Repositioning Cruise Deals for the Taking

It's that time again, cruisers! No, the "hairy chest" competition isn't about to start. I'm talking about "Repositioning Season", the time of year when ships move from their summer to their fall and winter ports. (And cruise lines slash prices to attract customers for the unusually long, skimpy-on-the-port-stop sailings that are necessary to get these big babies into place).

Here's a list of some of the best offers I've seen so far. Before you book any, make sure to research airfares, which may be higher than usual due to the fact that you'll be flying into one destination and out of another.

• Norwegian Sun (9/20/11), 15 nights Copenhagen to Port Canaveral, $599: Those who book quickly will be gifted with $75 shipboard credit. Along with Copenhagen, cruisers will call in Lisbon, Amsterdam and near Bruges (Belgium). I found this price at VacationsToGo.
• Norwegian Epic (10/23/11), 13 nights Barcelona to Miami, for $829: For a brand new ship with numerous entertainment options--Blue Man Group, a bowling alley, a Cirque-style dinner show--this deal ain't bad, especially when you consider that it comes with $100 worth of shipboard credit if you book soon with Cruise Club of America.
• RCL's Voyager of the Seas (10/30/11), 13 nights Barcelona to New Orleans, for $669: Another offer from Vacationstogo (see above).

These are just a few of the deals out there for 2011. If you're interested in 2012 repo cruises, head to CruCon Cruise Outlet which has put those on sale this week. 

Virgin America Adds Puerto Vallarta to Its List Of Destinations & Throws a Sale To Celebrate

This story may seem to have nothing to do with the headline, but...

In March of this year, my family adopted two adorable kittens from a shelter in New York City. As we were finishing up the adoption process, one of the shelter workers casually mentioned that the cats had been airlifted from Puerto Rico. The island has a big problem with feral cats, it seems, and very few people willing to adopt, so the overflow of street cats periodically gets sent to the Big, Welcoming Apple.

 California has the same type of problem with Chihuahuas. Too many cute little mutts of that breed yapping around and not enough residents to adopt them. So Virgin America has been helping with airlifts from CA to, you guessed it, New York where it seems residents are more generous in opening their homes.

The airline wins points in my book for supporting animal shelters in that fashion, and also for pledging to donate $25 for every ticket booked to their new destination Puerto Vallarta over the course of the sale period (which ends September 1).

Virgin gets even more karma points for throwing a real sale of tickets which undercut the competition by $50 or more for round-trips between San Francisco or Seattle and Puerto Vallarta. For all the fine print on the "No Chihuahua Left Behind" sale, click here. Though tickets must be booked soon, flights don't start until December 2.

Oh and how are the kittens doing? They go nuts whenever we play salsa!

Goodnight Irene! Assessing Damage in the Wake of the Storm

Roosevelt Island, NY yesterday; photo by Daniel Berg

Like many of my fellow east-coasters, I spent the last few days hunkered down at home. In the days leading up to the storm, my sister-in-law in Vermont offered us what she thought would be a safe haven at her place. It wasn't a feasible plan so we stayed in New York City where we escaped all damage. Poor Cathy has been dealing with floods and power outages ever since.

She's not alone in feeling the fury of Irene in VT. From what I hear, the historic Weston Playhouse (Vermont's oldest theater) has suffered severe damage and has had to cancel performances for now. The internet is teeming with videos of historic bridges being washed away, cars slamming through roaring rivers in Bennington, and slabs of highway falling into the water.

So what will happen to leaf-peeping season, Vermont's most busy tourist period? The trees were not damaged, according to forestry experts, who are noting that Vermont's problems (the state has been named a federal disaster area) have been due to flooding and not high winds. No trees have been stripped of their leaves, and the extra rain, after a slight drought in the area, will help make the colors even more vibrant apparently. Repairing flooded roads by late September, however, and dealing with other sorts of flood damage, will be the greater challenge. Though State officials are trying to put a positive spin on recent events in light of the looming tourist season, it seems too soon to tell, for sure, just what sorts of conditions visitors will experience when they arrive in a month.

Airline travel was also disrupted and is straining to get back to normal. Because of already-crowded planes as we approach Labor Day weekend, travelers trying to re-book flights cancelled over the weekend are facing serious hurdles, according to the New York Times. If you're in this situation, remember that persistence pays off. A huge number of travelers are juggling changed plans right now, which means that a flight you're being told is sold out may experience some last minute cancellations as travelers re-think their plans. Keep the airline on speed dial, don't take no for an answer and make friends with supervisors. Often accommodations can be made if you're persistent.

For those headed to the beach, the news is mostly good. With the exception of a few badly damaged areas in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (and not all: here's a piece on that area), most East Coast beaches have been re-filled with beach blankets and umbrellas, as I type this, according to USAToday. But because so many would-be tourists are dealing with power outages and flood damges at home, many beach areas are reporting last-minute cancellations. This may be the year to score a deal over Labor Day as a result.

But if you're headed to a beachy destination via cruise ship, be ready for some itinerary changes. The Bahamas saw some serious damage with Irene, and most ships are re-routing from calls there. For a current list of changes and other hurricane-related cruise news, head to CruiseCritic.com's "Hurricane Zone."

September and October are the height of the season for hurricanes, and experts are predicting a particularly volatile fall. My guess is that Irene was just the coming attractions. Let's hope I'm wrong.

Freebie Friday: Free Caribbean Weddings (Kinda)

Would you take a longer honeymoon to get a free wedding ceremony? Sandals Resorts is hoping that "I would" will translate into a lot of "I Do's". Its offering a free wedding ceremony, its "Beautiful Beginnings" package, to those guests who stay six nights or longer in a "Concierge" level room (or higher).

The package, with accoutrements designed in partnership with wedding guru Martha Stewart, includes a two-tiered cake, the venue, the services of a wedding consultant and officiant, paperwork for the wedding, one photo, sparkling wine and hors d'oerves for the couple and up to two guests after the ceremony, an additional special dinner for two later in the honeymoon, a bouquet for the bride and boutonierre for the groom.

Obviously, this isn't the package for couples hoping to have a big blowout wedding with many guests. But if your plan is to elope effortlessly with your honey, well, this one could do the trick.

The offer is being listed as good for a "limited amount of time" which usually means through hurricane season (my guess: through December 15). For more details, head to the Sandal's website. 

Warnings, warnings and more travel warnings

As big, bad Irene continues to the menace the US, newspapers are filling with extensive warnings about travel cancellations. What's most important for flyers to realize is that even if your plane isn't flying to or from the zone affected by Irene, you may still experience delays and cancellations. With the airlines stretched so thin (ie fewer planes in the sky), planes grounded by the storm may not make it out of the region in order to fly safer routes. The takeaway: if you're supposed to be flying anywhere from a US airport in the next three days, be in constant contact with your airline.

(Photo by StarMaster)

Bedbugs on the rise again
SeattlePi.com is running a disturbing article on the increasing threat of bed bugs to hotel guests. Worst infestations are apparently in Myrtle Beach, Chicago, New York and San Francisco. The best article I've read on what to do if you suspect your hotel room may be buggy ran about a year ago in the Washington Post. Click here to read that informative piece (and view the video on checking your room for bed bugs).

Train Issues in Europe
French workers, in a dispute over pay, are threatening a strike which would impact Chunnel itineraries this weekend. If you're scheduled to travel between France and the UK this weekend, be sure to keep on top of the news, or you may spend more time than you'd like in a train station.

The First Big Hurricane of the Season Is Upon Us! Some Travel Advice

On last weekend's radio show, my father and I got a call from a listener who was nervous about tangoing with Irene. She was set to head to Florida later in the week, and was concerned that she was placing herself in the path of a hurricane.

Reader: we muffed the question. Unlike other call in radio shows on which the hosts know the questions in advance (ahem, Car Talk on NPR!), we have no idea what's going to be thrown at us until minutes before we have to talk (a computer screen displays the callers name, hometown and one sentence on their question).

My father and I told the caller that only she could make the decision about whether or not to go, and that, since Irene's path was still uncertain at the time of the call, we'd probably go ahead with the vacation.

 Here's what I wish we'd said:

• Get insurance! Of course, you can't buy it once a storm is announced. But if you're ever planning to venture into the hurricane zone during storm season, its a good idea to protect yourself. Know, however, that insurance only works to a certain extent. If, say, the lovely pink sand beach at the hotel you've chosen is swept away by a storm, along with all the sheltering palm trees, but the hotel itself is still standing and operating, you may not be able to get your vacation money back. Insurance doesn't cover the "quality" of the vacation just whether or not its doable. And don't insure your airfare for the reason below.
• Be in close contact with your airline: They don't want to fly into the path of a storm any more than you do. Inevitably, when storms are announced, airlines allow passengers to change tickets without penalty. Here's a round-up of airline policies regarding Irene. 
• Choose your island/destination carefully: Historically, the Bahamas have been hit with the most storms over the years and it looks like Irene is going to wallop them once again. Conversely, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and Margarita, in the Caribbean, lie outside the storm zone and haven't been hit with a hurricane in decades.
• Choose a cruise over an island vacation: Mother Nature is not as fast as our modern cruise ships, all of which can outrun storms. Because of this, no major cruiseline has been caught in the eye of a storm for decades. That doesn't, however, mean that they're foolproof at this time of year. Just this week, Royal Caribbean managed to strand 145 passengers in Puerto Rico when it left port 8 hours early to get out of the path of Irene. And don't choose to cruise if you're doing so to hit a particular island: cruise lines change their itineraries when storms materialize, as has happened with Irene. 

Last year, was a particularly bad season for hurricanes, the third worst on record. Meteorologists are predicting that 2011 will be just as fierce. Forewarned is forearmed!

Pre-Vacation, Virtual Friendships for Group Tour Participants?

Group tours are an indisputably social experience---and that's part of the reason many travelers choose them. But most people wait to make friends until they start the tour...until now, that is.

(Photo by Karen Blumberg)

Industry blog Tnooz is reporting that the large, well-established Trafalgar Tours is experimenting with social media tools to allow tour participants to interact before they ever set foot in a motorcoach. During the express check-in process, travelers will have the ability to create an online profile and contact other members of the group they'll be traveling with to exchange information, or perhaps just chat. Only other members of the tour group will be able to see these posts and receive inquiries.

Apparently, this social media experiment was given a test-run on some of Trafalgar's Italy tours this past summer and will be expanded to other destinations come fall.

What will be the outcome? Your guess is as good as mine.

Perhaps it will allow travelers to share rides to the airport and plan activities for the tour's downtime. Or will this become a tool to suss out exactly who the really annoying guy will be on this tour (and there's always one, isn't there)? Though knowing that in advance may not add much to the one's anticipatory enjoyment....

Ah, the Pandora's Box of social media. It'll be fascinating to see just how this experiment shapes the group tour experience.

A New Site Helps Travelers Suss Out The Best Hotel Deals For Those Who "Bid Blind" on Priceline

(Photo by Hobvias Sudoneighm)

To misquote Gertrude Stein: A bed is a bed is a bed.

When it comes right down to it, the differences from one hotel to the next can often be quite superficial. One might have cooler decor, another a Starbucks in the lobby and a third a front desk staff that doesn't seem harried when one checks in. But in its essential function, by which I mean as a place to sleep, often a wide range of hotels in each destination serve the traveler equally well.

Which may be why Priceline.com, which allows travelers to save large amounts by "bidding blindly" on hotel properties, remains a success story in the travel industry. The big bugaboo with the site has always been users nervousness about overbidding. Since its uncertain what the hotel one will get is, how the heck does one know what to offer?

In the past I'd recommended the site BiddingforTravel.com, where users spilled the beans about what they paid on Priceline and which hotel they snagged.

But it looks like a better site has come along. Not only does BiddingTraveler.com let buyers in on the kinds of savings that Priceline is offering, and the hotels its consistently using, but it also manages user's bids. Consumers enter both a "lowball" bid and a "final offer" (these are done with the advice of the site). The site then submits these offers, raising the bid in small implements until its accepted, or the price limit is reached.

The savings can be tremendous. In New York City, for example, BiddingTraveler is showing that the Sheraton Tribeca was recently snagged for $130/night on Priceline, despite the fact that its retail price on competing, non-blind websites is $217. For Paris jaunts, travelers have been scoring rooms at the Meridien Etoille Hotel on the Right Bank for $118; those who went to other sites paid $183 for those same rooms.

Freebie Friday: A Free Colonoscopy, When You Fly With Us!

The headline sounds like satire, I know, but its not too far from the truth.

I read on the Flying with Fish blog this week that Oman Air has partnered, oddly enough, with Piyavate Hospital in Bangkok for a unique new discount program. If passengers show up at Piyavate with a boarding pass from Oman Airways, it will give them a 50% discount on medical check-ups, and a 20% discount on advanced medical procedures.

This is bizarre on a number of levels, not the least of which is that Oman is nowhere near Bangkok. So the great majority of its passengers would have to take a 6-plus hour flight for that check-up. Fish goes on to note that this isn't the first marketing scheme Piyavate has engaged in; apparently its paired with credit card companies to get its name out (earn loyalty points towards face lifts).

If you're interested in this sort of extreme medical tourism, head here for more info. The deal is good through the end of 2011 and has a LOT of fine print attached (such as no discounts on doctor's fees).

The Holy Grail of Air Travel: Upgrades

With a middle seat assigned, I knew I needed to take action.

So, for a flight from New York to Vancouver last year I headed to the check-in counter at Cathay Pacific (my carrier), despite the fact that I'd checked in on-line 10 hours earlier. A Cathay Pacific staffer, noticing my home printed boarding pass told me, in a polite and friendly manner, that I didn't have to wait in the line as I was already checked in. I responded that I'd been placed in a middle seat and was hoping to change that, and then made some silly joke about my assignment being a metaphor for my life.

We shared a laugh and then he glanced over to the fellow behind the counter and jerked his thumb up in the air.

Two hours later I was being plied with champagne in my reclinable business class seat.

Jet Airways Business Class, Photo by Schuey

The Cathay Pacific attendant didn't know my name and I had no miles whatsoever saved up with this airline. (I think it had been about a decade since I'd last flown it). I have no idea why the Cathay Pacific attendant gave me his kind gift, though I'm guessing it was my stupid joke.

I tried the strategy on the way back, made someone laugh...and stayed in economy class.

So is there a sure-fire way to get an upgrade? Perhaps I'm overly cynical, but with the airlines trying to squeeze every penny out of their passengers nowadays, it seems like the only way to do so consistently is to either pay for it (and sometimes you will pay less if you go for the upgrade at the check-in kiosk at the airport); or use miles to obtain.

Still, other experts disagree with me and since there's a good dose of serendipity to the process, I'll point you to an article that appeared today on snagging the upgrade that suggests such strategies as dressing like a first class passenger (a bizarre concept, I think: as I'm making that march to the back of the plane I've noticed as many people in sweats in biz class as in economy lately).

To my mind it boils down to luck and money (or miles, which are a form of currency). But who knows, maybe I'm mistaken.

One More Chance to Buy JetBlue's Popular Pass



(photo by Rich Moffitt)

Several weeks ago, I alerted you to the third annual release of JetBlue's highly popular passes. This year's version was a bit different in that it was only available from Boston and Long Beach. You can read my previous blog which analyzes the pros and cons of the new passes by clicking here.

The most popular pass, The JetBlue Boston AllPass (which allowed travelers to head anywhere JetBlue flew from Beantown for three autumn months) sold out within a week of its announcement. Responding to popular demand, the airline has put that back on sale but just until the end of the day tomorrow.
The other two passes are also still available, for those who don't mind limiting their travels a bit (these passes are significantly less expensive).

If this type of non-stop wandering interests you, surf over to JetBlue's website---and do it quickly!

Muggles We May Be, But We're Increasingly Living in Harry Potter's World

The original books were the fastest selling tomes in publishing history. The last movie in the series broke box office records. Theme park experts are tut-tutting about how much ground Disney World has lost to Universal Studios ever since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened.

And if that all weren't enough, there will now be two more ways for tourists to enter the world of the boy wizard (and buy souvenir round glasses, wands, striped scarves and many other family-heirlooms to-be).

Through September 5 only, Harry Potter: The Exhibition will continue to delight New York visitors in Times Square. Full disclosure: I haven't seen it, but both of my daughters (ages 8 and 12) were wowed by the show (one went twice!). Apparently, its quite interactive, filled with impressive memorabilia from the movies and yes, has a neat gift shop. (My Mother's Day gift this year was a horcrux locket. Not quite sure what the symbolism of that is in relation to the holiday).

After New York, the Exhibition will be moving on to Sydney, Australia where it will open on November 19 (and play through March 18).

Across the pond, its just been announced that the UK studios where much of the movies were filmed are being transformed into a permanent museum. Beginning in spring of 2012, visitors will be invited to take a "backstage tour" of Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden which will include visits to the sets that served as Dumbledore's Office, the Gryffindor Common Room, and Hagrid's Hut. The animatronic characters featured in the film--basilisk faces, gryphons, dragons, etc--will also be featured. Actor Rupert Grint, Harry's best friend in the films, has been giving interviews promising that visitors will be 'amazed' by the level of detail on the sets.

Not surprisingly, the folks at Warner Brothers are expecting a mad rush for tickets and so will be putting them on sale a good half year before the opening. They'll be available online starting October 13 at www.wbstudiotour.co.uk (28 GPB each).

Drive a Billboard, Get a Rental Discount

Pretend you're a NASCAR driver in your rental!

Why not?

The Associated Press reported last week on a pilot program with the Atlanta outlet of Budget Rent a Car that marries rentals with advertising. Simply put, the company pastes the outside of the car with brightly colored ads hawking one product. Customers who agree to rent that car, are then given significant discounts. A family who recently rented a minivan to drive from Georgia to Florida, saw their cost for the week cut by over two-thirds, from $300 down to $88, simply for agreeing to drive on of these new "ad cars".

At this point, Budget has just one advertising customer, a maker of 'energy strips'; the campaign will run through November (for Atlanta initiating rentals only). But its actively soliciting other brands to get on-board. 

Would you drive a billboard? I, for one, have no problem with the concept.

Freebie Friday: Sofitel's Chic Picnic Offer

And happily, you get more than a picnic lunch on this one (though that's included, too).

Those who stay at a Sofitels in LA, London or Paris before the end of the month will get one night free for every three booked, plus a basket (filled with free champagne and gourmet nibbles). There is some fine print--isn't there always?--which will be a turn-off for some (pre-paid bookings only, no cancellations and more) but some might find the deal, well, a picnic.

Sofitel is also offering seven night stays for the price of five in Egypt, Dubai, Morocco and Mauritius.

For complete info on both offers, just click here.

Statue of Liberty Closes Just After 9/11 Memorial Opens

Not permanently, of course. But the Park Service announced this week that the Statue of Liberty would close on October 29th for a year. That date is one day after the Statue's 125th anniversary festivities; Lady Liberty is set to undergo a $27 million renovation. The exterior of the Statue won't be affected, but the Parks Service will be giving the interior of the structure a thorough overhaul.

USA Today reported that only about 30% of the tourists who head to Liberty Island ever step inside the statue, so ferries to the island will continue unabated. (My guess is it will be a particularly good time to see Ellis Islands, since the crowds who try to see both will be diminished). Alas, you can't sneak in a visit to Lady Liberty before the October deadline: all tickets for statue visits until the closing are sold out.

A little over a month before the Grand Lady shutters, the long-awaited 9/11 Memorial  will open at Ground Zero. Because it will be in the midst of an active construction site, tickets will have to be obtained in advance, and will be for timed entry.  The powers that be there will also have strict regulations on what visitors can bring to the site with them (all details are at the website I've linked to above). All I know about it, so far, is that there will be a dignified memorial wall, in which all of the names of the victims of the attacks will be engraved. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what else the site will put on display. The Museum is expected to debut in 2012.

And I just got word of one other 9/11 tribute that will be open in New York City in September. The New Museum will present a work that's lived at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington for quite some time, artist Elena del Rivero's [Swi:t] Home: A Chant.  Ms. del Rivero had lived opposite the World Trade Center at the time of the attacks. She was in Spain when the planes hit the World Trade Center and returned to her apartment several minutes later to find it filled with dust and debris from the buildings. After cataloging the memos, and other personal effects, she incorporated them into what is, by all accounts, a moving work of art.

The New Museum is giving the piece its New York City debut from September 7-26. Admission to the Museum will be free on September 11.