The film is set in Miami, Florida, but was filmed entirely in Queensland. Both Florida and Queensland are known as "The Sunshine State," a nickname used on a road sign in the film.
The film makes many oblique references to The Shining (1980). The number "237" crops up, which was the same number of the spooky hotel room Danny was forbidden to go into; there are also words written on a mirror, a ballroom and an axe.
The recording of "Anchors Aweigh" used in the film is performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The aircraft carrying Glenn Miller to Paris in December 1944 disappeared over the English Channel in what is often considered a "Bermuda Triangle"-type incident.
Using Google Earth's history, it is possible to see the set of the ship at Southport Spit, Southport, Queensland, Australia. The exact coordinates are -27.97293,153.426902 on June 2008.
The "Aeolus," the ship that Jess and the others jump to, is named after the Ancient (mythological) Greek ruler of the winds.