Disneyland.
If you didn’t make it to either park in 2018, the major new-to-you attractions worth a visit in their own right are Toy Story land at Walt Disney World and Pixar Pier at Disneyland.
French Alps
All-inclusive resorts usually conjure up images of the Caribbean, but now the ease of all inclusive is expanding on the slopes. Club Med has recently opened its 18th ski resort in Europe: France’s Les Arcs Panorama. The ski in- ski out resort, which opened this month is located in the Tarentaise Valley between the areas of Les Arcs, Peisey-Vallandry and La Plagne.
Though the concept is fairly common across Europe and Asia, it’s not in the U.S. When ski vacations can seem overwhelming for families, all-inclusives can take away the stress – these ski resorts include lift tickets, lessons, childcare, dining, drinks, apres-ski activities and more.
If France is too far for you in 2019, set your sites on 2020: Club Med will open its first-ever all-inclusive ski resort in North America in Canada’s Quebec Charlevoix.
Caribbean Cruise
If a warm-weather cruise is on your mind, 2019 is a great time to get onboard. Two mega-ships debuted in 2018 and are calling on ports in both the Eastern and Western Caribbean in 2019.
Carnival Horizon is more than 1,000 feet long with the capacity to carry 3,936 guests and 1,450 crew members. This mega-ship comes around-the-clock entertainment, from water-based at the pool and Dr. Seuss WaterWorks to libation-based in the new Alchemy Bar or one of the other several bars onboard the ship. It sails itineraries in the western, eastern and southern Caribbean from Miami.
Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas is now the largest cruise ship in the world.
It includes activities that dare its guests to take on their boldest adventures yet, from glow-in-the-dark laser tag to a zip line spanning more than 80 feet. It sails eastern and western Caribbean cruises and Bahamas itintearies including stops at CocoCay, Bahamas, the cruise line’s private island starting in April 2018.
This article was originally published on Dec. 28, 2018. The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC News.
