Book Airfare Through The Cruise Line
A big benefit of booking airfare through the cruise line is you'll be on the ship's radar if your flight is delayed or canceled. It's the cruise line's responsibility to get you on the ship one way or another. If you book your own airfare and miss the boat (and didn't purchase cancellation insurance), meeting up with the ship at the next.
Go a Day Early
"I always book clients in a hotel the night before the cruise no matter where they are sailing from, it takes the stress out of missed connections, bad weather and lost luggage," says Mary Jean Tully, chairman and CEO of Ontario-based Cruise Professionals. "Who wants to fly all the way to Barcelona and get right on the ship? It's nice to wake up in the city where the ship is sailing from, have a leisurely breakfast, relax or do a city tour."
Cruise Off-Season
You'll save a ton of money on the cruise. Up to 60% off of the cruise lines posted rate. You might have to take your chances with inclement weather. I went in August which is typically hurricane season. We were lucky, a hurricane struck the Western Caribbean the week after we left. You can plan around that by going 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after the hurricane season has started and ended.
Have Fun!
It's your vacation. Kick back, relax, and enjoy yourself. And have a umbrella drink for me!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
More cruise tips
More travel tips for smooth cruising:
Select your cabin with care. Even though you spend very little time in your room, you want to relax when you're in there.
Don't get a cabin on the Promenade deck. Also avoid the floors directly below the dining areas, the pool deck, the sports deck or the gym.
Also avoid rooms with adjoining doors unless you know your neighbors.
Try to select a room in the middle of the deck and on a lower deck as close as possible to the ship's center of rotation. This helps head off sea-sickness.
Insurance runs between 5-6% of the cost of the cruise but is definitely worth it. You'll be covered if you have to cancel the cruise for medical reasons, missed flights, work commitments, cruise line bankruptcy and other issues.
Select your cabin with care. Even though you spend very little time in your room, you want to relax when you're in there.
Don't get a cabin on the Promenade deck. Also avoid the floors directly below the dining areas, the pool deck, the sports deck or the gym.
Also avoid rooms with adjoining doors unless you know your neighbors.
Try to select a room in the middle of the deck and on a lower deck as close as possible to the ship's center of rotation. This helps head off sea-sickness.
Insurance runs between 5-6% of the cost of the cruise but is definitely worth it. You'll be covered if you have to cancel the cruise for medical reasons, missed flights, work commitments, cruise line bankruptcy and other issues.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
Cruise tips
Here are some travel tips concerning cruises:
Never ever pay "brochure prices". That's the price a cruise line sets when it announces a boat or a particular tour. It's always negotiable. You should always aim to pay at least 40% less than brochure rate. Look on various websites, talk to travel agents or tour consolidators.
Choose your port carefully. Do you want to travel out of New Orleans, Galveston Tx, San Juan PR, or one of the Florida ports.
Choose your itinerary carefully. The cruise I really want to go on leaves out of San Juan PR. The cruise is a little less expensive than similar cruises, but the fact that you have to fly to PR negates those savings. In effect, it makes those cruises even more expensive.
Choose your travel partners wisely. I can't emphasize this enough. The wrong travel companions can ruin your vacation. Believe me, I know from personal experience.
More to come
Never ever pay "brochure prices". That's the price a cruise line sets when it announces a boat or a particular tour. It's always negotiable. You should always aim to pay at least 40% less than brochure rate. Look on various websites, talk to travel agents or tour consolidators.
Choose your port carefully. Do you want to travel out of New Orleans, Galveston Tx, San Juan PR, or one of the Florida ports.
Choose your itinerary carefully. The cruise I really want to go on leaves out of San Juan PR. The cruise is a little less expensive than similar cruises, but the fact that you have to fly to PR negates those savings. In effect, it makes those cruises even more expensive.
Choose your travel partners wisely. I can't emphasize this enough. The wrong travel companions can ruin your vacation. Believe me, I know from personal experience.
More to come
Monday, August 20, 2007
I just got back from my cruise
I was gone for 9 days. I had planned on updating this blog last week, but I didn't touch a computer on vacation. That had it's good and bad points.
The good was that I relaxed a lot. The bad was that I missed some of the sites that I visit constantly. I couldn't keep up with sports scores or travel updates. Travel information is important because I'm already looking to next years vacation. It will either be Cancun or Jamaica.
My next couple of posts will be cruise tips. Just some things I learned in general. I plan on going back to 2 posts per month. Every other Saturday. Maybe more, hopefully not less.
The good was that I relaxed a lot. The bad was that I missed some of the sites that I visit constantly. I couldn't keep up with sports scores or travel updates. Travel information is important because I'm already looking to next years vacation. It will either be Cancun or Jamaica.
My next couple of posts will be cruise tips. Just some things I learned in general. I plan on going back to 2 posts per month. Every other Saturday. Maybe more, hopefully not less.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Children Travelling Alone Part 3
This is the last part in a series on children travelling alone:
* Make sure the adult meeting your child at his or her
destination is carrying photo identification.
* Pack some snacks for the child: chips, sandwiches, trail
mix or other finger foods like grapes or berries.
* Put together a travel pack for young children to keep them
entertained while in-flight. It should include books,
drawing materials, small games or puzzles - whatever keeps
them busy.
* Give your child a little cash to cover incidental expenses
and phone calls in the event of an emergency.
* In addition to being sure your child knows how to place a
collect call, you may want to give him or her a calling card
before she travels, as well as a list of numbers to call if
necessary. I also firmly believe in having the child carry a
cell phone. Just make sure he or she is crystal clear about
the rules against using it during the flight.
* Just because a 5-year-old is permitted to fly solo, does
not mean that your child will be able to handle flying
alone, especially if the kid hasn't flown before. Parents
should use common sense and make a decision based on if they
feel the child is mature enough to handle it.
* Make sure the adult meeting your child at his or her
destination is carrying photo identification.
* Pack some snacks for the child: chips, sandwiches, trail
mix or other finger foods like grapes or berries.
* Put together a travel pack for young children to keep them
entertained while in-flight. It should include books,
drawing materials, small games or puzzles - whatever keeps
them busy.
* Give your child a little cash to cover incidental expenses
and phone calls in the event of an emergency.
* In addition to being sure your child knows how to place a
collect call, you may want to give him or her a calling card
before she travels, as well as a list of numbers to call if
necessary. I also firmly believe in having the child carry a
cell phone. Just make sure he or she is crystal clear about
the rules against using it during the flight.
* Just because a 5-year-old is permitted to fly solo, does
not mean that your child will be able to handle flying
alone, especially if the kid hasn't flown before. Parents
should use common sense and make a decision based on if they
feel the child is mature enough to handle it.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
More tips for children travelling alone
More travel tips for parents with childred flying alone to keep in mind:
There are lots of very good reasons why parents might want to put kids who still haven’t mastered shoelace tying on a plane all by themselves.
Divorced parents, or families geographically separated by one parent’s career, need to send children for visits; sometimes under court order. Kids often vacation with their grandparents or travel to spend time with aunts or uncles who live far away.
And summer camp season is almost here. But before you pack your kid’s Sponge Bob Squarepants suitcase and brief him on using an airplane restroom, there are some potential wrinkles you need to consider: Although the minimum age is 5, airlines require that children be at least 7 - usually 8 - before they can go solo on anything but a direct flight. If a kid’s itinerary includes a connecting flight, they MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Some airlines don‘t allow children to fly solo on flights with connections until they are considerably older. US Airways won’t let them negotiate tricky flights alone until they are 15. Southwest sets the minimum bar at 11.
All airlines have “mandatory unaccompanied minor service” for kids under a certain age. This means airline personnel will help the child make his or her connecting flights and personally get them on and off the plane and escort them off to whoever is meeting them at the final stop. That service comes with a fee, usually somewhere between $40 and $99.
The price varies greatly from airline to airline, and depends on whether it’s a nonstop or connecting flight. Some airlines charge only one fee, even if two or three kids are traveling together. Keep an eye out for this, and figure it into the equation when selecting flights.
The ceiling age for mandatory minor service also varies from airline to airline. It can be as young as 12 (AirTran, ATA, Southwest and United) or as old as 15 (American, Continental and most other major carriers). Again, you need to ask. Many carriers offer optional minor service for youths as old as 17.
Anyone under the age of 17 who is flying alone on an international flight must have a signed note from a parent or responsible adult giving permission, destination and length of stay.
Minors must be met at the destination by another parent or responsible adult. Even if your 11-year old is used to riding buses or catching cabs, he or she won’t be allowed to do it on their own.
There are lots of very good reasons why parents might want to put kids who still haven’t mastered shoelace tying on a plane all by themselves.
Divorced parents, or families geographically separated by one parent’s career, need to send children for visits; sometimes under court order. Kids often vacation with their grandparents or travel to spend time with aunts or uncles who live far away.
And summer camp season is almost here. But before you pack your kid’s Sponge Bob Squarepants suitcase and brief him on using an airplane restroom, there are some potential wrinkles you need to consider: Although the minimum age is 5, airlines require that children be at least 7 - usually 8 - before they can go solo on anything but a direct flight. If a kid’s itinerary includes a connecting flight, they MUST be accompanied by an adult.
Some airlines don‘t allow children to fly solo on flights with connections until they are considerably older. US Airways won’t let them negotiate tricky flights alone until they are 15. Southwest sets the minimum bar at 11.
All airlines have “mandatory unaccompanied minor service” for kids under a certain age. This means airline personnel will help the child make his or her connecting flights and personally get them on and off the plane and escort them off to whoever is meeting them at the final stop. That service comes with a fee, usually somewhere between $40 and $99.
The price varies greatly from airline to airline, and depends on whether it’s a nonstop or connecting flight. Some airlines charge only one fee, even if two or three kids are traveling together. Keep an eye out for this, and figure it into the equation when selecting flights.
The ceiling age for mandatory minor service also varies from airline to airline. It can be as young as 12 (AirTran, ATA, Southwest and United) or as old as 15 (American, Continental and most other major carriers). Again, you need to ask. Many carriers offer optional minor service for youths as old as 17.
Anyone under the age of 17 who is flying alone on an international flight must have a signed note from a parent or responsible adult giving permission, destination and length of stay.
Minors must be met at the destination by another parent or responsible adult. Even if your 11-year old is used to riding buses or catching cabs, he or she won’t be allowed to do it on their own.
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