2012

When you see the "Deals" on the front page of my web site, keep in mind that they are a fraction of what is available.

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Earn free air for your destination wedding!

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Air remains the least pleasant and most troublesome of all travel arrangements.    

The truth is that nobody enjoys booking air, except agencies that book corporate travel with companies who don't really seem to care what they spend on air and allow agencies to tack on hefty booking fees.  Businesses are okay with tickets that might not be the best rates, but most of us are not like that.  To be clear, I don't charge booking fees.

  Some people will go out of their way...literallly...to save a few dollars on air fare.  They will stay up late at night searching every air booking engine in the world, and then tolerate six hour delays on an indirect route to get the lowest price. Later they find out about currency conversion fees, booking fees, itinerary quirks and other weirdness they never envisioned.

 Please note: all air booking engines work off the same Amadeus spine with the same prices, with only the add-on booking fees making any difference at all.  

  As you may have heard me say before, I wish we had Star Trek's "Beam Me Up, Scotty" capabilities.  It would be great to just push a button and have you arrive at the port to embark on your cruise.  Once you're on the ship, I know everything will be great, and the ports will prove to be wonderful, as long as you either take the time to learn about what you will do on shore or purchase excursions.  Then again, even if you never leave the ship, you can enjoy a wonderful resort reservation.


However, sooner or later, we all must fly to catch a cruise, so what is the best way to book air?


Because you can option a cruise for at least a day before even putting down a deposit, the best idea is to get the cruise lined up first.  The same applies to land packages and hotels.  After taking an option, at a minimum you will have an hour or more to check out air rates and schedules to see if one works. 

In the case of a cruise, you actually have until the day before final payment to cancel and get all of your deposit back, so you can deposit your cruise and then search for air for weeks or even months in some cases.  While some land packages and hotels may have cancellation fees for the lowest advance purchase rates, we can do the same with them, as long as you know for sure you will be going regardless of air rates.  You can even pay in full for a vacation or cruise and book your air later, if you want to live dangerously.

The best time to book air, however, is at the point when you see an itinerary that looks good to you at a price that fits your vacation budget.  There is nothing more secretive than that.  Airlines will move prices all over the place for no apparent reason, like a form of price-spouting Tourette Syndrome.


The easiest way to book air is to add it to your other arrangements.  Book it with the cruise line, and then add transfers and hotel arrangements, if you want to make it seamless.   Cruise Planners also has some special packaged vacations for hotel stays in conjunction with selected cruises.  Having it all booked at once takes a way a lot of stress, which is definitely worth a small premium, and in most cases, any price difference is negligible, and sometimes the packaged deal costs less.  Some cruises have free or reduced price air on select itineraries.


It is true that sometimes midweek around midnight, one airline might introduce a new sale price, which may be followed by other airlines.  And generally weekends, when people are sitting around their computers dreaming of vacations, demand seems artificially high to the air booking computers, resulting in temporarily higher prices.  But even these effects are usually modest in most cases.


Once you have booked your flights, they generally involve payment in full, and you are immediately subject to cancellation or change penalties.  There is no point in torturing yourself by looking for lower air prices.  If you check into them, you will probably find those special air rates don't apply to your exact dates or flight schedules, and if they do, what difference does it make?  You can't do anything about it.


As the Serenity Prayer goes, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."


Ideally, you say that prayer often in your life, but even if you don't, you should remember it when it comes to air.   

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Where do you want to spend your time on this garden planet, and what do you really want to be doing?

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While Royal Caribbean rides the biggest family popularity wave in travel in the wake of Oasis and Allure of the Seas and Celebrity continues to enthrall big ship cruisers with more elegant designs, Azamara Club Cruises has quietly been raking in accolades and prestigious awards of its own.

Azamara Quest and Journey carry only about 700 passengers each.  While the ships are considerably smaller, the per guest space is greater on these boutique ships.

You can't expect the over the top public spaces of Royal Caribbean, but you will find subtle excellence onboard in the fabrics and room designs.  The service, which includes butlers for every room, is always excellent.  

The prices are higher, but consider what is included, and you recognize great value.  Gratuities, carefully paired fine wines with lunch and dinner, free shuttles to city centers, unlimited soft drinks and bottled water...these are quality inclusions for which you would otherwise happily pay, and they are absolutely FREE.  

With the wonderful service, value and, of course, sumptuous meals (this is Celebrity's upscale sister, after all), you probably already have enough reasons to choose Azamara, but the real appeal is in the destination collector-oriented itineraries with long port days.  Every cruise has guaranteed late night departures and overnight stays in some of the most fascinating ports in the world.


And if that is not enough, there are select special voyages for events like the British Open (including optional golf at 6 of the most exclusive courses in the UK),  Monaco Grand Prix, and Carnival in Rio.

As more people experience Azamara for themselves, the return rate keeps accelerating, and they seem to never want the cruise to end, leading to more bookings of extended voyages.  Don't miss out on a good thing. 

When it is time to book, remember to call me at 866-554-5553. Better service leads to better trips!  


Y         

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Instead of being lured by an attractive price, let an expert help you find what you need.

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Unless you live on a cruise ship, you probably could use some help finding the perfect neighborhood for you.

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$1000 onboard credit on any 2013 Europe Air/Sea Cruises in Veranda Staterooms and above.

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