How fair is the Fare?

In the past few months the price of fuel has affected the travel industry, from fuel supplements to higher fares, no one is left un-touched. For a minute lets look at some ideas, that just might help you have a great vacation or trip without killing your budget.

Air Fare: In recent days we have seen the cost of air fare climb faster than a 757 out of Philadelphia, when we quote air ticket prices people just can not believe that now they are paying fares for coach that used to be first class! A few simple rules apply to get the best fare. We often get people in the office who want to go tomorrow or next week and can't understand WHY the fares are so high. Unfortunately the law of supply and demand comes into play here. Airlines are forming loose partnerships, such as you may have a United Airline Flight number but be on a U.S. Airways plane, or visa versa. The goal, FILL THE SEATS! In my recent travels that certainly seems to be the case on mainline routes.

Flexible travel dates: Our advice to find the least expensive, notice the wording here, make your travel plans flexible, if you can leave or come back a day or two earlier or later you might save a few hundred dollars. Make your reservations as far in advance as possible, not even the airlines can predict what the fare will be in 6 months, so by making your travel plans early, you will probably save money. The downside, is that most airline tickets are NON-REFUNDABLE, meaning you bought it, you got it! If you want to change your ticket, most times you can, BUT with a fairly substantial cost involved.

Fly on off days, Tuesdays and Thursdays are a good choice, they are not usually business travel days so the fares may be a little less, supply and demand, and more availabilities. Consider flying to a major airport rather than a regional one. The hub and spoke system the airlines use created a system of "feeder" or airlines. Because they are serving smaller airports, with less passenger load and no competition, they charge more. A good example is that I can book a flight to say New York for a lot less than one to a smaller airport such as Elmira, N.Y.

Fly to a "Hub" airport: Consider flying to a hub airport near your destination and rent a car, in a lot of cases you will be able to do that cheaper than if you fly to a smaller airport. You might even be able to arrive at your destination hours earlier, rather than sitting waiting for the sparse service connections to a smaller airport. Recently coming back from Pennsylvania I spent 7 hours in Philadelphia International because my originating flight was delayed because the aircraft from the regional carrier , Piedmont, was grounded. The regional airline uses the last inbound plane of the day for its first outbound in the morning. What amazed me the most was that in the 8 hours between times it seemed no one could figure out, "hey we need to get another plane in for our morning flight."

Pack light: I travel with a wheeled duffle bag, that one is checked, and a so called "California Pack" like a back pack with wheels that is my carry on. If you are going on a long trip and need more than one checked bag, consider using a luggage service, to pick up your bags from your home and deliver it to your destination. While I am on the subject of packing, don't forget to check with your travel agent or airline on the latest rules for checked and carry on luggage. Most airlines will allow one checked bag (usual maximum weight of 50 lbs.) and one carry on as well as one personal item. Medical equipment such as portable oxygen a wheel chair or CPAP does not usually count as a personal item. Toiletries? 3 ounces or less, in a one quart closeable plastic bag. On my most recent flight the T.S.A. officer at the regional airport gave me "grief' about my plastic bag. I pointed out to him that in the 2 years I have used it I never had had a problem or question and in fact it was issued at the security checkpoint at Phoenix Sky Harbor as was stampped "courtesy of Sky Harbor Airport." He said, "no matter, it was not right." Yes I did file a complaint with the regional airport and the T.S.A. about the lack of consistancy in rules and the attitude of this employee.

The joy of flying? No such thing, crowded airplanes, long lines, high fares, charges for aisle and window seats, second and sometimes first bag, fuel surcharges, makes me feel like a head of cattle in a chute. Are there exceptions to the above? Yes, a few airlines still maintain customer service and treat you like a customer, they un-fortunately are few and far between. Wilber and Orville didn't forsee this I am sure!

Life at sea, yes there is a LOT of it!

One of the questions we get about cruises is "besides eating what is there to do while you are at sea?" To me the sea days are often more fun than port days, because you can do as much or as little as you wish. All the cruise lines print a daily activity sheet and deliver it to your state room the evening before, usually mine is waiting for me when I return from the evening entertainment. No matter what your interests are you will find something happening every hour of the day while you are at sea. On any given sea day you will find such activities as trivia games, bingo, enrichment lecture series, first run movies, crafts, art auctions, cooking classes, photography classes, gold lessons, wine tastings, and more.

Of course while you are at sea the on board duty free shops and the casino are open. Please note that the Disney Cruise Lines do not have casinos, and N.C.L. does not have a casino on its Hawaiian based ship.

Evenings on a cruise ship can be a whole lot of fun with entertainment in the theatre, such as Broadway style production shows, or individual performers like magicians, comics and solo artists. Additionally there is usually live entertainment in several of the on board lounges, BTW no cover charge! The activities staff also has something going every night my favorite being the 50's
60's night! Some of the newer ships also are now featuring movies on their BIG (and I do mean big) screen on deck. I was quite surprised when I was on a ship inspection on the Carnival Liberty at how clear the picture was and this was in the daylight. Other ships have on board golf courses, rock climbing walls, golf simulators, and of course the cruise ship staples of swimming pools, shuffleboard, table tennis, basketball and health clubs.

The great thing about all this, is you can pick and choose what you want to do, as much or as little. Usually during one sea, and sometimes a port day, day I plan an afternoon in a deck chair relaxing!

A handy tip! When I am on board I carry a set of walkie talkies with me, this enables my wife and I to got separate ways, if we choose, and arrange to meet at area's of mutual interest. There are several types available that can be purchased for well under $100.00 a pair and for the most part they work very well on board. Please note that some units are required to be licensed by the F.C.C., if that is the case with the ones your purchase a license application will be included with your radios.

Do I have to dress for meals on a cruise ship?

With the airlines enacting new policies on the number of checked bags you may have, this is becoming a frequently asked question. The answer is both yes and no, confused, well let's see if we can shed some light on the policies.

Most all cruise lines have a number of formal nights each cruise, usually 2 in 7 nights and 3 in 14 nights. You can address this in a number of ways. First off what constitutes "formal." For the ladies it is a dressy pants suit or evening dress, for the men a tuxedo or dark suit. In my own experience I have a mix and match closet where I have a dark blue blazer,(suit coat)and a couple of different pairs of slacks so on "dressy informal" nights I can use my slacks with another sport coat or visa versa. Other times a sport shirt and dress slacks for the men, I wear a polo shirt and khaki slacks, for the causal dining nights. Shorts and tee shirts are seldom permitted on casual nights in the main dining rooms. Coats and ties are never required on most cruise lines for breakfast or lunch in the dining room.

Other options:

The Buffet: Ah, maybe this is what cruise line dining is all about! Dress is always casual and the food plentiful and varied. Cruise lines will have themed nights in the buffet areas, as well as the normal buffet line fare.

Snack bars: There you will find a wide variety of items from, burgers, and pizza, to made to order sandwiches, sushi, and of course ice cream.

Other dining options:

Speciality restaurants: These come in two categories, very formal and themed restaurants. The very formal category requires formal dress and there is a cover charge that ranges in price from $20.00 to $50.00. The cruise lines promote this as the ultimate dining experience. Many lines have such themed restaurants as Italian Bistro's, steakhouses, 50's dining etc. Ask your travel agent for a list of these speciality restaurants on your ship. Most all of them have a small cover charge and the dress code is informal but most do not allow shorts and tee shirts.

Casual dining: At least one cruise line, Celebrity, has what they call "Casual Dining." It is as the name implies, casual in dress, but not in service. Celebrity uses their "casual Dining' as a training ground for the main dining waitstaff. Usually reservations are required as a limited number of tables are available. In most cases when I have used casual dining the service has been fantastic as the new main dining room wannabies are looking to make an impression on the matre'de. Also customer comments mean a lot to them as well, I know of one case where we happened to be on the same ship several months apart and one of our "Casual Dining" waiters was promoted to the dining room. I like to think I had some part in that as I gave him a glowing review to Guest Services.

Healthy Dining: With the move to a more healthy dining fare in the public sector, the cruise lines have not missed that either. Most lines today have an area or restaurant dedicated to healthy fare. Again your travel agent can inform you of those dining options on your ship.

Snack bars: They run the gambit on cruise ships, from burgers, and pizza to Sushi, Chinese, and more.

Room Service: I found this to be a great option to "formal dining" nights. I seldom pack any formal clothes on long cruises (14 nights) so all I do on those dress up nights is order room service from the dining room menu. Most all items are available, except Baked Alaska, and are delivered to your stateroom by your Cabin Steward. While there is no extra charge to use room service, we always tip him extra. Room Service on most ships is available 24 hours a day, and in many cases can be accessed from your interactive television.

What can I have? I get a great kick out of being creative with the dining room menu! I am not a fan of chilled soups, which my wife tells me are delicious, so on the nights when the soup course is that, I usually order an extra shrimp cocktail. On one trip it got to be a standing joke with our waiter, on chilled soup nights he would say, "now for your soup this evening a shrimp cocktail?" Have trouble deciding on menu items, well then order one of each of the items you like, on nights when lobster tail and prime rib are on the menu, I order both, my at sea "surf and turf." Deserts are always a challenge as well, in addition to the varied offerings most ships have ice cream available as a desert option. Several cruise lines make their own ice cream on board and some other lines may use a premium brand like Ben & Jerry's.