The new "Mickey and the Magical Map" at Disneyland offers a solid if predictable storytelling foundation for an energetic musical stage show that's expected to run for years at the Anaheim theme park.

Photos: "Mickey and the Magic Map" show at Disneyland

The new show casts the mischievous Mickey Mouse, in his classic role of sorcerer's apprentice from "Fantasia," in a 22-minute musical featuring songs from half a dozen Disney animated films.

During the premiere of the new show I saw Thursday evening, about two dozen dancers and singers performed with a backing soundtrack in a production approaching Broadway quality in the refurbished Fantasyland Theatre.

A onetime home to productions starring Snow White, Pocahontas and even Dick Tracy, the theater had been used in recent years as the meet-and-greet location for the Disney princesses, leaving the stage and the 1,800 seats essentially unused.

I came mostly to see how Disney blended technological advances like an enormous LED screen...

Only a few things really matter with a travel umbrella -- but they really matter. 

It’s all about coverage, durability, size, weight, and, for those of us who ambulate loaded down, a reliable auto-open mechanism and easy close. 

The new Blunt XS Metro umbrella is kind of a Humvee of travel umbrellas, armed with a tough radial tensioning system that keeps the 33-inch-diameter canopy from collapsing or flipping inside-out when challenged. 

Reinforced patching at the tips keeps them from poking through at pressure points, the nice big auto-on button is handily flush against the shaft, and the two-stage collapse system is smooth and friendly.  And, the XS Metro is cute to boot -- with wavy curves along the edge, instead of sharp points. 

It comes in seven colors, from gumdrop blue, yellow or pink, to bold red, and --  if you must -- black. 

At a thickish 14 inches long when collapsed, and weighing 13 ounces, this isn’t the sveltest model around, but it wasn’t built for...

If you are taking your minor child on a vacation without your spouse, make sure you have a notarized letter from your spouse that specifically states you have permission to take the child to the specific destination during the specified dates.

Kathleen Milnes

Pacific Palisades

Ask your doctor for a copy of your current medications and dosages, along with the physicians' names. I put that list in a large plastic bag containing my meds and place them in my carry-on for inspection by the Transportation Security Administration if it's needed. I also leave a copy at home (along with a list of credit cards I am carrying as well as a copy of our passports). Our providers also list any meds to which we have an allergy, etc.

John L. Thompson

Yorba Linda

Take a couple of days off from work before your flight. This way I get plenty of rest to combat jet lag, not to mention the fact that I get time to pack and get the house cleaned before I leave. Nothing better than coming home to a clean house...

Thrill seekers may anxiously await this summer’s arrival of Sin City’s newest adventure, the VooDoo Skyline, coming to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

The ride will send guests racing along a wire between the hotel’s Masquerade and Ipanema towers at speeds of up to 33 miles an hour. While it’s similar to a zipline, the attraction is electrically powered, so it doesn’t rely on gravity. The ride can handle two passengers at a time.

The 70-second roundtrip begins and ends at the resort’s VooDoo Lounge, atop the 50-story Masquerade tower. On the return journey, guests will be transported backward as they overlook the famous Strip, just across I-15.

“We’re excited to be offering this invigorating new view of Las Vegas,” Kevin Donnelly, director of hotel operations, said in a news release. “Now thrill-seeking guests can enjoy the legendary views that VooDoo Steak and VooDoo Rooftop Nightclubare best known for -- from an entirely...

Here’s a fetching Ireland tour that includes airfare from New York, a rental car and six nights of lodging for $999 a person. The catch? Well, it’s a winter trip, available beginning Nov. 1 and running for five chilly months. And the car features a manual-shift transmission. But still.

The deal: Great Value Vacations offers the Emerald Dromoland Package that will let travelers explore Ireland at their own pace and experience everything from bed-and-breakfasts to a castle hotel. The journey begins at Dublin’s Croke Park Hotel. From there, travelers explore the countryside. Options include the southwest (Kilkenny, Kinsale, Killarney), the west (Galway, Dingle Peninsula, Aran Islands), or the north (Sligo, Donegal). The six-night package also includes a stay at Dromoland Castle, the 16th century castle that was transformed into a luxury hotel in the 1960s. The 375-acre estate offers hunting, fishing, riding and golf.

When: Nov. 1 to March 31. Blackout dates apply and...

One of the most famous aircraft in American military history -- the Lockheed F-104A Starfighter -- has landed at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor.

The jet arrived on Oahu’s Ford Island in early May, becoming the 43rdaircraft to join the museum’s collection of historic planes.

Starfighters were used by the Air Force from 1958 through 1975. At a length of more than 55 feet, but with a wingspan of just under 22 feet, the jet was dubbed “the missile with a man in it.”

It was in an F-104 that Gen. Chuck Yeager made the record-breaking, high-altitude ascent depicted in the movie “The Right Stuff.” The modified, rocket-assisted jet soared to more than 100,000 feet during a test flight in December 1963.

The museum is located on the site of what was known as the Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station at the time of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack. Visitors reach the site aboard shuttles that depart from the USS Arizona Memorial/Pearl Harbor Visitor Center.

Adult...

On May 2, two Viridian employees and 28 volunteer travelers visited the Mamori region of the Brazilian Amazon on the company’s fourth trip to Brazil as part of its Amazon Preservation Project. 

Viridian launched the project in March 2011 with the goal of planting 5,000 indigenous trees in Brazil within five to six years due to severe deforestation in the Amazon.  Viridian’s website states that as of 2008, an estimated 280,000 square miles of rainforest had been burned down since 1970.

The May group planted 401 trees in three days during a six-day trip, and Viridian attempts to take two trips each year.