3.31.12 Last Minute Deals

Vegas: Caesars is offering one night free if you stay four nights plus additional savings for shorter stays. Book by April 12th. Travel by October 30th.

Celebrity Last Minute Deals:

7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Eclipse from Miami
departing April 7^th Veranda Cabin: $699

5 Night Western Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Millennium from Miami
departing April 7^th  Ocean view Cabin: $309

4 Night Western Caribbean Cruise on Celebrity Millennium from Miami
departing April 12^th  Interior Cabin: $229 or Veranda: $379

10 Night Eastern Mediterranean Cruise on Celebrity Equinox from Rome
departing June 1^st Interior Cabin: $799,  Concierge $1099

12 Night Italy And Croatia Cruise on Celebrity Silhouette from Venice
departing May 18^th Veranda Cabin: $899

NCL Last minute Deals:

7 night Western Mediterranean cruise departing from Barcelona on April 29^th
Balcony Cabin: $879 (This is only $50 more than what an interior cabin was selling for last week)

7 night Alaska cruise departing Vancouver on May 6^th
Balcony cabin: $799 or Interior $499

7 night Bahamas and Florida cruise departing New York City on April 21^st
Interior: $549

7 night Hawaii cruise departing Honolulu on April 28^th, May 5^th or May 12^th
Interior: $1,299

7 night Greek Isles cruise departing Venice on May 26^th ,
Interior: $599

Travel Tips week of March 26th

In case you missed it, here's the tips I posted on Facebok and Twitter this week:

Rental car tip: Always ask what the cell phone laws are when you pick up the car. Those tickets can be pricey.

Travel Tip: Tip: sign up for groupon or living social deals in the city you are visiting. You may find some interesting activities or find a great deal.  One reader also recommended restaurant.com. Often ebates.com has a promo code you can use on restaurants.com to get $25 gift certificates for $2.00.

Travel tip: When planning a multi-city tour, be sure to check the hours of operation of the must-see places you want to visit. If the Sistine Chapel is #1 on your list - don't want your only day in Rome to be Sunday - unless it's the last Sunday of the month when the Chapel is open and admission is free from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm

Travel Tip: Never bring anything you would be devastated to lose. Luggage gets lost.

3.28.12 Promotions and Deals

Lots of great promotions or deals if you are thinking about booking a cruise or all-inclusive. In the past couple weeks, I have also found some very good flight/hotel packages - saving one couple $80 in hotel alone.

Cruises

Princess

14 day Panama Canal Cruise from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale departing April 10^th  or April 27^th in an Oceanview Cabin: $849

19 day Alaska and Far East cruise from Beijing to Vancouver departing May 1^st in an Oceanview cabin: $1,399

9 day Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific from Sydney to San Francisco departing April 15^th in an Interior cabin: $1,899

10 day Alaska Inside Passage from San Francisco departing May 13^th and May 23^rd in an Oceanview cabin: $1,299

7 day Eastern Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale departing April 8^th in a Balcony cabin: $799

NCL

Up to $500 air credit on select Alaska, Europe and Bermuda sailings

4 Category upgrades for 2012 sailings if booked before March 31^st

7 day Bermuda cruise from New York City departing July 15, 2012 in an interior cabin: $899

7 day Adriatic Sea, Greece, and Turkey cruisefrom Venice in an interior cabin: $549

7 day Alaska cruise from Seattle departing June 17^th in an interior cabin: $799

7 day Hawaii cruise from Honolulu departing May 12^th in an interior cabin: $1,299

Carnival

Spring in Summer sale: Up to $200 off if booked prior to March 31^st

7 day Caribbean cruise from Tampa departing May 6th in an interior cabin: $549

3 day cruise from San Diego departing April 28^th in an interior cabin: $139; in a balcony: $179

7 day cruise on the Carnival Dream from Port Canaveral departing June 9^th in an interior cabin: $549

All-inclusive

From Chicago:
7 nights at Dreams Huatulco Resort and Spa for $1,298.92 per person for select dates June, July and August

Huge savings at NOW Jade Riviera Cancan for select dates in May, June, July and August. 3 nights from $809.64 per person

If you’d like more information about any of these deals, please send me a request through the contact form to the right or you can find me on Facebook or Twitter.

In case you missed it: Tips from last week

Here's the tips I posted on Facebook and Twitter :

Intl Travel Tip: Order US$50 or US$100 in local currency before you leave. While others are looking to exchange, you'll be sipping your just purchased coffee.

Travel tip: You can never see it all. Leave room for the possibility of unexpected adventures.

Intl Travel Tip: Look for a very busy local place. Less chance for food poisoning and increased chance for great food.

All inclusive Tip: Ask at check in if there are different bar packages. You could upgrade to top shelf for only $50 more.

Hot Cruise Deals - NCL and Carnival

Some of these rates are unbelievable. I usually consider under $75 a day a steal. Some of these are as low as $60 per person per day.

Carnival

7 Days on Carnival Conquest leaving May 6^th  from New Orleans - $439 for an interior cabin

7 Days on Carnival Splendor leaving May 20^th from LA - $429 for an interior cabin

7 Days on Carnival Pride leaving April 22^nd from Baltimore - $449 for an interior cabin

4 Days on Carnival Ecstasy leaving April 19^th from Port Canaveral - $229 for an interior cabin

4 Days on Carnival Fascination leaving May 3^rd from Jacksonville - $219 for an interior cabin

Plus many, many more if you can leave between now and the end of May

NCL

10 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Dawn leaving March 28^th out of Miami - $499 for an interior cabin

7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise on Norwegian Epic leaving April 7^th out of Miami - $599 for an interior cabin

7 day Mediterranean cruise  on Norwegian Epic leaving June 3^rd out of Barcelona - $699 for an interior cabin

17 day Panama Canal cruise  on Norwegian Jewel leaving April 28^th from New York City - $899 for an interior cabin

7 day Alaska cruise on Norwegian Pearl leaving June 3^rd from Seattle - $699 for an interior cabin

Plus don’t forget March 26^th is the big NCL Alaska sale – up to $100 on board credit

There are many more deals like this for the next 60 -90 days. Please send me a message to the right or you can find me at www.facebook.com/tripswithangie or Twitter @TripswithAngie

As Seen on TV: The Olympics

The Olympics are in London this year! Since the NBC commercials don’t tell you when it is – I will. July 27^th through August 12^th. Believe or not – packages are still available for you to experience all the excitement first hand.

Experience the first days of the Olympics July 24^th – July 31^st

2 Round trip nonstop flights from Chicago O’Hare to London

7 nights at one of London’s 1,500 Bed and Breakfasts
Total: $3,351.00

 Experience the last days of the Olympics

August 8^th – August 15^th

2 Round trip nonstop flights from Atlanta to London

7 nights at Royal National Hotel

$4,192.89  

Tickets
The designated ticket seller of the London sales is CoSport https://www.cosport.com/.  Tickets should be available later this spring, but you can set up an account now.

For more information or to book these trips, please send me a message through the box to the right or you can find me at  www.facebook.com/tripswithangie and @TripswithAngie on Twitter.

3.20.12 Promotions

This week, almost all the cruises announced their 2013 deployments and schedules so lots of promotions to go with that.

Cruises

Celebrity – ONE DAY ONLY March 20^th: On Tuesday, March 20, 2012 — one day only —  you can receive up to $200  to spend on board almost any of the 2012 Europe sailings. Plus, enjoy 50% reduced deposits. In addition, Celebrity is offering a promotion if you book a land tour in addition to an Alaska cruise, you receive up to $200 in onboard credit.

Princess: 2 for 1 Savings through March 26^th plus on board credit. This means you could do a 12 day Greek Isles cruise for $999 per person plus $50 onboard credit.

NCL: Norwegian is offering free balcony upgrades, reduced deposit and e-coupons worth over $400 in onboard savings fleetwide until March 31. All ships, all destinations! These upgrades will apply to NCL’s new ship Breakaway launching in 2013.   

Avalon River Cruise: Save up to $1,000 per couple based on sailing date

All Inclusives

Book 4 Nights and Receive $400 Resort Credit at Fiesta Americana's Live Aqua Cancun

Tours/ Flight and Hotel Packages

4^th Night and 4^th Day free at Universal

One complimentary night included with a 3-night stay, plus an additional $25 off per booking at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas

Thru March 24^th - Receive up to a $400 air credit per booking on vacations to El Cid Resorts in Mazatlán

Save $200 per person on tours of Europe, Canada and the National Parks

Contact me in the little box to the right if anything sounds interesting and we can start planning your vacation today.

In case you missed it...

Here's my tips from Facebook and Twitter last week:

Disney Tip - They let you bring in snacks. Always have a refillable water bottle, granola bars/trail mix and something sweet. Those lines get long.

Cruise Tip - Talk to other passengers and the crew for best tips for your next port. The crew will know cheap Internet cafes and restaurants. Other passengers can give good advice.

International travel tip: Brushing your teeth will make you feel human again. I promise.

Hotel tip: Always google map your hotel BEFORE booking. A hotel near the airport may cost you more in travel costs to downtown than you think.

Don't like paying $4 for water at the airport? Bring your own empty water bottle and a powdered drink packet. Fill up at the H2O fountain. You'll be sippin' sweet tea for pennies.

Video: Choosing between an all-inclusive and a cruise

If you have decided on the Caribbean or Mexico, but are trying to figure out if a cruise or all-inclusive resort is best for you - then this video will help:

The Key Considerations when choosing a cruise or all inclusive are:

1. Where do you want to go? A cruise can offer a snapshot of 2 - 10 countries depending on the length of your cruise. The downside is you get limited time and often leave before sunset. At an all-inclusive, you fly into the country of your choice and get to explore that area over several days.

2. What do you want to do? Both all-inclusives and cruises offer beach days, snorkeling, and tours of local attraction. In terms of activities, cruises generally offer more shows, games, and bingo.

3. What do you want to eat and drink? Both cruises and all-inclusives are generally all-u-can-eat. My experience has been cruises have more variety and slightly better food. In terms of drinks - if you are the type that likes to have a drink in your hand from when you wake up until you pass out on your lounge chair, then an all-inclusive is for you since well drinks and beer are usually included. Cruises usually have hotel prices for alcohol.

4. What are you going to do with the kids? The major cruise lines all have kid activities where you can drop off your children and they are supervised throughout the day. You'll need to investigate if the all-inclusive offers the same activities.

I am here and ready to help you sort through these options to create a great vacation for you. Contact me through that little box to the right. I look forward to hearing from you. 

3.15.12 Cruise Deals on NCL

Big deals on NCL. The Dash Sale with 50% reduced deposits and up to $250 on board credit ends tomorrow.

Other NCL deals:
- 3/23/12 THREE night cruise out of Miami for $179 per person interior
- 4/8/12 TEN night Southern Caribbean out of Miami for $649 interior
- 6/10/12 SEVEN night Alaska out of Seattle for $849 interior
- 9/27/12 FIFTEEN night Panama Canal from Los Angeles to Miami for $1,299 per person

March 2012 TAX REFUND CHALLENGE

I believe everyone can find a way to have a great adventure at a reasonable price. That’s why today starts the Tax Refund Challenge! I’ll find you a great vacation for the amount of your tax refund.

Send me:

-          How much of your tax refund you are willing to spend on travel

-          Where you live

-          How many people would travel and their ages

-          Time of year you’d ideally like to travel

I’ll send you a personalized quote! Sound fun? Just fill out the contact form to the right.

In case you missed it...

In case you missed it, here are the tips I posted on Facebook and Twitter last week.

International travel tip: Take a copy of your passport and keep it opposite your passport. Left your passport in your room or cruise cabin safe? Carry the copy with you.  Carrying your passport in your purse? Keep the copy in your pocket.

Travel Tip: Carry on underwear, socks and an extra top plus deodorant, makeup, & contact supplies. Hotels can replace toothbrush, toothpaste, and shampoo if your luggage is delayed.

Rental car tip: If you are flying, check your airline for deals to add a rental car to your reservation. You could save 20 - 30%.

Going on a cruise? Don't forget a Renuzit for the bathroom, a koozie for your Bud Light and a water bottle (the cups are little).

Check your rates with me – I just saved a couple $81 on their hotel reservation. They knew what hotel they wanted, emailed the best rate they were able to find and I was able to beat it.

Video: 3 Things to Consider when Taking a Cruise

Things to consider when taking a cruise:

1.Where do you want to go? Which ports do you want to see? Don't forget - it is a ship. If your heart is set on a particular port, you may want to consider a land vacation at that port instead. I don't want you to be disappointed if unsafe weather conditions mean you have to miss that port.

2. What is the right mix of Sea Days and Port Days for you?

3. What types of amenities and activities on board are important to you? Ships these days have ice skating rinks, fine dining restaurants, Surf Riders, even the Blue Man Group. What makes sense for you?

The options that can be overwhelming.  That's why I am here to help.  Fill out the form to the right and we can begin building your next vacation today.

3.7.12 ONE DAY SALE NCL Transatlantic

11-Day Transatlantic Miami to Barcelona Norwegian Epic
Departure: April 14, 2012
Inside from $499
Balcony from $699
Mini-Suite from $969
3rd & 4th guests in same stateroom starting from $399*

13-Day Transatlantic New Orleans to Barcelona Norwegian Spirit
Departure: April 15, 2012
Inside from $429
Oceanview from $499
Balcony from $749
3rd & 4th guests in same stateroom starting from $449*

13-Day Transatlantic Orlando (Port Canaveral) to Copenhagen Norwegian Sun
Departure: April 21, 2012
Oceanview from $649
Balcony from $899
Mini-Suite from $1,499
3rd & 4th guests in same stateroom starting from $449*

14-Day Transatlantic Copenhagen to Miami Norwegian Sun
Departure: September 30, 2012
Inside from $799
Oceanview from $849
Balcony from $1,149
Mini-Suite from $1,899
3rd & 4th guests in same stateroom starting from $399*

13-Day Transatlantic Barcelona to Miami Norwegian Epic
Departure: October 21, 2012
Inside from $799
Balcony from $1,009
Mini-Suite from $1,449
3rd & 4th guests in same stateroom starting from $449*

PLUS $100 onboard credit, $400 e-coupons, 50% reduced deposits

3.7.12 Promotions for this week: Disney, Princess, Avalon, Celebrity, Grand Palladium

Here's some of the top promotions this week: 

DISNEY – Free dining on select stays  Now through May 18, 2012, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way Base Package for 5 nights and 6 days at select Disney Moderate, Disney Deluxe or Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts at the Walt Disney World® Resort for stays most nights Aug. 25 – Sept. 29 and get the Disney Dining Plan FREE!*Or, buy a non-discounted Magic Your Way Base Package for 5 nights and 6 days at select Disney Value Resorts for stays most nights Aug. 25 – Sept. 29 and get a FREE Quick-Service Dining Plan.

For example, I priced a package this week: Monday Sept. 3rd - Saturday Sept 8th for a family of 4 sharing a room at the All Star Resort (two double beds) including airfare from St Louis and 6 day park hopper tickets would be $2,611.98 and that includes 2 quick services meals and one snack per night per person. That is less than $110 per person/day.

Princess Cruises – Denali is on sale from March 5th thru March 15th. 10 night Alaska Land and Sea vacations from $799.

Avalon River Cruises – Save up to $1,000 per couple

Celebrity Cruises Dream vacations to Europe start as low as $899 and as low as $699 for  Caribbean veranda staterooms. Availability is limited, so book now to save.
Caribbean rates starting from:
Inside staterooms from $499
Ocean View staterooms from $549
Veranda staterooms from $699

All inclusive: Book by March 31st and enjoy 20% off at the newly refurbished Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa and adults only The Royal Suites Punta Mita

I'm excited to help you plan your next vacation. Fill out the form to the right so we can get started.

The Bachelor: What was your favorite destination this season?

This season of The Bachelor has been a little quirky, but the locations have been spectacular. It’s easier than you think to experience some of these great sites. Check out some sample packages:  

Park City, Utah  - Take a long weekend at the Waldorf Astoria, Park City May 23^rd – May 27^th. Two roundtrip tickets out of Philadelphia plus four nights in luxury, and a rental car for $1,842.06.

Puerto Rico – Seven days of fun in the sun. Two round trip tickets from Chicago to San Juan departing April 1^st and returning April 8^th and seven nights at the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza for $3,285.40

Panama – An Adventure for the whole family! Four round trip tickets from Boston to Panama City, Panama departing April 8^th and returning April 15^th plus seven nights at Royal Decameron Golf, Beach Resort and Villas in a Villa Suite – ALL INCLUSIVE for $4,738.99.

Belize – 2 round trip tickets from Atlanta to Belize City, Belize departing June 2^nd and returning June 9^th plus 7 nights at the Belizean Shores Resort in Ambergris Caye for $3,612.30.

Interlaken, Switzerland  - A 15 day grand tour of Switzerland visiting Interlaken, Zurich, Lucerne, Lake Maggiore, Guyere and more. Starting at $2,649.00 per person plus airfare.

Which location would you give the final rose as the best featured this season? Leave your vote in the comments.

If you are interested in learning more about travelling to these places and receiving a personalized quote based on your budget – send me a message over there on the right.

3.2.12 Additional promotions this week

Welcome readers from Lily on the Lam ! Pull up a chair and check out some great travel deals.

CANCUN: Book 4 Nights and Receive $400 Resort Credit at Live Aqua Cancun.

NCL CRUISES: If you have been contemplating a NCL cruise – big bonus days coming up:

Friday, March 2 – Norwegian Spirit Bonus Day with $100 Onboard Credit*

 Monday, March 5 – Norwegian Epic Bonus Day with $100 Onboard Credit*

 Wednesday, March 7 – Transatlantic & Repositioning Bonus Day with $100 Onboard Credit*

Plus remember the WAVE promotion with a possible 4 category upgrade and $400 in e-coupons continues through the end of March.

TOURS:

Save between $50 - $500 on tours to Europe, South America, Africa and the National Parks of the USA if you book by March 27^th .

Save up to $1,000 on River Cruise bookings for 2013. (Yes! Promotions for 2013 have begun!)

 I’m excited to begin planning your dream vacation. Please send me a message through the box on the right.