Easy Luggage handling program for cruise passengers

by Chris Owen on

One of the great benefits of a cruise vacation is only having to unpack one time as your floating hotel goes from port to port, a big advantage over land vacations. But the cruise eventually comes to an end and we have to pack up and go hone. A relatively new service makes that whole process much easier.

The normal procedure for luggage handling at the end of a cruise has a lot of steps. Leave it out in the hallway the night before disembarkation, get off the ship in the morning, wade through a sea of luggage with everyone else, claim yours, head to the airport, check your luggage again then claim it one more time at their home airport. That’s just the way it’s been done for years.

The procedure has so many steps that passengers often choose a “self-assist” option where they carry their on luggage on and off the ship, bypassing some of the handling.

But now there is a better way and it gets you airline boarding passes too.

Airportbags.com has a new service that allows guests to skip all that, set their luggage out the night before disembarkation then never touch them again until they get to their home airport. Airportbags.com has partnered with cruise lines, airlines and government security forces to make it all happen and the cost is reasonable.

Onboard Airline Check-In Program from Airports Bags on Vimeo.

You now have the opportunity to complete the airline and luggage check-in process for your flight home before you even step foot off the ship. Simply complete an enrollment form while onboard the ship and return it to a staff member. The night before disembarkation your airline boarding passes and preliminary baggage tags will be delivered to your stateroom along with detailed instructions on how to proceed once departing the ship.

Ricardo Torres of AirportBags told Gadling “This disembarkation option allows you to enjoy your final hours in the port at your leisure. Imagine your options: 1) enjoy the sights of the city or 2) stand in a never-ending line at the airport–the choice is yours with Onboard Airline Check-In. “

I did a version of this coming off a Princess Cruises Alaska Cruisetour last year where we had to go through customs in Vancouver too. In that case we transferred from the ship to the airport on a sealed bus that followed a sealed truck with our luggage in it. Their version is called EasyCheck and it was simply wonderful.

Most major cruise lines have a version of it too. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises call it the Luggage Valet and Onboard Airline Check in plan. Disney Cruise Line’s version is the Onboard Airline Check-in Service. On Norwegian Cruise Lines it’s simply Bags and Holland America Line calls it Luggage Direct while for Carnival Cruise Lines the program goes under the name of Luggage Express. Prices vary by line but range from free on Disney Cruise Line to $20 on pretty much all the others.

Flickr photo by quinn.anya


Oil prices and unrest in Egypt: Will they affect travel?

by Chris Owen on

Airlines and Cruise lines have been watching the price of oil for quite some time. Fuel surcharges are unpopular fees and neither wants to add them on again if they can possibly avoid it. Some say fuel surcharges are inevitable and quite possibly the least of our worries.

Cruise lines, almost universally, have a ceiling of between $70 and $90 a barrel for oil. If the price reaches that point, they can add on a fuel surcharge. Prices have actually exceeded that threshold recently and cruise lines still did not add on the extra fee, fearful that the fee combined with the recovering economy could drive buyers away.

American Airlines added fuel surcharges of as much as $5 each way on many routes with United Continental Holdings Inc. adding a $3 each-way surcharge. Just Friday, British Airways said they would increase the fuel surcharge they already have in place.

“British Airways will increase its fuel surcharge on long haul services from Tuesday, February 8,” it said in a statement but not on short haul services.

How it will all play out is up for grabs right now but US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is concerned about additional factors that could affect travel far greater than a fuel surcharge.

Flickr photo by ayman_ay17

Saying the Middle East “”is being battered by a perfect storm of powerful trends,” Clinton is concerned about unrest in the region.

“Leaders in the region may be able to hold back the tide for a little while, but not for long,” she said. “This is what has driven demonstrators into the streets of Tunis, Cairo and cities throughout the region. The status quo is simply not sustainable.”

If danger presents itself, travel warnings issued by the US Department of State could be extended to neighboring regions as well. If that happens, tour operators, airlines and cruise lines would probably react similarly to how the have this week, canceling service to Egypt.

On the other hand, tour operators in Spain can see an up side to the whole issue, as alternative ports of call and destinations found for booked travelers. This week, the German divisions of Thomas Cook and TUI Travel said they were seeing a trend for customers to switch Egypt holidays for ones to Spain or Turkey.

While a safe alternative is a good idea, it will hardly fulfill the lifelong dreams some have had for visiting Egypt, a trip that probably won’t happen any time soon.

The Travel Channel offers these tips for traveling overseas:

Top 10 cheap cruise extra values of the week

by Chris Owen on

Every week, the major cruise lines have special offers that can mean extra value to us. They may be promoting cheap cruises, discount fares, bonus amenities, upgrades or some other extra value or promotion you may qualify for. It all adds up to getting more for the same or less than normal. Here are the upcoming week’s promotions from several of the major cruise lines.

Check with your Travel Expert first before buying, they may have additional values to add on to your booking that add up to real dollars and cents savings to you. More importantly, having a Travel Expert on your side will insure you keep that best value, get you additional values that may come along over the life of your booking and maximize your vacation experience.

  1. Guaranteed Low Fare– Carnival Cruise Lines is all about the Early Saver Fare, a popular program now in it’s second year that guarantees the lowest price. Much like a restricted airline ticket, the deposit is non-refundable and no changes can be made after booking without a $50 per person administrative fee being applied. This week’s special pricing includes a 3-day cruise from $169 per person + taxes and fees.
  2. Free Upgrade– Princess Cruises has what they call a Balcony Bonanza going on right now on select sailings that let guests book a balcony stateroom for the price of an ocean view.
  3. Onboard Credit– Another bonus from Princess Cruises for active or retired military members is a Military Onboard Credit, applicable to all sailings. The onboard credit amount is $50 for cruises 6 days or less, $100 for cruises of 7-13 days, or $250 for cruises of 14 days or longer, offered on a per stateroom basis
  4. Military Rate– Disney Cruise Lines has a special Military Rate available to book through Sunday, February 6, 2011. Rates are per person based on double occupancy on the categories noted. Other categories are available at higher prices. Rates are in U.S. dollars and are not combinable with other discounts or offers.
  5. Europe and Alaska– Special Offers from Carnival also include extra savings on European cruises on the new Carnival Magic and Alaska from $674 per person + taxes and fees
  6. Select sailings Royal Caribbean International has some limited-time offers on sailings from Baltimore starting at $65 per person, per day, cruises sailing from Florida ports starting at $80 a day and sailings from New Jersey from $85 per person, per day.
  7. Kids sail free- Disney Cruise Line has Kids for Free to Alaska AOL Travel reports “Disney Cruise Line is gong to Alaska for the first time this year and offering a discount on select sailings with a new “Kids Free” promotion.” On this one, kids are free when they share an Oceanview or Verandah stateroom with two adults, port charges and taxes are still due but the cruise fare is free. The Kids Sail Free program as well as other discount rates can be found any time on the Disney Cruise Lines website under Special Offers.
  8. Free Upgrade– Norwegian Cruise Line is offering Free Upgrades for All granting a balcony cabin for the price of an Oceanview through February 13Th.
  9. Free upgrade– Celebrity Cruises weekly sale next Tuesday only features 11 to 14-night Caribbean sailings on Celebrity Millennium or Infinity starting at $599 per person +tax. They also have an “Upgrade Your View” promotion going on that gets a balcony cabin for the price of an oceanview on some sailings
  10. Valentines Day– Costa Cruises has is offering several “sweetheart deals” throughout the month of February. Each week the “Month of Amore” will feature a different promotion on one of Costa’s romantic European itineraries.The “Month of Amore” launched this week with seven-night eastern Mediterranean itineraries from just $599 per person, double occupancy. The eligible cruises for this offer sail round-trip Venice, Italy, and call at ports in Greece, Turkey and Croatia.


Flickr photo by Nicholas RIVET

Video of Disney Dream’s AquaDuck water coaster in action

by Joel Bullock on

One of the most talked about features of Disney Cruise Line’s new Disney Dream cruise ship is the on-board AquaDuck water coaster. Not to be confused with water roller coasters, like the Dive to Atlantis rides at the SeaWorld parks, water coasters aren’t actually roller coasters. According to Wikipedia, they’re water slides that mimic roller coasters by providing not only descents, but ascents as well. They propel riders uphill via water jets, conveyor belts, and other propulsion devices.

AquaDuck has been previewed with construction updates and written about for quite some time. Now that Disney Dream has launched, Inside the Magic has posted this great first-person POV video of the AquaDuck in action.

I’ve never been on a cruise and don’t consider myself a Disney fan, but the AquaDuck is definitely an eye-catching new attraction. AquaDuck looks like it offers some amazing views and a pretty thrilling ride for a water slide.

4 reasons why you need a Travel Expert in your pocket

by Chris Owen on

This is the person you want to have on your side when planning travel. Not a Travel Agent, many of them are order takers who fill in the blanks on computer screens. Others try to be everything to everyone and that is just not possible.

Your Travel Expert specializes in one particular area of travel. It might be cruise vacations. They will know what cruise line will work best for you, keep on top of commodity-like cruise pricing and add a great deal of value to your vacation experience. It might be trips to Russia your Travel Expert specialized in. That person will know all there is to know, have been there a bunch of times (if not lived there) and probably speak a good amount of Russian. That’s the person I want helping me plan my vacation. Here are five reasons you need one of those people.

They know what to do in an emergency. You can bet that travelers on the ground in Egypt who have a Travel Expert on their side that knows the lay of the land are glad they do. Any travel agent with the right credentials can book a trip to Egypt. Someone who has visited there a lot or lived there will know specifically what you should do. You will be one of the people that made it out of the country while others lagged behind.

They will be honest with you. Any Travel Expert will tell you without hesitation if what you are looking for is not realistic. The last thing you want is a journey planned by a “yes” man who will say anything to get a sale. If you ever feel you are getting anywhere close to that situation you are not dealing with a Travel Expert. Look for your Travel Expert to speak at functions, teach classes, be involved with travel organizations and be easy to find publicly, like via Facebook, Twitter or a simple Google search.

They will insure a rich experience for you. That same knowledge that can give you an advantage if you had to evacuate a travel destination much more commonly works to enrich your travels. A Travel Expert knows people on the ground where you are going. Regardless of how you get there and what you want or need to see, its the people that will make the difference. A Travel Expert’s recommendation will get you in the door of places you might not ever see without his or her thumbs up.

They will encourage education. Everybody wants to talk about the fabulous places you will visit and things you will see. A Travel Expert will want to give you the knowledge over time that will allow you to appreciate what you will see and experience when you travel. In the olden days they would have given you a travel guide to read, maybe one printed by AAA, a leader in those sort of things. Today they will point you to sources like specific blogs, travel guide sites, and maybe send you a copy of the book they wrote.

You may end up paying one of these people for their expert advice. Be sure that advice comes gift-wrapped with that is called an Errors and Omissions insurance policy backing. That is insurance against loss if something goes horribly wrong directly due to advice you may have received from pretty much anyone in the travel business. Travel agents have it, so do Travel Experts who make a living selling their advice.

Photo: Wiki Commons