cruisintwinsmom

I always book early saver, but i am usually booking about a year or more ahead of time. I book at a price I am ok with and then if I get price drops they are a bonus.

 

As far as booking with a TA you would have to go thru them to apply for any price drops. Carnival can not deal directly with you because your TA owns your booking.

Thank you for your help! :)

A little background: usually I book at the last minute as I find generally that fares drop after final payment is due.

1. With that said, I'm looking at booking the Liberty in July. Do you think it is worthwile to book an Early Saver rate for an OV 6A? It is about $70 more than the current VIFP rate (I have sailed Carnival twice before). I am okay with getting OBC after final payment because I can use that for gratuities and drinks.

2. When I sail on RCCL I usually work with a TA and get OBC through the agency. If I use a TA and get the ES, can I appy for the price adjustments myself or do I need to go through the TA?

Thanks for your help with this matter.

I just booked the La Concha for our upcoming cruise in September. I got it thru hotwire for 120 + tax and I had a coupon that I used, I ended up paying 111.68 with tax included:D:D:D This is my first time booking blind but after this awesome deal it won't be the last. I'm super happy:D

What were the amenities that went with the hotwire description? Thanks!

After having to cancel 2 cruises.... We are in for the journey of a life time ..... 30 days aboard the Costa Luminosa.... With 10 days Caribbean during March break and 20 days TA which has ports in The Spanish Riviera and Italy.....

 

Want to come????

 

AJ

I looked into this, but the March departure doesn't work. The itinerary looks amazing!!!

It really depends on what age group you're asking about. I did the Oasis Ft Lauderdale to Barcelona Sept 2014 and did the cruise back on the Oasis, Rotterdam, Netherlands to Ft Lauderdale in Oct. Majority of people (couples and singles) were above 55. Very few under 30 and probably fewer between. Very few kids.

Thanks for the input. Yes, I was on the Oasis from FLL to Barcelona and it was an older demographic - those are the ones who can take a lot of days for vacation. :p

After having to cancel 2 cruises.... We are in for the journey of a life time ..... 30 days aboard the Costa Luminosa.... With 10 days Caribbean during March break and 20 days TA which has ports in The Spanish Riviera and Italy.....

 

Want to come????

 

AJ

Wow - that sounds interesting! I'll look into it!

Well, if you pick the Allure TA on April 19th, give me a shout, and we'll go on a solo hunt together :)

Will do! I am looking at the Allure - had such a great time on the Oasis, but the Celebrity ships have more interesting itineraries. :p Decisions, decisions....

Thanks, Thoie. Good to know that there are more singles than appear on the roll calls.

I didn't know if to post this thread on the singles or the solos forum, maybe the solo forum would have been more appropriate!

Happy Sailing!

Are any singles taking a spring transatlantic cruise - either Royal or Celebrity? I was looking at the roll calls and most of them seem to have only couples. This past Sept I sailed on the Oasis and there were a lot of singles (relative to other cruises I have been on) and was hoping to take a spring TA with other singles.

Thanks!

Just some follow up: My flight on Vueling left on schedule from Seville and arrived on time in Paris. I used the economy plus (don't remember if that is exactly what it was called) but it allowed for a checked piece of luggage so there were no surprise extra costs.

Thanks everyone! I'm in FLL and didn't realize my travel kit tube was so low and was hoping not to have to make a trip to buy some. You guys are the best.

On the Glory in February, toothpaste was provided in our cabin. Will it be provided on the Breeze?

Thanks for your help!

Thanks everyone! Booked it today - looking forward to the stay.

Thank you both for your replies!!!

I'm thinking about booking this hotel. We are going to be there Oct 17-19, 2014. Is it conveninent to shopping and restaurants? Is it easy to use public transportation if we want to go to Sawmill Mall?

Thanks!

Maybe some trip reports might help you decide -

 

http://fly2travel.boardingarea.com/vueling-airlines-a320-200-bcn-rak-flight-review/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187497-i44-k6498605-Vueling_Airlines-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/207892/

 

Vueling is owned by IAG (British Airways + Iberia) and has recently upgraded its fleet and service by offering business class (Euro-shorthaul style, basically they don't sell the middle seat, add "free" food and a much more generous baggage allowance) and most recent reviews are better than previous ones. Certainly I wouldn't switch to Easyjet or some such - which won't offer things like interline baggage service, interline connections, etc.

Thank you for the info and the links!

Flew with them twice - no complaints at all.

Thanks! Good to know!

I handle flights for Vueling on a daily base and I can only give you 1 advice: if the price isn't much, much cheaper, avoid this airline at all costs!

Not only quality wise, but they have a serious safety issue.

I can agree with the other that you don't need to look for service if it's such a short flight.

But often, the cabin crew aren't even interested in how many people (and bags!!) are onboard. Yes, you read it correct. They often leave without knowing the exact figures.

They also have a lot of delays (and I mean a lot!!) and swap their airplanes to a smaller version without any notification in advance often.

 

At the airport where I work, we have a flight that is supposed to be a 189-seater and they send an 160-seater for example almost every week. Needless to say, a lot of people are bumped without the gate crew even knowing what is going on until that flight actually arrives at the gate. And it most cases, they don't have another option but to fly the day after. They will also not put you on another airline in such cases, as they have no agreements.

 

Imho, if you can, take another airline like Easyjet. They're lowcost as well, but have far better On-Time Performance rates and they ALWAYS make sure their counts are correct. Even for a lowcost airline, they will make a delay if they are not sure how many people/bags they got onboard.

Please be very(!) considerate when flying Vueling. I hope this reply did not came too late...

unfortunately, i purchased my ticket yesterday :( I'm not sure I can cancel it.

Thanks for both replies! That's what my gut was telling me - I just needed some reassurance before I paid the euros.

I'm travelling solo and want to get from Seville to Paris. Vueling has the best time, but it appears to get bad reviews. Transavia has the best price, but gets me into Paris at 11pm and that is not too appealing to me. Another possibility is to take the train to Madrid and fly Easy Jet from there.

Thanks in advance!

Check a map. There are really only two options (one just north, the other on the south coast) and I'll spell them wrong if I try to go from memory

http://www.travelmath.com/hotels-near/Keflavik,+Iceland

 

click on each hotel link and map (lower right) for view of location

 

one at least I found has airport shuttle.

Thank you! I will check them out. Your help is much appreciated!!!

Blue Lagoon definitely will work in that time span. There are hourly (or nearly so) buses from the airport to the BL and back again. You could also explore Reykjavik (maybe take a whale or puffin cruise) during that time.

 

If you do the overnight option there are relatively cheap hotels in the towns near the airport, and you'd have plenty of time to do a Golden Circle tour on Saturday, if you start early.

Thank you! I'll look into the option of Gold Circle tour :) Which towns around the airport? TIA

We found our apartment online, although it helped that we are very familiar with Avignon and the region and knew exactly what we wanted. Most of the decent apartments are for 1 week (or longer) rentals. I am not a big proponent of public transit in this part of France because it really limits what you can do and see. Once you get out of the big cities, Provence is just a large rural area where one needs a car or a private tour. Just getting to a place like Les Baux (from Avignon) is not easily accomplished by public transit (I am not sure it's even possible). Want to hop over to Pont du Gard for a couple of hours? Not gonna happen on public transit. So this means you either need to rent a small car (only takes a solo to drive a car) or book some tours. There are even some interesting Roman ruins right outside St Remy...but you are not going to easily get there with public transit.

 

And then there is my favorite market in all of France that is held every Sunday morning in L'isle sur la Sorque. There is no way to get to this remote town on public transit and even finding a tour might be near impossible.

 

I think that folks traveling solo can sometimes put chains around themselves. 3 years ago we were on 42 day HAL cruise that started in Ft Lauderdale and ended in Amsterdam. On that cruise we met a fascinating 82 year young widow who was an absolute delight. She was traveling by herself, and that was fine with her. We made the mistake of asking what she was doing after the cruise...assuming she was flying back to the USA. Nope! She was taking the train (by herself) to Paris where she had rented an apartment for a month! She explained that she had friends in Paris, but no way was she going to get "tied down" by staying with friends. She preferred to be by herself so she could whatever she pleased. Even thought we are a huge proponent of DIY, we were floored by this lady and her grit! You just never know what folks can accomplish.

 

Hank

Thank you.

Guess I should explain the Avignon apartment. IMHO it was a real good deal at the 710 price. Yes, we could have easily rented an apartment for a few hundred less Euros. But the place we rented was quite special in both location and amenities. Not only was it a large apartment with new modern appliances including things like dishwasher, washer, wine fridge, etc. but it had a huge rooftop private terrace with an amazing view over the city. A well known nearby hotel gets nearly 3 times the price for a relatively small room without the private rooftop. When we again return to Avignon we would rent the same apartment. I should also mention that the particular apartment is nearly fully rented through July (I think he has 1 week open) while many other less expensive apartments are available. Sometimes one does not mind paying for location and quality.

 

Hank

I'm going to be staying in Avignon during September post cruise for 3 or 4 nights, then on to Paris. How did you find your apartment? Currently I am reviewing airbnb. Travelling solo, so will be using public transportation for day trips. Any other advice would be appreciated! Thank you for your help!

Thanks, Hank. I have been looking at SNCF, but thought if Capitaine was easier to manuever, easier to use US cc's, and kept my tickets where I could easily find them, then I would use them. Wasn't sure if I was just missing a click somewhere on the page.:o But I'm afraid to wait much longer so will probably try SNCF.

you mean Reykjavik check this site

 

https://www.re.is

 

Reykjavik Excursions

 

and this one

 

http://www.icelandhorizon.is/

Really tight time frame, but maybe someone local has an idea? The Blue Lagoon might work? Maybe half an hour from airport?? Reykjavik is about an hours drive.

 

From my research, anything touristy on the Golden Tour road might be too far to get there and back (with enjoyment time) in time for next flight…. but an overnighter would be great i.e. get up early:eek: and a good head start.

Thank you, both! Yes, maybe a local can be more specific ;)