Tips For Saving On Cruises In 2013

by Chris Owen on

Cruise travel in 2013 is a done deal for many seasoned cruisers; they bought 2013’s sailings more than a year in advance. Cruise travelers on the cutting edge of buying cruise vacations are working on 2014 now. Traditional buying strategies for cruise vacations include buying as far in advance for the best cabin location and often, the best price. But depending on your tolerance for price fluctuations, buying far in advance might not be the best idea in 2013 due to changes in the way cruise lines promote fares.

Make no mistake about it: buying a cruise is getting to be more like buying a commodity or volatile stock. Buying far in advance to get a preferred cabin location – like mid-ship for those prone to motion discomfort – is still a good idea. There are only so many cabins on the ship and the good locations sell first.

Still, buying a flexible fare that allows changes later without penalty can often end up with the best value. Here’s how:

Say we buy a seven-night Carnival cruise for two at the lowest possible price, one that has restrictions and charges penalties for changes made after booking. At the time of buying, we’re happy because we got our preferred cabin location and the price seemed quite reasonable, a year or more in advance of sailing.A few years ago, that strategy had a much higher chance of bringing home a win. Odds were that the price paid so far in advance would be the best available and that price stuck.

But that was a few years ago.

On The Cruise Line’s Timetable
Today, cruise lines are much more savvy about filling up ships. They have their own strategies in place, designed to have us jump at the chance to book on the cruise line’s timetable.

Today, those who purchased their vacation during a cruise line promotion, probably closer to sailing, gained over those who bought far in advance.

Probably not the best buy for the consumer, caught up in the hoopla of a winter sale that touts images of warm beaches on hot Caribbean winter days.

Tips For Getting The Best Value On A Cruise Vacation
Still, in spite of ourselves and our click-to-buy ways, some rock solid buying strategies combined with some critical facts can make for a great 2013-14 cruise bargain.

  • Pick A Good Time To Sail– Traditionally, slow season for cruise vacations happens in the fall, after kids go back to school, while hurricane season rages on and expenses of upcoming December holidays force a watchful eye on the family budget. That’s not apt to change. If you must sail in the peak summer sailing season, do so at the very beginning or very end of the season, when prices are apt to be best.
  • Buy A Flexible Fare- Fares with strict rules may sound like quite a bargain, until a change needs to be made and the cruise line charges a fee to do so. Cruise lines are just now beginning to offer restricted fares with fees. Led by Carnival Cruise Lines and their Early Saver Fare, at the time guaranteed to be the lowest fare by the cruise line, look for more cruise lines to follow in 2013 and beyond.
  • Consider Last Minute Buying, The Smart Way- Go ahead and make that booking a year in advance, just be sure that reservation includes two qualities: 1) That you can cancel before the final payment is due and receive a 100% full cash refund and 2) can turn right around and re-book at the lower last-minute rate, if available. That way you have a possibility of having the best of both worlds; excellent cabin location and lowest last-minute price.
  • Keep Shopping- One of the biggest mistakes travelers make when buying a cruise vacation is not to check occasionally for new promotions that may apply to their booking. This happens all the time and includes some of the most missed opportunities consumers have to help themselves on cost. It’s also a good reason to use a travel agent who can research what seems to be a better price. Often, what appears to be a good price is not when all the port charges, taxes and government fees are added in.

It’s that last part, to keep shopping and use a travel agent that may be new to many readers. As cruise fares become more complicated, having a friend in the business is a good idea and a good cruise-focused travel agent can fill that role nicely.

Think working on a cruise ship might be more fun? Check this video about how to do just that:



[Photo Credit: Flickr user spilltojill]

Start The New Year With Your Head In The Right Place

by Chris Owen on

New Year’s Eve brings ball-dropping fun to thousands in New York’s Times Square and around the world via television and streaming video. New Year’s Day has its share of events too and marks the official end of 2012’s holiday season while opening the door to a unique chance to change ourselves, if only a little bit.

A brand new year is ahead of us. So, what will we do with it? Keep on doing what we have been doing? Start something new?

New Year’s resolutions commonly include strong initial efforts to live a healthier lifestyle by eating better and exercising more. It’s a time when household budgets are reviewed, long and short-term financial goals get a look and when travelers gaze ahead to what’s scheduled for 2013 and beyond.

No plans right now? A great way to help roll in the new year is by trying new and different things. That does not have to mean skydiving for the first time, a solo kayak adventure that pits us against nature or climbing a mountain. Something new and different, outside of our comfort zone, can be as close as a computer or just outside our back door.

Take a ride on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner
An easy way to get this whole “trying something different” ball rolling is by checking in with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Dream Pass. Visiting the Dream Pass website, we first come to a 360-degree interactive experience on the flight deck. Continuing on to Boeing’s New Airplane website, we see the latest new airplane products and other innovations from Boeing.

Right about here would be a time to mention any one of a hundred new travel-related apps for our smartphones. Although there are plenty of them, that’s not our focus here. Not right now.

Walk outside
We can get very wrapped up in activities that require us to be inside without trying. Work, school, meetings, shopping, dining and other things we do are inside things. Walking outside, we might go in a different way to lunch, take a few minutes to consider the place we are at the moment and, if we really want to get into it, talk to a stranger. Go crazy; leave home with no phone or communication device, on purpose.What’s Important
It’s a recurring theme that comes out eventually whenever someone talks about travel. It may take a while to sort through the places we traveled to, highlighting iconic monuments, destinations and world-famous landmarks. But eventually, some of our most cherished travel memories come from interaction with people we meet along the way.




[Photo Credit- Flickr user Vermin Inc]

Photo Of The Day: Swezigon Pagoda, Southern Approach

by Chris Owen on

This Photo of the Day is titled “Swezigon Pagoda” and comes from Gadling Flickr pool member American Jon and was captured with a Canon EOS 5D.

Swezigon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese, with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within, is an exact replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in the new capital of Burma, Naypyidaw.

Upload your best shots to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. Several times a week we choose our favorite images from the pool as a Photo of the Day.

[Photo Credit: Gadling Flickr pool member American Jon]

Good Winter Travel Season Deals Still Available

by Chris Owen on

Before, during or after winter travel season, the nation’s regions offering ski adventure travel options have something for everyone. The idea of climbing, hiking, camping or trekking through diverse areas had many travelers planning a 2013 winter vacation about this time last year. But those with no plans have options too.

“Put in now for end-of-January trips, but don’t expect deals around Presidents’ Day weekend,” says travel expert Pauline Frommer in a Reuters article.

President’s Day, like many other holidays, is a popular time for leisure travel and a peak booking of snow and cold-related adventures. The best hotel and resort rooms and money-saving packages, offered far in advance to jump-start bookings, are gone. Other discounted promotions will be few but some suggested sources can help.

“Check ski package deals from Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines,” says Frommer. “They both offer good lift ticket and lodging deals – especially if you’re willing to go mid-week instead of weekend.”

Looking to go away from the snow and cold? Land-based resorts, some all-inclusive, are a possible choice along with cruise vacations where unpacking once, we see several destinations on our floating hotel. The winter season brings cruise ships from Europe and around the world to luxuriate in the Caribbean sun. Still, the Caribbean is not the only warm place open for business over the next few months.

“I’ve found some of the best values to be in Central America,” suggests Frommer. “There are fairly decent air fares there. They’ve risen less than other parts of the world. Guatemala and Belize have some good hotel deals and there are some great adventures to be had there.”

Want to find specific ski adventure locations? This video may help:


The Kimchi-ite: 10 Differences Between South Korea And The Rest Of The World

by Jonathan Kramer on

There are countless differences between South Korea and the rest of the world. Even the casual traveler bouncing around Asia will notice how everyday culture differs. In many ways Korean culture is somewhere in between that of Japan and China, but in so many more ways it is unique to itself. Here are some of the more interesting and unique differences I have noticed.


1. KOREANS AGE DIFFERENTLY
Babies that are born in Korea today enter the world as 1 year old, as opposed to much of the rest of the world, where they would be 1 day old. Additionally, that baby will gain a year to its age on the lunar new year (usually in late January or early February), instead of their birthday. So, a baby born in December would actually be 2 years old within just a few months. Somewhat confusing, I know, but a general rule of thumb is to just add a year to your own age, and that is your Korean Age.

2. SIDE DISHES FOREVER
When you go to virtually any restaurant in Korea, your meal will be accompanied by at least one banchan, or side dish (seen above alongside traditional porridge); most likely, there will be many. They will invariably include kimchi or some sort of pickled vegetable. Best of all, they are unlimited and will be refilled without you having to ask.

3. YEOGIO!!
When you are at a restaurant and you’d like some service, you don’t sit and awkwardly wait for some eye contact with the wait staff, you simply call out “yeogiyo!” which translates to “here, please!” Better still, more and more restaurants are installing call buttons on their tables.


4. I DON’T BLESS YOU
When you sneeze, people say nothing, no equivalent of “Bless you,” nothing. You did an involuntary bodily function, no big deal.

5. THE INTERNET
South Korea has the fastest Internet in the WORLD. Downloads can go as fast as 5 megabytes per second. It’s truly awesome.

6. POSSIBLY THE REASON FOR #5
Porn is outlawed in Korea.

7. YOU ARE YOUR PARENTS’ CHILD
Job applications, especially for large corporations, are incredibly different and include a lot of information that most people in the Western world would find outrageous. Notably, your parents’ education and their current occupation is a part of your résumé. This is somewhat indicative of how Koreans see family ties. Many of the big corporations in Korea are family run and newly elected president Park Geun-hye’s father’s past as the former dictator of the country was a very big topic during the election.

8. NUMBER 1 IN PLASTIC SURGERY
South Korea has the world’s highest rate of plastic surgery, 35% more than number two, Brazil. It has become somewhat common for parents to give their children plastic surgery as high school or college graduation presents. There are ads all over Seoul like the one above, seen in Gangnam, for plastic surgery clinics with before and after pictures of what actually looks like two completely different people.

9. OPENING AN UMBRELLA INSIDE
Not a big deal.

10. CLEAVAGE? NEVER! LEGS? NO BIG DEAL
It is pretty risqué for a woman to show some cleavage. But never will you see such a display of legs than in South Korea. Everyday of the year and everywhere, short shorts are being worn. In the dead of winter accompanied by thick stockings, or mountain climbing accompanied by high heels, it’s simply the norm.

Everywhere in the world is different, even different cities within the same state can be drastically different. What are some eccentricities of where you live or places that you have been?

Be sure to check out more on Korean culture from the other Kimchi-ite posts here!

[Photo Credit: Jonathan Kramer]