Saturday, August 30, 2008

Apartment in London


Thinking of visiting London. Check out staying in an apartment rather then a hotel. Many places rent apartments by the day or week and they charge per night or week not per person. So if there will be a couple of you traveling together and paying your own way, an apartment can be a great bargin.


For example, several years ago I went to London and was traveling with 2 other women. We each were paying our own way. When I looked into hotel prices, one we were considering wanted around $400 per week, per person, we were staying 3 weeks. So we would have to pay about $1200 each for the 3 weeks.


Then I came across an apartment in Notting Hill, just around the corner from where they shot the movie (Notting Hill). It was a one bedroom with a pullout couch. They wanted $400 a week, so we each paid for 1 week and saved $800 each! It was a really cute apartment too. It had a full kitchen and the care taker even stocked the kitchen with milk, juice, cereal and bread. And there was a small market right across the street. We had so much fun in that apartment.


So don't dimiss staying in an apartment right off. Check few out and remember the price is per night not per person. Here is a site that has a nice apartment right near the Thames River.



Thursday, August 28, 2008

How Big is Too Big

Royal Caribbean will launch the biggest passenger cruise ship ever, with sailings starting at the end of 2009 (Oasis of the Seas). It will carry 5,400 passenger and stand 16 stories high. It is 38% larger then any other cruise ship. It will also have a unique layout. The Oasis will start sailing in the Caribbean and I can only imagine what the fares will be.

While these huge ships are alluring, many cruisers like the feel and personal service of the smaller ships. With so many passengers can you really get good service? I like it when crew members remember me, call me by name. And how well are the cruise lines equipped to hand so many passengers? Royal Caribbean’s other ships carry a couple thousand less passengers. Some of their ships carry over 3000 fewer passengers. I wonder what the check in process will be like with 5,400 people trying to check in, most at the same time. And I wonder what the expected evacuation time is and are they truly prepared to evacuation 5400 people plus over 2000 crew members? (I teach disaster preparedness classes so I’m always thinking of these kinds of things).


This ship will truly be a site to see and if any of you are lucky enough to sail on it, let me know what you think of it. And please feel free to share your thoughts about big ships verses smaller ones with us.


Here are some pictures of the Oasis will look like:

Fun Theme Cruises



Here are some fun theme cruises Crystal Cruises is offering: (I would love to do the photography one)


Crystal Cruises (tel. 888-269-9414; http://www.crystalcruises.com/) is offering up to 50% savings on six Value Collection Europe and trans-ocean cruises this winter and spring.

Fares include the line's extension of lecture program and multiple dining venues. Certain restrictions apply.

Feb. 16, 2009, 17 nights Miami to Los Angeles. Fares start at $3,595 per person and this sailing is a Crystal Wine & Food Festival cruise (#V9204)

June 7, 2009, 12 nights Civitavecchia to London. Fares start at $4,360 per person and this sailing is a Crystal Wine & Food Festival cruise (#V9213)

Mar. 9, 2009, 17 nights Los Angeles to Hong Kong. Fares start at $3,690 per person and this sailing is a Film & Theatre Festival cruise (#V9206)

May 7, 2009, 16 nights Los Angeles to Miami. Fares start at $4,995 per person and this sailing is a Mind, Body & Spirit cruise (#V9309)

May 23, 2009, 10 nights Miami to Lisbon. Fares start at $3,540 per person and this sailing is a Big Band cruise (#V9310)

June 2, 2009, 12 nights Lisbon to Venice. Fares start at $5,070 per person and this sailing is a Photography theme cruise (#V9311)

Consumer Complaint Site

One of my blog readers gave me a heads up about this site. Its a really a cool site. You can look up or post complaints about different companies. It's not just for travel other catagories include auto, health, food, service and consumer products.

Every company has unhappy customers so it would not be alarming if a company had 1 or 2 complaints (the larger the company the more complaints would be expected) however if they have numerous complaints you have got to pay attention to them. And even if there are only a couple of complaints you should consider the nature of them. If the complaint is serious enough that also should be a red flag.

At least, even if you still plan on using the company after reading the complaints, pay attention to the nature of the complaint so you can be on guard and try to avoid having the same problems. The complaints will give you an idea of the area the company lacks service in.

www.pissedconsumer.com

Monday, August 25, 2008


If you are looking for a great last minute deal to Europe check these out;



Special limited-time fares including air to Europe from only $1,199

*Enjoy relaxing days at sea and fascinating ports of call on 14- to 25-day Transatlantic Cruises this fall.


These exclusive cruise-only or cruise + air fares are available when you book now!

Plus, roundtrip airfare from 22 other U.S. gateways is available for only $200* more than listed cruise + air fares. Call us at 800-329-9002 to reserve your place!




14-Day Journey to the New WorldRome to Ft. Lauderdale: Oct 4, 2008 ms Noordam



CRUISE + AIR CRUISE + AIR CRUISE + AIR CRUISE + AIR

INSIDE FROM OUTSIDE FROM BALCONY FROM SUIT FROM

$1,199 $1,399 $1,699 $2,300

Cruise only rates also available as well as several other itineraries.


17-Day Autumn OdysseyVenice to Ft. Lauderdale: Oct 23, 2008

15-Day New World AdventureLisbon to Ft. Lauderdale: Nov 4, 2008

25-Day Mediterranean & New World AdventureAthens to Ft. Lauderdale: Oct 25, 2008

24-Day European FarewellAthens to Ft. Lauderdale: Oct 30, 2008



Roundtrip air included from these gateways for $200* more than listed cruise/air fare.Atlanta (ATL), Baltimore (BWI), Boston (BOS), Buffalo (BUF), Charleston (CHS), Chicago (ORD), Cleveland (CLE), Charlotte (CLT), Cincinnati (CVG), Dallas (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Houston (IAH), Milwaukee (MKE), Memphis (MEM), Minneapolis (MSP), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), Norfolk (ORF), Philadelphia (PHL), Pittsburgh (PIT), Raleigh (RDU) or Washington (DCA/IAD).




Thursday, August 21, 2008

Fiji Vacation


Here's a good package deal to Fiji. If you are thinking about going to Fiji gegtting a package deal that includes meals is the best way to go. The cost of food over there is very high, around $70.00 perperson per meal.




Package includes:


R/T Airfare from Los Angeles to Nadi on Air Pacific

Transfers to/from Resorts

7 Nights Accommodations for Two

Rates are Per Person Based on Double Occupancy

Sale Period: Until March 31st, 2009

Travel Period: Until March 31st, 2009

Travel Blackout Dates Apply

Packages Must be Purchased within 3 Days of Reservation

Does not Include Airline Tax, Airport Security Fees or Departure Tax - All Approximately $305 Per PersonAdd $60.00 for Domestic Flights

Transfers within Fiji

*Children Eat Free **Includes Daily Breakfast***Includes All Meals
Starting from: $1199 Airfare & Accommodations
Tokatoka Resort $1199 Naviti Resort $1550*
Wananavu Beach Resort $1430 Warwick Fiji $1550**
First Landing Resort $1550 Mana Island Resort $2130**
Castaway Island Resort $2290*** Matangi Island Resort $2700***

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Winter in France

Here's a great winter getaway deal.

Destination: France

Provider: Air France Holidays (tel. 800/237-2623; www.airfrance-holidays.com)

Price: $1044

Duration: 7 nights

What's Included: Airfare, rental car, local mileage, and airline fuel surcharges.

What's Not: Accommodations, gas, security fees and departure taxes.

When: October 30 to December 11

Deadline: Book as soon as possible as seats are limited.

Why this is a Deal: Save over $600 from the high-season rates.

Complete Details: Departing out of the New York City area, this France Fly and Drive package lets you explore on your own. The price is per person based on two people traveling together. (The price for four people is $799 per person.) Travelers can choose their arrival city between Paris, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon, or Marseille. After arriving, travelers pick up their economy, two-door, and manual transmission rental car. The Air France Holidays website has a full list of potential hotels and inns.
Destination: Atlantic City

Monday, August 18, 2008

Caribbean Specials


Now is a great time to travel to the Caribbean. The weather is warm all year around so you really can't go wrong. Bookit is offereing some really great specials. Some of these deals are air inclusive and they have extra's for kids including "stay free" and "eat free."




Great Last Minute Special!


If you are looking for a great last minute cruise you have got to check this out. East coast airfare is included and west coast airfare is available for only $200. That's a steal! This cruise also has a really nice itinerary. If I didn't already have plans for this time period, I so would looking into this cruise. This is a great price and if you will be traveling with a third person in your cabin, that persons price will be even less.

You can save money by traveling with another couple and sharing a suite. Even though the suite will cost more, the price for the third and forth person will be much less then the first 2. Everyone can split the total cost of the cruise by 4 and pay equal shares.


12 Night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise NEW! Norwegian JadeBarcelona RoundtripSailing: 11/30/08 & 1/25/09Balcony $1,999! Mini Suite $2,199!Including Roundtrip Air & Transfers!

Online Vacation Center brings you an EXCLUSIVE offer from Norwegian Cruise Lines! Enjoy a 12 Night Cruise through the Eastern Mediterranean aboard the NEW! Norwegian Jade, purpose–built for the freedom and flexibility of Freestyle Cruising. Hurry - offer expires 8/31!
Air & transfers included from:New York (JFK) Boston Washington/Dulles Add $200pp and fly from:Los Angeles Miami Chicago (OHare) Atlanta Dallas/Fort Worth AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD MEMBERS: Ask about Exclusive $200 per stateroom in Onboard Spending Cash when you pay with your American Express Card!

More information is available at:
http://www.onlinevacationcenter.com/special_deal.cfm?specialsID=13444&hdrqrystr=cruise&rf=cc&cid=87&brand=ovc&tsid=385&logid=16520


Sunday November 30, 2008 Barcelona
Monday December 1, 2008 At Sea
Tuesday December 2, 2008 Rome (Civitavecchia)
Wednesday December 3, 2008 At Sea
Thursday December 4, 2008 Athens (Piraeus)
Friday December 5, 2008 Ephesus (Izmir)
Saturday December 6, 2008 At Sea
Sunday December 7, 2008 Alexandria
Monday December 8, 2008 Alexandria
Tuesday December 9, 2008 At Sea
Wednesday December 10, 2008 Valletta (Malta)
Thursday December 11, 2008 At Sea
Friday December 12, 2008 Barcelona

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Ways to Earn Extra Miles


Earn miles or Paypal credits by taking surveys.
https://www.opinionplace.com/main.adp


On this site you take surveys and earn rewards. Its very easy to do. The surveys take about 15 minutes. Its free to signup. Definitely worth checking out and a easy way to earn miles. I just took a survey and earned 75 American Airlines miles. Remember to register with American Airlines on their site if you don’t have a miles frequent flyer number. You will need this number so you can collect your miles on Opinion Place. It takes a few weeks before you will see your miles posted to your miles account. You can only take 1 survey every 14 days.


http://www.e-miles.com/
This site work like Opinion Place. You earn miles for viewing various advertisements and/or answering a few questions. There are fewer question to answer so it goes quicker. You can do several short surveys in one day. You usually earn from 5 to 15 miles for each survey and are given a sign on bonus.


Here is another site worth checking out.
http://www.mileageworkshop.com/free.html

Credit Card Air Miles

Even though it seems to be getting harder to use air miles to get free tickets , its still worth it when you can use them. You can often use them for other things besides tickets. Sometimes you can cash them out or even purchased suit cases so if you have a miles card check their website to see what else you can use your miles for. You can also use them for upgrades so if you do end up purchasing a coach class ticket see if you have enough miles to upgrade to first class. So don't give up on those miles cards.

Check out this website to review different miles credit cards.
http://www.cardbenefit.com/credit-cards/airline-mileage.htm

Hotel’s have rewards credit cards as well.
http://www.e-wisdom.com/credit_cards/hotels.html

Saturday, August 9, 2008

New Contest from Frommer's

To celebrate the release of the new Frommer's Apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, we are awarding two lucky winners a prize set containing an iPod touch and a $40 iTunes gift card they can use to purchase our first four mobile travel apps: Frommer's New York, San Francisco, London and Paris. Don't hesitate; enter daily now through August 31st, 2008 for your chance to win. Courtesy of Modality.
http://newsletter.frommers.com/contest.asp?sid=53U82V5BZZRGZFPYMXPR&id=33

Monday, August 4, 2008

Packing for Kids

When vacationing with kids its important to give some serious thought into what you will pack for them. When traveling with my young son I always had a few surprises for him throughout the trip.

For several months before the trip I bought a few small toys and tucked them away. I wouldn’t give them all to him at once. I gave him a couple at the start of trip to entertain him while traveling to our destination and the rest of the toys I presented to him every few days throughout the trip.

When choosing toys to buy, the first thing you should keep in mind is the noise factor. While a toy may initially seem cute after a hour of sitting in a car or on a plane listening to it over and over again it probably won’t seem so cute. You also don’t want to drive anyone around you crazy.

Good choices include coloring books and crayons, books, small dolls or action figures.
One of my favorite item to bring to entertain my son is a portable DVD player. These are worth every penny. I get a few new movies for my son, he plugs in the headphones and there you have it…peace. IPods or MP3 players are also great choices. And don’t forget the snacks.

For younger children a new stuffed animal can make a great travel companion.

When traveling by car I put several of the toys in a plastic container to keep the toys from getting lost of spilling all over the car. If traveling by plane I use a small mesh bag to keep all his toys together.

I never let my son see anything I get for him for the trip so it will be a surprise.



For help with your packing here is a downloadable packing worksheet:
http://www.frommers.com/tips/packing_tips/travel_planner.pdf