Mad T Party at Disney California Adventure.

Review: Mad T Party keeps rocking at Disney California Adventure

The clean, crisp modern lines of "Tron" have been replaced by the chaotic, rose-colored acid trip of "Alice in Wonderland," but outside of an extensive cosmetic makeover, little has changed now that Disney California Adventure has rethemed its nightly dance party from ElecTRONica  to the Mad T Party.

PHOTOS: Mad T Party at Disney California Adventure

The shiny new look seems tailor-made for the short attention spans of the wall-to-wall under-25 crowd of mostly high school and college kids who have made the alcohol-infused and music-centric outdoor rave a wildly popular success at the Anaheim theme park.

If it ain't broke, reboot it.

Disney has a longstanding reputation of doing cool and hip very badly in its never-ending desire to stay current with pop culture. Witness Disney Dance Crew with its epic fail of Mixmaster Mickey Mouse hip-hop dancing to mash-ups of urban street sounds.

Just like ElecTRONica and GlowFest before that, the Mad T Partytransforms the moribund Hollywoodland studio...

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Travel: World news

1. Carnival Corp.is building a $65-million cruise ship center on the Bay of Maimon, Dominican Republic, that's expected to open in 2014.

2. Greece could be an even greater travel bargain if it adopts a new currency. Tour operators hope to renegotiate to the new, cheaper currency if Greece drops the euro.

3. The State Department this month issued new travel warnings for Saudi Arabia ("ongoing security threat due to the continued presence of terrorist groups") and Lebanon ("safety and security concerns").

4. Britain is being criticized for inviting the king of Bahrain to the queen's party celebrating 60 years on the throne. The Gulf state has cracked down on political dissent.

5. Christian Filipino youths in metro Manila protested performances byLady Gaga, calling the song "Judas" blasphemous.

6. The Rio de Janeiro state government will apologize to Brazil'spresident for abuses she suffered during the country's 1961-85 dictatorship. President Dilma Rousseff, who spent three years in prison...

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Russia: $741 round trip to Moscow on Transaero

Russia: $741 round trip to Moscow on Transaero

You can fly round trip from LAX to Moscow on Transaero Airlines for $741, including all taxes and fees but subject to availability, for travel between Oct. 1 and April 30. You must stay over a Saturday night.

Nonstop flights are available for travel Thursdays and Sundays in October and Sundays between November and March.

Info: Transaero Airlines, (877) 747-1191
Source: Airfarewatchdog

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Planning a getaway? Get organized

This app offers a simple, no-frills way to store, sort and map places you want to visit on your next trip.

Name: Trip Doc

Available for: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad

What it does: Gives you a place to store travel recommendations for restaurants, hotels, activities, airports, museum, bus, train locations, information and more. Views as a map and a list, with directions and easy access to sharing via email.

Cost: $2.99

What's hot: This app was just what I needed, as family members and friends were emailing me suggestions for our upcoming family reunion in Oahu, Hawaii. I usually use Travel Muse for a day-by-day itinerary, but in this case, we weren't going to decide what to do until after we arrived. I found the quickest and easiest way to load our sightseeing and restaurant suggestions was to add them into Trip Doc on the website (after a free signup). Then, I could sign in to the app on my smartphone or iPad to view our options on the map and get directions. There was even a feature to keep...
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Readers Recommend: Tubac Golf Resort & Spa in Arizona is peaceful

I felt as if I had my own private hacienda overlooking the historic grounds of the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa, along the Santa Cruz River and Anza Trail in Arizona. If you want peaceful luxury, this is it. A real plus is the easy access to the Southwestern art shops of Tubac. Doubles from $114 midweek, depending on the season.

Tubac Resort & Spa, 1 Avenue de Otero Road, Tubac, Ariz.; (520) 398-2211, http://www.tubacgolfresort.com/.

D. Kay Renick

Ventura

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Cellphone holder from Brackerton has a gooseneck that lets it swivel out of the way or just within arm's reach.

Gear: Keep your cellphone within arm's reach but out of your way

Here’s how I keep a cellphone charged and out of the way: Bracketron's new Universal USB Power Dock Pro Flex.

The holder, which plugs into the cigarette lighter, has a gooseneck arm that lets you adjust the phone. A push-button mechanism on the holding unit lets you lengthen or shorten the grips for different size phones or other devices.

The power cable plugs into a USB port on the front of the power unit. The holder comes with a micro-USB to USB cable but works with any power cable with a USB plug.

Universal USB Power Dock Pro Flex (IPM-423-BX) costs $34.95.

Info: Brackerton.com, (866) 237-4443.

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Your Scene: A frosty landscape in South Africa

Alison Lowell and her husband, David, spent a weekend at Castleburn Lake near Durban, South Africa last July. One morning, they encountered a scene unexpected for Africa.

"We awoke very early to discover that everything was covered with frost and mist, and it all seemed otherworldly, as one hardly imagines freezing temperatures when they think of Africa," she said.

Lowell, a resident of Durban and former Angeleno, used a Panasonic DMC-G2.

View past photos we've featured. To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery. When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when. The more we know about the photo, the more likely it is that we'll feature it in our weekly "Your Scene" posts. To help us credit you properly, please include your name and city of residence.

— Jason La
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Last July 1, skiers were still hitting the slopes at Mammoth. This year, the snowfall has been less than optimal, but snow is expected for this weekend.

Memorial Day: Snow expected for Mammoth and Lake Tahoe

Now it snows?

After a disappointing winter for snow sports, Mammoth and Lake Tahoe are bracing for wintry storms during the Memorial Day weekend.

In Mammoth, the forecast for Friday is for an 80% chance of snow, with accumulations of a couple of inches overnight. Saturday’s forecast calls for a 40% chance of snow, with skies drying out Sunday and Monday. Highs by Monday were expected to reach into the 60s.

The ski area still has a base of 10-36 inches. Lifts still operating include Broadway, Facelift, Thunderbound and Chair 23. The Upper and Lower Panorama gondola will reopen for scenic rides and skiers this weekend.

Forecasters are calling for accumulatons of up to 6 inches in the high country Friday and Saturday, from a storm system dropping down from Canada. Snow levels were expected to reach 5,500 feet.

A warming trend should kick in Sunday and Monday, forecasters say. Until then, highs around the lake will be in the 50s.

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Coronado Beach, shown here with the Hotel Del Coronado in the background and a sand sculpture by Bill Pavlacka in the foreground.

A sands-down winner: Coronado Beach named best beach in America

Want to go to the No. 1 beach in America this Memorial Day weekend? It's closer than you think.

Coronado Beach in Coronado, Calif., snagged the top spot in Dr. Beach's Top 10 List 2012. It's the first time any California beach has taken top honors since the list began in 1991. The beach doc who makes the annual pronouncements is really Stephen Leatherman, director of Florida International University's Laboratory for Coastal Research.

"The beach is popular for swimmers, surfers, sunbathers and beachcombers," Leatherman writes about the San Diego-area spot. "The beach is very flat, making it great for skim boarding and walking, and the sand has a silvery sheen because of the presence of mica."

But Leatherman looks beyond pretty. He weighs 50 criteria that include water quality, sand texture, public safety and environmental issues.

Kahanamoku Beach Waikiki in Oahu, Hawaii, came in No. 2 followed by:

-- Main Beach in East Hampton, N.Y.;
-- St. George Island State Park in the Florida...
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Docent Christopher Edwards stands in the area of the Iowa where naval officers would have commanded firing of the ship's weapons.

Battleship Iowa set to leave San Francisco Bay for L.A. Saturday

As if there's not enough happening in San Francisco this weekend, the battleship Iowa is set to begin its voyage Saturday from the Port of Richmond and under the Golden Gate Bridge as it makes its way to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro.

While spectators are expected to line the shore in San Francisco and the Marin Headlands as the retired World War II battleship is towed through the bay, a webcam on an antenna above the bow will live-stream all the happenings. (Watch the video here.) The Iowa's permanent home will be Berth 87 in Los Angeles when it opens as a museum in July.

The ship is expected to depart at 11 a.m. and pass underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, which will be closed to pedestrians, at 2:30 p.m. The bridge, of course, is celebrating its 75th year with a weekend festival and fireworks Sunday.

Of course, this presumes there will be smooth sailing Saturday. The ship originally was supposed to leave San Francisco on May 20, but bad weather delayed the departure, according to...

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The bus system in London is not quite as intuitive as the Tube, so you may need to turn to the London Transport Planner for help.

London: Six tips for staying sane, saving money, staying in touch

It’s going to be an incredibly busy summer for London, starting with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee June 2-5, followed by World Pride Week in June, the Olympics in July and August and the Paralympics in August and September.

I just returned from four days in London -- so action-packed that I spent part of one day in Greenwich and then went to Paris for dinner and was back in London by midnight. (You can read about this and other suggestions for a different view of London in the Sunday Travel section or online.) Here are the strategies and lessons I learned on this trip, my third to the city. You will know some. You may scoff at others. Or you may have some of your own. If you do, send them to me at travel@latimes.com or share in the comments section below. Herewith, ideas on what travelers should know:

--Two words: Oyster card. That’s the card you need to buy the minute you get off the Heathrow Expressthat will allow you to use the London subway, trains and buses to get...

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Los Angeles Times Daily Travel & Deal blogger Mary Forgione likes to hit the dirt when she's on vacation. An avid hiker and runner, Mary likes speed-touring cities on foot and sightseeing by running marathons.


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Raw Video: Dragon arrives at space station

Space station astronauts have captured the Dragon. The privately bankrolled Drag...

Space station astronauts have captured the Dragon. The privately bankrolled Dragon capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Friday, making history as the first commercial delivery truck in orbit. (May 25)

Tweets from the Los Angeles Times Travel staff.