Current Passport RequirementsAir TravelSource: US Department of State, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security announced Friday, June 8, that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region, who have applied for, but not yet received passports, can re-enter the United States by air. This accommodation does not mean that Americans are exempt from meeting the entry requirements of Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region, some of which require a passport, certified birth certificate, or other evidence of citizenship for entry. U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region who have applied for, but not yet received passports, can re-enter the United States by air by presentation of a government issued photo identification and Department of State official proof of application for a passport through September 30, 2007.
The federal government is making this accommodation for air travel due to longer than expected processing times for passport applications in the face of record-breaking demand. Adults who have applied for but not yet received a passport should present government-issued photo identification and an official proof of application from the U.S. Department of State. Children under the age of 16 traveling with their parents or legal guardian will be permitted to travel with the child's proof of application status. Children traveling alone should carry a copy of their birth certificate, baptismal record or a hospital record of birth in the United States in addition to their passport application status documentation. This accommodation applies to all American citizens who apply for passports, until September 30, when this accommodation period ends. U.S. citizens with pending passport applications can obtain proof of application at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/status/status_2567.html.
Sea TravelSource: Celebrity Cruise Lines, http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/heroSingleTxt.do?pagename=immigration&cS=SIDENAVFor domestic travel which includes: the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, a passport (valid or expired) is highly recommended.
In the absence of a passport, a birth certificate (original or certified copy), plus laminated picture ID card issued by a federal, state, or local government agency is required.
Note: Baptismal papers and hospital certificates of birth (except for new borns) are not acceptable.
For U.S. Naturalized citizens, in the absence of a passport, Naturalization papers (either original or notarized copy) plus a picture ID card issued by a federal, state, or local government agency is required.
A voter registration card or Social Security Card are not considered to be proof of citizenship. Children under 16 years of age do not require a picture ID.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Some DisneyWorld tips
Disney’s Magical Express:
How Disney's Magical Express ARRIVAL service works:
* Disney's Magical Express must be booked at least 10 days prior to arrival through disneyworld.com, Disney Reservation Center by calling 407-W-DISNEY or a travel agent. Be sure to have your Arriving Flight Number and time into the Orlando International Airport as well as your Departing Flight Number and time out of the Orlando International Airport as well as the name of the airlines you are flying.
* Approximately 21 days before you arrive, you will receive in the mail an Airport Transportation Booklet containing general information and special Disney's Magical Express luggage tags for your bags.
* Check your specially tagged luggage at your departure airport.
* Upon arrival in Orlando, bypass airport baggage claim and go directly to the Disney Airport Welcome Center (Level 1, "B" Side).
* You will board state-of-the-art motor coaches that will take you to your Disney hotel. A video is shown during the ride. Your motor coach may make up to FOUR different stops at various Disney resorts.
* A team of Disney representatives at the airport will pick up your luggage and transport it to your Disney hotel room.
How Disney's Magical Express DEPARTURE service works (from your Disney hotel):
* You will be notified of your motorcoach pick-up time and location the day prior to checkout.
* Motorcoach pickup time is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes prior to your flight departure.
* The motorcoach has 4 drop-off locations in all four quadrants of the airport (Gates 1-29, 30-59, 60-99, and 100-129).
* The service also assists you when it's time to depart. If you are flying one of the participating airlines, you can avoid airport check-in lines by checking your luggage and receiving your boarding pass before you leave your Disney hotel as described in the Resort Airline Check-In Service section below.
Resort Airline Check-In Service
* Resort Airline Check-In Service at your Disney resort is only available if you are flying domestically (includes Puerto Rico) on the following airlines: Alaska Airlines, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, and United (including TED). It is a complimentary (free) service.
* This service allows you to check your luggage and receive your airline boarding passes right at your resort on the day of your departure.
* This service is separate from Magical Express. You do not have to participate in Magical Express to utilize the Resort Airline Check-in Service.
* Each Disney resort has a dedicated Check-In Desk located in or near the Lobby or near the outside entrance to the resort. If you can't locate the Resort Airline Check-in Desk, ask at the Front Desk.
Some examples:
The Polynesian's check-in desk is outside just pass the valet stand on the right as you exit the hotel.
The Port Orleans Riverside check-in desk.
The Port Orleans French Quarter check-in desk.
* To check in, your entire party must be present with your government issued photo I.D. (e.g., driver's license, passport, Military ID) and your Key to the World card to verify that you are a guest of a Disney hotel
* The Resort Airline Check-In desks can provide some of the same services and information as the airline ticket counters at the airport, including checking seat assignments, and verifying flight information and status. The Resort Airline Check-In Desks cannot make any changes to flight arrangements or make new flight reservations.
* This service is not provided by Disney. A third-party company approved by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operates the Resort Airline Check-In on behalf of the participating airlines.
* Some persons have reported a wait of over 30 minutes at the Resort Airline check-in desk during peak times. If you are within 3 hours of your departure time, you should bypass this service and get your boarding passes at the airport.
Exceptions:
* This service is also not offered for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Shades of Green, or Downtown Disney Area resorts.
* It is not valid for Disney's Vero Beach Resort and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Travelers in wheelchairs can be accommodated. You must ask for wheelchair transport when you make your Magical Express Reservation.
Service animals are allowed on the motor coach to and from the airport as long as they are accompanied by the owner.
You don't have to book Magical Express Round Trip; you can book one way, either to or from your Disney hotel.
You can not book luggage transfer only. You must be on the motorcoach to have your luggage transported.
Your luggage will not be transferred separately to the airport as it is on the inbound service from the airport to the resort. However, you may request Bell Services or Luggage Assistance to help with your luggage.
If you do not have your flight information and wish to make a Magical Express reservation, you may do so. Don't forget to let them know your flight information once it is confirmed!
If your flight information changes, call Disney to make sure they have the correct info. Or you may do it online at www.disneyworld.com/mydisneyvacation
If you miss your flight or it is significantly delayed TO Orlando, call Disney's Magical Express Guest Services. Disney Representatives will retrieve your luggage and confirm your arrival before transferring it to your resort.
You may be able to use the service upon arrival at the Orlando International Airport if it's possible to accommodate you. If you decide to do this be sure and PICK UP your luggage from baggage claim yourself!
Resort Guests should contact Disney's Magical Express Guest Services at (866) 599-0951.
Dining:
Travel on the rivers of three different continents. See exotic animals, zany explorers and ancient ruins as your skipper leads you deep into the jungle. Be prepared for surprises along the way; your skipper's sure to regale you with humorous tales of danger.Location: Adventureland®This attraction has FASTPASS
How Disney's Magical Express ARRIVAL service works:
* Disney's Magical Express must be booked at least 10 days prior to arrival through disneyworld.com, Disney Reservation Center by calling 407-W-DISNEY or a travel agent. Be sure to have your Arriving Flight Number and time into the Orlando International Airport as well as your Departing Flight Number and time out of the Orlando International Airport as well as the name of the airlines you are flying.
* Approximately 21 days before you arrive, you will receive in the mail an Airport Transportation Booklet containing general information and special Disney's Magical Express luggage tags for your bags.
* Check your specially tagged luggage at your departure airport.
* Upon arrival in Orlando, bypass airport baggage claim and go directly to the Disney Airport Welcome Center (Level 1, "B" Side).
* You will board state-of-the-art motor coaches that will take you to your Disney hotel. A video is shown during the ride. Your motor coach may make up to FOUR different stops at various Disney resorts.
* A team of Disney representatives at the airport will pick up your luggage and transport it to your Disney hotel room.
How Disney's Magical Express DEPARTURE service works (from your Disney hotel):
* You will be notified of your motorcoach pick-up time and location the day prior to checkout.
* Motorcoach pickup time is approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes prior to your flight departure.
* The motorcoach has 4 drop-off locations in all four quadrants of the airport (Gates 1-29, 30-59, 60-99, and 100-129).
* The service also assists you when it's time to depart. If you are flying one of the participating airlines, you can avoid airport check-in lines by checking your luggage and receiving your boarding pass before you leave your Disney hotel as described in the Resort Airline Check-In Service section below.
Resort Airline Check-In Service
* Resort Airline Check-In Service at your Disney resort is only available if you are flying domestically (includes Puerto Rico) on the following airlines: Alaska Airlines, American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, and United (including TED). It is a complimentary (free) service.
* This service allows you to check your luggage and receive your airline boarding passes right at your resort on the day of your departure.
* This service is separate from Magical Express. You do not have to participate in Magical Express to utilize the Resort Airline Check-in Service.
* Each Disney resort has a dedicated Check-In Desk located in or near the Lobby or near the outside entrance to the resort. If you can't locate the Resort Airline Check-in Desk, ask at the Front Desk.
Some examples:
The Polynesian's check-in desk is outside just pass the valet stand on the right as you exit the hotel.
The Port Orleans Riverside check-in desk.
The Port Orleans French Quarter check-in desk.
* To check in, your entire party must be present with your government issued photo I.D. (e.g., driver's license, passport, Military ID) and your Key to the World card to verify that you are a guest of a Disney hotel
* The Resort Airline Check-In desks can provide some of the same services and information as the airline ticket counters at the airport, including checking seat assignments, and verifying flight information and status. The Resort Airline Check-In Desks cannot make any changes to flight arrangements or make new flight reservations.
* This service is not provided by Disney. A third-party company approved by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operates the Resort Airline Check-In on behalf of the participating airlines.
* Some persons have reported a wait of over 30 minutes at the Resort Airline check-in desk during peak times. If you are within 3 hours of your departure time, you should bypass this service and get your boarding passes at the airport.
Exceptions:
* This service is also not offered for the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Shades of Green, or Downtown Disney Area resorts.
* It is not valid for Disney's Vero Beach Resort and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Travelers in wheelchairs can be accommodated. You must ask for wheelchair transport when you make your Magical Express Reservation.
Service animals are allowed on the motor coach to and from the airport as long as they are accompanied by the owner.
You don't have to book Magical Express Round Trip; you can book one way, either to or from your Disney hotel.
You can not book luggage transfer only. You must be on the motorcoach to have your luggage transported.
Your luggage will not be transferred separately to the airport as it is on the inbound service from the airport to the resort. However, you may request Bell Services or Luggage Assistance to help with your luggage.
If you do not have your flight information and wish to make a Magical Express reservation, you may do so. Don't forget to let them know your flight information once it is confirmed!
If your flight information changes, call Disney to make sure they have the correct info. Or you may do it online at www.disneyworld.com/mydisneyvacation
If you miss your flight or it is significantly delayed TO Orlando, call Disney's Magical Express Guest Services. Disney Representatives will retrieve your luggage and confirm your arrival before transferring it to your resort.
You may be able to use the service upon arrival at the Orlando International Airport if it's possible to accommodate you. If you decide to do this be sure and PICK UP your luggage from baggage claim yourself!
Resort Guests should contact Disney's Magical Express Guest Services at (866) 599-0951.
Dining:
Restaurants – you can read the menus of the restaurants here http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm
reservations http://www.allearsnet.com/din/reserv.htm
In Epcot, I really like the restaurant in Italy. France is good, but you pay a lot for little. If you like fish, the Norway restaurant is good. The dinner/show in Germany is just okay. Japan is hibachi style and the chef puts on a good show. I also like to eat in Mexico and if you do, ask for a table by the water. But by far the best for steak is Le Cellier in Canada.
At MGM it’s fun to eat at the SciFi Drive In.
Magic Kingdom: the Liberty Tree Tavern isn’t bad
Animal Kingdom: I have not eaten here
Resorts:
Boardwalk – Big River Grille and Brewery is good, especially if you like beer. They have a sampler that is good.
Contemporary Resort –
California Grill is good – go at night when it is time for the fireworks display and ask for a good table
Chef Mickey’s is good for the character breakfast
Fort Wilderness: the Hoop de Doo is a lot of fun
Grand Floridian - Citricos and Narcoossee’s are both good
Old Key West – Olivias is good
Polynesian – the luau is a good show; you can catch the fireworks afterwards on the beach
Wilderness Lodge – Artist Point is good - different
This site also has just about everything you need to know about Disney http://www.allearsnet.com/
This is where I copied the information for the Magical Express as well.
Waterparks:
My favorite is still Typhoon Lagoon.
________________________________________________________________________
Tips for getting on the rides:
If you don’t mind missing the parade (at whatever park you are at) this is the best time to get on rides. At the Magic Kingdom, walk through the stores on Main Street to avoid the crowds.
Also get a FastPass whenever you can. You can only get one at a time. If you don’t mind going on as a single, you can often get on rides more quickly this way.
When they have the late nights at the parks, you will have to get a wristband that shows you are allowed to stay beyond closing. They will give you the information for that. You will have a schedule of what is going on when you are there.
Suggested rides and attractions:
Magic Kingdom:
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin – (for some reason, I love this one!)
Be a junior Space Ranger and pilot your Star Cruiser through imaginative, immersive worlds. You are the pilot as you careen through a comical cosmos! Go on a daring space mission to save the toy universe from the sinister Emperor Zurg. Spin and fire your personal laser cannon to score points. Good luck, Space Rangers!Location: Tommorowland®This attraction has FASTPASS
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Hop on this rollicking mine train through an Old West mining town for a rip-roarin', rootin'-tootin' thrill-a-minute ride. If you're "mining" for a good time consider the "prospects" as you're warned: "Hang on to your hats and glasses 'cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness."Location: Frontierland®Height Requirement: 40" or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Pirates of the Caribbean
Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me! Take a wild voyage through secret caverns and fierce sea battles as you join the rowdiest rogues and rapscallions that ever sacked the Spanish Main. It's a boat ride through classic Disney swashbuckling adventures. And now, Captain Jack's joined the crew! Discover Captain Jack and his nemesis Barbossa interacting with some of your favorite Audio-Animatronics® buccaneers and adding a terrific twist to the classic adventure — along with new special effects. Plus, join Captain Jack Sparrow's Pirate Tutorial in Adventureland®, where kids enjoy fun, interactive hi-jinks throughout the day.Location: Adventureland®
Travel on the rivers of three different continents. See exotic animals, zany explorers and ancient ruins as your skipper leads you deep into the jungle. Be prepared for surprises along the way; your skipper's sure to regale you with humorous tales of danger.Location: Adventureland®This attraction has FASTPASS
The Haunted Mansion – always a favorite
Make yourself at "tomb sweet tomb" in the home of 999 happy haunts, where there's "always room for one more." Inside, hop on a Doom Buggy to get in the "spirit" of things. Experience the stretching room, the séance and hitchhiking ghosts in this Disney classic.Location: Liberty SquareThis attraction has FASTPASS
Epcot:
The countries open later than the rest of the park; take advantage of the early admission.
Mission: SPACE – NOT for the faint of heart!
This ultimate interactive thrill-packed adventure is as close as you can get to blasting off into space without leaving Earth. Each member of your astronaut team has a challenging role in a dynamic and daring cosmic mission dodging meteors and navigating nebula. Feel the force of lift-off and have an exhilarating, mystical rendezvous on another planet. It's out of this world!Location: Future World®Height Requirement: 44" or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Soarin'
Take a free-flying adventure across the natural wonders of the Golden State aboard this thrilling Disney's California Adventure® Park attraction. With the wind in your hair, glide 40 feet in the air as you look down upon the breathtaking vistas of Yosemite and redwood forests. Soar as high as your imagination over a world of wonders.Location: The Land PavillionHeight Requirement: 40" or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Test Track
Enter the hair-raising world of auto testing on one of the longest, fastest rides in Disney history! Strap yourself in to race up bumpy terrain, roar through hair-pin turns, speed into freezing cold chambers, and rush on to 50-degree banked curves at 60 miles an hour.Location: Future World®Height Requirement: 40" or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Turtle Talk with Crush
Yo, Dude, come check out this totally cool interactive show. Go under the sea and have a conversation with Crush in his digital underwater world. The 152-year-old sea turtle from the Disney presentation of Pixar's "Finding Nemo" chats, jokes and even recognizes Guests. This is a first-of-its-kind live, real-time animated show you have to see to believe. It's soooo awesome!Location: The Living Seas Pavilion
Spaceship Earth – always a relaxing ride, especially if you need to take a rest!
Body Wars (Futureworld) go here as soon as the park opens and get on first.
Maelstrom
Tricky trolls are out to befuddle you as you explore the heritage of Norway in this adventure-packed boat ride.
Location: Norway PavilionThis attraction has FASTPASS
El Rio del Tiempo – another one I always love – very relaxing
Take a joyful boat ride on the wondrous "River of Time," sailing into a colorful, festive world. Explore Mexico's engaging past and present, sailing past a smoking volcano into an Audio-Animatronics® world of singing and dancing, fireworks and carousels, Mayan high priests and modern-day merchants.Location: Mexico Pavilion
Ellen's Energy Adventure – another one that hasn’t changed, but still as good
Get a burst of energy on this fun-filled ride starring Ellen DeGeneres. Move through the creation of the universe and see...and hear...the Big Bang. Ride around, between and under dinosaurs. Float far above Earth with satellites and atoms. See what brain power can really accomplish - only on Ellen's Energy Adventure!Location: Future World
Disney-MGM Studios:
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – one of my favorites
Aerosmith's having a backstage party across town and you're invited. Ready to brave the LA freeways? Zoom from 0-60 mph with the force of a supersonic F-14, take in high-speed loops and turns synchronized to a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack and zip through Tinseltown in the biggest, loudest limo you've ever seen.Location: Sunset BoulevardHeight Requirement: 48" (122 cm) or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Star Tours – another classic
Board an intergalactic simulator for a turbulent trip through outer space. With an absent-minded droid in the cockpit, you're in for warp-speed near-misses, collisions with comets and high-flying excitement - not to mention a wrong turn into a combat zone, right into the path of the Death Star.Location: BacklotHeight Requirement: 40" (102 cm) or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – probably my #1 ride
Brave the creepy facade of a once-glorious hotel for a jolt back in time. Board a phantom elevator, shoot up 13 stories and brace yourself for a thrilling plummet... but beware! The experience just got scarier. You rocket back up, only to plummet down yet again. You dare to ride once more, but wait! That's not what happened before. That's right, now the Tower is in control, so it's never the same fear twice!Location: Hollywood Tower HotelHeight Requirement: 40" (122 cm) or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
Get ready for extreme thrills as this full-throttle, high-octane live stunt spectacular comes roaring in from Walt Disney Studios Paris as part of the Happiest Celebration On Earth. Engines rev, tires screech and adrenaline kicks into overdrive as a series of highly orchestrated stunts, specially designed cars, motorcycles and jet skis and amazing pyrotechnics give you a behind-the-scenes look at how action stunts are created for the movies.Location: BacklotThis attraction has FASTPASS
The Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour
Brace yourself for an all-out special effects encounter with a water tank in "Harbor Attack," then board a guided tram ride for a look at life-like façades used in exterior shots from familiar television shows and movies. Wind past soundstages, peek inside the Disney-MGM Studios camera, props and lighting departments, face nature's fury during an exhilarating detour through Catastrophe Canyon and more!Location: Mickey Avenue
The Great Movie Ride – another one to rest you feet!
Go behind the silver screen to witness great movie moments captured in time with thrilling film clips and lifelike Audio-Animatronics® figures. Board a vehicle to ride through unforgettable scenes featuring legends of motion picture history.Location: Hollywood Boulevard
Disney's Animal Kingdom:
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain – brand new and fun
Through the mists of Asia, a colossal new adventure rises. Expedition Everest™! Hop on a high-speed train through the Himalayas for treacherous chasms and hair-pin turns which are just the start of the action. But beware, screams get the attention of the mountain’s guardian – the dreaded Yeti. In an instant, frigid winds blast and icy tracks hurl the train forward, then backward into the abyss on a spiraling drop into the mountain. You see the beast. Trouble is, he sees you too.Location: AsiaHeight Requirement: 44" (113 cm) or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
DINOSAUR – this ride is bumpy and fun!
Whoosh back to primeval times for a wild ride of an expedition to complete your dangerous mission. The clock is ticking on your Time Rover and you have mere minutes to rescue a stray dinosaur. Beware the hungry clutches of one large meat-eating predator and the devastating power of an impending asteroid! It's fast. It's a blast! It's in the past!Location: DinoLand U.S.A.®Height Requirement: 40" (102 cm) or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Festival of the Lion King – great stage show
Plunge right into the middle of the action in this cleverly staged in-the-round production featuring songs from the film and a cast of familiar faces, including Simba, Timon and Pumbaa. Combining the pageantry of a parade with all the excitement of a tribal celebration, this is a lavish, high energy spectacle created through song, dance and specialty performances.Location: Camp Minnie-Mickey
Kali River Rapids – you will get wet!
Raft down the turbulent waters of the Chakranadi River aboard a 12-passenger raft through an enchanting Asian rain forest. A blazing inferno rushes toward you! Escape down a rushing waterfall! Beware of gushing geysers! Get set to get wet!Location: AsiaHeight Requirement: 38" (95 cm) or tallerThis attraction has FASTPASS
Kilimanjaro Safaris – do this first thing when the park opens, then on to the Kali River Rapids (use your map and get there right away – you may get one twice if you are one of the first ones there; most people go to the big tree in the center of the park first and see the next attraction I listed)
Climb aboard your open-sided safari vehicle for an exciting expedition for the entire family. Animals from Africa freely roam through 110 acres of savannah, rivers and rocky hills. Look out for giraffes, hippos, elephants, rhinos, and lions!Location: AfricaThis attraction has FASTPASS
It's Tough to be a Bug! – cute
See the world through a bug's eyes as you peek into the hilarious and dazzling 3-D world of amazing and amusing insects as they astound you with a one-of-a-kind stage show. Laugh at the fun and startling in-theater effects like overhead giant spiders! The only thing that will "bug" you is if you miss it!Location: Discovery Island®This attraction has FASTPASS
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Antigua and Barbuda cocktail seminar
Antigua and Barbuda cocktail seminar
September 18
6-9 pm
Varka Restaurant, Ramsey, NJ
RSVP to 212-541-4118
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau
COME OUT AND PLAY WITH GREATER MIAMI AND THE BEACHES!
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and select Miami hotels cordially invite you to join us for a table top trade show and dinner with round table presentations.
Join us for a fun and educational evening with lots of great prizes.
Please select the show you will attend, complete the form below and fax to: 1-877-278-3838
Wednesday, September 12
SHERATON SUITES
500 Harbor Boulevard
Weehawken, NJ
□
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Invitation is limited to two agents per office – wait list is available if space allows.
If you have any questions, contact Linda Stilmann at Linda@gmcvb.com.
AGENCY: PHONE: ___________________________
ADDRESS: FAX: ______________________________
CITY: STATE: ____ZIP:___________________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT WAIT LIST
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
For additional information contact us at:
Fax: 1-877-278-3838 or;
Phone: 1-800-278-3838
For Miami information visit: www.miamiandbeaches.com
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and select Miami hotels cordially invite you to join us for a table top trade show and dinner with round table presentations.
Join us for a fun and educational evening with lots of great prizes.
Please select the show you will attend, complete the form below and fax to: 1-877-278-3838
Wednesday, September 12
SHERATON SUITES
500 Harbor Boulevard
Weehawken, NJ
□
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Invitation is limited to two agents per office – wait list is available if space allows.
If you have any questions, contact Linda Stilmann at Linda@gmcvb.com.
AGENCY: PHONE: ___________________________
ADDRESS: FAX: ______________________________
CITY: STATE: ____ZIP:___________________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT WAIT LIST
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:___________________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
For additional information contact us at:
Fax: 1-877-278-3838 or;
Phone: 1-800-278-3838
For Miami information visit: www.miamiandbeaches.com
Friday, August 17, 2007
Spirit Airlines Complaint
From Gerrie Quade - this was taken from a blog written about Spirit Airlines. It is worth reading. To read the comments posted following the blog, click the title above.
I booked a flight on Spirit Airlines about a week ago out of Orlando to Las Vegas for tomorrow, August 5th. This morning, the 4th, I get a call from Spirit Airlines telling me that my flight was canceled and I needed to call an 800 number to make a new reservation. That's sucks, but hey, that's the reality of the god awful air industry here in the States (Dear Uncle Sam, please stop giving them money and let the free market work. K, thx, bye.)I call the number, go through all the motions hitting the menu items, and then get a message telling me that due to high volume, I should use SpiritAir.com instead. The 800# then hangs up on me. I call back, hitting 0 to talk to an operator, same message, hangs up on me. I try all the appropriate sounding options on their voice mail, and get hung up on every single time. Thanks, Spirit Air! What went from a somewhat understandable situation (relativity is a bitch), now has me pissy. Finally, I try "book new flight" to speak to a spirit airlines sales agent. Sure enough, that one (the option where they take the money) works fine. I get entered into the normal "too many calls" queue and patiently wait my turn.After a long and annoying wait, a young lady answers the phone and starts trying to help me figure out what's up. There's no reason for canceling the flight, there's only one other option -- putting me in Vegas 5 hours past my intended arrival.. The reason I chose Spirit Airlines to begin with. To add to my frustration, it's a flight that I purposely paid more money to avoid (bigger layover, late time, etc). There's no upgrades or anything like that, no option for a partner airline or a transfer, no real attempt at anything. Here's the kicker. They make you pay extra to bring a bag. They refused to even refund this $5 each way fee, not even for one the of ways.So, instead of losing $5 on a customer who has every right to be angry, I'll write this blog post and tell all my traveling buddies to add Spirit Airlines to their growing list of airlines to avoid.
If Google works their magic like they usually do, at least one of the 4,931 daily searches for "Spirit Airlines" will turn up this result and save someone the headache (and hopefully end up costing Spirit Airlines $6 or more). Yay, cluetrain! Seriously, if you are considering saving money by flying Spirit Air, pay the extra $20 and use someone else. It's not worth it.Spirit Airlines can't be counted on, they'll nickel and dime you on things like baggage (seriously.. WTF), and they will make zero effort what so ever to rectify any situation that they create. I'm totally expecting tomorrow to be a complete debacle, and will arrive at the airport extra early. Possibly with boxing gloves (and sadly, $5 for my baggage)Will someone, anyone, please fix air travel?August 5th, 2007 UpdateI arrived at MCO a couple hours early to find a really approachable ticket counter (no line, etc). The young lady at the desk was very helpful. I explained to her that every two years, some college buddies and I get together for a reunion of sorts, and Spirit Airlines was causing me to miss the big first-night get together. She offered to get me a free round trip travel voucher. After going into the back for a few minutes, she returned to inform me that she could not in fact give me a voucher, because the problem originated in Detroit, not Orlando (cue Celly's told-you-so laughter here). She suggested that I try calling the corporate number (where this all started), and trying to complain again (as my buddy Mike suggested to me on Facebook). Breezing through security (Orlando's got it down to a Science), I found myself with a couple hours to kill. Evidently, Spirit Airlines phone system is just as slammed packed at noon on Sunday as it is on a late Saturday afternoon -- I was hung up on with the "We're to busy to give a shit" message once again. I knew that'd be the case, I just felt obligated to try ;). Speaking with a sales agent, I was unable to get a round trip voucher, but I was able to get a $100 credit towards my next Spirit Airlines flight from one of the supervisors. Total time of call was about 35 minutes, once you skip all the fake options and go straight for the sales desk.$100 means that if I have am ever forced to fly Spirit, I can check 5 bags on the day of my flight! ($20/bag day of, $10 in advance). I say that in jest, but I am pleased that if you do complain repeatedly and persistently, they will at least give in somewhere.
A number of people sent me some links involving Spirit's consistently bad customer service though, and I figure I'll share them here:
Woman Sues Spirit Airlines in Small Claims Court and Wins
Read Before You Click
Why Spirit Airlines Sucks (Still Sucking) (Update on Spirit's Suckability)There seems to be a decent amount searching around, but.. whatever. Also, Randall points out that JetBlue and Virgin already fixed air travel... I guess that rules out my hope for Steve Job's iPlane. Anyway, I'm about to board my flight for Vegas by way of Atlantic City. Talk about an itinerary of sin... I wonder if we refuel at a New Orleans whore house? hah! If Spirit loses my baggage, and I have to buy clothes, will I have to pay for the required new baggage on the way home? So many questions.. At least I have $100 in baggage credits now.August 9th, 2007 UpdateThanks to all the folks who left comments sharing their experiences with Spirit. I arrived back this morning after a brutal red eye (all vegas redeyes are). I wanted to chime in and mention my experience with the cramped seating some people have mentioned.If you are over, I donno, 5'10 (I'm about 6 or 6'1), you will feel like a giant on this airline. The seat in front of me came up to about my armpit area. The seats have a pretty cool neck-holder-rest thing that adjusts and confirms like a neck pillow. The problem I ran into was that I couldn't get it to move up, so it just dug into my upper back the whole time. It was a red eye though, so I pretty much slept the whole time anyway. If you are expecting a pillow and or blanket though, bring one yourself, as Spirit doesn't have any (..about right).Summary / ConclusionYes, I did buy the cheapest ticket. No, I did not save any money (add in the baggage fees, and it was actually more expensive). Yes, I got burnt and lost a day of my trip. Yes, I will avoid Spirit Airlines as much as I humanly can. Yes, I will continue to share my experience with friends through conversations, both online and off. If you've had a bad encounter with this airline, I encourage you to join our conversation down in the comments or on your own blog. The only way to improve a business's customer service is to complain about it. Viva la internet.
I booked a flight on Spirit Airlines about a week ago out of Orlando to Las Vegas for tomorrow, August 5th. This morning, the 4th, I get a call from Spirit Airlines telling me that my flight was canceled and I needed to call an 800 number to make a new reservation. That's sucks, but hey, that's the reality of the god awful air industry here in the States (Dear Uncle Sam, please stop giving them money and let the free market work. K, thx, bye.)I call the number, go through all the motions hitting the menu items, and then get a message telling me that due to high volume, I should use SpiritAir.com instead. The 800# then hangs up on me. I call back, hitting 0 to talk to an operator, same message, hangs up on me. I try all the appropriate sounding options on their voice mail, and get hung up on every single time. Thanks, Spirit Air! What went from a somewhat understandable situation (relativity is a bitch), now has me pissy. Finally, I try "book new flight" to speak to a spirit airlines sales agent. Sure enough, that one (the option where they take the money) works fine. I get entered into the normal "too many calls" queue and patiently wait my turn.After a long and annoying wait, a young lady answers the phone and starts trying to help me figure out what's up. There's no reason for canceling the flight, there's only one other option -- putting me in Vegas 5 hours past my intended arrival.. The reason I chose Spirit Airlines to begin with. To add to my frustration, it's a flight that I purposely paid more money to avoid (bigger layover, late time, etc). There's no upgrades or anything like that, no option for a partner airline or a transfer, no real attempt at anything. Here's the kicker. They make you pay extra to bring a bag. They refused to even refund this $5 each way fee, not even for one the of ways.So, instead of losing $5 on a customer who has every right to be angry, I'll write this blog post and tell all my traveling buddies to add Spirit Airlines to their growing list of airlines to avoid.
If Google works their magic like they usually do, at least one of the 4,931 daily searches for "Spirit Airlines" will turn up this result and save someone the headache (and hopefully end up costing Spirit Airlines $6 or more). Yay, cluetrain! Seriously, if you are considering saving money by flying Spirit Air, pay the extra $20 and use someone else. It's not worth it.Spirit Airlines can't be counted on, they'll nickel and dime you on things like baggage (seriously.. WTF), and they will make zero effort what so ever to rectify any situation that they create. I'm totally expecting tomorrow to be a complete debacle, and will arrive at the airport extra early. Possibly with boxing gloves (and sadly, $5 for my baggage)Will someone, anyone, please fix air travel?August 5th, 2007 UpdateI arrived at MCO a couple hours early to find a really approachable ticket counter (no line, etc). The young lady at the desk was very helpful. I explained to her that every two years, some college buddies and I get together for a reunion of sorts, and Spirit Airlines was causing me to miss the big first-night get together. She offered to get me a free round trip travel voucher. After going into the back for a few minutes, she returned to inform me that she could not in fact give me a voucher, because the problem originated in Detroit, not Orlando (cue Celly's told-you-so laughter here). She suggested that I try calling the corporate number (where this all started), and trying to complain again (as my buddy Mike suggested to me on Facebook). Breezing through security (Orlando's got it down to a Science), I found myself with a couple hours to kill. Evidently, Spirit Airlines phone system is just as slammed packed at noon on Sunday as it is on a late Saturday afternoon -- I was hung up on with the "We're to busy to give a shit" message once again. I knew that'd be the case, I just felt obligated to try ;). Speaking with a sales agent, I was unable to get a round trip voucher, but I was able to get a $100 credit towards my next Spirit Airlines flight from one of the supervisors. Total time of call was about 35 minutes, once you skip all the fake options and go straight for the sales desk.$100 means that if I have am ever forced to fly Spirit, I can check 5 bags on the day of my flight! ($20/bag day of, $10 in advance). I say that in jest, but I am pleased that if you do complain repeatedly and persistently, they will at least give in somewhere.
A number of people sent me some links involving Spirit's consistently bad customer service though, and I figure I'll share them here:
Woman Sues Spirit Airlines in Small Claims Court and Wins
Read Before You Click
Why Spirit Airlines Sucks (Still Sucking) (Update on Spirit's Suckability)There seems to be a decent amount searching around, but.. whatever. Also, Randall points out that JetBlue and Virgin already fixed air travel... I guess that rules out my hope for Steve Job's iPlane. Anyway, I'm about to board my flight for Vegas by way of Atlantic City. Talk about an itinerary of sin... I wonder if we refuel at a New Orleans whore house? hah! If Spirit loses my baggage, and I have to buy clothes, will I have to pay for the required new baggage on the way home? So many questions.. At least I have $100 in baggage credits now.August 9th, 2007 UpdateThanks to all the folks who left comments sharing their experiences with Spirit. I arrived back this morning after a brutal red eye (all vegas redeyes are). I wanted to chime in and mention my experience with the cramped seating some people have mentioned.If you are over, I donno, 5'10 (I'm about 6 or 6'1), you will feel like a giant on this airline. The seat in front of me came up to about my armpit area. The seats have a pretty cool neck-holder-rest thing that adjusts and confirms like a neck pillow. The problem I ran into was that I couldn't get it to move up, so it just dug into my upper back the whole time. It was a red eye though, so I pretty much slept the whole time anyway. If you are expecting a pillow and or blanket though, bring one yourself, as Spirit doesn't have any (..about right).Summary / ConclusionYes, I did buy the cheapest ticket. No, I did not save any money (add in the baggage fees, and it was actually more expensive). Yes, I got burnt and lost a day of my trip. Yes, I will avoid Spirit Airlines as much as I humanly can. Yes, I will continue to share my experience with friends through conversations, both online and off. If you've had a bad encounter with this airline, I encourage you to join our conversation down in the comments or on your own blog. The only way to improve a business's customer service is to complain about it. Viva la internet.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Good News for Single Travelers
This was taken from the online service of Travel Agent Magazine from 7/31/07.
GOGO For Solo Travelers
Jul 30, 2007
Travel Agent
GOGO Worldwide Vacations on Friday announced packages tailored specifically for the single traveler. The trips feature the Caribbean, Mexico, the United States and Canada and give solo travelers up to 30 percent off single rates, as well as their own hotel room. A host of activities also are available for booking, including snorkeling, wine tasting and dancing. The impetus for the launch was a noticeable increase in travel agents planning vacations for single travelers, said Tom Hayden, vice president of sales for the company. "[Single travelers] are always looking for a destination that offers a wide variety of activities such as nightlife, entertainment, recreational and experiential activities," he said. Departure dates begin in September.
GOGO For Solo Travelers
Jul 30, 2007
Travel Agent
GOGO Worldwide Vacations on Friday announced packages tailored specifically for the single traveler. The trips feature the Caribbean, Mexico, the United States and Canada and give solo travelers up to 30 percent off single rates, as well as their own hotel room. A host of activities also are available for booking, including snorkeling, wine tasting and dancing. The impetus for the launch was a noticeable increase in travel agents planning vacations for single travelers, said Tom Hayden, vice president of sales for the company. "[Single travelers] are always looking for a destination that offers a wide variety of activities such as nightlife, entertainment, recreational and experiential activities," he said. Departure dates begin in September.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Marketing Tips from Holland America
This was on MailPound today. If you haven't already signed up, it is a free daily email service that provides specials from vendors and other info. www.mailpound.com
"Marketing Tips
5 Tips to Create a Stronger Database and Drive More Business
You don’t need to be a "techno-wizard" to develop a robust and highly targeted database; just know a few common-sense rules. Here are 5 tips to consider to creating an even more effective database:
Make sure you’ve got the most up-to-date information on your clients. Check the accuracy of each client’s name (first and last), address, e-address and phone number. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many databases are out of date, especially with e-addresses.
Look at the RFM (Recency, Frequency and Monetary) behaviors of your current clients. You’ll get the biggest bang for your marketing dollars by staying in touch with those customers who have used your services within the past 12 months rather than those whom you have not heard from within the past 24 months or longer. Consider segmenting customers into how frequently they have used your services and how much revenue they have contributed to your bottom line. Don’t ignore your other clients. Just don’t spend a great deal of time and money sending them direct mail or e-mail as often as your "goldens".
Have a file that tells you what each customer’s travel interest is. Are they "coastal cruisers"…7-day cruisers…10+ -day cruisers? Do they prefer relaxing days at sea…a blend of active and relaxation? Do they want exotic locations…warm climates…historical locales? The more information you have the more targeted your messages can become, and the more you increase your opportunities to build a database of extremely loyal customers who will return to you time after time.
Treat your current customers differently than your prospects. Think of prospects as "window shoppers." You want to provide them with messages that spark their interests, but don’t assume that they are in the same "buying frame" as your current customers. You need to woo prospects. Get them intrigued about your unique selling points, customer service and brand. Again, the more data you have on your prospects (interests, when they are thinking of cruising with Holland America Line, which destination captures their fancy the most) — the more likely they’ll select you as their preferred travel professional.
Make a note on your database as to how your customers wish to be contacted. Do they prefer mail…e-mail…a telephone call…a combination of all three? Do they want to be notified of special events? How often do they want to hear from you?
Remember, you can wow people with great design, catchy and clever headlines and stellar images, but if you are targeting the wrong people, or the right people with the wrong message, your communications will more than likely end up in the round file. Think strategically. Collect pertinent and useful information. You’ll be much more assured of generating more revenue and building a more loyal base of satisfied customers."
"Marketing Tips
5 Tips to Create a Stronger Database and Drive More Business
You don’t need to be a "techno-wizard" to develop a robust and highly targeted database; just know a few common-sense rules. Here are 5 tips to consider to creating an even more effective database:
Make sure you’ve got the most up-to-date information on your clients. Check the accuracy of each client’s name (first and last), address, e-address and phone number. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many databases are out of date, especially with e-addresses.
Look at the RFM (Recency, Frequency and Monetary) behaviors of your current clients. You’ll get the biggest bang for your marketing dollars by staying in touch with those customers who have used your services within the past 12 months rather than those whom you have not heard from within the past 24 months or longer. Consider segmenting customers into how frequently they have used your services and how much revenue they have contributed to your bottom line. Don’t ignore your other clients. Just don’t spend a great deal of time and money sending them direct mail or e-mail as often as your "goldens".
Have a file that tells you what each customer’s travel interest is. Are they "coastal cruisers"…7-day cruisers…10+ -day cruisers? Do they prefer relaxing days at sea…a blend of active and relaxation? Do they want exotic locations…warm climates…historical locales? The more information you have the more targeted your messages can become, and the more you increase your opportunities to build a database of extremely loyal customers who will return to you time after time.
Treat your current customers differently than your prospects. Think of prospects as "window shoppers." You want to provide them with messages that spark their interests, but don’t assume that they are in the same "buying frame" as your current customers. You need to woo prospects. Get them intrigued about your unique selling points, customer service and brand. Again, the more data you have on your prospects (interests, when they are thinking of cruising with Holland America Line, which destination captures their fancy the most) — the more likely they’ll select you as their preferred travel professional.
Make a note on your database as to how your customers wish to be contacted. Do they prefer mail…e-mail…a telephone call…a combination of all three? Do they want to be notified of special events? How often do they want to hear from you?
Remember, you can wow people with great design, catchy and clever headlines and stellar images, but if you are targeting the wrong people, or the right people with the wrong message, your communications will more than likely end up in the round file. Think strategically. Collect pertinent and useful information. You’ll be much more assured of generating more revenue and building a more loyal base of satisfied customers."
Friday, July 20, 2007
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
COME OUT AND PLAY WITH GREATER MIAMI AND THE BEACHES!
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and select Miami hotels cordially invite you to join us for a table top trade show and dinner with round table presentations.
Join us for a fun and educational evening with lots of great prizes.
Please select the show you will attend, complete the form below and fax to: 1-877-278-3838
Monday, September 10 Tuesday, September 11 Wednesday, September 12
SHERATON NEWTON GARDEN CITY HOTEL SHERATON SUITES
320 Washington Street 45 Seventh Street 500 Harbor Boulevard
Newton, MA Garden City, NY Weehawken, NJ
□ □ □
6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Invitation is limited to two agents per office – wait list is available if space allows.
If you have any questions, contact Linda Stilmann at Linda@gmcvb.com.
AGENCY: _________________ PHONE: ___________________________
ADDRESS: ________________ FAX:______________CITY: _______STATE:____ZIP:___________________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT WAIT LIST
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
For additional information contact us at:
Fax: 1-877-278-3838 or;
Phone: 1-800-278-3838
For Miami information visit: www.miamiandbeaches.com
The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and select Miami hotels cordially invite you to join us for a table top trade show and dinner with round table presentations.
Join us for a fun and educational evening with lots of great prizes.
Please select the show you will attend, complete the form below and fax to: 1-877-278-3838
Monday, September 10 Tuesday, September 11 Wednesday, September 12
SHERATON NEWTON GARDEN CITY HOTEL SHERATON SUITES
320 Washington Street 45 Seventh Street 500 Harbor Boulevard
Newton, MA Garden City, NY Weehawken, NJ
□ □ □
6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Invitation is limited to two agents per office – wait list is available if space allows.
If you have any questions, contact Linda Stilmann at Linda@gmcvb.com.
AGENCY: _________________ PHONE: ___________________________
ADDRESS: ________________ FAX:______________CITY: _______STATE:____ZIP:___________________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT WAIT LIST
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
AGENT NAME/TITLE:_________________IATA/CLIA NO:________________
For additional information contact us at:
Fax: 1-877-278-3838 or;
Phone: 1-800-278-3838
For Miami information visit: www.miamiandbeaches.com
Taking the kids -- on a Disney European cruise (CNN)
(Tribune Media Services) -- It's grown-up time.
Disney Magic in the Mediterranean
By Eileen OgintzTribune Media Services
But this is no movie-and-dinner night.
We're in Monaco people-watching and gambling. A member of our group won more than 900 euros at the famous Grand Casino in Monte Carlo. As we sip our pricey drinks at a postcard-perfect outdoor cafe, we expect James Bond, or at least a movie star, to stroll by any minute.
This fantasy-come-true (or at least this very pleasant evening out in a world-famous locale) has been brought to us courtesy of Disney Cruise Line, though Mickey isn't anywhere in the vicinity. We're all passengers aboard the Disney Magic, anchored about a half-hour away, where our kids (at least those under 18 who couldn't come along) are happily ensconced onboard, in supervised activities or, if they're teens, simply hanging with their friends in the ship's teen area, the Stack, complete with smoothie bar, overstuffed couches, music and movies.
We're at the tail end of an 11-day cruise that has taken us from Barcelona through some of Italy and now the French Riviera (there is still limited availability the rest of this summer). Many cruise lines report a growing number of families on their European cruises, but on our ship there are 2,480 passengers, more than 900 of them children -- triple the number on other cruise lines. Well over half of the passengers have cruised Disney before, though the majority have not been to Europe.
"When they get tired, they have their own space and when the kids aren't tired they have their own space," says Julie Levi, cruising from San Diego with her husband, two kids and her parents. "This is such a great way to see places they've read about and to decide where we might want to go back to later. We just want to show the kids the world so they realize the United States isn't the center of the universe."
After 10 days aboard this ship, I can't think of a better way to do exactly that -- and get a little rest and relaxation in the process, thanks to the organized programs for kids. How about creating a wall of art in Italy or making crepes in France? Each child gets a journal packed with fun facts and games. Did you know St. Peter's of Rome is almost as long as two football fields? New pages for that day's port are delivered the night before, complete with words in Italian or French for your kids to learn.
"My kids love it," said Julie Levi, whose daughters are 9 and 11. "They like the idea of reading about something and then going to find it."
And, of course, Minnie Mouse is there to greet you when you get back to the ship. There's also a fireworks display, a Pirates of the Caribbean party, ice cream and chicken fingers all day long and always-smiling waiters who move with you as you move from each of the three restaurants aboard ship.
Sure you only get to spend one (exhausting) day in Rome or Florence, but realistically, how much culture can the kids take at one time? Anchorage, Alaska architect Jeff Koonce originally mapped out a more than two-week trip to Europe that would have taken his wife and two teens from city to city via train. "They would have died on that itinerary," he laughs. "The history is incredible, but they need their sleep."
He also figures that he saved some money because with the dollar so weak against the euro, a trip paid in American dollars that includes transportation, food, lodging and onboard entertainment (yes, there are plenty of Broadway-quality Disney shows) is a good deal. (Disney, www.adventuresbydisney.com, also has land-based European adventures for families with availability this summer, complete with kids' and adult guides.)
Just as important, rather than navigating unfamiliar roads (or train schedules) checking in and out of hotels, seeking restaurants, The Mouse does all the work for you, even organizing your forays into foreign cities, as long as you're willing to tool around with 50 other people. Though some of us opted for private guides (in Tuscany, we had a great time with American Donna Scharnagl from www.discovertuscany.biz), and also enlisted help from www.onestepcloser.net, many are more comfortable letting The Mouse lead the way.
"I know if anything happens -- even a flat tire -- that the ship won't leave without us," said Patricia Pasechnick, a hairdresser from Teaneck, New Jersey, who traveled with her mom and her daughter. "I feel safe."
And that's no small thing for families traveling abroad, especially for the first time.
Just as important to moms, smiling stewards will make your bed, leave animals fashioned out of towels for the kids (yes, there are lessons in this art, too) and serve your meals. Does your teen want three servings of beef tenderloin, or will your 4-year-old eat only plain pasta? No problem.
In fact, if parents have any complaint at all, it's that the tours sometimes are too all encompassing. I discovered that firsthand in Rome with my 13-year-old niece, Erica Fieldman. The trip was her Bat Mitzvah present, but I learned very quickly that if an excursion didn't involve shopping or ice cream, she wasn't interested.
We peeled off from our tour group in Rome at The Forum -- to the guide's consternation -- and did our own mini-tour of the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps -- lots of shopping and ice cream, of course. Then we met up again with the group for the special after-hours tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums that Disney had been able to arrange. Amazing can't begin to describe Michelangelo's ceiling, the centuries-old tapestries and other artwork in the museums. The other teens in the group were busy snapping photos. Erica didn't seem impressed.
Maybe she's too young. Maybe it's because she lives in Las Vegas. Maybe she'll laugh about this "boring " trip to Rome with her aunt when she returns with her own kids.
"The memories won't go away," Jeff Koonce promises.
I can only hope.
(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)
Disney Magic in the Mediterranean
By Eileen OgintzTribune Media Services
But this is no movie-and-dinner night.
We're in Monaco people-watching and gambling. A member of our group won more than 900 euros at the famous Grand Casino in Monte Carlo. As we sip our pricey drinks at a postcard-perfect outdoor cafe, we expect James Bond, or at least a movie star, to stroll by any minute.
This fantasy-come-true (or at least this very pleasant evening out in a world-famous locale) has been brought to us courtesy of Disney Cruise Line, though Mickey isn't anywhere in the vicinity. We're all passengers aboard the Disney Magic, anchored about a half-hour away, where our kids (at least those under 18 who couldn't come along) are happily ensconced onboard, in supervised activities or, if they're teens, simply hanging with their friends in the ship's teen area, the Stack, complete with smoothie bar, overstuffed couches, music and movies.
We're at the tail end of an 11-day cruise that has taken us from Barcelona through some of Italy and now the French Riviera (there is still limited availability the rest of this summer). Many cruise lines report a growing number of families on their European cruises, but on our ship there are 2,480 passengers, more than 900 of them children -- triple the number on other cruise lines. Well over half of the passengers have cruised Disney before, though the majority have not been to Europe.
"When they get tired, they have their own space and when the kids aren't tired they have their own space," says Julie Levi, cruising from San Diego with her husband, two kids and her parents. "This is such a great way to see places they've read about and to decide where we might want to go back to later. We just want to show the kids the world so they realize the United States isn't the center of the universe."
After 10 days aboard this ship, I can't think of a better way to do exactly that -- and get a little rest and relaxation in the process, thanks to the organized programs for kids. How about creating a wall of art in Italy or making crepes in France? Each child gets a journal packed with fun facts and games. Did you know St. Peter's of Rome is almost as long as two football fields? New pages for that day's port are delivered the night before, complete with words in Italian or French for your kids to learn.
"My kids love it," said Julie Levi, whose daughters are 9 and 11. "They like the idea of reading about something and then going to find it."
And, of course, Minnie Mouse is there to greet you when you get back to the ship. There's also a fireworks display, a Pirates of the Caribbean party, ice cream and chicken fingers all day long and always-smiling waiters who move with you as you move from each of the three restaurants aboard ship.
Sure you only get to spend one (exhausting) day in Rome or Florence, but realistically, how much culture can the kids take at one time? Anchorage, Alaska architect Jeff Koonce originally mapped out a more than two-week trip to Europe that would have taken his wife and two teens from city to city via train. "They would have died on that itinerary," he laughs. "The history is incredible, but they need their sleep."
He also figures that he saved some money because with the dollar so weak against the euro, a trip paid in American dollars that includes transportation, food, lodging and onboard entertainment (yes, there are plenty of Broadway-quality Disney shows) is a good deal. (Disney, www.adventuresbydisney.com, also has land-based European adventures for families with availability this summer, complete with kids' and adult guides.)
Just as important, rather than navigating unfamiliar roads (or train schedules) checking in and out of hotels, seeking restaurants, The Mouse does all the work for you, even organizing your forays into foreign cities, as long as you're willing to tool around with 50 other people. Though some of us opted for private guides (in Tuscany, we had a great time with American Donna Scharnagl from www.discovertuscany.biz), and also enlisted help from www.onestepcloser.net, many are more comfortable letting The Mouse lead the way.
"I know if anything happens -- even a flat tire -- that the ship won't leave without us," said Patricia Pasechnick, a hairdresser from Teaneck, New Jersey, who traveled with her mom and her daughter. "I feel safe."
And that's no small thing for families traveling abroad, especially for the first time.
Just as important to moms, smiling stewards will make your bed, leave animals fashioned out of towels for the kids (yes, there are lessons in this art, too) and serve your meals. Does your teen want three servings of beef tenderloin, or will your 4-year-old eat only plain pasta? No problem.
In fact, if parents have any complaint at all, it's that the tours sometimes are too all encompassing. I discovered that firsthand in Rome with my 13-year-old niece, Erica Fieldman. The trip was her Bat Mitzvah present, but I learned very quickly that if an excursion didn't involve shopping or ice cream, she wasn't interested.
We peeled off from our tour group in Rome at The Forum -- to the guide's consternation -- and did our own mini-tour of the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps -- lots of shopping and ice cream, of course. Then we met up again with the group for the special after-hours tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums that Disney had been able to arrange. Amazing can't begin to describe Michelangelo's ceiling, the centuries-old tapestries and other artwork in the museums. The other teens in the group were busy snapping photos. Erica didn't seem impressed.
Maybe she's too young. Maybe it's because she lives in Las Vegas. Maybe she'll laugh about this "boring " trip to Rome with her aunt when she returns with her own kids.
"The memories won't go away," Jeff Koonce promises.
I can only hope.
(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.)
Article from CNN - Travel Troubleshooter: The reservation that wasn't
Yet another reason to use a travel agent! Read on...
By Christopher ElliottTribune Media Services
(Tribune Media Services) -- Beth Zukowski books six airline tickets on AirTran Airways through Expedia. The online agency charges her a booking fee and bills her for flight protection insurance, but fails to buy her tickets. The reason? Her credit card was declined, it says. But her credit card company disputes the story. Now AirTran wants her to pay more than $200 extra to buy new tickets. What should she do?
Q: I bought six airline tickets on AirTran Airways through Expedia. When I got my credit card statement about a month later, I found charges for the Expedia booking fees and the flight protection insurance, but not for the tickets.
It turns out the tickets hadn't been booked. I spent almost four hours on the phone with the online agency trying to find out why there were no tickets. I had to stay on hold because there are no outbound lines at the call center.
AirTran claims my credit card was declined and that they tried to call me. I never received a call or a message, and there is no record of an AirTran call on my caller ID log. I then contacted my bank to see if there were any declines on my credit card. There were none.
The airline offered to rebook at a cost of more than $500 per ticket -- more than $200 more than I originally paid. Or should have paid.
Expedia won't help me either. Is there anything you can do?
-- Beth Zukowski, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
A: Expedia should have booked your tickets, of course. And when it didn't, the online agency should have immediately fixed the problem -- not kept you on hold for hours on end.
Don't Miss
One reason you buy tickets through a site like Expedia instead of directly through an airline is that the online agency will be there to help you when something goes wrong. The company's highly-publicized "Expedia Promise" guarantees, among other things, that you can "count on us to provide support throughout your trip" adding that, "whether you have questions about your itinerary, have a change in travel plans, or need help resolving a problem with the trip you booked, we're here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our job is to satisfy you!"
OK, then.
The implication is that Expedia is as good as -- if not better than -- the travel agent around the corner. But what kind of travel agent charges you a booking fee, plus insurance, but neglects to buy a ticket? What kind of agent puts you on hold for four hours because there are no outbound phone lines?
When Expedia didn't book your tickets, it should have notified you immediately, offering you the option of using a different credit card or canceling the entire transaction. I find it odd, and a little suspicious, that the booking fee and insurance charges showed up on your card without the tickets. To me, that suggests something might have gone wrong with either Expedia or with AirTran, not with your card.
Your case brings up a question that's often raised by readers of this column: What's the value of a reservation? Is it worth the paper it's printed on?
For you, the answers were: not much -- and no.
Based on Expedia's "promise" I think you should have reasonably expected the online agency to fix your booking problem. Your mistake was to stay on the phone with the agency for hours at a time and then allowing it to pass you off to AirTran. Instead, you should have politely but firmly asked for a supervisor when it became apparent that the phone agent you were dealing with didn't have a clue about how to solve your problem.
Better yet, instead of letting Expedia string you along on the phone, you might have considered sending a short, polite e-mail to the online agency explaining your situation and telling it what you think it needed to do in order to resolve your complaint. (I list the e-mail addresses of key Expedia executives on my site at csr.elliott.org.)
I contacted Expedia on your behalf, and it agreed to honor the original ticket price.
Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. E-mail him at celliott@ngs.org
By Christopher ElliottTribune Media Services
(Tribune Media Services) -- Beth Zukowski books six airline tickets on AirTran Airways through Expedia. The online agency charges her a booking fee and bills her for flight protection insurance, but fails to buy her tickets. The reason? Her credit card was declined, it says. But her credit card company disputes the story. Now AirTran wants her to pay more than $200 extra to buy new tickets. What should she do?
Q: I bought six airline tickets on AirTran Airways through Expedia. When I got my credit card statement about a month later, I found charges for the Expedia booking fees and the flight protection insurance, but not for the tickets.
It turns out the tickets hadn't been booked. I spent almost four hours on the phone with the online agency trying to find out why there were no tickets. I had to stay on hold because there are no outbound lines at the call center.
AirTran claims my credit card was declined and that they tried to call me. I never received a call or a message, and there is no record of an AirTran call on my caller ID log. I then contacted my bank to see if there were any declines on my credit card. There were none.
The airline offered to rebook at a cost of more than $500 per ticket -- more than $200 more than I originally paid. Or should have paid.
Expedia won't help me either. Is there anything you can do?
-- Beth Zukowski, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
A: Expedia should have booked your tickets, of course. And when it didn't, the online agency should have immediately fixed the problem -- not kept you on hold for hours on end.
Don't Miss
One reason you buy tickets through a site like Expedia instead of directly through an airline is that the online agency will be there to help you when something goes wrong. The company's highly-publicized "Expedia Promise" guarantees, among other things, that you can "count on us to provide support throughout your trip" adding that, "whether you have questions about your itinerary, have a change in travel plans, or need help resolving a problem with the trip you booked, we're here to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our job is to satisfy you!"
OK, then.
The implication is that Expedia is as good as -- if not better than -- the travel agent around the corner. But what kind of travel agent charges you a booking fee, plus insurance, but neglects to buy a ticket? What kind of agent puts you on hold for four hours because there are no outbound phone lines?
When Expedia didn't book your tickets, it should have notified you immediately, offering you the option of using a different credit card or canceling the entire transaction. I find it odd, and a little suspicious, that the booking fee and insurance charges showed up on your card without the tickets. To me, that suggests something might have gone wrong with either Expedia or with AirTran, not with your card.
Your case brings up a question that's often raised by readers of this column: What's the value of a reservation? Is it worth the paper it's printed on?
For you, the answers were: not much -- and no.
Based on Expedia's "promise" I think you should have reasonably expected the online agency to fix your booking problem. Your mistake was to stay on the phone with the agency for hours at a time and then allowing it to pass you off to AirTran. Instead, you should have politely but firmly asked for a supervisor when it became apparent that the phone agent you were dealing with didn't have a clue about how to solve your problem.
Better yet, instead of letting Expedia string you along on the phone, you might have considered sending a short, polite e-mail to the online agency explaining your situation and telling it what you think it needed to do in order to resolve your complaint. (I list the e-mail addresses of key Expedia executives on my site at csr.elliott.org.)
I contacted Expedia on your behalf, and it agreed to honor the original ticket price.
Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. E-mail him at celliott@ngs.org
Why Sell Groups part 1 - from Travel Trade
Why Sell Groups?
By Doris and Phil Davidoff
This is the first in a series of six articles providing in-depth analysis and practical information for travel agents on the importance of group sales and how to find potential groups, develop programs to meet their needs and operate group trips effectively and profitably.
Future articles will focus on where to find groups, packaging and pricing groups, promoting groups, group operations — handling bookings and operating group tours and cruises, and selling unique groups.
Together, the articles serve as a primer for agents with little or no group sales experience, and also reinforce current skills of experienced agents while providing some new ideas.
•
Generating profits in the travel agency industry has become more and more difficult with each passing year. Travel agents are caught between heavy pressures from suppliers who want to control their costs (our commissions) and clients seeking the lowest possible prices.
It has been more than 12 years since airlines instituted commission cuts that have led to the elimination of most air commissions.
As a result, most small and medium-size travel agencies and virtually all Home Based travel agents are focusing their efforts on leisure travel — cruises, tours and resort vacations.
Travel agents who focus their marketing efforts on the vacation needs of specific target market segments have been able to maintain profitability in the face of pricing pressures from suppliers that are limiting profits. For example, non-commissionable fees (NCFs) of $20 per day or more are now a standard part of cruise pricing.
It’s Hard To Make Money on Ones and Twos
The well-managed leisure-oriented travel agent focuses on cruises and tours. However, a large volume of transactions is necessary to produce profits, unless the agent is selling primarily deluxe cruises and tours at $5,000 to $10,000 or more per couple.
With agency costs constantly increasing while income per transaction is not, it is difficult to make a profit on ones and twos.
For example, a couple purchases a one-week cruise on a contemporary (mass market) cruise ship. They pay a cruise fare of $680 per person and NCFs and taxes of $175 per person. Because of NCFs of $350, travel agent commission is based on the cruise fare of $1,360.
If the agency sells a sufficient number of cruises or meets a specific yearly dollar volume of sales, it will earn 15% of $1,360 — or $204 for selling this cruise. If the agency was only an occasional seller of the cruise line, it would only earn a 10% commission ($136).
Because of the $175 per person NCF charge, the client paid $855 per person ($1,710 total), so the $204 is actually 11.9%, not 15% and the $136 is less than 8% instead of 10%.
If over time, the travel agency sells 15 separate cruises on the same cruise line at the 15% level, total commission is $3,060. To earn this, agents must spend time with 15 couples and process 15 transactions.
Many readers will remember at least hearing about Willie Sutton, one of the most notorious bank robbers of the mid-20th century. After he was arrested, a newspaper reporter asked him, “Why do you rob banks?” His answer was a simple one: “Because that’s where the money is!”
Where the Money Is
Ask experienced group sales agents why they sell groups and they will give you the same answer: “Because that’s where the money is.”
Selling groups will increase agency income. If the same 15 cabins the agency sold individually are sold as a group (15 cabins on the same ship on the same date), the agency earns substantially more than the same $3,060 base commission.
Most cruise lines and many escorted tour operations provide one free cabin or room for every 15 sold. The value in this case is the base fare of $1,360.
Cruise lines offer amenity points that can be used for a variety of extra benefits for group passengers or income for the travel agency. Points can be used, for example, for complimentary cocktail parties, photographs, wine and logo items. They can also be used for bonus commissions, onboard credit, cabin upgrades and reduced free cabin ratios — for example, one free for 10 instead on one free for 15. Higher point levels are provided for low and shoulder season sailings.
If the cruise line provides a $50 bonus per cabin, this will add $750 to your income. Adding this bonus, plus the $1,360 value of the free cabins adds $2,110 to the original $3,060. The actual commission level on the sale is now a healthy 20% on the $25,650 paid by the 15 couples.
Other Benefits to Agents
Increasing agency profit is the major reason for focusing on groups, but there are several other important advantages as well.
Traveling in a group with common interests is a growing trend, especially among baby boomers. Like-minded people like to travel with like-minded people, especially to places of common interest.
The market is huge and growing larger every day. Groups are everywhere and many don’t yet know that they are potential travel groups. They are just waiting for an enthusiastic, innovative agent to get them moving.
Groups rarely “price-shop” a trip after they agree to promote a program with you. Individuals who want to travel with others who have booked your program have no choice. They must book your program to travel with the group. There may be some shopping before agreeing to your program, but there will be little or none once the group “signs” with you, especially if there are cancellation penalties.
An Efficient Sale
Selling groups is a time saver. While it will take more time to develop a group trip for an organization than to work with one client, once the program is accepted, very little time is spent with a single participant. The booking and transaction processing can be accomplished very efficiently.
Groups often travel together every year. Once you have sold a group tour or cruise and operated it successfully, the group will look forward to working with you on their next trip. Since you have already earned their trust, your time invested per participant will be even less on future programs.
Suppliers provide higher levels of service to travel agents who produce groups. Many supplier sales representatives receive significantly higher incentives for group sales than for an equivalent amount of individual sales. Suppliers often provide more support because of the larger amount of business represented by a group.
In general, group sales provide a higher level of professional satisfaction to agents than individual travel sales, and your clients will enjoy themselves traveling with other people who share common interests.
Doris and Phil Davidoff, veteran travel agents, are specialists in groups and have developed GroupTrac, a computer database for processing and controlling all aspects of group travel arrangements. The Davidoffs operate a Home Based niche agency, Fan Club Cruises, and formerly were the co-owners of Belair Travel Consultants in Maryland since 1969. Phil Davidoff is a past president of ASTA.
By Doris and Phil Davidoff
This is the first in a series of six articles providing in-depth analysis and practical information for travel agents on the importance of group sales and how to find potential groups, develop programs to meet their needs and operate group trips effectively and profitably.
Future articles will focus on where to find groups, packaging and pricing groups, promoting groups, group operations — handling bookings and operating group tours and cruises, and selling unique groups.
Together, the articles serve as a primer for agents with little or no group sales experience, and also reinforce current skills of experienced agents while providing some new ideas.
•
Generating profits in the travel agency industry has become more and more difficult with each passing year. Travel agents are caught between heavy pressures from suppliers who want to control their costs (our commissions) and clients seeking the lowest possible prices.
It has been more than 12 years since airlines instituted commission cuts that have led to the elimination of most air commissions.
As a result, most small and medium-size travel agencies and virtually all Home Based travel agents are focusing their efforts on leisure travel — cruises, tours and resort vacations.
Travel agents who focus their marketing efforts on the vacation needs of specific target market segments have been able to maintain profitability in the face of pricing pressures from suppliers that are limiting profits. For example, non-commissionable fees (NCFs) of $20 per day or more are now a standard part of cruise pricing.
It’s Hard To Make Money on Ones and Twos
The well-managed leisure-oriented travel agent focuses on cruises and tours. However, a large volume of transactions is necessary to produce profits, unless the agent is selling primarily deluxe cruises and tours at $5,000 to $10,000 or more per couple.
With agency costs constantly increasing while income per transaction is not, it is difficult to make a profit on ones and twos.
For example, a couple purchases a one-week cruise on a contemporary (mass market) cruise ship. They pay a cruise fare of $680 per person and NCFs and taxes of $175 per person. Because of NCFs of $350, travel agent commission is based on the cruise fare of $1,360.
If the agency sells a sufficient number of cruises or meets a specific yearly dollar volume of sales, it will earn 15% of $1,360 — or $204 for selling this cruise. If the agency was only an occasional seller of the cruise line, it would only earn a 10% commission ($136).
Because of the $175 per person NCF charge, the client paid $855 per person ($1,710 total), so the $204 is actually 11.9%, not 15% and the $136 is less than 8% instead of 10%.
If over time, the travel agency sells 15 separate cruises on the same cruise line at the 15% level, total commission is $3,060. To earn this, agents must spend time with 15 couples and process 15 transactions.
Many readers will remember at least hearing about Willie Sutton, one of the most notorious bank robbers of the mid-20th century. After he was arrested, a newspaper reporter asked him, “Why do you rob banks?” His answer was a simple one: “Because that’s where the money is!”
Where the Money Is
Ask experienced group sales agents why they sell groups and they will give you the same answer: “Because that’s where the money is.”
Selling groups will increase agency income. If the same 15 cabins the agency sold individually are sold as a group (15 cabins on the same ship on the same date), the agency earns substantially more than the same $3,060 base commission.
Most cruise lines and many escorted tour operations provide one free cabin or room for every 15 sold. The value in this case is the base fare of $1,360.
Cruise lines offer amenity points that can be used for a variety of extra benefits for group passengers or income for the travel agency. Points can be used, for example, for complimentary cocktail parties, photographs, wine and logo items. They can also be used for bonus commissions, onboard credit, cabin upgrades and reduced free cabin ratios — for example, one free for 10 instead on one free for 15. Higher point levels are provided for low and shoulder season sailings.
If the cruise line provides a $50 bonus per cabin, this will add $750 to your income. Adding this bonus, plus the $1,360 value of the free cabins adds $2,110 to the original $3,060. The actual commission level on the sale is now a healthy 20% on the $25,650 paid by the 15 couples.
Other Benefits to Agents
Increasing agency profit is the major reason for focusing on groups, but there are several other important advantages as well.
Traveling in a group with common interests is a growing trend, especially among baby boomers. Like-minded people like to travel with like-minded people, especially to places of common interest.
The market is huge and growing larger every day. Groups are everywhere and many don’t yet know that they are potential travel groups. They are just waiting for an enthusiastic, innovative agent to get them moving.
Groups rarely “price-shop” a trip after they agree to promote a program with you. Individuals who want to travel with others who have booked your program have no choice. They must book your program to travel with the group. There may be some shopping before agreeing to your program, but there will be little or none once the group “signs” with you, especially if there are cancellation penalties.
An Efficient Sale
Selling groups is a time saver. While it will take more time to develop a group trip for an organization than to work with one client, once the program is accepted, very little time is spent with a single participant. The booking and transaction processing can be accomplished very efficiently.
Groups often travel together every year. Once you have sold a group tour or cruise and operated it successfully, the group will look forward to working with you on their next trip. Since you have already earned their trust, your time invested per participant will be even less on future programs.
Suppliers provide higher levels of service to travel agents who produce groups. Many supplier sales representatives receive significantly higher incentives for group sales than for an equivalent amount of individual sales. Suppliers often provide more support because of the larger amount of business represented by a group.
In general, group sales provide a higher level of professional satisfaction to agents than individual travel sales, and your clients will enjoy themselves traveling with other people who share common interests.
Doris and Phil Davidoff, veteran travel agents, are specialists in groups and have developed GroupTrac, a computer database for processing and controlling all aspects of group travel arrangements. The Davidoffs operate a Home Based niche agency, Fan Club Cruises, and formerly were the co-owners of Belair Travel Consultants in Maryland since 1969. Phil Davidoff is a past president of ASTA.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Happy Returns for Travel Agents - NY Times Article
July 3, 2007
Happy Returns for Travel Agents
By ABBY ELLIN
Gene Luntz, an artist’s representative in Manhattan who flies six to eight times a year for work, is one of the converts.
After years of booking his travel online, through Web sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia and Priceline.com, he has gone back to using a travel agent.
Yes, they still exist, those people who until the mid-1990s booked about 75 percent of airline tickets and had as much power as God but then seemed at risk of extinction. In fact, many travel agents — or travel specialists, as they are now known — say they have seen an increase in business in the last year or so.
One big reason, they say, is that travelers say they do not have the time or energy to scour the Internet for the best deals. And they crave a personal touch that a disembodied voice in a call center cannot provide. Many of the returning customers offer variations of the tale Mr. Luntz, 60, told.
About two years ago, he said, he bought plane tickets on Priceline.com. The day before he was to leave, he caught a vicious cold. He spent hours on the phone, he said, trying to find someone to help him change his flight. But he was unsuccessful and ended up throwing the tickets away. “Going to the Internet is an absolute nightmare,” Mr. Luntz said.
That is when he called his former travel agent at the Tzell Travel Group in Manhattan. “She’s available for phone calls. She returns calls,” he said. “They take really good care of me, despite the fact that I’m not General Motors. The most amazing thing is that for the price of a Starbucks coffee for my girlfriend and me, I have someone on the other end that can help me, as opposed to a Web site that can give me no response.”
Allen Kay, a spokesman for the Travel Industry Association, a trade group based in Washington, said travel agencies had realigned in the face of competition from online booking. “Travel agencies have gone back to their roots and focused on expertise,” he said.
This is not to say that online travel booking is on the decline. Henry H. Harteveldt, a travel analyst at Forrester Research, said about 77 million of the nearly 141 million American adults who use the Internet and take at least one trip a year will buy their tickets online this year, up from 62.4 million in 2005. He estimated that 64 million people buy all their travel offline.
But, he said, “as the airline centers have scaled back their call centers and it’s harder to get help from the travel providers themselves, finding a travel agent who is knowledgeable and takes the burden off the customer is more valuable than ever.” He said bricks-and-mortar travel agents continue to outsell online travel agents for most airlines and hotels.
At Atlas Travel International, a travel management company with headquarters in Milford, Mass., that works with business and leisure travelers, sales revenue has grown 60 percent from 2005 to 2006, said Elaine Osgood, the chief executive. The Travel Store, in Cincinnati, has had a 50 percent increase in business over the last year; the company recently hired two more employees to help answer the extra calls, many from former customers, said Deborah Morgan, a travel consultant at the shop.
“When you say to them, ‘You were a customer a while back. What happened?’ They say, ‘I went on the Internet and I’d find out the hotels are not what they say they are,’ ” Ms. Morgan said. “Or, ‘It takes too much time.’ ”
Barry Liben, the chief executive of Tzell Travel, a corporate and leisure travel agency with 21 branches across the country, said his company expected to sell about $700 million in airline tickets this year, compared with $300 million five years ago.
“Did some of our clients leave and go to the Net?” he asked. “Yes. But a great percentage have come back because it’s 9 o’clock at night, you’ve just missed your flight, you call Travelocity and see what they’ll do for you, and there’s no one there. If you show up at the Ritz-Carlton and there’s a problem in your room — go call Priceline. No one there. People want service, someone responsible who will answer their problems in a crisis. That’s what top corporate travel companies do.”
Online agencies said they had taken note and were trying to improve customer service. In May 2005, for example, Travelocity officials said, they introduced Customer Championship, which includes a team that contacts travelers before their trip should unforeseen problems arise, like potentially confusing airport terminal changes.
In 2004, Priceline began offering published flight prices in addition to its “name your price” fares. This year, it began working with Zagat to offer hotel reviews, photos, maps and video tours. “The area of expansion is in information,” said Brian Ek, a company spokesman in Norwalk, Conn.
Although many travel agents closed up shop or consolidated after Sept. 11, others found innovative ways to stay afloat. For many of them, that involved persuading corporate clients to use their services rather than the Internet.
Kevin Martin, the owner of Martin Travel Services in Lauderhill, Fla., which caters to business travelers, said his agency lost about half its bookings after Sept. 11. To save the business, which has been in his family for 25 years, he moved into a smaller office, scaled back to four days a week and began promoting his company to corporate executives. “I showed them that their employees should be outsourcing their travel arrangements instead of making an online booking that could take an hour,” he said.
It worked. Today, he said, sales are about $1 million more than they were last year, and he expects them to continue climbing.
Christopher Carmicle, the president of the national accounts and direct imports division at Brown Jordan International in Louisville, Ky., said he did not go anywhere without calling Mr. Martin. He said he learned his lesson in June 2000, when he was bumped from a flight from San Francisco using a ticket he had bought on the Web. “I needed to get back for a birthday party, but I got stuck for a day and a half and I missed it,” Mr. Carmicle, 33, said.
Of course, nothing in life is free. Travel agents, who lost their airline commissions in the mid-1990s when airlines first capped them and then cut them, generally charge from $10 to $75, depending on the transaction. Some also charge a consultation fee, which can then be used toward the purchase of a ticket or package.
But they also offer perks. Agents have given customers cellphones, itineraries, maps and a 24-hour ear in times of crisis.
“I couldn’t do my international travel online,” said Mr. Carmicle, who often flies to China. “I’d be crazy to attempt to.”
Many clients said they wanted help booking more complicated, more expensive trips, especially ones involving international travel.
“When the consumer is making a more expensive choice, more complex and high risk, they’re not just so inclined to push a button,” said Jack Mannix, president and chief executive of the Ensemble Travel Group, an organization of 1,000 travel agencies in the United States and Canada.
“There’s a huge amount of data on the Internet,” Mr. Mannix said, “but there’s a knowledge base between someone’s ears that just can’t be replicated, regardless of how much research you do.”
Traveling with Pets - an article from the NY Times
July 1, 2007
Practical Traveler Readers’ Tips
Traveling With Fluffy or Fido? Be Prepared
By MICHELLE HIGGINS
WITH the summer travel season upon us, many pet owners are facing the question of what to do with the pets when the family goes on vacation. Some choose to take Fido and Fluffy along; others prefer to leave them behind with friends or send them on their own vacations by boarding them at a kennel for pampered pets.
Last month the Practical Traveler column offered tips on traveling with dogs from Cesar Millan, a dog behaviorist better known as National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer. Dozens of readers wrote in and posted their own tips and suggestions at nytimes.com/travel. Some cat owners complained that the column left them out and had hints to pass on to other feline fans. Others had questions about flying pets overseas or as checked baggage. A few took issue with Mr. Millan’s thoughts on sedation. And several shared their experiences about airlines and hotels that were particularly accommodating to their four-legged companions. Here is a sampling of what some had to say, along with a few more tips based on my research and reporting. (Letters have been edited.)
Ron Dylewski from Pittsburgh, Pa., who frequents cat shows and has taken his 20-pound Maine coon cat on the road for more than 40 weekends in the last year, offered these tips:
• Get a soft carrier that has removable wheels. It’s much easier to roll that much weight around than to have it on your shoulder for miles.
• Keep a very close watch on what sort of plane you’ll be on. Many of the regional jets have limited space under the seat, and even if you book a pet ticket online, the lack of space may not be flagged for you. Also, you can be in trouble if the airlines substitute another type of plane at the last minute.
• We generally try to get window or center seats, where the under-the-seat space is better than the aisle seat.
Although Cesar Millan condoned sedating dogs traveling in the airplane cabin — as long as the owner was careful to test the medication and monitor the pet’s reaction to it before traveling — some readers were adamantly opposed.
Kevin O’Brien of PetRelocation.com, which specializes in pet transport, said: “Sedation is by far the worst possible thing you can do to your pet before their long flight. Sedation, mixed with altitude, creates a dangerous cocktail that prevents the animals from using their natural ability to regulate their body temperature and to control their own stress. We suggest that the human take the pill, as the pet will have a better experience than most humans when flying with commercial airlines.”
Alexandra Kovach from Washington, who has a small dog named Ripple that was sedated for a cross-country trip, wrote: “It was really hard on her and her heartbeat slowed and she got so lethargic — it was frightening! She slowly recovered after the flight after getting sick a few times, too.” Ms. Kovach recommended using Calming Essence, an herbal remedy, instead.
Martin Delfin, who said he moved to Madrid from Puerto Rico two years ago with Toby, his “five-kilo mixed terrier,” said the dog “did fine on the eight-hour flight,” having taken half of a Pet Sedate tablet. The only side effect: “He did seem to suffer a day of jet lag (just lay around and slept, like most humans).”
Cesar Millan won’t fly his large dogs, since they must travel as checked baggage or in the cargo hold of the plane. Rather, he prefers to have them travel in a recreational vehicle. But readers who must resort to air travel for their pets wanted some guidelines for large animals on flights.
To help avoid delays and reduce the stress on your pet, book a nonstop flight whenever possible.
During the summer, try to book an early morning, evening or overnight flight, when the temperatures are cooler. Airlines typically will not accept pets as checked baggage or cargo when the temperature is forecast to exceed 85 degrees at any location on the animal’s itinerary. And some airlines will not accept snub-nosed dogs, like Boston terriers, bulldogs or pugs, during the summer as they tend to be particularly sensitive to heat.
FIND out if the country you are visiting has any quarantine or other health requirements by contacting its embassy or a consulate. Pets must be at least eight weeks old and fully weaned before flying within the United States, for example. Dogs must have a certificate showing they have been vaccinated against rabies at least 30 days before entering the United States.
Americans flying to Britain are eligible for the Pet Travel Scheme, or PETS, which allows dogs and cats from certain countries to enter Britain without the normal quarantine, as long as they are fitted with microchip tracking devices and have been vaccinated against and tested for rabies. Information about this program is at http://www.defra.gov.uk/.
For those traveling from Britain, Vanessa K. Will, who relocated from Scotland to Michigan last year with her two border terriers, Ede and Atze, had a suggestion: “The best tip I have is to find a reputable pet relocation specialist in the United Kingdom to handle the booking, etc. It doesn’t cost much more, and they often know the ins and outs in a way that’s very helpful. The people at James Cargo at Heathrow are very helpful (they also run the animal reception center at the airport). ... I did consider taking the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York. They allow dogs in a special kennel area where you can visit them, and they get walked several times a day. Humans are allowed unlimited baggage, and between the cargo and excess luggage charges you’re saving, a small inside cabin comes out to about the same.”
Another reader, Jack McBride, had advice on pet-friendly hotels: “Although some hotels charge extra for pets, it’s worth it, and generally less expensive than putting them in a kennel. The AAA has an excellent guidebook (“Traveling With Your Pet”) that lists pet-friendly accommodations in all states.”
Dale, from Orlando, prefers La Quinta Inns for his two long-haired miniature dachshunds: “The accommodations are minimal, but it beats sneaking the dogs into the room under blankets at the Marriott.”
Related articles: http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/06/25/travel/25journeys.html?fta=y
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/travel/escapes/30pets.html?fta=y
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/travel/15transpets.html?fta=y
Monday, July 16, 2007
Traveling during Hurricane Season
There was an interesting article in the Newark Star Ledger on Sunday 7/15/07 by Fritz Faerber of the Associated Press.
He and his wife were in Playa del Carmen during Hurricane Wilma in October 2005. I remember that time well since I had a couple scheduled to get married in the Riviera Maya that week and were at a resort there with 12 other family members and lived through the hurricane. Lots of gray hair popped up that week!
Needless to say, the author brings up some interesting points about traveling during the hurricane season. I have taken excerpts from the article for your benefit. This can also equate to any type of emergency, both weather related or not.
1. Buy travel insurance to cover emergency expenses such as extra days in the hotel and airline fees.
2. Don't book online. The Faerbers booked though an online travel booking service. When they called the online travel company for help, they were told to call the airline. When they called the airline, they were told to call the booking agency. Mr. Faerber mentioned that the tourists who were evacuated first booked their vacations as packages through big companies.
I do remember those days well. Some tour operators flew chartered planes in to evacuate their clients, if the clients had booked charter air through them as part of their vacation packages.
3. Before leaving home, find 1 person who will be able to serve as your point of contact for information and updates. This way, you only need to make 1 phone call or send 1 email to alert everyone of your whereabouts and status. This point of contact can also pass along updates to your boss, dog sitter and everyone else who needs to know.
I particularly like this suggestion. During the 5 days it took for me to get everyone home, I was getting a zillion calls from all the family members. Had there been 1 point of contact, I could have spent more time working on getting my clients home, rather than explaining the same thing to all family members.
4. Maintain your prospective about what is going on. You can't control the weather and some things are just out of your control. Remember that the people helping you through any hurricane or disaster are living through it themselves. Their families, homes and livelihoods are in danger as well so please remember to thank them for all that they are helping you with.
I would also like to add a couple of my own suggestions:
1. Take extra medication with you. If you are delayed in coming home due to any reason, including storms, airline delays, etc, at least you won't get sick while you are waiting to return home.
2. Take a color copy of your passport with you, just in case your original is lost during the turmoil. Also, leave a copy with your designated contact.
3. Ask me about which travel suppliers offer trip insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. If a major storm is anticipated, you may want to just cancel the vacation in advance.
4. Please bring your insurance information with you in case you need to call the insurance company for anything.
5. Please give my phone # to your designated contact so that they can reach me to let me know what your status is and what help you need from me.
6. Always take a credit card with you, just in case. Debit cards are great but if you have to pay for extra nights in a hotel, food, etc, you might end up exceeding the amount available in your debit card.
7. Please alert your credit/debit card company that you will be traveling out to of the country so that they don't deny charges from overseas.
Try not to worry about what can go wrong with a vacation and focus on the fact that you ARE going on a vacation. We can work through any issues if any arise.
He and his wife were in Playa del Carmen during Hurricane Wilma in October 2005. I remember that time well since I had a couple scheduled to get married in the Riviera Maya that week and were at a resort there with 12 other family members and lived through the hurricane. Lots of gray hair popped up that week!
Needless to say, the author brings up some interesting points about traveling during the hurricane season. I have taken excerpts from the article for your benefit. This can also equate to any type of emergency, both weather related or not.
1. Buy travel insurance to cover emergency expenses such as extra days in the hotel and airline fees.
2. Don't book online. The Faerbers booked though an online travel booking service. When they called the online travel company for help, they were told to call the airline. When they called the airline, they were told to call the booking agency. Mr. Faerber mentioned that the tourists who were evacuated first booked their vacations as packages through big companies.
I do remember those days well. Some tour operators flew chartered planes in to evacuate their clients, if the clients had booked charter air through them as part of their vacation packages.
3. Before leaving home, find 1 person who will be able to serve as your point of contact for information and updates. This way, you only need to make 1 phone call or send 1 email to alert everyone of your whereabouts and status. This point of contact can also pass along updates to your boss, dog sitter and everyone else who needs to know.
I particularly like this suggestion. During the 5 days it took for me to get everyone home, I was getting a zillion calls from all the family members. Had there been 1 point of contact, I could have spent more time working on getting my clients home, rather than explaining the same thing to all family members.
4. Maintain your prospective about what is going on. You can't control the weather and some things are just out of your control. Remember that the people helping you through any hurricane or disaster are living through it themselves. Their families, homes and livelihoods are in danger as well so please remember to thank them for all that they are helping you with.
I would also like to add a couple of my own suggestions:
1. Take extra medication with you. If you are delayed in coming home due to any reason, including storms, airline delays, etc, at least you won't get sick while you are waiting to return home.
2. Take a color copy of your passport with you, just in case your original is lost during the turmoil. Also, leave a copy with your designated contact.
3. Ask me about which travel suppliers offer trip insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. If a major storm is anticipated, you may want to just cancel the vacation in advance.
4. Please bring your insurance information with you in case you need to call the insurance company for anything.
5. Please give my phone # to your designated contact so that they can reach me to let me know what your status is and what help you need from me.
6. Always take a credit card with you, just in case. Debit cards are great but if you have to pay for extra nights in a hotel, food, etc, you might end up exceeding the amount available in your debit card.
7. Please alert your credit/debit card company that you will be traveling out to of the country so that they don't deny charges from overseas.
Try not to worry about what can go wrong with a vacation and focus on the fact that you ARE going on a vacation. We can work through any issues if any arise.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Sticker Shock at Sea vs Travel Trade
'Sticker Shock at Sea' Author Wants Lexus Features at Kia Prices
By Marilyn Green
(Travel Trade’s cruise editor examines the “sticker shock” Conde Nast Traveler columnist Wendy Perrin described in this month’s issue of the magazine.)
"Conde Nast Traveler columnist Wendy Perrin claims in the magazine’s July edition that the expenses she, her husband and two children incurred on a 10-day Caribbean cruise aboard Celebrity Cruises’ Constellation resulted in a cost 54% higher than the base fare.
There are, however, a number of items among her expenses that few would consider “typical.”
Perrin, in her column “The Wendy Perrin Report,” includes dinner for two at the ship’s alternative gourmet restaurant at $220 including wine and tip. The actual fee for the Ocean Liners gourmet restaurant is $30 per person, far less than a similar meal would cost in any comparable land-based restaurant.
It is intended to cover the intensive service and to limit the number of passengers who choose such a dinner to the number that can actually be handled so guests are not disappointed.
Wine and Tip
How Perrin and her husband managed to spend an extra $160 on wine and tip is a little perplexing — either it was a very special wine or a huge tip, and in either case, it was their choice.
Perrin and her husband spent $6 an hour per child for child care while the ship was in port and she and her husband spent $818 for 10 shore excursions for themselves.
The regular children’s program on Celebrity is free of charge and $6 per hour would not be considered an excessive babysitting fee in any hotels I know. Many parents pay more at home.
Perrin and her husband chose the shore excursions they wanted. Again, it would be hard to find any vacation where side trips are complimentary.
She also bought an unlimited soda package at $5 a day — her choice — which sounds like a very good deal, and she and her husband spent $228 on drinks and wine, apart from the gourmet dinner — their choice, once more.
It is true that fees for satellite Internet are costly, but she could have used the ubiquitous Internet cafes in port for a fraction of the price if she’d chosen, and she elected to have additional soft drinks from the minibar and cappuccinos from the coffee bar, which are extra — ordinary coffee is readily available and free.
Trip insurance, which she seems to feel should have been included to make a fair bargain, is not covered by the base price of any vacation I have ever encountered. For one thing, different people require different features on their insurance, and a good agent goes over these features with each client.
Perrin goes to great lengths about gift shop sales announced by flyers, easy to ignore if you aren’t interested — the stateroom does have a wastebasket — and spa personnel urging clients to buy products.
Not Unique to Cruises
Steiner Leisure runs the spa concession on 126 cruise ships, 53 resort spas and two luxury day spas. It is true that they do push products, but it certainly isn’t a practice unique to Steiner, nor unique to cruise ships.
It should be noted that luxury cruises do include some of the features Perrin wanted, and that, even among contemporary lines, there are differences in what is included in the base price. (NCL’s Jewel-class ships, for instance, have complimentary cappuccino and espresso in the buffet area).
One difference is that with the all-inclusive luxury price you pay for the entire package of extras, while with Celebrity, you choose the extras you want to purchase. This is another area where a good agent can advise the client according to the individual’s tastes and needs.
Perrin lists a number of analogous features a buyer might want on a new car, including a long-term warranty, a sunroof and a CD player — options that are in addition to the base price — as were the extras Perrin’s family chose on their cruise. As in other areas of life, you pays your money and you takes your choice."
Just an interesting article for us to be aware of if any of our clients see it in Conde Nast Traveler. Most clients are unaware of the "extras" that they might pay on a cruise but this article by Wendy Perrin just proves that we need to qualify our clients. She and her husband might have preferred Regent where wine in included- but would there have been babysitting for their child? Yes, European cruises will cost more in excursions than the Caribbean, but the client is free to make those choices. Don't let your clients tell you that cruising is too expensive based on this article.
By Marilyn Green
(Travel Trade’s cruise editor examines the “sticker shock” Conde Nast Traveler columnist Wendy Perrin described in this month’s issue of the magazine.)
"Conde Nast Traveler columnist Wendy Perrin claims in the magazine’s July edition that the expenses she, her husband and two children incurred on a 10-day Caribbean cruise aboard Celebrity Cruises’ Constellation resulted in a cost 54% higher than the base fare.
There are, however, a number of items among her expenses that few would consider “typical.”
Perrin, in her column “The Wendy Perrin Report,” includes dinner for two at the ship’s alternative gourmet restaurant at $220 including wine and tip. The actual fee for the Ocean Liners gourmet restaurant is $30 per person, far less than a similar meal would cost in any comparable land-based restaurant.
It is intended to cover the intensive service and to limit the number of passengers who choose such a dinner to the number that can actually be handled so guests are not disappointed.
Wine and Tip
How Perrin and her husband managed to spend an extra $160 on wine and tip is a little perplexing — either it was a very special wine or a huge tip, and in either case, it was their choice.
Perrin and her husband spent $6 an hour per child for child care while the ship was in port and she and her husband spent $818 for 10 shore excursions for themselves.
The regular children’s program on Celebrity is free of charge and $6 per hour would not be considered an excessive babysitting fee in any hotels I know. Many parents pay more at home.
Perrin and her husband chose the shore excursions they wanted. Again, it would be hard to find any vacation where side trips are complimentary.
She also bought an unlimited soda package at $5 a day — her choice — which sounds like a very good deal, and she and her husband spent $228 on drinks and wine, apart from the gourmet dinner — their choice, once more.
It is true that fees for satellite Internet are costly, but she could have used the ubiquitous Internet cafes in port for a fraction of the price if she’d chosen, and she elected to have additional soft drinks from the minibar and cappuccinos from the coffee bar, which are extra — ordinary coffee is readily available and free.
Trip insurance, which she seems to feel should have been included to make a fair bargain, is not covered by the base price of any vacation I have ever encountered. For one thing, different people require different features on their insurance, and a good agent goes over these features with each client.
Perrin goes to great lengths about gift shop sales announced by flyers, easy to ignore if you aren’t interested — the stateroom does have a wastebasket — and spa personnel urging clients to buy products.
Not Unique to Cruises
Steiner Leisure runs the spa concession on 126 cruise ships, 53 resort spas and two luxury day spas. It is true that they do push products, but it certainly isn’t a practice unique to Steiner, nor unique to cruise ships.
It should be noted that luxury cruises do include some of the features Perrin wanted, and that, even among contemporary lines, there are differences in what is included in the base price. (NCL’s Jewel-class ships, for instance, have complimentary cappuccino and espresso in the buffet area).
One difference is that with the all-inclusive luxury price you pay for the entire package of extras, while with Celebrity, you choose the extras you want to purchase. This is another area where a good agent can advise the client according to the individual’s tastes and needs.
Perrin lists a number of analogous features a buyer might want on a new car, including a long-term warranty, a sunroof and a CD player — options that are in addition to the base price — as were the extras Perrin’s family chose on their cruise. As in other areas of life, you pays your money and you takes your choice."
Just an interesting article for us to be aware of if any of our clients see it in Conde Nast Traveler. Most clients are unaware of the "extras" that they might pay on a cruise but this article by Wendy Perrin just proves that we need to qualify our clients. She and her husband might have preferred Regent where wine in included- but would there have been babysitting for their child? Yes, European cruises will cost more in excursions than the Caribbean, but the client is free to make those choices. Don't let your clients tell you that cruising is too expensive based on this article.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Travel Agents are Making a Comeback - from Smart Money 6/07 issue
WHEN SHE WAS PLANNING her birthday trip to New York City, Caroline Koons Forrest started where most of us do: online. She checked everything from Hotels.com to the Four Seasons' site. No luck. Everything was booked solid, outrageously priced or completely unfamiliar to her (the Days Hotel, anyone?). So the West Palm Beach architectural designer did something she hadn't done in ages: switched off her computer and called a local travel agent. Minutes later Stacy Small of Elite Travel International phoned back with a room at her first-choice hotel, the Four Seasons, at half the $1,600 price tag for a suite Forrest had spotted on the web. The icing on the cake? An actual birthday cake, which awaited Forrest and her husband when they entered their room.
After more than a decade of decline, the humble travel agent is staging a comeback. Frustrated with the recent rash of sold-out hotels and airline seats, travelers are discovering that for all the hype, web sites like Hotels.com, Orbitz and Travelocity are losing some of their edge, especially when it comes to high-end locations. And customer displeasure is starting to show; growth in the once red-hot online travel business is cooling, up 20% last year after a 28% increase in 2004. Enter the travel agent, the most savvy of whom can use longtime connections to secure that "sold out" room or coveted aisle seat. Written off as dinosaurs not so long ago, agents are seeing a welcome bump in business, with the 2006 average weekly sales per agent location up 15% over the year before. High-end travel is turning up as well, with members of Virtuoso, a consortium of more than 300 luxury agencies, racking up $4.2 billion in sales last year, an 11% jump over 2005.
Many agents have become a specialized bunch, some offering adrenaline-fueled adventure trips, others pricey safaris. Travelers come to Stacy Small for high-end requests like a line on a Tuscan villa or a lesson with the best ski instructor in St. Moritz. Other agents go after even thinner slices of the travel pie, with specialties ranging from twins-only cruises to kosher dude ranches. Linda Androlia of Sunstone Tours in Malibu, Calif., books nothing but small cruises to wildlife-rich spots like Alaska or the Galapagos. But fair warning: Such expertise comes at a price. Some agents charge anywhere from $150 to redeem a frequent-flier award to a $500 consulting fee for arranging customized trips.
For an industry that was all but left for dead, any recovery is quite a shift. In the 1980s, agents were the gatekeepers of travel, booking nearly 80% of all airline tickets. That changed in the mid-1990s, when airlines began hacking away at the commission rate until it finally disappeared after 9/11. At the same time, the first online travel agencies started to gain traction, and consumers began to discover that they could book their own tickets just as easily — and often for less. Sales plummeted, and the number of agency locations dropped by nearly 50% between 1996 and 2006.
Setting the stage for the agency renaissance is a booming travel market that has vacationers scrambling to find room at the inn. Airports are mobbed, with the major U.S. carriers filling 79% of seats last year, the highest rate since World War II. At the same time, hotel occupancy rates hit their loftiest mark in nearly a decade last year, according to Smith Travel Research. It doesn't hurt that agent-friendly businesses such ascruise lines are also growing, with a record 12.6 million people expected to take a cruise this year.
And while travel web sites point to their service alerts and 24-hour hotlines, traditional agents often have the upper hand when it comes to dealing with the mounting travel hassles. Ellison Poe, president of Poe Travel in Little Rock, Ark., recently fielded a desperate call from client Terry Harris, a marketing vice president who was en route to a meeting in Cuba when a hurricane stranded him in Miami. With all the nonstop flights out of commission, Poe had to get creative, ultimately managing to get Harris to Cuba by way of Mexico City. "I can't imagine booking a trip without her," says Harris.
Paris Deluxe
Do travel agents really earn their keep? We put three to the test, asking them to arrange a midsummer trip to Paris, including a deluxe hotel and an inexpensive round-trip fare from New York. Then we went online to see what kind of bargains we could find on our own.
ASAP TravelJacksonville, Fla.
Air India, $793
Radisson SAS Hotel Champ Elysees, $389
By far the cheapest flight. ASAP usually charges $30 per plane ticket but waives the fee if you also book a hotel.
Family-Friendly VacationsMesa, Ariz.
Continental, $1,098
Starhotels Castille, $336
We thought we might get a good deal at a family-friendly hotel (this one lets one child under 11 stay free), and indeed, it's our most affordable option.
Elite Travel International West Palm Beach, Fla.
Continental, $895
Four Seasons Hotel George V, $871
Beat Expedia's rates, but the savings were more than canceled out by fees: $150-per-person consulting charge, plus $60 per plane ticket.
Travelocity
Continental, $1,108
InterContinental Paris Le Grand, $347
Travelocity appeared to offer the Air India flight for $840, but when we tried to book, the price jumped to $1,782 (Travelocity says airline fares can change at a moment's notice). The site also gave us only one luxury-hotel option.
Expedia.com
Continental, $1,103
Four Seasons Hotel George V, $917
We had the same problem with the Air India flight, but we found Expedia's hotel selection far larger than Travelocity's.
Richard Turen of Churchill and Turen — who prefers the term "vacation consultant" — says it's the white-glove extras that matter at his Naperville, Ill., agency. Not only does he claim to have the pull to get clients space in sold-out properties, but he also promises VIP treatment when they arrive. Turen says he won't use computerized reservation systems, insisting on contacting a hotel manager personally. He sends clients binders detailing each step of the trip, down to diagrams of every airport. At places where the walk between terminals is "interminable" — such as Hong Kong International — he'll even arrange for a golf cart to greet guests at the gate so they won't have to hoof it. Malaka Hilton, an Egypt specialist and president of Admiral Travel in Sarasota, Fla., visits the country at least once a year, often leading her own tours. Over the years Hilton has added more and more well-known Egyptians to her Rolodex; her clients can expect anything from a reception at the home of former First Lady Jehan Sadat to a day in the field with famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.
But for all the perks and special treatment offered by this new breed of agent, there's some old baggage for travelers to contend with. Agents still earn commissions, including so-called overrides, the extra-large fees awarded to those who bring the most customers to a specific supplier. Overrides are a red flag to many critics, who wonder what's to stop agents from pushing all of their customers toward whatever earns the biggest bonus. And when not offering actual payouts, suppliers still woo agents with discounted or free trips and incentive specials, like the recent $60,000 sweepstakes offered by Trafalgar Tours, where agents earned chances to win with each Trafalgar booking they brought in.
What's more, all the pampering comes at a price. Where most agents used to be paid strictly by commission, they now charge $25 to $45 for a basic airline ticket. Some have imposed other, steeper fees, like Michelle Voon at GoCarefree Travel, who charges $50 to $75 an hour, or Strong Travel Services in Dallas, where the flat fee for a customized trip starts at $250 per client. Meanwhile, high-end travel-guide provider Nota Bene is launching an invitation-only agency with what founder Anthony Lassman describes as "significant" joining and annual membership fees. And it's not just the higher charges that bother critics. Fees imply that it's only the customer who's compensating the agent, says Christopher Elliott, hostof What You Get for the Money: Vacations on the Fine Living network, when the reality is that the agent is also getting commissions from hotels, cruise lines and others. "They're basically serving two masters," he says.
Agents say that with airline commissions disappearing, they had no choice but to start charging. Travelers could always book themselves, but for many, a couple hundred dollars is a small price to pay. "How much is your time worth?" asks Tony Poe of Poe Travel. When it comes to the influence of override commissions and other perks, agents point out that they rely on referrals and repeat business, so sending clients on a subpar trip is not in their best interest. Besides, the wealth of information online allows customers to double-check prices and agents' recommendations. Joe Brancatelli, publisher of travel web site JoeSentMe.com, puts it this way: "Now you can tell in a second if they're in somebody's back pocket."
After more than a decade of decline, the humble travel agent is staging a comeback. Frustrated with the recent rash of sold-out hotels and airline seats, travelers are discovering that for all the hype, web sites like Hotels.com, Orbitz and Travelocity are losing some of their edge, especially when it comes to high-end locations. And customer displeasure is starting to show; growth in the once red-hot online travel business is cooling, up 20% last year after a 28% increase in 2004. Enter the travel agent, the most savvy of whom can use longtime connections to secure that "sold out" room or coveted aisle seat. Written off as dinosaurs not so long ago, agents are seeing a welcome bump in business, with the 2006 average weekly sales per agent location up 15% over the year before. High-end travel is turning up as well, with members of Virtuoso, a consortium of more than 300 luxury agencies, racking up $4.2 billion in sales last year, an 11% jump over 2005.
Many agents have become a specialized bunch, some offering adrenaline-fueled adventure trips, others pricey safaris. Travelers come to Stacy Small for high-end requests like a line on a Tuscan villa or a lesson with the best ski instructor in St. Moritz. Other agents go after even thinner slices of the travel pie, with specialties ranging from twins-only cruises to kosher dude ranches. Linda Androlia of Sunstone Tours in Malibu, Calif., books nothing but small cruises to wildlife-rich spots like Alaska or the Galapagos. But fair warning: Such expertise comes at a price. Some agents charge anywhere from $150 to redeem a frequent-flier award to a $500 consulting fee for arranging customized trips.
For an industry that was all but left for dead, any recovery is quite a shift. In the 1980s, agents were the gatekeepers of travel, booking nearly 80% of all airline tickets. That changed in the mid-1990s, when airlines began hacking away at the commission rate until it finally disappeared after 9/11. At the same time, the first online travel agencies started to gain traction, and consumers began to discover that they could book their own tickets just as easily — and often for less. Sales plummeted, and the number of agency locations dropped by nearly 50% between 1996 and 2006.
Setting the stage for the agency renaissance is a booming travel market that has vacationers scrambling to find room at the inn. Airports are mobbed, with the major U.S. carriers filling 79% of seats last year, the highest rate since World War II. At the same time, hotel occupancy rates hit their loftiest mark in nearly a decade last year, according to Smith Travel Research. It doesn't hurt that agent-friendly businesses such ascruise lines are also growing, with a record 12.6 million people expected to take a cruise this year.
And while travel web sites point to their service alerts and 24-hour hotlines, traditional agents often have the upper hand when it comes to dealing with the mounting travel hassles. Ellison Poe, president of Poe Travel in Little Rock, Ark., recently fielded a desperate call from client Terry Harris, a marketing vice president who was en route to a meeting in Cuba when a hurricane stranded him in Miami. With all the nonstop flights out of commission, Poe had to get creative, ultimately managing to get Harris to Cuba by way of Mexico City. "I can't imagine booking a trip without her," says Harris.
Paris Deluxe
Do travel agents really earn their keep? We put three to the test, asking them to arrange a midsummer trip to Paris, including a deluxe hotel and an inexpensive round-trip fare from New York. Then we went online to see what kind of bargains we could find on our own.
ASAP TravelJacksonville, Fla.
Air India, $793
Radisson SAS Hotel Champ Elysees, $389
By far the cheapest flight. ASAP usually charges $30 per plane ticket but waives the fee if you also book a hotel.
Family-Friendly VacationsMesa, Ariz.
Continental, $1,098
Starhotels Castille, $336
We thought we might get a good deal at a family-friendly hotel (this one lets one child under 11 stay free), and indeed, it's our most affordable option.
Elite Travel International West Palm Beach, Fla.
Continental, $895
Four Seasons Hotel George V, $871
Beat Expedia's rates, but the savings were more than canceled out by fees: $150-per-person consulting charge, plus $60 per plane ticket.
Travelocity
Continental, $1,108
InterContinental Paris Le Grand, $347
Travelocity appeared to offer the Air India flight for $840, but when we tried to book, the price jumped to $1,782 (Travelocity says airline fares can change at a moment's notice). The site also gave us only one luxury-hotel option.
Expedia.com
Continental, $1,103
Four Seasons Hotel George V, $917
We had the same problem with the Air India flight, but we found Expedia's hotel selection far larger than Travelocity's.
Richard Turen of Churchill and Turen — who prefers the term "vacation consultant" — says it's the white-glove extras that matter at his Naperville, Ill., agency. Not only does he claim to have the pull to get clients space in sold-out properties, but he also promises VIP treatment when they arrive. Turen says he won't use computerized reservation systems, insisting on contacting a hotel manager personally. He sends clients binders detailing each step of the trip, down to diagrams of every airport. At places where the walk between terminals is "interminable" — such as Hong Kong International — he'll even arrange for a golf cart to greet guests at the gate so they won't have to hoof it. Malaka Hilton, an Egypt specialist and president of Admiral Travel in Sarasota, Fla., visits the country at least once a year, often leading her own tours. Over the years Hilton has added more and more well-known Egyptians to her Rolodex; her clients can expect anything from a reception at the home of former First Lady Jehan Sadat to a day in the field with famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.
But for all the perks and special treatment offered by this new breed of agent, there's some old baggage for travelers to contend with. Agents still earn commissions, including so-called overrides, the extra-large fees awarded to those who bring the most customers to a specific supplier. Overrides are a red flag to many critics, who wonder what's to stop agents from pushing all of their customers toward whatever earns the biggest bonus. And when not offering actual payouts, suppliers still woo agents with discounted or free trips and incentive specials, like the recent $60,000 sweepstakes offered by Trafalgar Tours, where agents earned chances to win with each Trafalgar booking they brought in.
What's more, all the pampering comes at a price. Where most agents used to be paid strictly by commission, they now charge $25 to $45 for a basic airline ticket. Some have imposed other, steeper fees, like Michelle Voon at GoCarefree Travel, who charges $50 to $75 an hour, or Strong Travel Services in Dallas, where the flat fee for a customized trip starts at $250 per client. Meanwhile, high-end travel-guide provider Nota Bene is launching an invitation-only agency with what founder Anthony Lassman describes as "significant" joining and annual membership fees. And it's not just the higher charges that bother critics. Fees imply that it's only the customer who's compensating the agent, says Christopher Elliott, hostof What You Get for the Money: Vacations on the Fine Living network, when the reality is that the agent is also getting commissions from hotels, cruise lines and others. "They're basically serving two masters," he says.
Agents say that with airline commissions disappearing, they had no choice but to start charging. Travelers could always book themselves, but for many, a couple hundred dollars is a small price to pay. "How much is your time worth?" asks Tony Poe of Poe Travel. When it comes to the influence of override commissions and other perks, agents point out that they rely on referrals and repeat business, so sending clients on a subpar trip is not in their best interest. Besides, the wealth of information online allows customers to double-check prices and agents' recommendations. Joe Brancatelli, publisher of travel web site JoeSentMe.com, puts it this way: "Now you can tell in a second if they're in somebody's back pocket."
Sunday, June 17, 2007
CIE Irish Spirit Tour of Southern Ireland
Irish Spirit Tour of Ireland with CIE
May 31 – June 8, 2007
Note: we had a wonderful tour of Southern Ireland, booked through CIE Tours. We added an extra day in Dublin, prior to the start of our tour. I would recommend this trip to anyone, especially those who are visiting Ireland for the first time. I think the youngest age that would appreciate this tour is around 12 years (and up). Young children would not find it fun to ride the coach and might be disruptive to the rest of the passengers. The youngest one on our tour was 18, a recent high school graduate. The hotels we stayed in were the Mespil in Dublin, the Killarney Towers Hotel in Killarney, and the Marriott Courtyard in Galway.
May 31 – June 8, 2007
Note: we had a wonderful tour of Southern Ireland, booked through CIE Tours. We added an extra day in Dublin, prior to the start of our tour. I would recommend this trip to anyone, especially those who are visiting Ireland for the first time. I think the youngest age that would appreciate this tour is around 12 years (and up). Young children would not find it fun to ride the coach and might be disruptive to the rest of the passengers. The youngest one on our tour was 18, a recent high school graduate. The hotels we stayed in were the Mespil in Dublin, the Killarney Towers Hotel in Killarney, and the Marriott Courtyard in Galway.
The Mespil was nice, clean, and had very good food. They provided free internet usage for their guests staying there.
The Killarney Towers was my least favorite of the three. The rooms were clean, but the maid did not come in to make up the room. We were there two nights and when we returned the first day from our tour, they were only starting to make up the rooms. The food was just okay; the plates way too hot to handle on the buffet line; and the dining room was way too crowded with tables for anyone to sit comfortably. The hotel was also uncomfortably warm. They did have an exercise room and pool/hot tub/steam room available for guests.
The Marriott Courtyard was our favorite. The rooms were clean, the staff very friendly, and the food was very good. It was just a short walk to the center of town from the hotel. They also had a spa on property but we did not have time to take advantage of it. There was internet available for a nominal fee.
Below is my write up of our trip. There are links to some of the sites mentioned.
May 31, 2007
Tommy, Kevin, and I left home for Newark airport at 6:30 pm, for a 10:05 pm overnight flight to Dublin. When we arrived, the plane was scheduled to be “on-time”. So we checked our luggage and went to the “diner” at the airport and had our dinner. When we went to the gate our plane was not there yet. The departure was changed from 10:05 to 10:30, then to 11:30. We finally boarded the plane and once onboard were given the bad news from the captain: there was an airport delay, and although the earlier flight delays were 4 hours, we only had a 2 hour delay (that was the good news?!). So we sat on the plane and the flight attendants brought us water, pretzels, peanuts, the usual. We finally took off at 2 am, saw the movie (The Pursuit of Happyness – it was very good) and had our in flight dinner, followed by breakfast. They cut off ½ hour of flying time, and we arrived in Dublin at 1 pm.
June 1, 2007
We landed at Dublin airport and found our driver, Sean (we had a private transfer arranged). Sean gave us a narrative, all the while cracking a few jokes, as he drove us through the city of Dublin to our hotel. We checked in to the Mespil Hotel. There was a double bed plus a twin in each room. Then we left to walk in to the city center. We ate lunch at Foley’s Bar (http://www.foleysbar.com )on Merrion Row and had our first taste of Irish food and a pint of Guinness. We had coffee afterward – we were asked if we wanted it black or white – with white meaning “with cream”, sort of a cappuccino style. Foley’s dates back to the late 1700’s and was originally the site of a Gallows, situated close to the Huguenot Cemetery.
While in the city we window shopped, crossed the bridge over the canal to see the Tall Ships docked there. We went to Archbishop Ryan Park in Merrion Square and saw Oscar Wilde’s statue with a nearby inscription: “I can resist anything except temptation”. We finally walked back to our hotel and our feet were dragging! After arriving back at our hotel, Tommy and Kevin fell asleep, Kevin for the night. Tommy woke up around 9:00 and we went downstairs to have dinner in the hotel.
June 2, 2007 (start of the tour)
This morning, we once again walked in to the city before our tour was to start. We went to the National Museum of Archeology. The exhibition galleries included artifacts dating from 7000 B.C., tracing the development of Irish civilization from the arrival of the first people in the Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age to late Medieval Ireland. One of the exhibits was “bog bodies”.
About Bog Bodies: (excerpted from www.mummytombs.com) Bog bodies or mummies are accidental mummies, made only by nature. Bogs provide an interesting burial environment. At first glance, a bog may look like solid ground, but it isn't; it's quite spongy and may feel as if it's going to give way. That's because, under the surface, a bog is made up of about 90 percent water. The water is filled with peat (decaying plant matter).
Although the bog mummies were buried below the surface, immersed in the bog water, their remains did not decay. Why? First, the bog-watery environment does not permit the growth of bacteria that will help decay flesh. Second, the bog water contains certain acids that act to tan the skin (much the same way as cowhide is tanned to produce leather). If the natural bacteria action is prevented and the skin is tanned, the conditions are right for producing a mummy.
Although the bog mummies were buried below the surface, immersed in the bog water, their remains did not decay. Why? First, the bog-watery environment does not permit the growth of bacteria that will help decay flesh. Second, the bog water contains certain acids that act to tan the skin (much the same way as cowhide is tanned to produce leather). If the natural bacteria action is prevented and the skin is tanned, the conditions are right for producing a mummy.
However, much may also depend on the water table of the bog. Over thousands of years, it will raise and lower; the longer a bog mummy is above of the water table, the less well-preserved it may become over time. Many other factors may be involved, and scientists are still trying to understand the complete preservation process in a bog.
One final note: even a bog skeleton is considered a bog mummy by scientists studying these mummies. A bog skeleton is often produced in a fen, while a non-decayed bog mummy will only come from a bog.
Bog mummies are often quite well preserved, arguably even better preserved than almost all Egyptian mummies. But the issue that seems to attract most attention to these mummies is the nature of their death and burial: were they human sacrifices or are there other explanations to account for their deaths.
· We met with our tour group and our tour leader/driver, Patrick Cooney at 3 pm. Our first stop was the Guinness Storehouse. Storehouse means where the fermentation process occurs in which the yeast is added to the beer. We learned how they brew the beer, tasted their current promotion, the Northstar (third in a series of four brews), and had a pint of Guinness on the 7th floor, in the Gravity Bar, which has a panoramic view of Dublin.
· After a short hotel break, we were on our way to the Jameson’s Distillery, which was founded in 1780. We were greeted with a drink of the famous whiskey, had a great tour of the distillery, learned why Irish whiskey is better than all others!, and then had dinner and were entertained by Irish singers and dancers, where we finished off with an Irish coffee.
June 3, 2007
This was the only day it rained. Our other days were sunny and between 68 and 72 degrees. This morning we had a tour of Dublin City with a local tour guide, Kay.
Some highlights:
· The “Doors of Dublin” ~ all the doors are painted with bright colors. It is said that this is a result of a revolt against the British. The Irish had been told to paint their doors black because of national mourning over the queen’s death. Rather than obey these orders, the Dubliners painted them in the brightest colors possible. Another story goes that the wives wanted the doors painted different colors so their husbands would recognize their own home after a night on the town.
· Molly Malone statue ~ Molly was a fishmonger who died of a fever and is known as the tart with the cart, the trollop with the scallop, the dish with the fish.
· St Patrick’s Cathedral ~ once a Catholic cathedral but it was changed to the Anglican Church of England. Jonathan Swift (“Treasure Island” author) is buried in the cathedral next to his first love, Stella. He was dean of the Church for many years. There are many worn Union Jack flags hanging in the Church.
· Trinity College and the Book of Kells ~ the Book of Kells was written by Irish monks in the 9th century. It is a Latin translation of the four Gospels and is beautifully illustrated.
· Lunch at O’Neills ~ I had the Irish Beef Stew with Guinness. They gave me enough to feed all of us.
· National Gallery of Ireland ~ houses the national collection of Irish art and European master paintings.
· Did you know? The Vikings made gold coins but had no pockets and nowhere to put their money. So they melted beeswax and put it in their armpit hair, then attached the coins to the wax. I think pockets would have been easier!
June 4, 2007
We left Dublin after an early breakfast and had a beautiful day to go to Killarney. We drove through the Irish countryside past many farms.
Highlights:
· Rock of Cashel ~ a church ruins composed of limestone. Cork City was having its 1st marathon in 21 years, so we were a little stuck in traffic, but nothing like we have here in the U.S.
· Blarney Castle ~ The castle is just outside of Cork. We climbed up the steps and explored the castle before kissing the Blarney Stone (Kevin would not kiss it – too many rumors about it). The Blarney House is also on the property. It was built in 1874 by the then current owners of the Castle. They found the Castle too uncomfortable to live in, so the built the mansion instead. It is still owned by descendents of that family and they still live there. They allow private tours of the home.
· Blarney Woollen Mills ~ Lots of sweaters, capes, caps, and other souvenirs. We had lunch there as well.
· Dinner that evening was at our hotel, the Killarney Towers, then we went next door to O’Donoghue’s Pub for Irish entertainment. We left O’Donoghue’s after a while to find more entertainment, but it turned out our hotel had the best. Some of the other pubs had bands playing Johnny Cash (a favorite of the Irish) and the Doors (House of the Rising Sun).
We stayed at the Killarney Towers Hotel. The rooms were fine, but this hotel was very warm – a/c did not work very well. The restaurant was crowded with tables too close together, and the room was also very warm. The food was okay.
June 5, 2007
Theme of the day: “You only need an inch; any more and it’s a waste”
· The drive around the Ring of Kerry ~ was beautiful, but the roads were extremely narrow and bumpy. We had to back up to let a farm tractor through, and our driver said “You only need an inch; any more and it’s a waste”. The mountains and farms were beautiful and there were sheep everywhere. Some sheep were being herded past us on the street by a dog.
· We went to the Skellig Experience (Valentia Island, Co Kerry, Ireland)
· Moll’s Gap - the rocks at Moll's Gap have been rounded as the glacier from Kenmare moved over them giving a dramatic form. We also saw Killarney’s three lakes. We were back by 5:30 and had dinner at the hotel, followed by another evening at O’Donoghue’s.
June 6, 2007
· We left Killarney and drove to take the ferry across the River Shannon. The ride is about 20 minutes. You might see dolphins while on the ferry (unfortunately, we didn’t).
· We then went to the Cliffs of Moher ~ When we arrived there was a dense fog but we checked out the visitor center first, and when we came out the fog had lifted. You can see the Aran Islands from here, a group of 3 islands where they speak only Gaelic. We ate lunch there, then continued on to see the Burren, a limestone terraced land that was once an ancient seabed. We saw houses with thatched roofs (becoming more popular). The people were very friendly.
· After dinner at our hotel in Galway, the Marriott Courtyard, which was the nicest and newest of the three, a few of us went out to the Quay, a pub on Quay Street. They had excellent Irish music there, and the band has come over and played in Morristown, NJ, and in Boston. It was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel to the center of Galway.
June 7, 2007
· We took a 1 ½ hour ride on a catamaran Killary Harbour Cruise along Ireland’s only fjord, the Killary Fjord. This is where the movie Tristan & Isolde was filmed in 2003. We saw salmon fisheries while on the cruise.
· Then we went on to Connemara and saw how they cut marble (http://www.connemaramarble.com/ ). The marble was various shades of green, some rose, and a few black. The black marble is very rare and has shells within it.
· Next we went to Connemara Celtic Crystal and saw a demonstration on how the masters cut crystal. This family run business has, for over a quarter of a century, been pioneering the incorporation of Celtic designs and Gaelic motifs into its ornate Irish Crystal. It is proud to claim clear leadership in this field. The ride along this part of Ireland is bumpy, and some of the roads are dirt ones. Rhododendrons grow wild along the sides of the roads. Galway Bay was filled with beautiful swans.
· Back in Galway we visited Galway Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral which is one of the largest and most impressive buildings in the city. Built between 1958 and 1965, it stands on the site of the old city jail. The architecture of the Cathedral draws on many influences. The dome and pillars reflect a Renaissance style. Other features, including the rose windows and mosaics, echo the broad tradition of Christian art. The Cathedral dome, at a height of 145 ft, is a prominent landmark on the city skyline.
· After dinner at our hotel we once again walked in to the city, this time with even more people from our tour group. We went to Kings Head Pub which dates its roots back 800 years.
June 8, 2007
This morning we had an early breakfast, followed by our transfer to Shannon Airport. We checked our luggage and waited with some of those we met on the tour. Our flight home was uneventful, thankfully!
We met a lot of nice people on our tour, and we were especially entertained by our tour guide, Pat, with his narratives, jokes, stories, and singing.
Arthur Guinness and the founding of the Brewery (excerpted from the Guinness website http://www.guinnessstorehouse.com/whats_inside.htm )Arthur Guinness was born in 1725 near Dublin in the town of Celbridge, county Kildare where his father, Richard Guinness, was a Land Steward. Part of Richard's duties were to supervise the brewing of beer for the workers on the estate and it is probable that young Arthur first learnt the art of brewing from his father. The brewing industry in Dublin at that date was suffering because English beer was taxed less severely than the home-produced product. Arthur was not, however, deterred. He decided to acquire what was then a small, disused and ill-equipped brewery at St James's Gate. The lease, signed on 31 December 1759, was for 9000 years at an annual rent of £45. To start with, Arthur brewed ale, but by the 1770s a new drink, a strong black beer called porter, was being exported from London. Arthur decided to brew this new beer himself. He proved extremely successful and right into his seventies Arthur continued to be active in supervising his business at the Brewery, now assisted by three of his sons. Arthur had married an heiress, Olivia Whitmore, and had 21 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood. When he died in 1803, he left a considerable personal fortune of about £23,000 and an extremely flourishing business which later generations of his family were to develop, following the example of initiative and enterprise set by its founder.
Brief history of Ireland and Dublin:
The first settlement of Ireland took place around 6000 B.C by hunters and fishermen along the east coast. There is a pre-Christian burial site dating back 4000 years ago. The Gaels came around 600 – 150 B.C. and subdued the previous inhabitants.
Dublin was called Eblana in the 2nd century. The Vikings (who were traders) regularly raided Ireland and did much to develop Dublin, Cork, and Waterford. They settled in Dublin in 841 A.D. It was named Dubh Linn which means black pool. The dark appearance of the River Poddle which is now a subterranean river under Dublin Castle gave rise to the name. Dublin’s Irish name is Baile ´ Atha Cliath meaning town of the hurdle ford. This refers to hurdles used to cross the River Liffey. Brian Boru, Ireland’s High King, defeated the Vikings and their influence faded.
In the 12th century Normans arrived and controlled large parts of Ireland which then came under the King of England’s political authority. This was followed by hundreds of years worth of revolt, culminating in the 1916 Easter Rising where a republic was declared in Dublin and an armed insurrection took place. In 1918 the General Election swept aside the Irish Parliamentary Party causing a war of national independence. By the time the Anglo-Irish Treaty was concluded in 1921, six counties in Ulster had been given their own Northern pre-parliament, with the remaining 26 counties forming the Irish Free State. Since then Ireland struggled until the end of the 20th century when Ireland’s economy turned for the better and Celtic pride has since flourished.
Gaelic is the native Irish language. It evolved from Celtic settlers (600 B.C.) and survived the Norse and Viking invasions, but was almost wiped out by English rule. It is now becoming more widely spoken and all the street signs have both English and Gaelic on them.
· The “Doors of Dublin” ~ all the doors are painted with bright colors. It is said that this is a result of a revolt against the British. The Irish had been told to paint their doors black because of national mourning over the queen’s death. Rather than obey these orders, the Dubliners painted them in the brightest colors possible. Another story goes that the wives wanted the doors painted different colors so their husbands would recognize their own home after a night on the town.
· Molly Malone statue ~ Molly was a fishmonger who died of a fever and is known as the tart with the cart, the trollop with the scallop, the dish with the fish.
· St Patrick’s Cathedral ~ once a Catholic cathedral but it was changed to the Anglican Church of England. Jonathan Swift (“Treasure Island” author) is buried in the cathedral next to his first love, Stella. He was dean of the Church for many years. There are many worn Union Jack flags hanging in the Church.
· Trinity College and the Book of Kells ~ the Book of Kells was written by Irish monks in the 9th century. It is a Latin translation of the four Gospels and is beautifully illustrated.
· Lunch at O’Neills ~ I had the Irish Beef Stew with Guinness. They gave me enough to feed all of us.
· National Gallery of Ireland ~ houses the national collection of Irish art and European master paintings.
· Did you know? The Vikings made gold coins but had no pockets and nowhere to put their money. So they melted beeswax and put it in their armpit hair, then attached the coins to the wax. I think pockets would have been easier!
June 4, 2007
We left Dublin after an early breakfast and had a beautiful day to go to Killarney. We drove through the Irish countryside past many farms.
Highlights:
· Rock of Cashel ~ a church ruins composed of limestone. Cork City was having its 1st marathon in 21 years, so we were a little stuck in traffic, but nothing like we have here in the U.S.
· Blarney Castle ~ The castle is just outside of Cork. We climbed up the steps and explored the castle before kissing the Blarney Stone (Kevin would not kiss it – too many rumors about it). The Blarney House is also on the property. It was built in 1874 by the then current owners of the Castle. They found the Castle too uncomfortable to live in, so the built the mansion instead. It is still owned by descendents of that family and they still live there. They allow private tours of the home.
· Blarney Woollen Mills ~ Lots of sweaters, capes, caps, and other souvenirs. We had lunch there as well.
· Dinner that evening was at our hotel, the Killarney Towers, then we went next door to O’Donoghue’s Pub for Irish entertainment. We left O’Donoghue’s after a while to find more entertainment, but it turned out our hotel had the best. Some of the other pubs had bands playing Johnny Cash (a favorite of the Irish) and the Doors (House of the Rising Sun).
We stayed at the Killarney Towers Hotel. The rooms were fine, but this hotel was very warm – a/c did not work very well. The restaurant was crowded with tables too close together, and the room was also very warm. The food was okay.
June 5, 2007
Theme of the day: “You only need an inch; any more and it’s a waste”
· The drive around the Ring of Kerry ~ was beautiful, but the roads were extremely narrow and bumpy. We had to back up to let a farm tractor through, and our driver said “You only need an inch; any more and it’s a waste”. The mountains and farms were beautiful and there were sheep everywhere. Some sheep were being herded past us on the street by a dog.
· We went to the Skellig Experience (Valentia Island, Co Kerry, Ireland)
· Moll’s Gap - the rocks at Moll's Gap have been rounded as the glacier from Kenmare moved over them giving a dramatic form. We also saw Killarney’s three lakes. We were back by 5:30 and had dinner at the hotel, followed by another evening at O’Donoghue’s.
June 6, 2007
· We left Killarney and drove to take the ferry across the River Shannon. The ride is about 20 minutes. You might see dolphins while on the ferry (unfortunately, we didn’t).
· We then went to the Cliffs of Moher ~ When we arrived there was a dense fog but we checked out the visitor center first, and when we came out the fog had lifted. You can see the Aran Islands from here, a group of 3 islands where they speak only Gaelic. We ate lunch there, then continued on to see the Burren, a limestone terraced land that was once an ancient seabed. We saw houses with thatched roofs (becoming more popular). The people were very friendly.
· After dinner at our hotel in Galway, the Marriott Courtyard, which was the nicest and newest of the three, a few of us went out to the Quay, a pub on Quay Street. They had excellent Irish music there, and the band has come over and played in Morristown, NJ, and in Boston. It was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel to the center of Galway.
June 7, 2007
· We took a 1 ½ hour ride on a catamaran Killary Harbour Cruise along Ireland’s only fjord, the Killary Fjord. This is where the movie Tristan & Isolde was filmed in 2003. We saw salmon fisheries while on the cruise.
· Then we went on to Connemara and saw how they cut marble (http://www.connemaramarble.com/ ). The marble was various shades of green, some rose, and a few black. The black marble is very rare and has shells within it.
· Next we went to Connemara Celtic Crystal and saw a demonstration on how the masters cut crystal. This family run business has, for over a quarter of a century, been pioneering the incorporation of Celtic designs and Gaelic motifs into its ornate Irish Crystal. It is proud to claim clear leadership in this field. The ride along this part of Ireland is bumpy, and some of the roads are dirt ones. Rhododendrons grow wild along the sides of the roads. Galway Bay was filled with beautiful swans.
· Back in Galway we visited Galway Cathedral, a Catholic cathedral which is one of the largest and most impressive buildings in the city. Built between 1958 and 1965, it stands on the site of the old city jail. The architecture of the Cathedral draws on many influences. The dome and pillars reflect a Renaissance style. Other features, including the rose windows and mosaics, echo the broad tradition of Christian art. The Cathedral dome, at a height of 145 ft, is a prominent landmark on the city skyline.
· After dinner at our hotel we once again walked in to the city, this time with even more people from our tour group. We went to Kings Head Pub which dates its roots back 800 years.
June 8, 2007
This morning we had an early breakfast, followed by our transfer to Shannon Airport. We checked our luggage and waited with some of those we met on the tour. Our flight home was uneventful, thankfully!
We met a lot of nice people on our tour, and we were especially entertained by our tour guide, Pat, with his narratives, jokes, stories, and singing.
Arthur Guinness and the founding of the Brewery (excerpted from the Guinness website http://www.guinnessstorehouse.com/whats_inside.htm )Arthur Guinness was born in 1725 near Dublin in the town of Celbridge, county Kildare where his father, Richard Guinness, was a Land Steward. Part of Richard's duties were to supervise the brewing of beer for the workers on the estate and it is probable that young Arthur first learnt the art of brewing from his father. The brewing industry in Dublin at that date was suffering because English beer was taxed less severely than the home-produced product. Arthur was not, however, deterred. He decided to acquire what was then a small, disused and ill-equipped brewery at St James's Gate. The lease, signed on 31 December 1759, was for 9000 years at an annual rent of £45. To start with, Arthur brewed ale, but by the 1770s a new drink, a strong black beer called porter, was being exported from London. Arthur decided to brew this new beer himself. He proved extremely successful and right into his seventies Arthur continued to be active in supervising his business at the Brewery, now assisted by three of his sons. Arthur had married an heiress, Olivia Whitmore, and had 21 children, 10 of whom survived into adulthood. When he died in 1803, he left a considerable personal fortune of about £23,000 and an extremely flourishing business which later generations of his family were to develop, following the example of initiative and enterprise set by its founder.
Brief history of Ireland and Dublin:
The first settlement of Ireland took place around 6000 B.C by hunters and fishermen along the east coast. There is a pre-Christian burial site dating back 4000 years ago. The Gaels came around 600 – 150 B.C. and subdued the previous inhabitants.
Dublin was called Eblana in the 2nd century. The Vikings (who were traders) regularly raided Ireland and did much to develop Dublin, Cork, and Waterford. They settled in Dublin in 841 A.D. It was named Dubh Linn which means black pool. The dark appearance of the River Poddle which is now a subterranean river under Dublin Castle gave rise to the name. Dublin’s Irish name is Baile ´ Atha Cliath meaning town of the hurdle ford. This refers to hurdles used to cross the River Liffey. Brian Boru, Ireland’s High King, defeated the Vikings and their influence faded.
In the 12th century Normans arrived and controlled large parts of Ireland which then came under the King of England’s political authority. This was followed by hundreds of years worth of revolt, culminating in the 1916 Easter Rising where a republic was declared in Dublin and an armed insurrection took place. In 1918 the General Election swept aside the Irish Parliamentary Party causing a war of national independence. By the time the Anglo-Irish Treaty was concluded in 1921, six counties in Ulster had been given their own Northern pre-parliament, with the remaining 26 counties forming the Irish Free State. Since then Ireland struggled until the end of the 20th century when Ireland’s economy turned for the better and Celtic pride has since flourished.
Gaelic is the native Irish language. It evolved from Celtic settlers (600 B.C.) and survived the Norse and Viking invasions, but was almost wiped out by English rule. It is now becoming more widely spoken and all the street signs have both English and Gaelic on them.
Some famous Dubliners:
Samuel Beckett, Nobel Prize
winning playwright and poet (Waiting for Godot)
Maeve Binchy, author (well known for Circle of Friends)
Christy Brown, whom the movie “My Left Foot” was about; he had cerebral palsy and wrote and painted with his left foot
Seamus Heaney, poet and Nobel Prize winner
Marian Keyes, novelist
James Joyce, novelist and well known for A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (his autobiography) and Ulysses
Bram Stoker, author of Dracula
Jonathan Swift, author and dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral
Oscar Wilde, well known for his The Importance of Being Earnest
William Butler Yeats, 20th century poet
Miscellaneous, but nonetheless interesting:
The Irish claim that America was first discovered by an Irishman, St Brendan, the Navigator, in the 6th century. http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/58/04712670/0471267058.pdf
Palm trees grow year round in Ireland. Apparently due to the mild climate, there is rarely any snow and the ground doesn’t freeze, so palm trees thrive.
Things we did not visit, but must visit on our next trip:
Dublin Jail (Kilmainham Gaol) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmainham_Gaol
Bram Stoker Experience http://www.thebramstokerdraculaexperience.com/
Samuel Beckett, Nobel Prize
winning playwright and poet (Waiting for Godot)
Maeve Binchy, author (well known for Circle of Friends)
Christy Brown, whom the movie “My Left Foot” was about; he had cerebral palsy and wrote and painted with his left foot
Seamus Heaney, poet and Nobel Prize winner
Marian Keyes, novelist
James Joyce, novelist and well known for A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (his autobiography) and Ulysses
Bram Stoker, author of Dracula
Jonathan Swift, author and dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral
Oscar Wilde, well known for his The Importance of Being Earnest
William Butler Yeats, 20th century poet
Miscellaneous, but nonetheless interesting:
The Irish claim that America was first discovered by an Irishman, St Brendan, the Navigator, in the 6th century. http://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/58/04712670/0471267058.pdf
Palm trees grow year round in Ireland. Apparently due to the mild climate, there is rarely any snow and the ground doesn’t freeze, so palm trees thrive.
Things we did not visit, but must visit on our next trip:
Dublin Jail (Kilmainham Gaol) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmainham_Gaol
Bram Stoker Experience http://www.thebramstokerdraculaexperience.com/
To watch a photoshow of the pictures from our trip, click here (or cut and paste): http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/bd5Ve5KS