Caribbean bound...na-na-nyah!

[mondello]

Hey Jeff and JimmyJoe, Eat you heart out, I'm heading back to the Caribbean! Thanks to the wonders of frequent-flyer miles, I got 2 FREE flights to San Juan 6/9-6/19. I might be destiny's darling as the Carnival Destiny just happens to be sailing from SJ on 6/11; however, that's unconfirmed as yet and we may just have to be content laying on a beach in Puerto Rico. Then again, we could always treat SJ as our gateway to paradise and hop on another plane to somewhere more exotic. Decisions, decisions.

[packercruising]

That won't be any fun. I mean really, half the fun is planning and anticipating, right?;) You barely have time to check out the ship on cruisecritics.:eek:

 

Plus doesn't cruising within 3 months of your last one give you heartburn or something?:confused:

 

Do you know how hot it is in SJ this time of year? All that sand and beaches and funny drinks with umbrellas in them. You sure you want to put yourself through all that?

 

Truely, have an awesome time and don't feel bad that DW and I are a mere 281 days away from our cruise.:D

[mondello]

Hi Jeff, Those 281 days will fly by in...well...two hundred and eighty-one days. I like to strike while the iron is hot. Plan too far in advance and its all anti-climactic. You never know, you just might see a guy wearing a brown #19 jersey on the Jewel next Feb.

[packercruising]

Hey that would be cool. I'll buy you an MGD :)

[joetrizeo]

'dello, sounds excellent!

i wish i had 2 free flights to Miami for our cruise on Victory in november, cheapest we can get away for is 350-400 per person, which kinda kills the cruise deal we got but hey, its a cruise.

i might have to move down to somewhere near the ports, maybe a few hours away, so i could actually drive and cut my cruise costs by like 30-40%!

 

enjoy yourself 'dello, and keep us informed!

 

-Jim

[mondello]

Hey Jim, I noticed on your posting that you're in Dayton now. Did you move from Cleveland, or are you leading a double life? JoeTrizeo/Cleveland;Jim/Dayton. I hope you haven't bought your airfare yet, you should be able to beat that price easily. You should be able to find an airfare sale this fall. I wouldn't expect to pay more than $200-$250. Sometimes you can really save by flying through nearby airports. TriRail is a train service for South Florida and serves the corridor between the 3 major airport (Miami, FLL, and PBI/West Palm Beach). I don't know how much hassle it is catching shuttles between the station and airport. I was checking it out on the internet and was going to use it in March, but decided to just rent a car rather than dragging our luggage around. If you weren't in a hurry, the train was really cheap. When you book your flights, search fares from Columbus and to FLL & PBI. Columbus is a competitive market and we get great fare sales to Florida. Good luck and happy sailing!

[joetrizeo]

"Did you move from Cleveland, or are you leading a double life? "

-i lead a double life...

 

Ya i've been lookin for flights from columbus and dayton, cinci, indy, cleveland. looking at flying out on sunday, embarkation day. the major constraint is the time frame and since its fly out and back on sundays, it's costly. seriously i've tried all the airline sites and all i could find was 350-400 pp. i'm hesitant about waiting until fall because flights might fill up and i thought they get more expensive as the date nears. but you seem a more veteran flyer than i, any input and what airlines go for $200-250?

[mondello]

Hi Jim, I'm not picky about airlines, I fly whichever is cheapest. When searching, check for flexible dates to find the lowest priced fares for a starting point. I know that they'll get you for more money if you are limited to certain dates, like only Sunday flights. You really need to find a way to avoid flights on ship travel days. It's like kicking a game winning field goal before fourth down. Usually it doesn't matter, but the safety cushion is invaluable. The key to the best fares is to be flexible. That's because the best sales are limited to certain days. The fare sales for fall are not announced until mid to late summer. As long as you aren't flying during a major Holiday week, the demand hasn't filled those flights yet. I always check Southwest first and usually find my best deal on sale with travelocity. I guess that I'm more of a gambler, because I tend to find great last-minute deals 4-8 weeks beforehand. This strategy works best if I'm only looking for an inside cabin.

[joetrizeo]

mondello, i'm traveling during thanksgiving week, nov 19-26, t-giving is that thursday...

[mondello]

Hi Jim, Yeah, I knew you were going in Nov. but I wasn't sure if it was the holiday week. Any fare sales will have those dates blacked-out so I guess that will limit your choices. Like you said, at least you'll be having a blast on your cruise. What price paradise?

[joetrizeo]

"What price paradise?"

 

come again?

[mondello]

Just a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that our vacations are sacred and paradise is priceless.

[packercruising]

Hey I understood it, der hey. You guys in Ohio must speak different languages dontchaknow? :)

[JLR050505]

mondello, i'm traveling during thanksgiving week, nov 19-26, t-giving is that thursday...

 

 

Jim,

 

Try priceline for the flights. They have the Name your own price and you can save up to 40% off the flight, I would book to leave on Sat and come home on Monday if its possible, Because the flights are cheaper on those days plus after the discounted flight do the same thing for a discounted hotel room. You could probally pay 250 for flight and hotel. I just got a great deal last week for a trip, I paid 160 for flight..... and it was 299. and I paid 35.00 for hotel and that was normally 80.00!

[JLR050505]

We just booked another cruise! Boston to Bermuda here I come!

 

 

:)

[packercruising]

Man, everyone is going before me.....

 

Have a great time! :)

[mondello]

It's official, just 18 days before the 6/11 sailing of the Carnival Destiny, we booked 1 of the last 2 available cabins. The $499PP Insides were sold out, so we booked an Oceanview for $599PP. We had an inside on the 3/5/06 Magica/Eastern Caribbean and the oceanview on the Destiny will be a Southern Caribbean cruise, so I guess our next one will be a balcony/Western Caribbean to complete the trifecta/hat trick. I know that we won't be cruising every 3 months, but this year has been a great introduction into the world of cruising.

[joetrizeo]

We just booked another cruise! Boston to Bermuda here I come!

 

NO FAIR! You and 'dello are BOTH leaving before me! ugh i thought i was gunna come in first! :p :p :p

 

 

'dello - you're cruisin' carnival like me (destiny vs victory) have you cruised carnival before or is this the first?

when you come back will you give me an update as to differences and similarities and what i could expect with respect to carnival vs costa?

[packercruising]

Hey Jim, I know the difference between the Destiny and the Victory. About 166 days!!!!!!!!! :)

[joetrizeo]

Hey Jim, I know the difference between the Destiny and the Victory. About 166 days!!!!!!!!! :)

 

HAHAHAHA

Thanks for reminding me it's so far off. It's ok, I have a full summer planned. The time will fly, between hangin' out with friends, going up to Canada to party with the cool people I met on Magica, moving in August (2 miles down the road, not far), finding a new job, and workin' on some projects, I'll be good. But boy after a hellish day like today I sure could use a cruise right about now.

[mondello]

Hi Jim, Yeah, I'll be glad to give you a update after my Carnival Destiny cruise. This will be my first Carnival cruise and second overall. The Victory and Magica are both newer versions of the Destiny, so I'd expect a similiar design layout, though I know each will have its own unique features. I've been reading the Carnival board quite a bit recently, in addition to some cruise books I got from the local library. I like a lot of the things I've learned about Carnival and can't wait to experience it firsthand. I know we both loved the Magica, and I think Carnival will be better in some respects. I like the fact that Carnival has more food/dining options. Some factors about each cruise are going to make it hard to compare different ships and lines. The Magica was less than a year and a half old when we were on it, so it would be hard to find an older ship as clean as Magica. I really think that you may become a lifelong Carnival customer after your Victory cruise, mainly because you are the exact demographic that they appeal to (20-45yo fun lovers). I'm really looking forward to Carnival's 24 hour pizza not to mention deli, sushi, and fish-n-chips. We need to remember that itinerary, time of year/number of kids, and ages of ships really effect the cruise experience. I hope we both have a blast on our next cruise. The Magica will always be special because it was our first.

[mondello]

Hey Jim, I know the difference between the Destiny and the Victory. About 166 days!!!!!!!!! :)

Hey Jeff, Just like Meatloaf said, "you took the words right out of my mouth...

[packercruising]

See that's age discrimination, pure and simple. :) I hope they still have the Calzones. Those were great!

 

Hey a Meatloaf fan... He was good.

[joetrizeo]

I hope they still have the Calzones. Those were great!

 

I hope they have MeatLoaf!

[bound4somewhere]

'dello, sounds excellent!

i wish i had 2 free flights to Miami for our cruise on Victory in november, cheapest we can get away for is 350-400 per person, which kinda kills the cruise deal we got but hey, its a cruise.

i might have to move down to somewhere near the ports, maybe a few hours away, so i could actually drive and cut my cruise costs by like 30-40%!

 

enjoy yourself 'dello, and keep us informed!

 

-Jim

Hi Joe, try this website for airfares...http://kayak.com

It searches several airlines and travel companies. If you can be a bit flexible with times and dates you should do okay. From my own experience I believe saturday would be a better fare day than sunday and of course the earliest and latest flights I think are cheaper. Good luck!!

FYI- I sailed on the Magica after you in March, W.Carib, it was so-so...booked for 01/07/07 on the NCL-Jewel, E. Carib-weddingmoon!! Very excited. Anyway, keep searching those fares cuz they're always changing.

:) Kathy