Alaska Rail And Cruise Packages Add Value, Adventure

by Chris Owen on

Alaska rail and cruise packages, commonly called Cruise Tours, are heating up as more travelers opt to see more of what the land of the midnight sun has to offer. Choosing a multi-day land exploration, either before or after a seven-day cruise line sailing, gets passengers deeper into the Alaska heartland than possible by ship only. Now, a third-party travel source is offering to combine their package with a standard cruise line experience for something different.

Rocky Mountaineer is a rail line that offers over 45 Canadian vacation packages on four unique routes through British Columbia and Alberta, each rich in history and natural wonders. The luxurious train travels by daylight through the wild beauty of Canada’s West and is a great way to experience the majestic Canadian Rockies either before or after an Alaska cruise.

Traveling eastbound or westbound on the Rocky Mountaineer, the all-daylight rail journey departs three times per week on both the First Passage to the West and the Journey Through the Clouds routes from the end of April until the beginning of October. The Rainforest to Gold Rush route runs from the middle of May until the end of September, as does the Whistler Sea to Sky Climb route.On board, Rocky Mountaineer offers different levels/choices of service for rail journeys too. All passengers get onboard attendants that provide friendly service and informative commentary of the regions through which the train travels. Gold, Silver and Red levels of service offer more onboard amenities.

Now, combining Rocky Mountaineer extensive experience on land with Holland America Line’s experience at sea, comes a package that bundles it all.

Called Canadian Rockies Highlights & Coastal Passage with Pre-Tour Cruise – 2013, the package includes three days onboard the Rocky Mountaineer, a seven-night Holland America Alaskan cruise, eight dinners, eight lunches, nine breakfasts and five nights of hotel accommodation. Also included are Banff & Seattle tours, a Yoho Park tour and Helicopter Flightseeing.

The offer is simple: book a Coastal Passage rail/cruise trip by March 28 directly through Rocky Mountaineer and earn up to $1300 in credits toward the cruise portion, or extra hotel nights/restaurant meals along the train portion in cities like Seattle, Vancouver and Banff.

Want to know more about what travel via rail in the Rockies is like? Check this video:




[Photo Credit- Rocky Mountaineer]

To Find Discounts On Travel, Know The Lingo

by Chris Owen on


Discounts on travel commonly come from a travel service provider’s attempt to promote their business. An airline may have extra seats to fill so they discount them, offering a better value. Hotels promote traditionally slow occupancy times in one way or another and cruise lines do much of the same. But how do we know what is really a good deal or just an effort to encourage us to buy?

Start by learning the difference between “special” and “featured” when considering travel pricing. Its a tactic other businesses have used for decades, one we expect to see in travel more in the coming years.

“Special,“ in the world of travel, will most often translate to “discount,” offering the same travel product for less.

Travelocity, for example, has a cruise vacation special that came to an end recently where buyers could get up to $500 cash to spend on their sailing, based on the price paid. Assuming that price is competitive, that’s adding value to the deal by giving us more than we paid for.

“Featured” in the world of travel services, commonly highlights destinations, modes of travel and other offerings by a travel company that they want us to know about. “Featured” may or may not be sold at a discounted price.

Hertz car rental, for example, has a weekend, unlimited mileage car rental deal featured. It’s priced at $14.99 per day on an economy or compact car when you pick-up from Thursday through Sunday at select participating airport or neighborhood locations.Easy way to remember: A restaurant’s “special” is commonly a bundled offering that, if priced separately, would cost more. That restaurant’s chef may have created a fabulous new menu item so it is being “featured” on the menu today.

This is just one small piece of the discount on travel puzzle, but an important one.

Except for travelers who have never been anywhere, ever, “feature” pricing most often deserves no more than a passing glance. Spend that time on travel products that offer “special,” not normal pricing where actual gains can be made.

Some other terms to know the difference between are “value-based” or “cost-based” pricing, as explained in this video-



[Photo Credit- Flickr user miskan]

Lindblad Expeditions Offers Free Airfare On Antarctic And Falklands Itinerary

by Kraig Becker on

Lindblad Expeditions is kicking off 2013 with an excellent deal for travelers planning a visit to Antarctica and the surrounding region later this year. The adventure travel company, which specializes in adventure cruises to some of the most spectacular destinations on the planet, is offering free airfare for anyone who signs up for their November cruise to the frozen continent. That 24-day trip includes stops not only in the Antarctic, but also the Falkland Islands and South Georgia as well.

Travelers will depart the U.S. for Ushuaia, Argentina, on November 7 before setting sail aboard the National Geographic Explorer, a ship specifically outfitted for safe travel in the Southern Ocean. Over the course of the following three weeks, they’ll spend four days visiting the Antarctic continent itself as well as two days in the Falklands and five days on South Georgia. The remainder of the itinerary is spent at sea traveling between those destinations.

While aboard the ship, passengers will be able to attend lectures given by a variety of specialists, including legendary oceanographer and Honorary President of the Explorers Club Don Walsh. A National Geographic photographer will also be aboard, capturing stunning images from the journey and travelers will even be able to take advantage of a special documentary film workshop. Given by Nat Geo photographer and filmmaker Cotton Coulson and David Wright, that workshop will provide instruction on how to make their own personal documentary of the voyage.

Anyone who registers for the November 7 departure between now and March 31 will receive complimentary airfare for the trip. Additionally, travelers who sign up for either the November 27 or December 7 departure of Lindblad’s shorter 14-day White Continent itinerary will also get free airfare for either of those voyages as well.

If you’ve always wanted to visit Antarctica, 2013 could be the year that you make that dream come true.

[Photo Credit: Lindblad Expeditions]

Trekking The Planet, Couple Passes 50,000 Mile Mark

by Chris Owen on

About a year ago, California couple Darren and Sandy Van Soye started trekking the planet on a global tour to raise awareness about world geography and make the subject more accessible to children. To make efficient use of their time and set an eco-friendly travel example, several legs of the journey have been traveled using Princess cruise ships. We caught up with the Van Soye’s recently for a progress report.

“We just passed the 50,000 mile mark on our journey (20,000 miles by cruise ship),” said Darren Van Soye via email this week.

The plan was to visit 50 countries, on six continents, in 424 days, sharing the journey with more than 700 classrooms representing 50,000 students. So far, Darren and Sandy have traveled to 40 countries with another dozen or so to go before returning to the United Sates.
Beating projections, 850 classrooms in 20 countries, representing 55,000 students, are following their journey online.As they have traveled the planet, the 25-year IT industry vets are compiling a library of education modules for teachers along with articles, weekly quizzes and videos, all free to educators.

We can follow along too by visiting the Live Tracker feature on their Trekking The Planet website, which is becoming a rich resource for travelers as well as their intended audience, kids and classrooms.

In addition to 20,000+ miles via cruise ship, the trekking couple has traveled by rail (10,447 miles), road (7,021 miles) and air (17,035 miles).

“Our last cruise will take us from Valparaiso, Chile, to San Pedro, California,” added Van Soye.

Princess Cruises was keen on the idea from the start. The cruise line had just completed their 50 Essential Experiences: The Travel Bucket List, a year-long blog project where 15+ year Princess Cruises employees shared their personal travel stories, hoping to inspire others.

“We frequently hear stories from travelers who cruise to accomplish a goal – from celebrating milestones with family members to crossing something off their bucket list,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president in a statement. “Sandy and Darren are a great example of how cruise travel can be both relaxing and rewarding. We’re inspired by their story and we’re honored they’ve chosen Princess to help them achieve their trekking goals.”

Catching up with the Trekking the Planet team in December, Darren and Sandy review their time in Africa and the Middle East as we see in this video:




The Van Soyes will complete their global journey in March.

[Photo Credit- Trekking The Planet]

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]