Disney drops Tunisia from land and sea packages

by Chris Owen on

Citing a “changing political environment” Disney Cruise Line as well as land tour operator Adventures by Disney is dropping Tunisia from all land and sea tours. They are just the latest of a growing number of cruise lines and tour operators to pull out of the troubled region.

“We continually evaluate our itineraries, and the decision to modify this itinerary was made in part due to the changing political environment in Tunis and the recent Travel Alert issued by the U.S. Department of State for Tunisia,” Disney spokesperson Christi Erwin Donnan told USA TODAY.

Adventures by Disney, the company’s guided tour service , had been heavily marketing their new tours of Egypt featuring 7- and 9-night itineraries. But the trips have been suspended through August 2011, pending a resolution to the current unrest in the region.
Disney Magic had been scheduled to sail 10- and 11-night Mediterranean voyages that included a call on the Tunisian capital of Tunis but is replacing Tunis with a stop in Palermo, Italy.

Because these drops are a result of US State Department travel advisories, it’s possible that they will be extended past their scheduled changes as further developments occur in the troubled region.

Flickr photo by steve.armitage


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:

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

Backpacking the Axis of Evil

by Gadling Staff on

Some people look at the US State Department travel warnings as a guideline of countries to stay away from. If you consider Thailand, etc overrated by the “nomadic” set, why not look the other direction and see what countries aren’t considered tourist hotspots?

After doing the Trans-Siberian/Trans-Mongolian railway two years ago, I figured why not take another epic train trip? And epic train trips demand epic destinations that no one goes to on their vacation. Why not Iran? Sure, Iran and the US aren’t too friendly right now, but that’s part of the appeal. Anyone can backpack through Europe or do a “round the world” trip, but why not go into somewhere different?

As an American citizen, there are a whole host of issues: getting an independent visa is practically impossible, and once you’re there, your credit cards and ATM cards won’t work either due to treasury restrictions. And on the way back, US Immigration might not take too kindly to me going there. Either way, it should be quite exciting.

The train seems like the most interesting way to get into Iran. After consulting with Seat 61, the immensely helpful train website, there’s a train that leaves from Istanbul to Tehran once a week, taking about 70 hours to cross 1800 miles of the Turkish countryside. Flying into Khomeini airport doesn’t hold any appeal because it robs an epic trip like this of a sense of adventure. The train trip itself in first class is a hair under 40 Euros, which seems suspiciously inexpensive.

Getting a visa as a US citizen is a bit more difficult. You’re required to have a tour guide, and an official tourism invite letter, which puts the cost at around $150. Having an official tour guide can either be helpful or quite a hassle. Outside of day trips, I’ve only had one tour guide and it was a mixed experience.

[Photo: Flickr/jiahungli]

Breaking: Another cruise line drops Egypt, says safety first

by Chris Owen on

Cruise lines are modifying cruise itineraries for ships calling in Egypt and Tunisia, canceling all port calls in these two countries. While unrest/chaos continues in the area, cruise lines are playing it safe by keeping ships and passengers out of harms way.

Costa Cruises told Gadling today that they have modified Red Sea sailings on the Costa Allegra and Costa Marina, the itinerary will now concentrate on calls at Jordan and Israel, with turnaround operations taking place at Aqaba, Jordan. To accommodate guests who have already booked these cruises, Costa Cruises will offer alternative itineraries and dates of departures.

Costa’s Mediterranean cruises with a one-day call at Alexandria will be diverted to a one day-call at Greece or Israel. On Mediterranean seven-day sailings normally going to Tunis, Tunisia, that call will be replaced by Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Malta, or Cagliari, Italy.

The port of Alexandria Egypt has been a favorite of cruise passengers. Here is what they might have seen.

It looks like cruise lines are clearing out itineraries for the next couple of weeks, with many more modified itineraries than were on the books just last weekend.

A travel warning issued by the U.S. Department of State “recommends that U.S. citizens avoid travel to Egypt due to ongoing political and social unrest.” and goes on to add “demonstrations have degenerated on several occasions into violent clashes between police and protesters, resulting in injuries and extensive property damage.”

The Department of State also offers specific safety tips for travelers and recommends enrollment in their Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) , a free service that lets travelers advise the Department of State where they will be and helps them keep in touch in emergency situations.