Arthur Frommer's Blog, page 3

Free Wifi Coming To a Big Hotel Conglomerate, Plus a 10 GBP Per Night Sale on Hotels Across the UK

[This is a guest post by Pauline Frommer]

Just a quick post to let you know about a superlative deal: beds across Britain for just 10 GBP. And those ain't hostel beds. DeVere Venues are all proper, often pretty, hotels scattered across the UK. The sale holds for travel between June 28 and September 9, for those who can book by end of day today. Need more info? Go to http://www.deverevenues.co.uk/offers.html.

And in hotel amenity news, the Intercontinental Hotel Group (which encompasses that brand, plus Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn) will be giving free wifi to all its loyalty program members, beginning in 2014. The most elite of their members already have it. My advise: join the club! There's no charge, so why not exchange a pledge of loyalty for some much needed connectivity. They'll never know if your next sleep is a Hilton.

Keep Those Tweens In Sight! Changes at the Disney Parks

[This is a guest post by Pauline Frommer]

The Disney organization has announced stricter regulations for solo kids in the parks, a move that's undoubtedly [image error] going to lead to stricter parenting. Kids under 14 are now expected to be within shouting distance of their parents and "cast members" will be on the lookout for solo youngsters.

This will undoubtedly be a big deal for yearly passholders, many of whom routinely drop off their youngster at the park while they do other things, according to USAToday. One has to wonder if this move will also put a crimp in the style of larger families who split up in order to hit more rides, with the tweens going on the thrill rides, while the parents take younger kids to gentler entertainments.

I know, as a parent of a just-turned 14-year-old, that it was her major goal when she was 12 and 13 to be on her own at amusement parks, something we didn't allow. My guess: we're going to be seeing a lot more screaming fights in the Disney parking lots! 

A Large Number of Questions Posed by Readers of This Blog Provide an Insight into Current Travel Concerns, Puzzlements, and Desires for Help

The questions keep coming, and they reflect widespread worries or appeals for help by would-be travelers.  Here are some of the latest batch:

Q.  How can I find a cooking class in the Napa Valley area of California where I'll soon be vacationing?
A.  Place the word "Visit" in front of the words Napa Valley--i.e., VisitNapaValley.com--and then punch the resulting longer word into the nearest computer search engine.  Up will come all sorts of touristic information, including the available cooking classes in the area.  Placing "Visit" in front of "[Location]" is often the key to that kind of travel advice.

Q.  What sort of clothing shall I bring along for a trans-Atlantic crossing on the QM2?
A.  Clothing for chilly weather.  Though the QM2 no longer crosses the "North Atlantic", but follows a longer, seven-day itinerary further south, the weather outside is still rather cool, even if you're crossing at the height of the summer season.

Q.  Do I bring Rubles or Euros on a trip to Russia?
A.  Russia doesn't use the Euro, and you will need to have Rubles, best obtained once you are in Russia.

Q.  Where do I go to book a port tour costing less (and with smaller groups) than from the cruiselines?
A.   Go to ShoreTrips.com, PortPromotions.com, PortCompass.com, or CruisingExcursions.com.

Q.  I can't get the time of day from Carnival Cruises.  They won't tell me whether they have cancelled or eliminated stops from an upcoming cruise I have booked.
A.  Phone the cruiseline industry association--Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) in New York--and they'll crack down on Carnival on your behalf.

Q.  I'm anxious to vacation in Italy this coming July, but can't find a round-trip airfare there for less than $2,000?
A.  That's because you're insistent on a non-stop flight.  Go there via another, less favored city and you'll spend at least $600 less.  Fly on TAP Portuguese Airlines via Lisbon, or KLM via Amsterdam, and you'll pay $1,400 round-trip.  Check out such one-stop fares on Kayak.com, Momondo.com, Do-Hop.com, Hipmunk.com, and others.

Q.  Our daughter will be having a Bas-Mitzfah (birthday ceremony) when she turns 13 next year, and we want to take her--as a present--on a trip to France or Italy.  Can you recommend a tour operator for the three of us (myself, husband, and her)?
A.  None of the standard group operators of motorcoach tours can be considered, because your daughter will be bored by their usual assortments of middle-aged and elderly people.  Try a small-group, family tour on Intrepid Travel (maximum of 14 participants, including other children), or go independently on your own without a tour.

Q.  My daughter and I want to spend two weeks in Africa, but only on a volunteer vacation, making a contribution to local communities.  Whom shall we approach?
A.  You can't make any sort of meaningful contribution in two weeks.  What sort of efforts will you offer?  Most of the reputable volunteer vacation operators list stays of up to 12 weeks, and the best among them--like Cross Cultural Solutions--require a three-week minimum in many of the places to which they go.  Stop and consider your skills, and ask yourself truthfully whether you can be of any assistance to African communities in two weeks.

Q.  I will be in South Africa this autumn, but then want to go to Israel.  How can I get there?
A.  Israel's El Al Airlines has been operating non-stop flights from South Africa to Israel for decades--and at relatively cheap prices (say, $400 for the one-way flight).

The "Gate Agents" at the Airports of America Have Just Received a Memorable Tribute, Capable of Being Expanded into Book Form

Several days ago, I blogged about the decision of EasyJet (the British, low-cost air carrier) to eliminate its check-in counters, by requiring that passengers obtain their boarding passes solely on their home computers and printers.  I also speculated that this first step in doing away with human contact at the airports, might be followed by the airlines' doing away with gate attendants, the people who actually allow you to board the plane.

Immediately, reader Donna Cuervo (well known to readers of responses to this blog) wrote an impassioned comment about the crucial role played by such gate attendants or "agents".  Her essay is so very detailed and authoritative (Donna is herself, presently, a flight attendant) that I have felt it deserves greater prominence; it reflects such direct knowledge about aviation by Donna that it could be made the basis for a much more substantial discussion (possibly in book form).  Here it is:

"The job of the Gate Agent involves a lot more than just checking people in. They have a lot of the responsibility for getting the plane out on time. They drive the jetbridge to the doorway of the plane, open the door on arriving flights, arrange for preordered wheelchairs to be where they need to be, prevent oversized bags from being taken onboard, participate in identifying hazardous materials and prevent them from getting on the plane, make public address announcements about delays, gate changes and other information (sometimes in two languages), identify people who are exit row qualified or not, sell premium seats, and make last minute seating changes for families to sit together and disabled people to have appropriate seating. This is all done in a rushed, high stress environment with a lot of pressure to get the plane out on time.

"Gate Agents provide pilots and flight attendants with detailed paperwork that is consulted throughout the flight. It is provided both at the beginning of the boarding process and finally before the door is closed. They come onboard to resolve seat duplication problems and other seating issues. They coordinate with provisioning about bathroom supplies, food and drink items and other service items that may have been left off the plane or need to be replaced - often having to carry the heavy items on themselves. They keep flight attendants advised on time remaining before departure and close the aircraft door when everything is done. On many arriving flights, the Gate Agents have to empty the trash and help clean the plane. While doing all this, they are constantly approached at their podiums by a stream of customers many of whom are obnoxious, make unreasonable demands or have stupid questions that could have been answered by listening to the announcements or reading the board. Gate Agents have to be skilled at using a computer, learning the airline's computer programs as well as other equipment, and they must have a high level of skill in dealing with the public.

"For all this they receive a starting salary of $9 an hour. I think the airlines are getting a good deal from these people, and I can't imagine how an airline would function well without what they do on a daily basis. I wouldn't want their job, although it is a good entry level position for somebody who wants to advance in the airline business. It provides good experience, and many Gate Agents move into Flight Attendant or Administrative office positions."

So, how about it, Donna Cuervo?  Is there a book in the offing?

Opposition Seems to be Building to the TSA's Proposed Relaxation of Its Security Rules to Permit Pocket Knives to be Carried Aboard Airplanes

Both the union of flight attendants, and the union of federal air marshals, seem to be waging a powerful campaign against the TSA's proposed weakening of its security regulations to permit pocket knives to be carried aboard airplanes.  It was recently pointed out by the president of the flight attendants' union that the September 11 hijackers took control of aircraft with box cutters having blades smaller than the pocket knives that the T.S.A. would now permit.  Whether or not those pocket knives could now enable future hijackers to break through the doors of the airplanes' cockits, they could apparently cause severe injury to the attendants and passengers against whom they are used.

I find that argument compelling, and am puzzled as to why the TSA has proposed such revisions to its regulations.  The claim that the new rules would bring us into sync with European regulations seems unconvincing; the Europeans' record of aviation safety--the ease with which they allowed the "shoe-bomber" and the "underwear bomber" onto planes--does not inspire confidence.

I plan to mail my own opposition to the new rules to the TSA, and feel that readers of this blog might want their own views to be known.

Accusations by Members of the Muslim Brotherhood Against Women Who Participate in Political Protests, Should Put a Decisive End to Western Tourism to Egypt

The recent, much-publicized physical abuse of women in Egypt, resulting in a great many instances of gang rapes, is itself a worrisome development that should concern women planning a touristic visit to Egypt.  But far worse are the recent excuses for such attacks by members of the political party that now holds power in Egypt.  In an astonishing recent article in The New York Times, prominent members of the political party headed by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, have been quoted as attributing such attacks to the participation in political protests by Egyptian women.  They blame the women who have been raped for not staying safely at home.

The Times quoted Reda Saleh Al al-Hefnawi, a legislator member of the Muslim Brotherhood, as saying "How do they [women] ask the Ministry of Interior to protect a woman when she stands among men?"

As long as such viewpoints are common in Egypt, and are not vigorously opposed by other members of the current Egyptian government led by the Muslim Brotherhood, there seems a clear answer to the question of whether western women should visit Egypt.  Though one or two members of the leading party, including one of its rare woman members, have spoken out in protest, the prevailing silence by most others in that party serves as a major reason to warn women against Egyptian tourism.  Perhaps in solidarity with these outrageous viewpoints blaming women for the attacks they have sustained, the Egyptian police have been largely inactive in protecting women against rape by crowds of men congregating for political meetings.

Several months ago, I reported with great sorrow my own increasing realization that Egypt was not currently safe for tourism.  My judgment on that matter has now been confirmed by uncontradicted news reports.  If there is anyone among our readers who has contrary evidence, I'd very much appreciate hearing from them.

Accusations by Members of the Muslim Brotherood Against Women Who Participate in Political Protests, Should Put a Decisive End to Western Tourism to Egypt

The recent, much-publicized physical abuse of women in Egypt, resulting in a great many instances of gang rapes, is itself a worrisome development that should concern women planning a touristic visit to Egypt.  But far worse are the recent excuses for such attacks by members of the political party that now holds power in Egypt.  In an astonishing recent article in The New York Times, prominent members of the political party headed by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, have been quoted as attributing such attacks to the participation in political protests by Egyptian women.  They blame the women who have been raped for not staying safely at home.

The Times quoted Reda Saleh Al al-Hefnawi, a legislator member of the Muslim Brotherhood, as saying "How do they [women] ask the Ministry of Interior to protect a woman when she stands among men?"

As long as such viewpoints are common in Egypt, and are not vigorously opposed by other members of the current Egyptian government led by the Muslim Brotherhood, there seems a clear answer to the question of whether western women should visit Egypt.  Though one or two members of the leading party, including one of its rare woman members, have spoken out in protest, the prevailing silence by most others in that party serves as a major reason to warn women against Egyptian tourism.  Perhaps in solidarity with these outrageous viewpoints blaming women for the attacks they have sustained, the Egyptian police have been largely inactive in protecting women against rape by crowds of men congregating for political meetings.

Several months ago, I reported with great sorrow my own increasing realization that Egypt was not currently safe for tourism.  My judgment on that matter has now been confirmed by uncontradicted news reports.  If there is anyone among our readers who has contrary evidence, I'd very much appreciate hearing from them.

The Decision by EasyJet to Eliminate Check-In Counters May Signal the Eventual End of Any Human Contact Before Boarding a Plane

I think it's a significant development.  EasyJet, the British budget air carrier, has announced that, like its rival Ryanair, it will no longer employ people to issue your boarding pass or otherwise attend to your pre-boarding needs.  Except for an "emergency facility" that it says it will maintain for luddites who fail to obtain a boarding pass from their computer and printer at home (and it makes that promise somewhat ambiguously), it will stop employing a human being to check you in (there will be a single, separate area for depositing your luggage, with a luggage tag that you will have printed at home).

Already, Ryanair enforces its own ban against the check-in process overseen by a human being, by charging a stiff, 60-Euro per person penalty on passengers who fail to print out their boarding pass at home.  It's obvious that eventually, EasyJet will assess the same kind of penalty.  So in practice, everyone checking in for many different flights will simply drop their suitcase, if they have one, into a luggage receptacle, and then proceed--unattended--to the gate, never having encountered an airline employee.

The savings are so obvious that the adoption of similar practices by airlines around the world, including the U.S., seems inevitable. In fact, someone will undoubtedly create a self-service machine for easily scanning your boarding pass at the gate and thus being permitted to walk onto the plane.  The entire process, from arrival at the airport to taking your seat inside the airplane, will be handled without the intervention of humans.

And what will happen to the unfortunate soul who doesn't quite comply with computer-operated procedures?  Who shows up at the airport without properly creating boarding pass and luggage tag?  "Tough luck", will be the response of the airlines.  In fact, one poor British passenger traveling with her family of three others in Spain, had to pay a stiff, 240-Euro penalty to Ryanair for failing to print out her boarding pass in advance.  When she protested that she had no access on vacation to either a laptop or printer, Ryanair responded that she could have demanded that the hotel front desk perform this function for her.  And when she answered that she was staying with her family at a farmhouse that didn't possess such equipment, the President of Ryanair called her an "idiot".

So there it is--progress.  We will someday look back fondly on the time when a smiling airline attendant greeted you from behind a check-in counter.

Great Britain Is Developing Two Important New Attractions This Year (Of Which One Has Already Opened) That Will Draw a Great Many Additional Visitors

     Because Great Britain is regarded by Americans as the most important trans-Atlantic destination, it behooves us all to stay current with touristic developments there, both for the purpose of recommending visits by others, or for affecting our own vacation plans.  And among those developments, the British are claiming that the ability of tourists to visit, and even use, some of the facilities that were built for the London Olympics of 2012 is a new and potent reason for a visit.

 

     Starting July 27, the one-year anniversary of the start of the 2012 Olympics, the British will open the Queen Elizabeth Olympics Park, which they claim will be the world's largest new park.  It's an area of London that encompasses most of the major stadiums and other sports arenas (including the structures housing giant swimming pools), of which most will now be open to visits by the public (imagine yourself sprinting around the quarter-mile track used by long-distance Olympics competitors).  In fact, if I understand correctly a recent statement by a spokesperson of VisitBritain (official government tourist office of Great Britain), it will now even be possible for members of the public to splash away in the famous Olympics-size swimming pools of those 2012 games.

 

     Visitors will be able to arrange their own direct visits to the Olympics Park, or they will be able to sign up for commercial visits offered by tour operators as part of their standard half-day or full-day tours of London.

 

     Another major London attraction--the London Shard--is already open to the public and has been admitting visitors since February of this year (several million persons a year are expected to visit it).

 

     And what is the London Shard?  It's an immense skyscraper of unprecedented height for Britain, which got that name in the many violent attacks upon the decision to build it several years ago, when opponents claimed it would resemble a glass Shard--they meant this negatively, and feared a disturbing architectural interference with the traditional look of London.  Sponsors of the project thereupon adopted the name "Shard" as a positive term to explain what they were building.

 

     The London Shard is now the tallest building in the European Union, an Empire State-like structure 95 stories high, its surface almost totally of glass, and located near London Bridge, in what might be considered the heart of London.  Designed by famous Italian architect, Renzo Piano, it now towers over London in the same way that the Empire State Building hovers over Manhattan.  And it has a four-story high observation platform on its 72nd floor, from which visitors will have a hitherto-unavailable view extending for many miles around London.  I've heard one claim that you'll actually be able to see Oxford from the London Shard, but haven't been able to confirm that possibly-overambitious assertion.

 

     Admission to the observation platform of The London Shard will be the equivalent of $35, but despite that high tab, the building's owners are expecting visits by millions of residents and tourists.  And London tourist officials are hoping that the Shard will now become an outstanding attraction of the city, in the same way that the Empire State Building is often regarded as the most important and popular sight to visit in New York.

 

     How can you best prepare for a visit to Britain?  In a recent meeting I had with the marketing director of VisitBritain, it was stressed that one of that organization's most potent aids to visitors is its special website called VisitBritainShop.com.  There, the British tourist office offers substantial discounts to persons who make advance purchases of some of the transportation schemes--like the London Oyster Card enabling multiple London subway trips for less--and admission tickets to important attractions.  Though some of these devices can also be purchased at the various London airports on arrival, purchasing them in advance through VisitBritainShop.com permits you to avoid the long lines that sometimes form at the airport shops selling them, in addition to saving you money.  Another related website, VisitBritain.com (without the word "shop") supplies general information on travel to Britain, as does the website of British Airways, BA.com, which supplements its sale of air tickets with that advice.  Consulting all three websites in advance of your trip may prove highly advantageous.

Carnival Has Apparently Actually Commenced a Wholesale Refitting of Its Older Ships With Back-Up Generators

There's been additional evidence that Carnival Cruises is taking serious and expensive steps to refit its older ships with back-up electrical generators.  But because the first ship to have that makeover has a totally new name, the fact that it is one of the elderly vessels has been obscured from public view.

     It was announced this week that the Carnival Sunshine (a name never before seen in cruising) would not embark on a risky trans-Atlantic sailing to the Mediterranean, but would stay in drydock for several weeks to have this additional safety equipment installed.  That announcement made it look like the newer ships in the Carnival fleet were in need of redundancy safeguards.

     The fact is that the Carnival Sunshine is not a new ship, but one that was launched in 1996--seventeen years ago--as the "Carnival Destiny".  It was undoubtedly a ship with only one set of electrical generators.  And although it had already been in drydock for various cosmetic improvements that would see it emerge as the "Carnival Sunshine", the Destiny was undoubtedly designed in the former--and now discredited--fashion as far as safety features were concerned.

     Carnival has now realized, apparently, that it is too risky to send such a ship on a trans-Atlantic sailing.  Suppose it lost electrical power in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?

     So there you have it.  Faced with the possibility that another tragedy (like the four that Carnival has encountered in the last three years) would have a devastating impact on the willingness of the public to hazard a cruise on a Carnival ship, Carnival has cancelled the immediate trans-Atlantic crossing of the Sunshine (née Destiny) in order to bring it into the modern world of safety.

     In a blog of several days ago, I said it was "ironic" that Carnival may now become the safest cruiseship line, because of the grave problems it has recently had.  We are still only hearing a total silence on the subject from other cruiselines.  Is Royal Caribbean outfitting its older ships with a second set of generators?  No one, as far a I know, is aware of what it is doing.  How about MSC cruises?  Though their fleet is relatively modern, does it possess redundancy in terms of generating electrical power?  Not a word, apparently, from them.  How about Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean?  Though several of its ships are very new, and thus presumably have back-up generators, how about the older vessels of Celebrity Cruises?  Don't they owe us a statement?

     I believe passengers about to sail aboard Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and MSC ships should be told what those lines are planning, in terms of a shutdown of electrical power while the ship is afloat.  Meanwhile, until they open up, it appears that a Carnival cruise may be the safe way to go.