Crystal Cruises is offering a wellness cruise in on September 5th onboard the Crystal Symphony. Leading experts and instructors from The Mayo Clinic, Tai Chi Cultural Center, and even the world of professional baseball are on the roster. Double occupancy promotional cruise fares for the 14-day cruise – including free air from 20 cities and the $1,000 bonus spending credit – start at $5,710 per person.Posts Tagged ‘travel agency’
Catch Up on the Latest Travel Industry News
Friday, March 5th, 2010Crystal Cruises is offering a wellness cruise in on September 5th onboard the Crystal Symphony. Leading experts and instructors from The Mayo Clinic, Tai Chi Cultural Center, and even the world of professional baseball are on the roster. Double occupancy promotional cruise fares for the 14-day cruise – including free air from 20 cities and the $1,000 bonus spending credit – start at $5,710 per person.Delta Hiking Fees – Again
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Beginning on Tuesday, for tickets purchased after January 5, 2010, Delta will be raising prices by $8 for the 1st bag and $7 additional for the 2nd bag. This brings their total fees to $23 for the first bag and $32 for the second bag. If you don’t pay the fee ahead of time, you will have to pay an extra $2 to $3 per suitcase at the airport, regardless of whether you check your bags at the curb, a kiosk or ticket counter.
Elite frequent fliers, first class fliers and certain other customers, including active military personnel on deployment, are exempt from the fees. The domestic bag fee increase applies to travel in coach class within the 50 states, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Airlines are nickel and diming customers on so many items now…will it influence what airline you book?
Travel Attic: Nice and the French Riviera
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
The cities & seaside resort areas of the French Riviera are so unique, that I thought I would recap my visit, which was many years ago, but is still fresh in my mind.
The view of the Alps as you approach Nice is a treat as is the view of the seacoast prior to landing. Nice is actually a very unpretentious pleasant city that one feels at home in immediately. There are individual neighborhoods and if the signs weren’t in French, it could be anywhere USA. Along the Promenade Anglais, there are very expensive hotels and fabulous private homes. This is the avenue along the Mediterranean so it’s very prime real estate. Once you walk a few blocks into the town, it’s just a series of retailers and lots of great bakeries and restaurants. There is a Promenade within the city that offers more of the same but without cars, Just lots of French people and their dogs…
Monte Carlo is the most exclusive and wealthy of all. It’s quite beautiful and as clean as can be but I didn’t feel very comfortable there as the people are sooo rich, we regular folk just don’t fit in.
I was fortunate enough to have time to visit two famous villages. One is Eze, a medieval hilltop that juts out 1,491 ft. over the Mediterranean Sea and has narrow, winding lanes and hidden passageways. Amazing to see, charming and very pricey. There are a couple of hotels, restaurants, art studios and shops.
The other village is St Paul de Vence in Provence. It is also a hilltop village only it is, like Nice, a real place with real people. The shops are for the locals, not tourists and everything, even the fresh produce, looks like a picture postcard. Visit the sumptuous Colombe d’Or where the famous painters used to meet. This fascinating village attracts talented and discerning artists from around the world.
A lot of the other names that ring a bell are really nothing special. For instance, St. Tropez is world famous but it’s just a fishing village with small boats and locals dining outdoors. The rich tourists, as best as I can guess, aren’t actually staying there, or I just missed seeing them …
Definitely a wonderful experience.
Win An All Inclusive Ski Vacation
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
American Airlines is pleased to help customers travel in style this ski season with the Other Side of Vail and Beaver Creek sweepstakes, showcasing three great opportunities for winners and their guests to enjoy the Vail and Beaver Creek complete resort experience.
Running now through Jan. 15, 2010, the Other Side of Vail and Beaver Creek sweepstakes will feature three events in Vail and Beaver Creek, Colo. One grand-prize winner will get the opportunity to attend all three events with three guests, while three first-prize winners will each get to go to one of the events with a guest. Customers may enter for a chance to win by registering online at www.aa.com/vaileventspromo.
Featured events for the sweepstakes include:
- The “Master Chef Classic” presented by Bon Appetit, featuring a chef competition and Grand tasting, held on Beaver Creek Mountain.
- “Carnivail,” which celebrates Fat Tuesday with a studded parade, crawfish boil, and concerts on Vail Mountain.
- The “Spring Back to Vail” event – the last big party of the season – with the World Championships of Pond Skimming and concerts on Vail Mountain.
- The Other Side of Vail and Beaver Creek sweepstakes grand prize winner will win a trip for four to all three events and three first prize winners will win a trip for two to one event. Each trip includes:
- Enough AAdvantage® miles for round trip domestic tickets
- Lodging in a luxurious Vail or Beaver Creek resort
- An Adventure Session that will offer a guided ski tour around the mountain
- Ski lift tickets and ski rentals
- Ground transportation
Customers can receive one sweepstakes entry by registering at www.aa.com/vaileventspromo. Registrants may also earn additional entries by purchasing a flight to Eagle County and/or Denver on AA.com during the promotional period, and by referring a friend to the sweepstakes. Up to five total entries are permitted.
For more information and sweepstakes rules, visit. www.aa.com/vaileventspromo.
Argentina Imposes New Fee for Travelers
Monday, December 28th, 2009
Starting today, the government of Argentina will charge a reciprocity fee to all American, Australians and Canadians who arrive at the Buenos Aires airport. The reciprocal fee will be $131 for Americans, $100 for Australians and $70 for Canadians. Why the different rates? The fee is equal to what Argentines pay to get to those countries. The fee will be collected upon arrival at the airport and can be paid in Argentinean pesos, US dollars, credit cards or travelers checks. This fee is good for the life of your passport.
Argentina is not the first in South America to implement fees. Chile is $131 for travelers arriving by air, Bolivia is $135 for a visa, Paraguay is $65 for a visa and Brazil is $150 for a visa. Lima and Montevideo are now currently the only ones with “fee-free” entry.
Read the Fine Print!
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
I just read an article on CNN written by Christopher Elliott regarding a family that asked for help in waiving an airline/consolidator penalty of $535 each ($2,675 total for 5).
The story had a nice ending, as Mr. Elliott was able to get the client a full refund, but not all stories end this way.
Clients need to be aware of penalties. When we book reservations for our clients, not only do we provide them with a confirmation, but also the Terms and Conditions for each supplier, as cancellation penalties vary. At times, there are 5 to 10 pages for the client to read over, but all of this is done prior to booking the reservation.
Furthermore as the article mentions, if there is any chance you may have to cancel your trip, a consolidator is not the way to go when booking airline tickets, as their penalties are usually higher than booking with the airline directly.
Final thoughts…no one can anticipate or predict the future. Be prepared and have piece of mind, by purchasing travel insurance for every trip! Suppliers such as Travel Guard & Access America offer add-ons to several of their plans that allow you to cancel for work reasons or even cancel for “any reason” and receive up to 75% of your penalties back. Make sure and speak to a travel professional on the best coverage to protect your investment.
Click here to read the article.
Booking With Atlas
Friday, March 13th, 2009With all of the options to book your travel needs, why should you go through Atlas Cruises & Tours?
Here’s why:
Your On-Going Consultant & Advocate
Your travel agent is your planning consultant. Agents are service providers who give you their time and expertise, and are with you from the moment you begin planning your trip until the day you get home, all at no additional cost to you. You have a job, a family and other things to worry about. Let a travel agent spend the hours needed to research your trip to ensure you are getting the best value, while creating a memorable trip.
How many of you have booked online and then had to make a change or had a question? How hard was it to get a “live” person familiar with your reservation? Did you spend valuable time on hold and transferred from one person to another to try to get assistance? Did you insure your purchase? Stuck at the airport? Lost luggage? Questions about what to pack? One call to your travel agent/advocate, and they can assist you with even the smallest details.
Prefer to book on your own? Atlas offers many online booking options for tours, cruises and vacations with one key difference…we assign an experienced agent to each online reservation and give clients a direct toll-free line to this agent, so if you need help, it is just one quick phone call away.
Complete, Non-Biased Information at no Additional Charge
Travel agents have complete access to all airlines and travel suppliers, unlike going to an individual web site that only provides limited information on specific products. We can give you the largest selection of packages to each destination of interest, while shopping for the most recent promotions to ensure you are getting the best prices. We also have years of consumer feed back so we can point out the best companies to travel with.
Has an airline ever made a last minute schedule change you were not aware of? Did you know that at times prices can drop on a cruise before you depart on your trip and you can pay less than the original booking price? Your agent always checks on your reservation to make you aware of any changes. Working with your travel agent can keep you informed, saving you time and effort.
Travel Agents Build Relationships
Travel agents build long-term relationships with their clients & suppliers, similar to accountants, lawyers or financial planners. A travel agent becomes very familiar with your likes and dislikes, as well as budget and special needs to ensure each vacation is a memorable experience. Travel agents also build long term relationships with travel companies. Atlas has built strong relationships with key suppliers over the past 18 years. These relationships can be invaluable if a problem should arises with a reservation, where exceptions and solutions can be made to accommodate a client. A hotel chain for example may not do a favor for an individual, however for a travel company that books hundreds of clients per year, exceptions and solutions come easier. Supplier relationships can also at times give agents access to better amenities for their clients including upgrades, better pricing and package inclusions.
Knowledge Goes Beyond the Basics
Our experienced travel agents can offer advice on a much broader range of expertise. On average, travel consultants at Atlas Cruises & Tours have been in the business for over 25 years and have traveled to places around the world. Questions such as “Can I arrange a private tour in Paris”, “Do I need a Visa for a particular destination?” and “Does anyone offer culinary experiences in Italy?” are questions that can be answered by an experienced agent. Keep in mind there is no additional cost for using a travel agent’s expertise. Our agents participate in monthly educational seminars both destination and supplier specific, to make sure they are aware of the latest products and offerings in the industry.
Personal Information is Safe, Secure and Stored to Save You Time
Our agents have a secure profile on each client. Your personal information such as your travel memberships, payment details, etc… is stored in a secure database and can be retrieved for each reservation saving you time and effort. Our agents can also assist you in setting up new frequent flyer accounts and other memberships as needed. Passport lost or stolen while you are away? For all clients that travel abroad, we will have the information on hand to assist you in replacing your travel documentation. Whenever possible, we also pre-arrange your airline seating and any special needs as noted in your record.
Enhance Your Travel Experience
Our travel agents have a large selection of tour and cruise departures that include extras such as complimentary transfers, onboard credits, highlight dinners, shore excursions and more. Celebrating a birthday or anniversary while away? Our agents can help make special arrangements for cakes, decorations and more. For repeat clients, we always make sure to have a flower arrangement, gift or their favorite bottle of wine waiting for them upon arrival.
Let us show you the Atlas Difference!
Why I Disagree with 2009 Being a ‘naycation’ Year
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008I came across this article on CNN on the 9 reasons people will not be traveling next year. There are some good points, but I would like to suggest a different point of view.
We all agree that 2008 has brought about drastic economic changes in this country. However, we find that consumers are still traveling.
Vacation budgets: It’s hard to imagine setting aside money for a vacation, but small adjustments make it very possible to include a vacation in your budget. Cosmos tours recently launched a campaign called “A little change could go a long way.” Cut out just a few stops at the specialty coffee shops and you an enjoy a delectable taste of the real thing on the other side of the globe. 20 grand lattes = 1 grand day in Italy or a couple of days on a National Park tour. It’s that simple.
The article points out that people feel uncertain about the future. After 9/11 we as a country learned that life brings unexpected challenges, tragedies and fear, but these emotions in many cases bring people together, and makes families and individuals want to enjoy their lives more. Even as we were uncertain of the security in our country and what the the future would bring, there was a significant increase in pregnancies after the terrorist attacks. Logic would have suggested the opposite – why bring a child into an uncertain world? You could argue that uncertainty makes people realize the value of living a meaningful and fulfilling life, providing a constant source for inspiration to work hard towards these goals.
Staying at home and seeing local attractions can be monotonous, so people will want to venture away from home. Why not take a driving vacation through New England or the National Parks? Rafting trips in the Midwest are also very affordable. A good travel agent can help you think “out of the box” and find the right trip for your family.
The article mentions that deals are good, but consumers feel they could be lower. Cruises are going for as low as $99 for 3 days…we just booked a client on a 3 day NCL cruise in March, balcony cabin for $306 pp and the promotion included a $40 ship board credit. Worried about onboard expenses? You can go on a cruise and spend little money out of pocket. Read our blog for some great ways to save while on your next cruise!
Another point, was that people don’t feel like traveling right now. Each time a new ship came out this year we saw a spike in interest to experience them. We were part of the Inaugural cruises for both the Celebrity Solstice and Ruby Princess, and consumer excitement in both of these ships was evident with the surge of bookings for these ships. The Oasis of the Sea is not sailing until November 2009, but consumers could not wait to begin booking the world’s largest cruise ship when reservations opened in September of this year.
Stress! Plunging markets. Shaky mortgages. Pricey bailouts. The financial crisis is taking a toll on budgets, but could also be affecting people’s health. Stress has been linked to overeating, heart disease, high blood pressure, depression and more. Relaxation is key, and what better way to relax than to take a short vacation?
Hiking, biking, river rafting, cooking and wine tours have all increased in popularity over the past several years. We also see increased bookings for family travel to the Galapagos, Alaska, Costa Rica, Canada, Hawaii and Europe as these itineraries ensure that there are plenty of activities for both adults and children. People are interested in travel, they just seem to be looking for new destinations and experiences.
The article also suggests that the travel industry is not offering enough incentives. Early payment discounts, payment plans and incentives are in place for several tour companies and cruise lines. For the month of January, many cruise lines have not only lowered fares, but they are reducing the deposit required by 50% to make a reservations. The airline industry should be dropping prices as they start to purchase new fuel contracts at lower rates, but there are plenty of vacation alternatives close to home if they don’t. Purchasing from a travel agency could also give you some added benefits such as savings on travel insurance, complimentary shore excursions, onboard credits and more at no additional cost to the consumer.
Last but not least, it seems that many consumers are planning their trips for 2010. It’s okay to plan ahead, but keep in mind that as the economy recovers, the prices will start to go back up. With cruises, consumers can get a full refund of their deposit up to the time of final payment, so there is no risk in booking early to take advantage of these great promotions. Many insurance policies will offer coverage that allow travelers to cancel for any reason, (including work related issues.) This is another advantage of booking with a travel agent, as booking direct may not always provide consumers the option to purchase the type of insurance coverage they need.
The article closes by stating that for those that do travel in 2009, even a small budget could offer a wonderful, and rewarding experience. You can read other great reasons to travel in 2009 in the article Thank you! 6 reasons we love to Travel Now.
We’d love to hear about your travel plans for 2009.
