Tourism-related, interesting stuff: News from Miami, NYC, San Francisco, Vancouver, Orlando, and somewhere not far from London

The world’s largest cruise terminal has just opened for MSC Cruises at PortMiami. The four-level building, which resembles a cruise ship, can serve up to 36,000 passengers a day. Two ships can dock simultaneously at the moment. A third berth is expected to be finished by 2028, allowing three ships to be accommodated at the same time.

The exterior of MSC Group’s new Miami terminal
*Credit: 2025 MSC Group*

MSC Cruises said it will have a total of four ships sailing from the new terminal throughout 2025, as well as vessels from its luxury brand Explora Journeys. The new facility was developed in partnership with PortMiami and Miami-Dade County, designed by Arquitectonica and constructed by Fincantieri Infrastructure.

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It’s 1979 again under the streets of New York City. On April 2, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that it is retiring the NYC subway transit system map that everyone has been using for the last 45 years, replacing it with one that the agency believes is easier to follow.

Actually, the map isn’t brand new: The MTA is restoring a version of Massimo Vignelli’s short-lived map design from the 1970s. It uses a diagrammatic style with bold, straight lines, making it much easier for the eye to follow and more suitable for digital users. The white background, bold colors, horizontal writing and use of black dots make the map more ADA-friendly and easier for people with low-vision or cognitive disabilities to read. Accessible stations are more clearly marked.

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San Francisco has a new statue…but why? R-Evolution by artist Mario Cochrane was unveiled last week. The eight ton, 45-foot metal sculpture of a nude woman, fists open and eyes closed, stands with her butt to the Ferry Building, towering over the palm trees nearby. She appears to breathe for one hour a day and glows at night. Hmmm.

If she looks familiar, that’s because she’s been at Burning Man and on the Vegas Strip. Seems that San Francisco now gets her for at least six months, maybe longer. Nobody knows why.

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Vancouver International Airport is the only airport in North American to make the newest list of the world’s best airports. The UK-based air transport rating organization announced Skytrax World Airport Awards in Madrid this week after polling travelers at 565 airports around the world. Singapore Changi Airport the world’s best for the 13th time. No U.S. airports made the top 20.

Singapore Changi Airport
Hamad International Airport
Tokyo Haneda Airport
Incheon International Airport
Narita International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
Rome Fiumicino Airport
Munich Airport
Zurich Airport
Dubai International Airport
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Vancouver International Airport
Istanbul Airport
Vienna International Airport
Melbourne Airport
Chubu Centrair International Airport
Copenhagen Airport
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Bahrain International Airport

Some honorable mentions from the USA include: Houston Airport System was recognised as providing the World’s Best Airport Art for the third successive year and TWA Hotel New York JFK received the award as the Best Airport Hotel in North America for the second time.

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Frankenstein is a 9-foot-tall, 400-pound animatronic, just one of over a dozen technically advanced robotic systems created for Universal’s most ambitious ride yet: Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. The attraction is part of Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe, the new, approximately $7 billion theme park opening May 22, 2025.

Monsters Unchained is set inside the stately Frankenstein Manor, the land’s visual icon, a gothic manor with a menacing vibe. As an enhancement, guests can be made up as heir favorite Universal Monster.

Additional openings on May 22:
– A new experience at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ – Ministry of Magic™
– An expanded Super Nintendo World
– How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, a Viking village
– Celestial Park, inspired by astronomical and mythological elements create imaginative sensory delights

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Wait, What?! Another Universal Park?

Universal Destinations & Experiences is super busy, with a brand new addition just announced for its first-ever entertainment complex in Europe. Comcast NBCUniversal says its next great locale is a 476-acre parcel in Bedford, UK purchased in 2023.

The company notes that’s a 35-minute train ride north of London, saying fast rail links give access to 80% of England’s population and half of the UK population by “two hours’ travel time. “ The pipeline:

? Epic Universe, May 22, 2025, Orlando
??‍♂️ Universal Horror Unleashed, 2025, Las Vegas
? Universal Kids Park, 2026, Texas
? Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift, 2026, Hollywood
??New Universal Park, UK

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